The Transition to Academagogy

Abstract

Academic staff within the QUT Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering are exploring ways to incorporate andragogical (student-centred) and heutagogical (self-determined) approaches to education into undergraduate programs, rather than relying on a purely pedagogical (teacher-centred) approach – an academagogic approach, where the most appropriate parts of various theories of learning are utilised.
Moving to academagogy is more than a change; it will be a transition. Consideration will be required to assist teaching staff to navigate through new ways of knowing about what they are doing. The identities of these staff members will need to be moved from "experts expounding information to students" and will have to be rebuilt as facilitators/guides of knowledge dissemination for diverse groups of students. Within this, issues of change fatigue may need to be considered and addressed, along with those of leadership and trust. It will also be critical to review experiences of evaluation, as this is the area of most challenge in moving towards student-centred and self-determined education.