tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/university-of-adelaide-3709/articlesUniversity of Adelaide – The Conversation2022-12-21T19:11:39Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1968782022-12-21T19:11:39Z2022-12-21T19:11:39ZThe University of Adelaide and UniSA merger talks are back on but other Australian unis are unlikely to follow<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502083/original/file-20221220-15-sbg2ya.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=18%2C11%2C2455%2C1628&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A merger between the universities of Adelaide and South Australia has been <a href="https://theconversation.com/size-isnt-everything-when-it-comes-to-the-proposed-unisa-university-of-adelaide-merger-101454">talked about</a> for years. </p>
<p>The idea is now officially <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-07/universities-of-adelaide-and-south-australia-move-to-merge/101746396">back on the table</a>, with both universities agreeing to work on a feasibility study. </p>
<p>The proposed new university would be called Adelaide University and open in 2026, with the aim of becoming the <a href="https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/education/two-sa-universities-look-to-merge-and-create-top-100-contender-20221207-p5c4lc">biggest Australian university for domestic students</a>. </p>
<p>What will this mean for the university landscape in Australia? </p>
<h2>The 3 South Australian universities</h2>
<p>There are three public universities in South Australia: the University of Adelaide, University of South Australia and Flinders University. </p>
<p>All three are the result of Australia-wide mergers of universities and colleges of advanced education in the 1990s as part of the “<a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/aeipt.58566">Dawkins revolution</a>,” led by former federal education minister John Dawkins.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="One of the main buildings at the University of South Australia." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502085/original/file-20221220-21-8qmxcs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502085/original/file-20221220-21-8qmxcs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502085/original/file-20221220-21-8qmxcs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502085/original/file-20221220-21-8qmxcs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502085/original/file-20221220-21-8qmxcs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502085/original/file-20221220-21-8qmxcs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502085/original/file-20221220-21-8qmxcs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Two University of Adelaide and University of South Australia campuses are right next to each other in the Adelaide CBD.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The idea of more mergers has remained popular amongst some policymakers. There have been proposals to amalgamate Flinders University with earlier versions of the University of South Australia. There was also talk of Flinders “returning to mother” as a campus of the University of Adelaide.</p>
<p>Proposals to merge the universities of Adelaide and South Australia were seriously considered in 2012 and 2018. Then, one of the main aims was to form a very big university. This was despite the fact both universities were then around or just below the median size for Australian universities, of almost <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/resources/2018-section-4-all-student-load">23,000 equivalent full-time students</a> and bigger than the average <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265340278_How_Different_Are_Higher_Education_Institutions_in_the_UK_US_and_Australia_The_Significance_of_Government_Involvement">United Kingdom and United States university</a>.</p>
<p>Since then, the University of South Australia has grown to 25,767 and the University of Adelaide to 23,162 <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/resources/2020-section-4-all-student-load">full-time equivalent students</a>.</p>
<h2>A ‘vanity project’?</h2>
<p>As Australian National University higher education expert <a href="https://twitter.com/andrewjnorton/status/1600601566330748931">Andrew Norton notes</a>, South Australia has a history of “higher ed vanity projects”. </p>
<p>In the 2000s, the state government subsidised the US Carnegie Mellon University, UK Cranfield University and University College London to establish campuses in Adelaide. The dream was to establish Adelaide as a “<a href="https://www.policyforum.net/the-fading-of-a-university-city-vision/">university city</a>”. In 2004, then foreign minister Alexander Downer (and South Australian) <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/adelaide-to-get-us-funded-private-university-20041031-gdk0rp.html">said</a> he wanted Adelaide to become the “Boston of Australia”, as “one of the education centres of the Asia-Pacific region”.</p>
<p>That dream was <a href="https://indaily.com.au/opinion/2015/02/04/adelaides-uni-city-dream/">never realised</a>. Now just Carnegie Mellon University retains its Adelaide campus, with 34 equivalent full-time students <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/resources/2020-section-13-private-universities-table-c-and-nonuniversity-higher-education-institutions">reported in official figures in 2020</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/size-isnt-everything-when-it-comes-to-the-proposed-unisa-university-of-adelaide-merger-101454">Size isn't everything when it comes to the proposed UniSA-University of Adelaide merger</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Why is the merger back on the table now?</h2>
