International Journal for Academic Development Vol. 14, No.

1, March 2009, 6981

Students experiences concerning course workload and factors enhancing and impeding their learning a useful resource for quality enhancement in teaching and curriculum planning
Mirja Ruohoniemi* and Sari Lindblom-Ylnne
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki (Received 23 April 2008; final version received 14 October 2008)
RIJA_A_366119.sgm Taylor and Francis Ltd mirja.ruohoniemi@helsinki.fi MirjaRuohoniemi 0 100000March 2009 14 Taylor 2009 & Francis Original Article 1360-144X print/1470-1324 online International Journal for Academic Development 10.1080/13601440802659494

The aim of the study is to deepen our understanding of factors which students experience as important in learning, in order to improve the quality of teaching and curriculum planning. A total of 132 veterinary students participated in the study by answering a questionnaire containing open-ended questions. Most of the comments on factors enhancing learning were associated with teaching practices. Factors related to the planning of teaching, including curriculum and course overload, were commonly mentioned as impeding learning. The students rarely commented on their own actions. The results have been widely implemented in quality enhancement procedures at the faculty, such as curriculum planning and reform, planning of individual courses, improving teaching and assessment practices and arranging support for students reflection. Lobjectif de cette recherche est dapprofondir notre comprhension des facteurs qui sont important en matire dexprience dapprentissage des tudiants, de faon amliorer la qualit de lenseignement et la planification curriculaire. Au total, 132 tudiants en sciences vtrinaires ont particip la recherche en rpondant un questionnaire contenant des questions ouvertes. La plupart des commentaires portant sur les facteurs facilitant lapprentissage taient associs aux pratiques denseignement. Les facteurs relis la planification de lenseignement, tels quel la surcharge au niveau du curriculum ou du cours, taient communment mentionns comme nuisant lapprentissage. Les tudiants ont rarement fourni des commentaires au sujet de leurs propres actions. Les rsultats ont t largement utiliss dans le cadre de procdures damlioration de la qualit au niveau de la facult, entre autres en ce qui a trait la rforme et la planification curriculaires, la planification des cours individuels, lamlioration des pratiques denseignement et dvaluation, et aux mesures visant soutenir la rflexion des tudiants. Keywords: quality enhancement; curriculum; undergraduate studies; university students; learning, teaching; veterinary medicine; Bologna Process

Introduction High-quality learning and workload Learning includes changes in knowledge, understanding and skills brought about by experience, and reflection upon that experience (Brown, Bull, & Pendlebury, 1997).
*Corresponding author. Email: mirja.ruohoniemi@helsinki.fi
ISSN 1360-144X print/ISSN 1470-1324 online 2009 Taylor & Francis DOI: 10.1080/13601440802659494 http://www.informaworld.com

