STUDENT EXPECTATIONS – AN ASPECT EASILY OVERLOOKED

Abstract

It is reasonable to believe that students have preconceptions about a course and an education programme, standing on the threshold of entering. It is also likely that these preconceptions will influence the perception of a range of aspects of the course due to content, pedagogy, lecturers, and the level of satisfaction. These expectations were investigated at the time of course introductions at a Swedish university for three different courses and subjects in three different years. A mix of methods, qualitative and quantitative, via two open-ended surveys were employed: one focused on the expectations before the course introduction, the other on the reflections on the expectations after the course introduction. Overall, it can be concluded that the student groups are diverse regarding expectations of a course. Academic skills such as academic writing was highlighted as an expectation and seemed to overshadow other course objectives. Active verbs that govern different steps of learning were neglected and not noticed at all. The course introduction could be viewed as an underestimated aspect of developing a course design. However, as a teacher, it is imperative to raise one’s awareness of students’ expectations and preferences concerning the initial part of a curriculum design, ensuring its potential.