In 2017, Victoria University made a bold and unprecedented decision, one that would change and challenge the entire tertiary education system and positively impact the lives of students.
In the early days, the First Year Model, as it was known, went from being an experimental idea, to becoming the VU Block Model®, a transformative, award-winning, internationally recognised pedagogy that is now embedded across VU and embraced by a number of institutions around the world.
The VU Block Model with its unique features, including smaller class sizes to foster collaboration, students studying a single subject at a time over a four-week block, rather than juggling multiple units, and regular course assessments, continues to attract new students and help current students excel in their studies. Results have shown increased student engagement, pass rates and grades - including 91.4 per cent success rates for students from equity backgrounds.
And now, after seven years of first-hand experience, Associate Professor John Weldon (First Year College) and Professor Loretta Konjarski (Interim Dean) have produced Block Teaching Essentials: A Practical Guide (Springer Press). Like the VU Block Model, the book is the result of collaboration, ideas and experiences by a global block community who are eager to share their learnings with others.
Block Teaching Essentials: A Practical Guideis the first, comprehensive guide to the block model approach. Overhauling an entire higher education framework is a formidable undertaking and not without challenges.
In the book's introduction, former VU staff member, Honorary Professor Ian Solomindes writes: "Leadership, creativity, innovation, persistence, organisation, human and fiscal resources all must work in concert. It takes herculean effort, and collaborative will to change practice, processes and ultimately culture."
Associate Professor John Weldon says the book is an invitation to educators and administrators who are curious about exploring the Block experience in depth. "A VU, we've spent seven years building the block, defending it, sharing it and now is the time to say, 'here's what we've learned'. We now have a body of work that we can take to a global audience that speaks directly to our experiences."
VU contributors include a forward by former Executive Dean, First Year College, Professor Andrew Smallridge, along with personal reflections by staff who were instrumental in the evolution of the VU Block Model, including: Dr Marc C-Scott (Deputy Associate Dean Learning and Teaching), Professor Tom Clark (Associate Dean Research, FYC), Dr Amanda Muscat (Senior Lecturer, Initial Teacher Education), Dr Bert Oraison (Deputy Associate Dean Learning and Teaching, FYC), and Kathleen Raponi (Senior Lecturer).
Professor Konjarski said "we'd like the book to reach, not only institutions who are already teaching block, but also those who are thinking about it, including secondary schools, colleges or other institutions. Yes, the book is fundamentally focused on block but there's something here for anyone interested in teaching, in a broader sense."
While the book celebrates the many successes of the VU Block Model, contributions also discuss the challenges that come with innovative transformation. "Every chapter is written by people who have taught the block or have been heavily involved in an organisation who have adopted the block. Each experience is entirely unique, and they address the challenges and share details about how they maximised opportunities," Associate Professor John Weldon said.
Both co-editors agree that they want the book to ignite a discussion about the impact of the block model and how it can transform institutions and improve the student experience. "We hope it inspires teachers, researchers and students, and other institutions around the world to ask, 'where do we go from here?'," added Professor Konjarski.
Copies of Block Teaching Essentials: A Practical Guide (Springer Press) are available via VU's library, or purchased.