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Several factors, including the educational context, curriculum design, learning environment, teaching and assessment practices as well as the student her- or himself, have been shown to influence student learning (e.g., Biggs, 2001; Bowden & Marton, 1998; Brown et al., 1997). Approaches to learning can be considered as reactions of the student to the learning environment (Biggs, 1993; 2003). They can be roughly divided into two qualitatively different categories. The first, a deep approach to learning, refers to an intention to maximise understanding (Biggs, 1993; Entwistle & Ramsden, 1983). It is associated with high-quality learning outcomes, such as the students ability to apply knowledge to new problems (Entwistle & Tait, 1990; Trigwell, Prosser, & Waterhouse, 1999). The second, a surface approach, means that a student simply tries to cope with the course requirements, and, therefore, concentrates on routine fact memorisation (Biggs, 1993; Entwistle & Ramsden, 1983). The surface approach to learning has been related to students lack of prior knowledge, lack of intrinsic interest in their study tasks and to students perception of the learning environment as unsatisfactory (Kember & Leung, 1998; Ryan, Irwin, Bannon, Mulholland, & Baird, 2004). In order to apply a deep approach to learning, students should have a stimulating learning environment in which the workload is manageable and there is sufficient time to study and understand the course content (Chambers, 1992). Heavy workload impedes the use of a deep approach to learning and undermines students motivation to study (Blumberg, 2005; Parkinson, Gilling & Suddaby, 2006; Sutton, 2007). The perceived workload, however, has been found to vary individually. Factors such as a high number of class contact hours, a surface approach to learning, difficulties in distinguishing key concepts from supporting material, effort not leading to success and other forms of stress may lead a student to feel overloaded (Chambers, 1992; Kember & Leung, 1998; Kember, Ng, Pomfret, Tse & Wong, 1996). It has also been suggested that students employ a surface approach when they find the workload high (Blumberg, 2005; Kember & Leung, 1998; Parkinson et al., 2006; Ryan et al., 2004). Assessment has been found to be an important stimulus for study but also one of the most important determinants of workload (Kember, 2004; Parkinson et al., 2006). The type of assessment has also been shown to influence students approaches to learning (Scouller, 1998). Traditional examinations, especially when frequent or associated with a large volume of material, may unintentionally guide students towards superficial learning, which is not useful or functional for their future occupation (Lindblom-Ylnne & Lonka, 2001; Parkinson et al., 2006; Tynjl, 1998). On the other hand, alternative assessment methods are used to promote a deep approach to learning (e.g., Birenbaum, 1996; Brown et al., 1997; Tynjl 1998). These methods tend to be more continuous and informal and are often integrated into the learning process itself. According to Brown et al. (1997), students who seek to understand work better in environments that provide manageable formal workloads and a variety of forms of assessment. Need for curriculum reform Veterinary faculties are responsible for operating under appropriate academic standards and providing learning opportunities of acceptable quality (Rodriguez-Martinez, 2006). In general, the graduating student must be competent to act both independently and in cooperation with others to solve unforeseen problems in challenging situations (Bowden & Marton, 1998). Veterinary students should acquire knowledge and skills in a wide range of areas, among others those related to the basic sciences, care of

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healthy and sick animals and surveillance of foodstuffs of animal origin for human consumption (Fernandes, 2005; Leibetseder, 2004). The six-year veterinary curriculum is demanding in several ways and maintaining students motivation over a period of years is challenging. The veterinary profession has generally been thought to demand a huge content base, given the wide range of animals and types of diseases involved (Blumberg, 2005). The multifaceted requirements and generally recognised explosion of knowledge have caused content overload in the veterinary curriculum worldwide. It has become increasingly difficult for the students to apply the deep approach to learning. Thus, instead of covering the contents by traditional teaching, curriculum reforms need to concentrate on the quality of students learning (Fernandes, 2005). Furthermore, quality assurance is becoming increasingly important in higher education. Finland committed to restructuring and redesigning its university degrees to be in line with the Bologna Declaration by 2005. The ultimate goal of the Bologna Declaration is the creation of a coherent European Higher Education Area by 2010. It has been used as a tool to enhance learning and instruction and to assure the quality of education (Gonzlez-Soriano & Rodriguez Veiga, 2004; Lindblom-Ylnne & Hmlinen, 2004). For these purposes, an extensive re-evaluation of the contents and existing structures, including the curriculum design, was needed (Clement, McAlpine, & Waeytens, 2004; Lindblom-Ylnne & Hmlinen, 2004). Aims of the study The first aim of this study is to deepen our understanding of factors that students find important in their learning. The students perceptions of the curriculum, individual courses and assessment of learning have been found to differ considerably from the intentions and expectations defined by the curriculum designers and teachers (Biggs, 1993; Kember, 2004; Kember & Leung, 1998; Lindblom-Ylnne & Lonka, 2001). The second aim is to gain information on the workload of the courses as the students experience them. Student feedback is a fundamental part of educational quality assurance, but it is commonly gathered at the end of a course, using standardised questions. By collecting data at the end of the academic year and not immediately after a specific course we wanted to give the students an opportunity to evaluate the course from a longer time perspective, rather than being confined to immediate impressions. Additionally, this type of approach gives the students a possibility to evaluate the courses of the whole academic year in relation to each other. We also show how these results were applied to the systems relevant to student learning at the Faculty and how they were used in curriculum reform associated with the Bologna Process and the Facultys own needs. Materials and methods At the end of the academic year 20032004 the study planning committee of the Faculty carried out a survey of students experiences of courses offered that year. The first author (senior lecturer of university pedagogy, working at the central administration of the Faculty) acted as the coordinator of the survey. Getting the students views on the studies from the third to the fifth study year was considered highly useful as these studies were know to be affected by the forthcoming degree system associated with the Bologna Process and the facultys own curriculum reform.

