Deep learning? What deep learning?

Abstract

In teaching generally over the past twenty years, there has been a move towards teaching methods that encourage deep, rather than surface approaches to learning. The reason for this being that students, who adopt a deep approach to learning are considered to have learning outcomes of a better quality and desirability than those who adopt a surface approach to learning. However, how students approach their learning is still undervalued in Higher Education, as it is assumed that by the time a student enters higher education, he or she has already learned how to study. The purpose of this research is, therefore, to discuss the extent to which a South African Higher Education institute promotes and develops a deep approach to learning in its undergraduates, and to describe any changes in students' approaches to learning as they progress through their studies.


(South African Journal of Higher Education: 2003 17 (1): 123-131)