<p>The current merger proposal was spurred on by the new Labor state government. One of its <a href="https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/612f07247ff286d66d81fe5c/612f07247ff286ad2481ffcf_Labor%20University%20Merger%20Policy%20Document.pdf">election policies</a> was a commission to consider whether a merger would be in the state’s interests. The policy says, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The harsh truth is that each of our universities alone are too small and too undercapitalised to make it into the list of top international universities.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The policy argues a top ranked university would be more attractive to students. This is true for international students, who are attracted to universities’ prestige and the liveliness of the city in which they are based. Most of the prominent international league tables rank universities by volume rather than the intensity of their research, favouring bigger universities.</p>
<p>So, the merged university would be ranked higher in most international league tables and likely attract more international students. In turn, this would expand the state’s economy and develop Adelaide as another type of university city.</p>
<h2>Is this really a good idea?</h2>
<p>But a merger is not without risks. Each university has a distinct history and orientation and amalgamating them would substantially reduce the diversity of institutions in the state. </p>
<p>The University of Adelaide was the third Australian university, established in 1874, and has a very strong tradition of research intensity and scholarly and cultural enrichment. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1600393982919331840"}"></div></p>
<p>The University of South Australia was established in 1991 from a combination of colleges and technical institutes, some of which <a href="https://unisa.edu.au/About-UniSA/Our-History">also originate from the late 19th century</a>. Its strong traditions are in technical and applied studies and research. </p>
<p>A merger would also reduce competition and choice for students. Of the 41 undergraduate study areas on the University of South Australia’s website, 13 are also offered by the University of Adelaide. These choices are likely to be reduced following a merger.</p>
<p>Flinders University <a href="https://indaily.com.au/news/2022/12/08/flinders-uni-rejected-invitation-to-merge-with-adelaide-uni-unisa/">declined an invitation</a> to join the current merger, and will presumably present itself as a boutique alternative to its neighbouring behemoth.</p>
<h2>What will this mean for other states?</h2>
<p>The other most obvious candidate for a merger is the ACT. Here, the Australian National University is of reasonable size of aboout <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/resources/2020-section-4-all-student-load">17,300</a> equivalent full-time students, but the University of Canberra has (for an Australian university) a modest <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/resources/2020-section-4-all-student-load">11,500</a> equivalent full-time students. </p>
<p>There was a proposal to merge these universities in 1990s. But the universities had different ambitions. The ANU is one the most research-intensive universities in Australia, while the University of Canberra has had a strong commitment to professional education. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-universities-accord-could-see-the-most-significant-changes-to-australian-unis-in-a-generation-194738">The universities accord could see the most significant changes to Australian unis in a generation</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The other obvious candidate is Western Australia, where Curtin University has <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/resources/2020-section-4-all-student-load">35,000</a> equivalent full-time students, but the other public universities are from <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/resources/2020-section-4-all-student-load">17,000 to 20,000</a> equivalent full-time students. However, the state government has other, bigger options for economic development, such as mining.</p>
<p>Twelve of the 13 smallest universities in Australia have very distinctive missions or locations which makes amalgamation either very unlikely to be accepted by their governing body or unlikely to yield any benefits without closing an important regional campus. </p>
<p>For example, the University of Notre Dame Australia (<a href="https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/resources/2020-section-4-all-student-load">9,700</a>) is a private, Catholic university, Charles Darwin University (<a href="https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/resources/2020-section-4-all-student-load">8,000</a>) is based in the Northern Territory and the University of Divinity (<a href="https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/resources/2020-section-4-all-student-load">700</a>) works in partnership with churches and religious orders. </p>