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The response rate was 100% for the third-year (n=51) and fourth-year students (n=47) as returning the questionnaire was obligatory for them. The fifth-year students were asked to return the questionnaire when applying for a temporary licence to practice, and the response rate for them was 65% (n=34). The average percentage of returned questionnaires was very high (88%). All participants remained anonymous. During the academic year the third-year students had participated in 13 courses. Of these, 12 were lecture courses many of which also included practical exercises, and one course was practically oriented. The fourth-year students had a total of 15 courses, three of which were practically oriented. Seven courses in the spring term were shared by the third- and fourth-year students. Some courses were short and intensive, whereas others were spread over a longer period of time. The curriculum was very school-like in nature, with a preset timetabled study plan. There was a limited need for the students to take active responsibility for their studies. A written examination at the end of the course was the most common assessment method, even though individual teachers had developed alternative methods of assessment. The fifth year was practically oriented and the students rotated through various clinics of the animal hospital. Rotations in five units of the hospital were included. The total number of courses (third- and fourth-year students) together with clinical rotations (fifth-year students) was 26. The questionnaire was based on the same format but was modified individually for each study year. At the beginning of the questionnaire for the third- and fourth-year students there was a graphic presentation of the courses and their timing so that the students could easily recall what they had been studying. All students were asked to raise factors that had enhanced or impeded their learning in each course or clinical rotation and how they had experienced its workload. This part of the questionnaire was in the form of a matrix, with each course on a separate row and factors enhancing and impeding learning in separate columns. The space was limited but students were able to continue their answers on the other side of the paper if necessary. Instead of directing the students attention to any particular point, no guidance was given as to what factors were expected. Data analyses Students responses concerning factors enhancing and impeding learning were grouped by the first author. Both authors then analysed the data independently, and a large number of preliminary categories were formed. These preliminary categories were further reanalysed and 10 subcategories were formed (Table 1). At each step, the data was analysed by both authors independently and discussed together until mutual agreement was reached. Disagreements were limited to borderline cases. In cases where the students comments could have been classified in more than one way, the specific features of the curriculum were taken into consideration. For example, active construction and processing of knowledge was categorised under planning of teaching and not under the students actions because the responses referred to aspects that were included in curriculum planning, mostly in the form of providing an opportunity to apply theory to practice, rather than individual experiences. The frequency of students comments in each subcategory was calculated. Students comments on the perceived workload for each course were classified in the following way: 0 = easy; 1 = manageable, approximate to credits given; 2 = slightly overloading; 3 = markedly overloading. Based on the mean of the individual

