Development opportunities for teaching and learning environments at SDU

In the autumn of 2021, 25.9% of SDU’s students completed Denmark’s Study Survey and thus assessed a year that was, once again, characterised by COVID-19 lockdowns, corona passports and social distancing requirements. The results from the study include, among other things, the results from the Learning Barometer. The Learning Barometer consists of two scales that measure the students’ approach to learning and their experience of the teaching and learning environment, respectively.

The results (in Danish only) from the Learning Barometer at SDU showed a small but significant decline in the quality of the students’ approach to learning in 2021, which was characterised by slightly more surface learning, slightly less in-depth learning and slightly less organised learning. At the same time, the students rated the aspects of the teaching and learning environment that deal with interest and motivation, support from fellow students and constructive feedback slightly lower than in the previous survey in 2018. However, other environmental parameters were assessed either at the same level (learning for understanding) or slightly better than in the last survey (concordance, teacher interaction). A major Danish report on the Learning Barometer has previously shown that correlations between the experienced teaching and learning environment and the approach to learning also exist in Danish educational contexts.

If the educational institutions or teachers are curious about which pedagogical measures to use from the toolbox in relation to the parameters of the teaching and learning environment that are examined in the Learning Barometer, help and inspiration is fortunately available. The Danish Evaluation Institute (EVA) has, for example, published a catalogue with Inspiration for educational institutions’ work with the Learning Barometer (in Danish only). You are also welcome to contact the SDU Centre for Teaching and Learning at sduup@sdu.dk if you need more tailored advice for specific educational contexts.