New data reveals the success of Victoria University’s block teaching model

New data backs the view that Victoria University’s revolutionary block teaching program is good for students.

Peter Dawkins teaches a first-year economics class at Victoria University under the block teaching method. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

Victoria University’s revolutionary block teaching model has passed another key milestone by demonstrating that the large gains in student performance seen in 2018, when the innovation was introduced, were no accident.

New figures from the univer­sity show that the enormous increase in first-year pass rates seen in 2018 was maintained, and slightly ­improved on, last year when the second cohort of first-year students experienced the innovative teaching model.

In 2018, Victoria University became one of the few in the world to teach subject units in intensive four-week blocks, allowing students to concentrate exclusively on one unit for four weeks before moving on to the next.

During each four-week teaching period, students spend about nine hours a week on the unit they are taking in that block, and learn in small classes of about 30, which allows personal interaction with the instructor and with each other.

Block teaching outcomes have been impressive with 86 per cent of first-year students passing their units in 2018, compared with 74 per cent in 2017 — the year before block teaching was introduced. Last year (the second year of block teaching for first-year classes), 87 per cent of students passed their course, slightly more than in 2018.

On another performance measure — the proportion of students gaining high distinctions — results were similar.

In 2018, 27 per cent of first-year students who passed received a high distinction, compared with 20 per cent in 2017 (before block teaching was introduced).

Last year, 28 per cent of students who passed gained a high distinction, which more than maintained the improvement.

 

Additionally, block teaching was found to be particularly helpful to students from a low socio economic background. Their pass rates improved more than other students.

Victoria University’s new figures also show positive outcomes for later-year students (mainly in second year) who were introduced to block teaching last year. In 2018, 86 per cent of students passed, but last year the first cohort of block-taught students had an improved pass rate of 90 per cent.

There was a similar improvement in the number of later-year students gaining high distinctions once they entered the block teaching program. In 2018, 20 per cent of the non-block-taught students (who passed their units) gained high distinctions. Last year, under block teaching, that rose to 26 per cent.

Victoria University vice-­chancellor Peter Dawkins said the ­result was particularly impressive because it included the students who had experienced block ­teaching in their first year of studies in 2018. This group had a lower drop out rate because of the success of block teaching, so many of those who were academically less well prepared continued on into second year. Yet results still improved. “They’re outperforming the previous second-year cohort by a significant amount,” Professor Dawkins said.

He said one major advantage of the block teaching model was that students were expected to attend class and actively engage on classroom learning.

Under block teaching, student attendance has been 90 per cent, (based on records kept by teachers), more than ­double the estimated 40 per cent student attendance figure before block mode was introduced.

“I reckon if you really want to try and understand why we have these dramatic impacts, that’s a major part of it,” Professor Dawkins said.

This year Victoria University has introduced block teaching for all its third-year classes and, at the end of the year, will graduate its first bachelor degree students who have been taught exclusively in block mode through their course.

Next the university will introduce block teaching to its postgraduate and vocational edu­cation courses.