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comments for each course, all courses were classified either as easy (mean < 1.0, mode 0 or 1), manageable (mean 1.01.5, mode 1 or 2) or overloading (mean > 1.5, mode 2 or 3). Other comments not directly related to the perceived workload of the specific course, were grouped separately and excluded from the calculations. Differences between the comments of the third- and fourth-year students attending the same courses were investigated. Results Factors affecting learning Four main categories regarding factors enhancing or impeding learning became evident: (1) the planning of teaching (what was known and could be done beforehand); (2) the teaching (what was done or happened during teaching, choices that were up to the teacher rather than administrators or curriculum planners); (3) the teacher; and (4) the student. The largest main category of both enhancing and impeding factors was related to teaching. The contents of each category, together with examples of each subcategory and frequencies of the comments, are shown in Table 1. The teaching practices most often cited as beneficial were related to practical exercises and lectures. Especially those exercises where students were able to use their hands were found valuable. Lectures were often mentioned without any description or with only a short description such as excellent, motivating or practical, and in a minority of answers the activities performed during the lectures were identified. An exception to this was visualisation. The use of practical examples and especially videos of clinical cases were considered highly instructive. Occasionally, the perceived lack of a connection to real life was documented as affecting motivation:
Teaching was too theoretical and I dont quite believe that is relevant to veterinary medicine my motivation was zero. (CIII/21)

Alternative assessment methods raised twofold opinions. Supervised homework (answering questions given by the teachers along the course) was preferred to learning diaries. Several students considered alternative assessment methods not only useful for their learning but also less stressful than examinations:
Passing the course by doing homework was good, because I learn best by finding answers to questions and writing, and there was no stress of an examination. (CIII/22)

However, completely different views were also recorded:

Writing the learning diary was more time consuming than reading for an examination, and at the same time, a lot of matters remained completely ignored because we were not forced to study them. (CIV/19)

Discussions, both formal and informal, and the possibility of concentrating on interesting cases without any hurry were highly valued during the clinical rotation. None of the fifth-year students mentioned lack of motivation/interest or difficulty understanding the importance of matters as an impeding factor. On the other hand, nearly all the comments (except for two) relating to the teaching-learning atmosphere, such as the way students were taken into consideration, were made by the fifth-year students.

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Table 1. Comments of third-, fourth- and fth-year veterinary students on factors mentioned as enhancing or preventing learning, classied into four main categories and their subcategories. Examples of each subcategory, together with frequencies of comments, are also given.

CATEGORY Mentioned as impeding learning (frequencies)

Subcategory

Mentioned as enhancing learning (frequencies)

PLANNING OF TEACHING Planning of teaching at curriculum or course level

Good general picture, clear overview, clearly organised course, good coverage, no overlapping, good student group size, concentrating on relevant/essential elements, basic matters well highlighted (107 comments)

M. Ruohoniemi and S. Lindblom-Ylnne

Active construction and processing of knowledge

Overloaded, workload too high, too much covered in a limited time, too many lecturers, too many students in the small groups, chaotic/miscellaneous, overlapping, some matters not covered at all, too narrow coverage, superficial, basic/relevant matters not clarified, course at wrong place in the curriculum, overlapping courses causing hurry, timing poorly planned (411 comments) Previous knowledge/experience, level of previous knowledge/ Lack of previous knowledge/experience, students not allowed to do things themselves, no possibility to experience taken into consideration, possibility to see/do apply knowledge to practice during or soon after the soon after course or during it, possibility to apply course (38 comments) knowledge to practice (138 comments) Poor lectures, use of ICT, activating methods, practical exercises, discussions, lack of exemplification, lack of practical exercises, clinical work, unorganised work (mess), lack of supervised teaching (332 comments) Poor, tight, stressful, pressing atmosphere, students not valued (20 comments) Hurry, rapid pace, lack of time (60 comments)

TEACHING Teaching practices

Atmosphere

Matters related to time in general

Practical exercises (e.g. necropsies, laboratory work, surgical procedures using animal cadavers), clinical work, lectures, concretisation (demonstrations, visits, use of clinical cases and other examples), use of ICT, homework, written and oral exercises and their evaluation/analysis, seminars, discussions, teaching manner in general (655 comments) Pleasant, calm, innovative, relaxed atmosphere, good coherence, students are valued/student needs are taken into consideration (23 comments) No hurry (25 comments)

Table 1.

(Continued).