<p>So the Adelaide University merger seems unlikely to be followed in other states. But if it happens in South Australia, it will make a distinctive university, whose formation and development would be interesting to watch.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196878/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gavin Moodie does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The proposed new university would be called Adelaide University and open in 2026, with the aim of becoming Australia’s biggest university for domestic students.Gavin Moodie, Adjunct Professor, Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education, OISE, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1014542018-08-15T20:09:26Z2018-08-15T20:09:26ZSize isn’t everything when it comes to the proposed UniSA-University of Adelaide merger<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231846/original/file-20180814-2924-5ce6e8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Merging UniSA and the University of Adelaide could produce a number of benefits.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Michael Coghlan/flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://www.adelaide.edu.au/news/news100742.html">proposed merger</a> between the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia is building momentum. If it proceeds, it will be the first major merger between Australian higher education institutions in recent times.</p>
<p>Australian higher education is no stranger to mergers. Starting in the late 1980s, 89 institutions in Australia offering higher education courses <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20061110170536/http://www.avcc.edu.au/documents/universities/AustralianHEMerges-Amalgamations.pdf">consolidated to a much smaller number</a> within a few years. Eventually, these become the 39 Australian universities we know now. </p>
<p>These mergers provide some insight into how combining two institutions can be successful. Aligning the cultures and expectations of the merging institutions counts, as does good leadership.</p>
<h2>The advantage of scale</h2>
<p>The University of Adelaide and University of South Australia are both very successful institutions. Adelaide is one of the original Australian universities, with only the University of Sydney and Melbourne coming before. UniSA was itself <a href="https://www.unisa.edu.au/PageFiles/39119/101%20Things%20about%20UniSA%20(web).pdf">created by combining campuses</a> of two institutions in the early 1990s. </p>
<hr>
<p><iframe id="8BYvN" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/8BYvN/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<hr>
<p>Why propose to merge two successful universities now? The <a href="http://apo.org.au/system/files/186116/apo-nid186116-984416.pdf">discussion paper</a> released by the two universities sets out a number of likely benefits from the merger. </p>
<p>As a newly reconstituted university, it emphasises, the strengths of each institution can provide opportunities in teaching and research, which can be hard to achieve through collaboration rather than merger. </p>
<p>The University of Adelaide is older, with a larger budget, fewer students and more staff than UniSA. UniSA is newer, but has been attracting students and research funding at a steady rate over the past few years.</p>
<p>They will be more than the sum of their parts, the argument goes. Central to this is that the new university will be an “internationally oriented university of scale”, able to attract more international students and move up in university rankings.</p>
<p>Scale is one important aspiration here. A number of leading universities worldwide, such as the University of Toronto (with just over <a href="https://www.utoronto.ca/about-u-of-t/quick-facts">90,000</a> enrolled students), are large teaching universities, while other leading universities have large budgets and armies of research academics. Scale is seen to provide opportunities and was one of the key reasons for the consolidation of institutions in the 1980s.</p>
<h2>So we’ve been here before?</h2>
<p>Not quite. The frenzy of mergers came about in 1988 as the federal government <a href="http://www.voced.edu.au/content/ngv%3A9695">announced</a> a new structure for the higher education system. This system focused on one type of institution – a university – in what was to be called the <a href="https://www.mup.com.au/books/no-end-of-a-lesson-paperback-softback">Unified National System</a>.</p>
<p>At that time, several types of institution were delivering higher education, including 46 non-doctoral-granting ones called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_of_Advanced_Education">Colleges of Advanced Education</a>. </p>
<p>In restructuring Australian higher education, the education minister at the time, John Dawkins, pushed for larger institutions (all of which chose to call themselves universities) using student load to set minimum size. The minimum was set at 2,000 full-time equivalent students. Some 5,000 were required for teaching and some research activity and 8,000 for “relatively comprehensive” research.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-doesnt-have-too-many-universities-heres-why-88386">Australia doesn't have too many universities. Here's why</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>These mergers were all said to be voluntary, but there were very strong incentives for them to occur. Several of the Colleges of Advanced Education had started offering doctoral training and sought university status. Some smaller institutions were less enthusiastic but had few choices but to find a partner if they were to meet the federal government’s plan.</p>
<h2>Mergers</h2>
<p>By and large, merging many different institutions in Australian higher education in the 1990s has been successful. If the proposed merger between The University of Adelaide and University of South Australia comes to pass, it will be different from those early mergers, not least because none were between two existing universities. But they still provide insight.</p>
<p>The full process of the Dawkins mergers took nearly a decade. While there were many successes, there were also notable failures. These failures caused ongoing disruption for students and academics. </p>
