What can the university sector learn from block teaching?

The block model in higher education has reached a critical juncture. Over the past eight years or so, since Victoria University took the model to mainstream university systems, it has been proven to work across institutions of all sizes, from small colleges to universities with thousands of students, spanning every discipline and year level. Although not perfect (what model is?), the block can no longer be considered an outlier nor an experimental fad. It works. The question now is: where does this model, which breaks curricula down into short, immersive modules, go from here? 

If it is to have lasting effect on university teaching, it must contribute more broadly to the sector.

The block community, which includes institutions in Australia and the UK, has operated from a self-reflective and at times defensive posture. This stance was understandable and perhaps even necessary. The wider academy rightfully demanded that it establish its bona fides through exacting investigation and evidence-based research. This scepticism was legitimate; after all, the credibility of higher education itself rests on rigorous enquiry and proven results.

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However, this inward-looking approach has led to what could become a problematic insularity. Much of the research over the past eight years has been self-referential, with individual academics, teams and institutions primarily reporting on their own work or collaborating exclusively with other block institutions. While this internal focus helped build a solid foundation of evidence, it has also created a dichotomy between block institutions and the mainstream, which serves no one well.

The time for isolation is over

The challenges facing higher education today are too significant and too urgent for any single approach or community to address alone. Governments worldwide are demanding accountability and transformation. The cost-of-living crisis has made university fees increasingly burdensome for families. Employer groups openly question whether graduates possess the skills they need, with some suggesting they can provide better training than universities. The rise of artificial intelligence is reshaping entire industries and the skills they require.

Block institutions have developed precisely the kind of agility, innovation capacity and stakeholder engagement that the sector desperately needs. These institutions have learned to question everything, take nothing for granted and understand that transformation is not a one-time project but an ongoing process requiring clear leadership and community buy-in.

What block institutions offer the academy

The block community’s greatest asset is not the model itself but the institutional culture of continuous innovation and rapid response it engenders. Block institutions are fundamentally innovation centres that happen to use intensive delivery methods. They have become expert at moving swiftly and effectively while bringing staff, faculty and students along on the journey. Yes, there are problems, but we can learn as much from what the model still needs to get right as we can from its successes.

And what has been learned by these institutions is often as applicable to those on the traditional model as it is to block institutions. The pedagogical innovations emerging from block institutions, often labelled “block pedagogy”, are frequently just good pedagogy: innovative, transferable and replicable approaches that would benefit any institution. Block institutions are good at breaking down silos between academic, professional and support staff while fostering deeper student engagement. This too is replicable across the sector, regardless the mode of delivery, as is reimagined curriculum design, elevated respect for educators and their professional development, and a commitment to constructive alignment that involves far more than just bureaucratic compliance.

Perhaps most importantly, block institutions have shown that universities can move at pace. In a sector often characterised as change-resistant, block institutions have shown that rapid, meaningful transformation is possible without sacrificing academic rigour or student outcomes. Everyone can learn from that.

The case for collaboration

The false dichotomy between “mainstream” and block institutions serves no constructive purpose and may hinder the sector-wide innovation that stakeholders are demanding. The block community has accumulated substantial data and evidence about educational transformation. Rather than keep these insights for the converted, they should be actively shared with non-block institutions facing similar challenges. 

Block institutions understand what it means to be questioned and challenged. They know how to respond with both alacrity and care during times of crisis. These skills – resilience, adaptability and stakeholder engagement – are exactly what the broader higher education sector needs as it faces mounting external pressures.

A new chapter of engagement

Moving forward, block institutions must commit to working not only with each other but actively partnering with non-block universities, comparing their results with mainstream approaches, sharing change-management strategies, and working with traditional institutions to develop sector-wide innovation capability and capacity.

This collaboration should not involve evangelising for the block model itself. Instead, it must focus on sharing the meta-lessons that block institutions have learned about educational innovation: how to build consensus for change, how to maintain quality during transformation, how to engage sceptical academics, and how to measure success in meaningful ways.

The challenges facing higher education are too complex and too urgent for any community to address in isolation. Block institutions have developed valuable insights about change, innovation and educational delivery. The time has come to share these insights generously with the entire higher education community. Only through such collaboration can we hope to meet the expectations of governments, employers and communities while serving the students who depend on us for their futures.

John Weldon is associate professor in the First Year College at Victoria University, Australia. He is co-editor (with Loretta Konjarski) of Block Teaching Essentials: A Practical Guide (Springer Nature, 2025).

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