GLASS SIZE, COURSEWORK ASSESSMENT AND STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN GEOGRAPHY - 1984-94

Despite increases in student numbers, a decline in resources and an ac companying increase in class sizes, the overall performance of student s in geography in the UK has improved over the past decade. This parad ox is explored by examining the relationship between module enrolment and student performance in geography modules at Oxford Brookes Univers ity over a period of IO years alongside changes in the pattern of teac hing and assessment. No relationship between module enrolment and perf ormance was found, and there was no decline in average performance as average module enrolment increased. This pattern of performance is att ributed to changes in teaching, learning and assessment methods away f rom large lecture-based courses to small workshop-based discussion sem inars, away from examinations towards continuous assessment, away from passive learning towards active learning, and away from individual an d competitive to collective and collaborative learning and teamwork.