A Year On: Taylor’s University implementing reduced lecture sessions for specialization year onwards

From 2020, students enrolling into their specialization year receive a reduced one-hour lecture for selected modules.

In conjunction with moving towards balanced excellence, Taylor’s University implemented reduced lecture sessions for students enrolling into their specialization year.

Taylor’s aims to provide students with an enhanced holistic, self-directed approach in learning as part of their five-year mission to provide world-class higher education.

The updated teaching approach was enforced in 2020 for second year students and onwards.

As a result, selected two-hour and three-hour lectures were minimized into one hour, and one hour and a half hours respectively.

A lecture session between a lecturer and student in an online environment | Source: learningliftoff.com

“It’s more about providing the students with empowerment,” said School of Media and Communications Programme Director and Module Coordinator Philip Gan Chee Keat.

They should learn by themselves, for themselves. That is the philosophy of the Taylor’s approach.”

Philip Gan teaching a one-hour lecture | Source: Personal Archive

Yale University shares a similar philosophy where their standard meeting times and lectures are for 150-minutes a week.

Their lectures are either three 50-minute sessions or two 75-minute sessions.

According to the Education Programme Standards provided by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), a one-credit hour is equivalent to 40 hours of learning. Thus, a four-credit module at Taylor’s University equates to 160 hours.

Interview with Dr. Wan Puspsa | Source: Personal Archive

“Rest assured of all universities...Taylor’s are very stringent in trying their very best to fulfil the requirements of MQA, maintaining the standard of quality of education,” said School of Liberal Arts and Sciences Senior Lecturer Dr. Wan Puspa Melati.

This has been going on for months, just fine-tuning all the hours.”

For a 14-week semester, Philip orchestrates 160 hours of tasks, materials, and assignments that are suitable and sufficient for acquiring an understanding of a given module.

Therefore, regardless of the reduction in lecture hours, there is no replacement or reduction of the overall 160 hours.

Although such actions were taken, weekly contact hours have been allocated towards tutorials, practicals, and consultations.

“That’s why it’s not possible for the university to reduce fees because you’re still doing a full course,” said Philip.

It’s not that we are money minded...There’s no reason for us to reduce costs.”

“One-hour lectures are easier, especially when you’re learning virtually,” said Haruna Hikawa, a final year mass communication student.

It’s better to just spend more time on tutorials.”

“I feel like it’s quite balanced,” said Kevin Cheong, a graduate from Swinburne University of Technology Melbourne, Australia.

Kevin reported that as he progressed through tertiary education, spoon-feeding was less prone in terms of how lecturers explained stuff.

“It’s a bit of a waste of time,” stated Fiona Kiung, a final year mass communication student.

Fiona believes that one-hour lectures are rushed and often has to rewatch recorded lectures.

I strongly believe that if someone who attends two-hour lectures does their lecture notes and understands everything in one sitting, they wouldn’t have to go back to recorded lectures and revise.”

Like Fiona, second year Bachelor of Psychology student, Geetaanjalli Lingam said that because few of her modules are in succession, one-hour lectures were often cut short. “I would have to revisit the recorded lecture to catch up.”

In the Design School at Taylor’s, final year design major Ava Yeo said that as most of her lectures, tutorials, and consultations are in succession for most modules, she has not felt any difference in the implementation of reduced lecture hours.