Intensive teaching

Advantages of intensive teaching over traditional modes

Also known as 'block' and 'time-compressed' teaching, Intensive Teaching is a relatively new mode of educational delivery.

The structure of intensive classes can progressively facilitate stronger classroom relationships by fostering greater group cohesiveness and sociality amongst students (King 1997; Clark & Clark 2000).

Reported benefits of intensive classes also include high levels of participation and motivation from students (King 1997). However, these outcomes require an investment of preparation time in which the offshore teacher must re-assess and analyse their own teaching and learning methods curriculum, expectations, learning outcomes and objectives, and those of their prospective offshore partners and students (Bricknell 2006).

Considerations for offshore academic staff teaching in intensive mode

As with traditional modes of delivery, intensive teaching is not a static entity, but rather on that is open to

change through a dialogue between staff and students. The academic teaching in intensive mode therefore needs to be able to employ skills and qualities that enable them:

...to keep things moving and organise a full day's teaching so that the pace and tempo are manageable and enthusiasm remains high. In this regard, flexibility is a must and students and staff need to create a climate for learning where students and staff feel comfortable enough to 'negotiate; their learning experience so that adjustments are made where ...necessary, while at the same time maintaining quality and educational standards (Clark & Clark, 2000, n.p.)

When designing course material it is important to consider that offshore students are often subject to extensive work, social and family commitments.

Consequently, academic teachers in intensive mode need to design course content so that:

• time constraints of not only the course being delivered but also the external time commitments of students are factored into course structure as this will influence students' level of preparation and engagement with the course (Pyis & Chapma, 2004, p. 19)
• students in intensive classes are given adequate time to go through course material before being asked to apply it in a learning context
• teaching of material is organised and ordered so that theory related material is adequately established before students are required to apply and integrate the ideas in the classroom.

Intensive teaching strategies

Enhancing learning outcomes requires a deliberate and reflective approach to teaching. Whilst the type of teaching strategies is mediated by each disciplinary area, listed below are in-class collaborative and small group exercises that engage the students through interactivity with demonstrative benefits to student learning and enjoyment (Pyvis & Chapman, 2004, p.35).

• simulated games, role plays and debates (King, 1997)
• locally relevant case studies (Clark & Clark, 2000)
• student presentations, online quizzes.

A more detailed list of suggestions and issues for offshore academic teachers can be found in RMIT's Intensive Offshore Teaching Guide (Word).

References

Bricknell, L. (2005). Intensive Offshore Teaching (Word). Retrieved May 3, 2006

Clark, E., & Clark, P. (2000). Taking the educational show on the road: The promises and pitfalls of intensive teaching in off-shore post graduate coursework. International Education – ej 4, 1.

King, C. (1997). Make it small and intensive: An approach to teaching small classes. In R. Pospisil & L. Willcoxson (Eds.). Learning Through Teaching, Proceedings of the 6th Annual Teaching Learning Forum. Perth: Murdoch University.

Pyvis, D., & Chapman, A. (2004). Student Experiences of Offshore Higher Education: Issues for Quality. AUQA Occasional Publication, 3.