<p>One example is the <a href="https://www.une.edu.au/about-une/a-world-of-learning/the-une-story">Network University of New England</a>, which existed from July 1989 until December 1993. It incorporated the University of New England, Armidale College of Advanced Education, the Northern Rivers College of Advanced Education and the Orange Agricultural College.</p>
<p>These smaller institutions came together in the Network University to achieve the kind of scale Dawkins indicated was necessary, but it was a troubled union from the outset. The devolved structure chosen for the Network University enabled some members of the new university to persist with campaigns for independence. </p>
<p>For example, one campus refused to use another’s distance education centre and established its own instead. This undermined the logic of achieving better performance and efficiency while reducing duplication. The pursuit of local advantages by some institutional leaders became unsustainable and the Network University was eventually dissolved.</p>
<h2>Some lessons from the mergers in the 1980s</h2>
<p>Scale can have benefits, but as the story of the Network University of New England and others show, care is needed in forming a new university, to ensure it doesn’t become different campuses and cultures adopting a single nameplate.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/do-mergers-make-for-better-councils-the-evidence-is-against-bigger-is-better-for-local-government-56813">Do mergers make for better councils? The evidence is against 'bigger is better' for local government</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Both UniSA and the University of Adelaide have strong programs in many shared areas.</p>
<p>A lesson from earlier mergers is that a challenge can come in ensuring a unified culture emerges – one that respects and celebrates all staff and students, and is sensitive to the different histories of institutions while providing a shared vision for the future. Here, good leadership can align aspirations with the expectations, and match these with a transition that brings staff, students and community along at each stage. This is an ongoing task for any new univerity’s vice-chancellor.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101454/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gwilym Croucher does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>While creating a bigger university is an important incentive for this proposed merger, good leadership and a shared vision are needed to make it a success.Gwilym Croucher, Senior Lecturer, Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/440742015-07-02T20:11:27Z2015-07-02T20:11:27ZWill the University of Adelaide’s lecture phase-out be a flop?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/87076/original/image-20150702-27106-1ylyhf4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The University of Adelaide wants to spend class time doing social activities and leave the passive lectures for home. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The University of Adelaide is planning to <a href="http://www.afr.com/technology/apps/education/university-of-adelaide-is-phasing-out-lectures-20150629-ghxgoz">completely phase out lectures</a>. In their place will be online materials and small group face-to-face sessions. According to University of Adelaide Vice-Chancellor Warren Bebbington, the lecture is dead – and it is not coming back.</p>
<p>Lectures have been around for hundreds of years. They have <a href="http://www.digitalcultureandeducation.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/nelson.pdf">survived other technological revolutions</a>, including the printing press and the motion picture. Adelaide will be the first university in Australia to break with tradition and eliminate them entirely. But is this change good for learning?</p>
<h2>‘Flipped’ classrooms</h2>
<p>The University of Adelaide’s move is part of a growing trend to “flip the classroom” by swapping what students do in class with what they do out of class. The <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07294360.2014.934336">flipped classroom</a> is where lectures and other passive learning activities take place at home, while problems, questions and other activities that require socialising and interaction take place in the presence of the teacher.</p>
<p>This means students have to complete pre- and/or post-class activities to fully benefit from in-class work.</p>
<p>Research on the effectiveness of the flipped classroom approach is beginning to trickle out, but it’s <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07294360.2014.934336">not necessarily an evidence-based practice yet</a>. However, if we examine the components of this approach, the outlook is positive.</p>
<p>If the lectures Adelaide is ditching are monologues without any interactivity, then video is probably going to be a good replacement. Decades of research suggest this is not a great use of precious face-to-face time; some have even claimed lectures are as bad for learning as <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-lectures-a-good-way-to-learn-26905">smoking is for health</a>.</p>
