New Learning and New Teaching in Higher Education. Formal vs. Informal Learning

Education engaged to the modern way of creating and using information, and focuses on becoming a solution, on answering to the needs of the present. Quantity is no longer sufficient, as quality is demanded as well. Where does this need of new learning and new teaching in higher education comes from? What are the limitations? New learning and new teaching involves changing mentality, it implies taking into consideration the practical experience, the alignment with the reality we live in. It means learning about students’ understanding and teaching accordingly. University teaching is unfortunately still based on the theory transmitted in lectures or presented online. Teaching itself is seen as a process of getting some skills about how to lecture, how to organize a small group, how to manage the activity, how to set a homework, etc. rather than how to use knowledge, how to approach a teaching problem. New learning and new teaching is defined by certain characteristics: possessing teaching skills, focusing on students’ goals, listening and learning from students, constantly evaluating their own performance.