CATEGORY Mentioned as impeding learning (frequencies)

Subcategory

Mentioned as enhancing learning (frequencies)

Material (clinical patients not included)

Material in Finnish, good textbook, notes support lectures (123 comments)

Assessment of learning

TEACHER

Examinations, alternative way of examining (home exercises, lecture/learning diary no stress) (100 comments) Knowledge of substance, expertise, experience, motivation, enthusiasm, personal characteristics, style, attitude, good interaction with students (312 comments)

No material provided, lack of relevant textbooks, poor notes provided, material and lectures did not support each other (55 comments) Examinations, alternative way of examining (homework, learning diary) (43 comments) Poor preparation, low voice difficult to hear, uncertain, too theoretical, lack of practical experience, poor motivation, personal characteristics, style (138 comments) Laziness, not present, hurried for other reasons, examinations not previously passed, work, fatigue, depression, stress, illness (102 comments) Lack of interest/motivation, topic not interesting, difficult topic, topic sounds distant (53 comments)

STUDENT Students own actions

Independent/individual studying and practising, reading books, studying together (53 comments)

International Journal for Academic Development

Interest in the topic, desire to learn, important subject, Motivation, interest, stressing of subjects/animal species relevant (173 understanding importance of comments) the subject

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They also commented on matters related to time in general (e.g., rapid pace, lack of time) more commonly than others. The frequency of comments was higher for the enhancing factors compared to impeding factors (mean 13.0 versus 9.5 comments per student, respectively). Responses for the enhancing factors tended to be short and informative, often listing several factors in the same sentence, as the following example shows:
Interesting subject, good lecturers, good handbook. (CIII/48)

On the other hand, the responses for the impeding factors often concentrated on one subject, clarifying that from different views; for example:
Lack of examples! If details were tied more closely to practice, it would be easier to remember them it was not rewarding to try to memorise lists of drugs because you forget them in any case! (CIII/3)

Perceived workload In each course at least two thirds (6690%) of the students had commented on the workload in such a way that it could be classified relatively easily. The other comments, not directly related to the perceived workload of the specific course were most commonly related to the overlapping of two or more courses and the high number of examinations or high demands of some specific examination. Occasionally the students considered the workload high but the course otherwise rewarding, or felt they had had to do a lot of work themselves (e.g., more independent study than they were used to) but it was not evident how stressful they had experienced this to be. Most of the courses and clinical rotations were considered to be convenient or even easy. Six courses (two of which were shared by the third- and fourth-year students; one was practically oriented) and one clinical rotation were considered overloading. Typical comments for the overloading courses and rotation were those related to high amount of new and/or difficult content in a short time, long workdays, unclear objectives or unorganised work, lack of relevant textbook or specific features of the teacher. The easy courses were found to be both frustrating and relaxing. Differences between third- and fourth-year students Of the seven courses shared by the third- and fourth-year students, the fourth-year students commented more frequently than the third-year students on factors related to the planning of teaching. This was the case for both enhancing and impeding factors. The difference between third- and fourth-year students knowledge base became evident in some comments, as the following illustrates:
The teachers thought that all students had the same knowledge base even though we third-year students had not even had the course on andrology! Some matters were only mentioned quickly. (CIII/5) Too much repetition of the basic stuff. (CIV/30)

Three of the seven courses shared by the third- and fourth-year students were considered more loading by the third-year students than the fourth-year students.

