Higher Education Quality Improvement Strategies Through Enriched Teaching and Learning

Introduction

Higher education is known to take place after secondary school education and is delivered in higher institutions of learning which include universities (Jongbloed, Enders, & Salerno, 2008), colleges (Brubacher, 2017) and institutes of technology (Altbach, 2015). Higher education improvement strategies have become very necessary as key stakeholders globally expect improvement of outcomes in higher education which is in line with total quality management in education (Sallis, 2014; Sherr & Lozier, 1991). According to Fishman, Ludgate and Tutak (2017) college graduation is an uncertainty to some undergraduates due to their inability to cope with the higher education system and this has led to an increase in dropout rates of students who desire higher education qualifications. This concern further stresses the need for continuous educational change with a focus of improving teaching and enhancing student learning as required by universities (D'Andrea & Gosling, 2005), in an ever evolving society. To achieve the critical outcomes of improved teaching and enhanced learning in universities, the role of human designated participants in the initiation, implementation, continuation and outcome of change in education (Ellsworth, 2001; Fullan, 1982) cannot be overemphasised.

Higher education improvement strategies are required to achieve stakeholders’ expectation of higher education. It is important to add that decision makers in higher institutions are beginning to promote educational practices that will lead to the realisation of their institutional objectives and the attainment of the highest level of accountability to stakeholders (Rice & Taylor, 2003), and higher education improvement strategies are some of the steps taken to position higher institutions in the right direction of accomplishments and quality service delivery. There are several higher education improvement strategies in existence. This chapter focuses on critically analyzing higher education improvement strategies for teaching (Wright, 1995) and learning in higher education. Some of the strategies considered in this chapter are strategies for improving student retention (Bowles & Brindle, 2017; Crosling, Heagney, & Thomas, 2009; Gazza & Hunker, 2014), strategies for improving graduation rates(Schargel &Smink, 2014) and strategies for improving laboratory teaching(Gibbs & Jenkins, 2014) among other higher education improving strategies for teaching and learning in higher education.

This chapter aims to investigate higher education improvement strategies in order to identify the evidence of higher education improvement strategies in improving teaching and learning in higher education. In order to achieve the chapter’s aim, the following are the objectives of this chapter:

• 1)

  To identify higher education improvement strategies.

• 2)

  To critically analyze evidence of higher education improvement strategies in improving teaching and learning in higher education institutions.

• 3)

  To determine the effects of higher education improvement strategies for teaching and learning in higher education institutions.

• 4)

  To critically analyze the challenges associated with higher education improvement strategies for teaching and learning in higher education institutions.

• 5)

  To identify if any improvements are required to facilitate the adoption of more effective higher education improvement strategies to improve learning and teaching outcomes in higher education institutions.

• 6)

  To make recommendations to improve higher education improvement strategies to facilitate effective teaching and learning in higher education institutions.