Student-centred teaching and learning: not always what it says on the tin?

In the context of policy initiatives aimed at widening participation and an increasingly diverse student population, the notion of student academic engagement and how to achieve it have become important topics in academic and practitioner debates. Drawing on Biggs and Tang’s (2007) concept of Levels One, Two and Three teaching, the paper presents the findings of a qualitative study designed to explore different teaching and learning approaches in terms of the level and nature of student engagement. Through an in-depth ethnographic approach, differences in student engagement were observed in the three categories of teaching. It is suggested that genuine student-centred learning and teaching, based upon constructivist learning theory, is highly effective in engaging students and facilitating a deep approach to learning