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Concrete actions initiated The results have been widely utilised at the Faculty as shown in Table 2. The practical actions taken were related to (1) enhancement of the student feedback system, (2) planning of courses and curriculum reform, (3) improving everyday teaching, and (4) making attempts to train students practice reflection. Based on the structure of the questionnaire, the students comments could be linked to certain courses. The first author who acted as coordinator of the survey delivered the results to those responsible for each entity, i.e. to the study planning committee of the Faculty, the department heads, teachers responsible for courses, or individual teachers. They were analysed and discussed at the teachers meetings and in the study planning committee of the Faculty. The discussions remained at the course level and the identity of individual teachers was raised only in a positive sense. The results were extensively used in the curriculum reform associated with the Facultys own needs and in the Bologna Process to create a two-tier degree system based on core analysis. One example of the actions taken is the open-ended personal study plan (Bachelors portfolio) that was added to the curriculum to offer students the possibility to practice reflection. The students comments regarding workload were taken into consideration when the national credit allocation system was replaced by a new workload concept similar to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). Concrete actions were also initiated to modernise the discipline-based curriculum to be consisted of larger, more animal species based units where unnecessary overload caused by overlapping of courses could be avoided. Discussion In general, the students in this survey tended not to concentrate on only one perspective when assessing factors that affected their learning. The frequency of comments was weighted towards teaching practices, the planning of teaching and the teacher. This is not surprising, as the students were studying a traditional, discipline-based curriculum. Comments related to different aspects of teaching were markedly more common than those related to the students own actions. This may be due, on the one hand, to the fact that the students are used to giving feedback on teaching, and on the other, to the fact that it is difficult for students to assess their own contribution to learning. The results of our study suggested that reflection skills need to be explicitly taught in the veterinary curriculum, and a portfolio-type of approach was found practicable at this point. The development of students metacognitive skills is a very important component in developing study practices and making them more effective (Lindblom-Ylnne, 2004). The planning of teaching at both course and curriculum levels is likely to have been considered self-evident by most students, and not always mentioned when considered as adequate. Problems associated with poor planning, however, were commonly felt to impede learning. The fourth-year students seemed to be more aware of the importance of planning than the third-year students. They already had experience of coping with overlapping courses and were also likely to expect to be able to make use of their previous knowledge. Overloading caused by overlapping courses and their assessment activities was not surprising, as the number of courses each year was high and good coverage of the content has traditionally been highly valued. Based on the students comments, there was need for the core content analysis which was an essential part of the Bologna Process at the University of Helsinki (Lindblom-Ylnne

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Table 2. Concrete actions (Examples)

Utilisation of the students responses concerning factors affecting their learning in quality assurance and curriculum planning.

Catalyst for change

Utilised by

Type of survey: questionnaire at the end of a longer period of study Comments on individual courses

M. Ruohoniemi and S. Lindblom-Ylnne

Students responses concerning curriculum planning

Students responses concerning teaching Students responses concerning teacher

Students responses concerning their own actions Students responses concerning perceived workload and courses in general

Study planning committee of the Faculty Included in the student feedback system (part of the quality assurance at the Faculty) Teachers responsible for the course Feedback to the students (brief summary of the comments and conclusion on how they will be taken into account published on the universitys intranet; became a consistent part of quality assurance) Study planning committee Curriculum reform associated with the Bologna Process and the Departments Facultys own needs (e.g. creating a two-tier degree system; new curriculum based on larger blocks instead of small courses, theory and practice as close to each other as possible) Study planning committee Improving everyday teaching practices (e.g. providing some choice in Departments assessment of learning) Practical actions (e.g. arranging microphone; reassessing need for Departments external lecturers) Teachers responsible for the course Individual teachers Study planning committee Allowing possibility to practise reflection (e.g. creating a portfoliotype personal study plan) Study planning committee Planning of courses and curriculum (e.g. core content analysis; Departments reassessment of workload of courses and study years)