<p>Since the 1920s, researchers have been conducting “media comparison studies” where the same teaching approach (for example, the lecture) is applied to two or more media (one is usually face-to-face). </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/87083/original/image-20150702-27135-18dxhxi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/87083/original/image-20150702-27135-18dxhxi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/87083/original/image-20150702-27135-18dxhxi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87083/original/image-20150702-27135-18dxhxi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87083/original/image-20150702-27135-18dxhxi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87083/original/image-20150702-27135-18dxhxi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=562&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87083/original/image-20150702-27135-18dxhxi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=562&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87083/original/image-20150702-27135-18dxhxi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=562&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">At least lecturers won’t be able to tell if their audience isn’t paying attention.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottjacksonx/3838449067/">ScottJacksonX/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These studies began with emerging approaches like correspondence courses and radio, and later progressed onto video teaching. When we pool together these studies we find, on average, that there is <a href="http://www.nosignificantdifference.org/">no significant difference</a> in learning between different media – assuming we teach in the same way. So learning won’t be much better, or much worse, from a face-to-face or video lecture.</p>
<p>While there may be no significant difference in learning, online lectures put students in control. There is <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1096751611000418">evidence</a> that students fast-forward through parts they already understand, and re-watch parts they struggle with. Researchers call this “learner pacing” and it has been <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books/about/Efficiency_in_Learning.html?id=9nwESAIRzxoC&redir_esc=y">found</a> to help students manage the cognitive demands of their studies. Learner pacing can even mitigate against some <a href="http://wiki-app.it.helsinki.fi/download/attachments/57434439/Ginns+(2005).pdf">bad teaching approaches</a>.</p>
<h2>Ban lectures or just change them?</h2>
<p>If the choice is between being talked at non-stop for an hour face-to-face or by video, then please give me the video. The problem is, this is rarely the choice.</p>
<p>Delving deeper into the damning evidence on lectures, it turns out that only classes that were more than 90% passive listening were <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-lectures-a-good-way-to-learn-26905">“as bad as smoking”</a>. Walk into a modern lecture and you’ll be unlikely to find a 60-minute monologue. It’s more a caricature than a common practice. Bebbington claimed the lecture is dead, but really it just evolved.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/87084/original/image-20150702-27151-5g1ksq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/87084/original/image-20150702-27151-5g1ksq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/87084/original/image-20150702-27151-5g1ksq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87084/original/image-20150702-27151-5g1ksq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87084/original/image-20150702-27151-5g1ksq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87084/original/image-20150702-27151-5g1ksq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87084/original/image-20150702-27151-5g1ksq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/87084/original/image-20150702-27151-5g1ksq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Should we ban lectures or just shake them up a bit?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tjuckel/61302856/">Lars-Christian Simonsen/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The anti-lecture evidence actually just supports good lecturing practice: require students to spend at least 10% of the lecture discussing or problem solving. </p>
<p>If Adelaide’s lectures are long speeches, put them online. Or even better, divide them into smaller chunks first, as lecture video length strongly <a href="http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Juho_Kim3/publication/262393281_How_video_production_affects_student_engagement_an_empirical_study_of_MOOC_videos/links/53d51e170cf220632f3d49f5.pdf">influences attention</a>. But if students are already required to be active in lectures, then it’s a more subjective decision.</p>
<p>Another challenge of Adelaide’s new model is that class time becomes more dependent on students completing their pre-class tasks (for example, watching the video). When students aren’t prepared for their small group learning session, it turns a flipped classroom into a “flop”, because the teacher needs to catch up some of the students.</p>
<p>The good news is that flipped classroom approaches like Adelaide’s may help students develop a sense of autonomy, feel competent, and get connected with other students. Developing these attributes should lead to improved motivation – and hopefully result in students preparing for class. However, this connection between flipped classrooms and motivation remains at best a <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07294360.2014.934336">theoretically informed hunch</a>.</p>
<p>So, is the move to phase out lectures supported by the evidence? I’m always wary about blanket bans on any particular approach to teaching or assessment. It really comes down to the individual lecture, and whether Bebbington’s classrooms flip or flop.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/44074/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Phillip Dawson receives funding from the Office for Learning and Teaching.</span></em></p>The University of Adelaide is planning to completely phase out lectures. Is this change good for learning?Phillip Dawson, Associate Professor and Associate Director, Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.