ABSTRACT
James Derounian cautions that a system of higher education that contains extensive external monitoring procedures and encourages students to act as consumers of education may serve to promote teaching in the safety zone of transmission mode, where pre-specified content is delivered to the student and assessed in a conventional form. Based on his own reflections of gaining a National Teaching Fellowship that has influenced a more creative approach to teaching and learning, he argues for space to disrupt such a system and encourage unintended consequences, surprise and fun within the learning environment. For Derounian, the role of the educator is to promote the intrinsic desire for life-long learning rather than simply satisfy extrinsic motivation towards grades and employment.
