Teaching undergraduates and postgraduates - is there a difference?

The new lecturer wanted to do his best with his new students. Formerly he taught undergraduates and now he has started teaching postgraduates. He has both undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications but is finding the teaching not as easy as he thought it would be. For assistance, he went to see his mentor, and former lecturer, who has many years of experience as a graduate teacher. His mentor is the Head of the new lecturer’s department. 

 

Why is the student studying?

The Head said that postgraduate students are generally in their course of study because they are interested in the subject matter, so you can generally assume interest in what you are teaching. However, undergraduate students are studying for a variety of reasons. He said that from his experience, colleagues and of others that he has mentored, it breaks down as follows: 20% are generally interested, 50% are in the course because it leads to a good job (such as IT, engineering, law, medicine etc) and they neither hate nor like the material, 20% are in the course because their parents chose the course of study and - they usually hate it. Finally, 10% for other reasons. He felt that undergraduates are much more difficult to teach due to the need to connect and excite interest and if it is absent - the students are also absent.

 

Parental influence

Turning to his mentee the Head said that he would have hated it if his parents had decided that he should study a certain course because his mother or father had studied it or had practiced in that area. He wryly stated that he pitied those 20% who have been forced into his courses by their parents.

 

Exploring versus refining

The Head quoted one of his colleagues who considers that the best postgraduate teachers push and demand more of their students, but the undergraduate students need to be entertained in their pursuit of knowledge, as they are too easily distracted and dispirited. The colleague also stated that postgraduate students have made a commitment to higher learning and can be encouraged more by way of inquiry and analysis. The colleague also stated that often one enters undergraduate study to explore, but a postgraduate program to refine skills for a specific career. So, students need to demand more clarity from themselves for why they are doing the program and ensure they are taking steps to be successful in that goal.

 

Another view 

Another colleague of the Head confirmed that teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students can be quite different. Undergraduates are typically at the beginning of their academic journey and may need more guidance and structure in their learning. Postgraduate students, on the other hand, are typically more self-directed and may be pursuing a more specialised area of study. Postgraduate courses often involve more advanced and specialised content, and students are expected to engage in more independent research and critical thinking. In addition, postgraduate courses may involve more discussion and debate among students and between students and the lecturer. 

 

Differences in assessment

Continuing he said that assessment and evaluation may also differ between undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Postgraduate courses may place more emphasis on research projects or papers, while undergraduate courses may have more exams and quizzes. Overall, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students requires different approaches and strategies, but both can be rewarding experiences for instructors.

 

Transitional struggles

The Head reflected that being a postgraduate student is similar to working at a full-time job, in the sense that you are fully autonomous and are essentially living as an adult, with all the responsibilities that come with it. He said that it is quite possibly the biggest shift in the student’s life up to this point. They do not have parents hounding them about grades. They do not have a lot of peers to compare against, because everyone’s progress is different and difficult to compare in all but the most granular metrics. Postgraduate students are often settled in their lives, careers and studies. However, undergraduate students often struggle, and this is for several reasons including having almost full independence in their lives for the first time, the lack of structure, being alone, and being surrounded by many high-level fellow students where they are fir the first time no longer the school’s “hero”.

 

The Head felt that as a postgraduate lecturer, he was “facilitating” the learning and not “teaching” as he did when dealing with undergraduate students. He wanted to use these words so that it was clear, to graduate students, and the world, that he was facilitating their learning.

 

 

Associate Professor Cyril Jankoff is Associate Dean, Scholarship at UBSS and a member of the Compliance Directorate at GCA