What is student centredness and is it enough?

Abstract

Student-centredness is a central concept in the literature and practice associated with the first year in higher education. The location of the concept is so commonplace that it is often used without definition or clarification. Yet in recent years, student-centredness has been questioned on a number of levels including its implications for the role of the teacher, the student as consumer metaphor and the role of others in the teaching/learning partnership. This paper reviews pertinent literature on student-centredness and its place in the first year in higher education and presents an argument to refocus emphasis away from students alone back to their learning.