Study
From the 1960s, undergraduates at the ANU learned through lectures combined with tutorials, or laboratory demonstrations. The emphasis on small group tutorials borrowed from the University of Melbourne’s model of teaching, rather than formal lectures being the central or sole method of learning. This “encouraged rapport between students and their teachers, and fostered a sense of belonging to the departmental family” (Foster & Varghese, 2009, p. 209).
At the same time, there was considerable variety between departments and academics about the methods of assessing students. In 1974 student dissatisfaction with course content and the methods of assessment culminated in sit-in protests, and sometimes bitter confrontations with academics and administrators. One result was a move towards continuous assessment.
References
Foster, S & Varghese, M, The Making of The Australian National University, 2009, Australian National University Press, Canberra, <http://doi.org/10.22459/MANU.08.2009>
