The UCU strikes hit the whole of the university this week and no departments are feeling it harder than Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS). But the strikes do raise an interesting question regarding differences in contact hours between AHSS and the Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) degrees. Whilst the loss of contact hours from strikes in a first-year History module could mean less than a quarter of total learning hours lost, some first-year chemistry modules would, in theory, lose more than half of theirs if faculty went on strike. On paper, this looks like neglect from AHSS departments to focus on teaching, but that perspective misses the fundamental benefits for these courses of independent study. In fact, independent learning is one of the most valuable aspects of an AHSS degree.
For a start, STEM degrees have much more of a focus on empirical research and understanding than social sciences and humanities. In a subject like philosophy, the skills that get taught and learnt are those of critical thinking and evaluating ideas. That is fundamentally different to rigid hypothesis testing, practical lab study and the strict feedback loops which characterise STEM degrees. Independent learning lends itself far more to developing individual ideas which allows for informed and enriching discussion in seminars and tutorials. As a result, the AHSS disciplines foster an environment where it is a highly positive outcome for two students to develop opposing views.
There is also an important academic tradition that is still alive because scholars have the space to focus on independent reading and to develop judgement. The modern humanities seminar is a distant descendant of the Socratic Method from Ancient Greece where students debate and explore a text. Logically defending and disputing a thesis is a practice that still very closely mirrors medieval university custom. This tradition would be far harder to keep up if every degree followed the precise and relatable protocols that happen at a lab bench. Furthermore, without the solitary space to develop ideas, the few hours that the AHSS students do have in contact with tutors and professors would be pretty bland.
As if that all wasn’t good enough, independent learning is also important for a number of practical skills in life. It teaches self discipline and time management which is especially important during this period of strikes— preventing students from having another five cracks at freshers’ week whilst they have no 9ams. Driving your own study can also be a very helpful way to self audit your own strengths and weaknesses which is fundamental to any learning process.
Everyone at the Edinburgh University benefits from being a world leading institution with lecturers and tutors who know exactly what they are doing. Instead of asking if AHSS courses have too much independent learning we should be appreciating the merits of that academic methodology which produces and will continue to produce some of the leading analytical minds across the globe.
Photo by Esra Korkmaz on Unsplash.
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Is the Independent Learning Model Actually Helpful?
The UCU strikes hit the whole of the university this week and no departments are feeling it harder than Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS). But the strikes do raise an interesting question regarding differences in contact hours between AHSS and the Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) degrees. Whilst the loss of contact hours from strikes in a first-year History module could mean less than a quarter of total learning hours lost, some first-year chemistry modules would, in theory, lose more than half of theirs if faculty went on strike. On paper, this looks like neglect from AHSS departments to focus on teaching, but that perspective misses the fundamental benefits for these courses of independent study. In fact, independent learning is one of the most valuable aspects of an AHSS degree.
For a start, STEM degrees have much more of a focus on empirical research and understanding than social sciences and humanities. In a subject like philosophy, the skills that get taught and learnt are those of critical thinking and evaluating ideas. That is fundamentally different to rigid hypothesis testing, practical lab study and the strict feedback loops which characterise STEM degrees. Independent learning lends itself far more to developing individual ideas which allows for informed and enriching discussion in seminars and tutorials. As a result, the AHSS disciplines foster an environment where it is a highly positive outcome for two students to develop opposing views.
There is also an important academic tradition that is still alive because scholars have the space to focus on independent reading and to develop judgement. The modern humanities seminar is a distant descendant of the Socratic Method from Ancient Greece where students debate and explore a text. Logically defending and disputing a thesis is a practice that still very closely mirrors medieval university custom. This tradition would be far harder to keep up if every degree followed the precise and relatable protocols that happen at a lab bench. Furthermore, without the solitary space to develop ideas, the few hours that the AHSS students do have in contact with tutors and professors would be pretty bland.
As if that all wasn’t good enough, independent learning is also important for a number of practical skills in life. It teaches self discipline and time management which is especially important during this period of strikes— preventing students from having another five cracks at freshers’ week whilst they have no 9ams. Driving your own study can also be a very helpful way to self audit your own strengths and weaknesses which is fundamental to any learning process.
We can’t continue to punish addiction away
Everyone at the Edinburgh University benefits from being a world leading institution with lecturers and tutors who know exactly what they are doing. Instead of asking if AHSS courses have too much independent learning we should be appreciating the merits of that academic methodology which produces and will continue to produce some of the leading analytical minds across the globe.
Photo by Esra Korkmaz on Unsplash.
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