Learning and Teaching
To offer a rounded, inclusive and flexible learning environment, we make full use of all the learning spaces available through these three pillars:The three pillars of learning and teaching at Solent- Directed Learning
- Collaborative Learning
- Guided Learning
Directed Learning takes place mostly online, on-demand, and is focussed on the concepts and theories that underpin the subject. It is active and interactive, allowing students to engage with the material, the lecturer, and each other, and it is structured and consolidated through a narrative that explains how everything fits together.
Collaborative Learning takes place on campus and is active and interactive, providing opportunities for students to put their learning into practice and share their knowledge with their peers.
Guided Learning adds value to students. In many ways, it's all the things we put on for students alongside the course and their studies that we would like them to engage in and we know would be good for them but which they do not necessarily take up. Guided Learning will enable us to ensure visible value for money by getting a greater proportion of our students to engage in activities that build their employability and self-efficacy.
This resource presents a practical guide and advice on how you can support students in engaging with the Three Pillars of Learning
- Solent's Real-World & Inclusive Curriculum Framework
Solent’s real world, inclusive and sustainable curriculum framework has the concept of personal knowing at its heart and equality, diversity and inclusivity is at the heart of personal knowing. Spanning out from this central concept are six paired dimensions which are underpinned by theories about curriculum and student learning
- What is personal knowing?
Personal knowing is about all students gaining knowledge and wisdom for themselves and being changed through the process of studying at university, whatever their background. Gaining knowledge is important, yet it is not enough for students simply to know about a subject. Personal knowing is about all students realising how knowledge is formed and applied, and beginning to piece together the jigsaw in their own subjects. It moves students from simply knowing about a subject to knowing as insiders. Personal knowing changes all students’ views of knowledge from fixed and absolute, to understanding it as fast-moving and fluid, and open to interpretation. All students learn how to evaluate knowledge claims, deal with the unsettling process of encountering different perspectives, and the discomfort of not knowing what is valid or true. The journey of personal knowing enables students to come out on the other side, taking greater ownership over their subject knowledge and becoming creators of new knowledge. Solent’s Real-World, Inclusive & Sustainable Curriculum seeks to engender personal knowing through moving all students from an information view of knowledge, to a formation view, where each graduate knows their discipline as an insider, and is confident to navigate the challenges of living in the 21st century especially those addressed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- Six Paired DimensionsCritical, creative and applied
Our curriculum will challenge all students to be critical and creative, and to apply theory to practice. All students will learn to critically evaluate knowledge, weighing up and questioning evidence to make informed judgements. All students will become perceptive consumers and trustworthy producers of both applied and theoretical knowledge. We will challenge all students to go beyond simply reproducing knowledge to building on existing knowledge, critiquing it and applying it to the real world in inventive and creative ways.
Inspiring research and inquiry
Our curriculum will inspire all students to ask questions, investigate problems, propose solutions, especially to address the global climate emergency and create new knowledge. We will empower all students with the tools, methods and thinking processes to read and evaluate current research, stimulating curiosity about research topics of their choice. Working with academics who are engaged in research and inquiry and/or creative and applied projects themselves, our students will learn to conduct their own research and create new knowledge.Outward facing
Our curriculum will challenge all students to contribute their knowledge, time and talents to the community in ways appropriate to their subjects, and as part of their social and environmental responsibility. Students will learn to work with industry professionals, and to link theory to practice in familiar and unfamiliar settings. We will encourage employers to shape the curriculum and help all students create networks beyond the university. Students will encounter global theories, develop a global outlook, and interact with local and international experts as part of their student experience.Social and personal growth
Our curriculum will help all students to develop personally and socially, whatever their background. Students will grow in confidence and self-awareness as they reflect on and learn from their successes and failures. They will be challenged to develop socially and ethically, as they learn to listen and to speak out against inequality and injustice, and to develop empathy, respect, and the emotional side of learning. Students will use theory and knowledge to deepen their understanding of the challenges facing the world, especially the global climate emergency and achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Their intellectual growth will help them to question assumptions and to make well-reasoned and ethical choices.Authentic and engaging assessment
Our assessment will mirror disciplinary practices and real-world contexts, preparing all students for the challenges of independent and team work, and developing skills that will help them to succeed in the workplace. All students will experience creative, engaging and meaningful assessment tasks which contribute to their formation as critical thinkers and as life-long learners. Assessments will build on each other and grow in complexity, enabling all students to see the connections across modules and years, and to think outside of the module box.Intellectually stimulating for life
Our curriculum will inspire a love of learning that continues beyond university. It will develop curious habits of mind, crossing subject boundaries and engaging all students in debates and conversations which carry on beyond classes and extend into homes, workplaces and cultural spaces. We will inspire all students to value learning for its own sake, personalising learning so that they are able to draw links between knowledge and their own development. - The Inclusive Curriculum Framework
Solent University’s Inclusive Curriculum Framework reflects our belief that diversity is an inherent educational strength. This document provides prompts to think about the multiple factors at teaching session, module, programme and institutional level that contribute to student success.