Teaching and learning
York St John Pedagogy
A statement outlining our approach to teaching, learning and assessment.
The York St John Pedagogy is an overarching, thematic statement which explains the fundamental principles and practices of learning, teaching and assessment at York St John University.
It does this in a way that aims to be relevant and understandable across all subjects and levels within the University, and which enables us explain clearly to community partners why our approach to higher education is valuable. The York St John Pedagogy focuses on why and how we teach, whilst reinforcing our commitment to values-based curricula.
We are committed in our pedagogy to:
- Encouraging critical thinking and creativity to tackle social justice issues and urgent societal challenges
- Identifying and reforming teaching, learning support, or assessment practices that contribute to awarding gaps or an inconsistent student experience
- Decolonising curricula and pedagogy, and adopting anti-racist teaching practices
- Consistently and holistically implementing inclusive practices
- Aligning with the University Mental Health Charter
- Promoting ecological justice by embedding the UN Sustainable Development Goals in our curricula
Our statement of why we teach and support learning in the ways that we do supports and builds on our ongoing efforts to improve educational quality. It outlines our vision for the future, endeavouring to address key issues for students, such as the climate emergency, rapid technological changes like generative AI, and uncertainties about future job opportunities. It also acknowledges the growing mental health and wellbeing challenges for both students and staff. In these ways the York St John Pedagogy aims to show how our educational methods will continue to evolve to meet the urgent challenges faced by students and the higher education sector.
The pedagogy is also designed to enhance our performance against key sector measures of success, such as achieving high rates of student satisfaction, increased educational equity and helping more students find meaningful jobs or continue their studies.
You can read the York St John Pedagogy in full on our staff intranet page.
