Holistic Learning-Centeredness: De-Centering the University for Social Justice

Many colleges and universities have begun to shift their orientation from teaching-centered (privileging the teacher and the content) to student-centered (designing courses and curricula based on students’ perspectives, needs, and desires). Higher education needs to take the next step by acknowledging that the campus as only one locus of student learning out of many. Students learn from all aspects of their lives, and higher education institutions should—by implementing ePortfolios and other tools for integration and reflection—focus on helping students connect and reflect upon what they learn not only in the curriculum and co-curriculum, but also in their families, workplaces, friendships, and elsewhere. Building upon the scholarly literature on learner-centered teaching in diverse settings, I argue that de-centering the college campus in favor of a more fully learner-centered perspective will further social justice by honoring the multiple communities—especially those with less socioeconomic privilege—in which our students live and learn, and transform and energize ourselves as teachers