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& Hmlinen, 2004). A curriculum which is based on a high number of separate courses and is associated with a high number of examinations can also easily cause cumulative problems for the student. For example, previous failures affect later studies, which was also evident from the responses here. It may be very difficult to find time to study for a re-examination and simultaneously keep up with new studies. Relevance to clinical practice is very important to veterinary students (Parkinson et al., 2006). Occasionally, our students found the topic distant and saw no connection between it and their future profession. This may be due to the fact that some students are very professionally oriented, or that they have a surface approach to studying and lack the ability to relate different phenomena and areas of veterinary knowledge (Lonka & Lindblom-Ylnne, 1996). Professionally-oriented students have been found to try to relate theoretical knowledge to practical situations and real-life experiences, and to stress the importance of using knowledge later in clinical situations (Lindblom-Ylnne & Lonka, 2001). Understanding the importance of the subject matter in relation to their future profession may motivate students in a similar way as interest does (Simons, Vansteenkiste, Lens, & Lacante, 2004). However, when students acknowledge the importance of the topic or course under study but do not find it interesting, they are likely to rely on external motivation. The active construction of knowledge is an important component of learning. This subcategory included factors such as the level of previous knowledge and the ability to integrate theoretical knowledge with practice, which is one key objective in professionally oriented curricula. The opportunity to apply knowledge to practice as soon as possible, either by seeing or preferably by doing, was generally considered important by our students. The clinical year offers a unique opportunity to apply knowledge and skills in practice, but not all rotations were found to be equally useful. The fifth-year students rotate in small groups and learn to perform a multitude of different tasks in varying conditions, but often more quickly than they feel comfortable with. Being in a constant hurry has deleterious effects on learning (Blumberg, 2005; Chambers, 1992; Kember & Leung, 1998). In addition to a peaceful learning environment, the fifth-year students also wanted more opportunities for informal discussion during the clinical rotations, which should be encouraged. Our students valued the lectures, especially those illustrated by clinical cases. Lectures have been considered effective for transmitting information but quite ineffective for stimulating high-order thinking (Biggs, 2003). Students who expect the teacher to transmit knowledge to them are likely to enjoy passive participation (Kember & Wong, 2000; Trigwell et al., 1999). These students are also likely to complain about unsupervised learning (Lonka & Lindblom-Ylnne, 1996). However, good lectures can complement textbooks and provide up-to-date information. The lecturer can also show the students a perspective of expertise, gained through research and scholarship, teach students how to use concepts and principles as well as how to think (Biggs, 2003). Based on the students comments, it appears that most of their teachers were fairly skilled but tended to practice a teacher-centred transmission model of teaching (Biggs, 2001; Trigwell et al., 1999). Both examinations and alternative methods of assessment were mentioned as enhancing and also impeding learning. Alternative methods were found to cause less stress than traditional examinations but occasionally the students felt that they would have learned more by studying to a traditional examination. The fact that supervised homework in form of answering questions was generally preferred over learning diaries is not surprising as the students were used to traditional examinations and

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learning objectives set by the teachers. Tasks to help the students to actively build their knowledge during the course and not only just before the examination are generally thought to encourage a deep approach to learning. The passive learners who want to act as receivers of knowledge are not likely to enjoy this type of action (Kember & Wong, 2000). Moreover, Birenbaum (1996) stresses the instructional components of alterative assessment and points out that engaging students in performance tasks does not necessarily mean that they are learning and creating meaning. From the quality enhancement point of view, we found this survey very useful. Collecting data jointly at the study year level turned out to be a valuable addition to feedback collected by teachers after the courses. Biggs (2001) considered departments as the best locus for arranging student feedback on teaching, not faculties or the central administration. Our results show that in a small faculty the central administration may successfully assume part of the responsibility of collecting feedback from students. Kember (2004) stresses the need to adopt an open approach to gathering feedback in order to be able to examine the wide array of curriculum elements. Our survey gave not only valuable information for the curriculum reform but also offers comparison material in the future when the new curriculum needs to be assessed. Students responses to the three simple questions presented in our study provided information that proved to be applicable at several levels, from that of the individual teacher to overall curriculum planning. Notes on contributors
Mirja Ruohoniemi is senior lecturer of university pedagogy at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki. Her main interests are student learning, curriculum development and quality enhancement in higher education. Sari Lindblom-Ylnne is professor of higher education and director of the Centre for Research and Development of Higher Education at the University of Helsinki. She is president-elect of EARLI (European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction). Her research focuses on teaching and learning at university, for example, on approaches to teaching and learning, assessment practices and quality enhancement in higher education.

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