Didacticism

In the context of higher education, 'didacticism' refers to the widespread adoption of didactic teaching in which the lecture is the principal teaching event. The form of teaching implies an expert in a subject delivering a body of content to an audience of students with the aim of passing on appropriate knowledge to the students. This entry first describes didactic teaching and discusses the underlying reasons for the adoption of didactic teaching in higher education, including influences from institutional traditions and teachers’ beliefs about teaching. The entry then discusses students' approaches to learning, the relationship between teachers’ beliefs about teaching and students' approaches to learning, and the relationship between the teaching and learning environment and the development of graduate attributes.