SEDA Paper 89 - Chapter 16 16. Pauline E Kneale Introduction Geography students are expected to be able to communicate effectively. They need to be able to discuss and argue, and present information and ideas, to groups as small as five and as large as 40, in tutorials, workshops, field class, practical discussions and level-three seminars. They are expected to read widely, research topics independently and organise their own work schedules. Very different from school.
Resources are under pressure from increased group sizes.
There is increasing pressure for students to sell themselves well at job interviews. In many cases financial pressures mean that students add part-time jobs to their academic workload. To do well students need to be more independent and self-confident than before. Students therefore need to be good managers of their time and activities if they are to make the most of university life. It is potentially more time-efficient for staff to teach Transferable Skills to a large class, and let students apply the knowledge in smaller groups.