A Sociological Analysis of Student-Lecturer Interaction in the Wake of Contemporary University Dynamism

The fact that effective student-lecturer interaction can impact positively on quality university education has encouraged many universities to embark upon rigorous programs geared towards enhancing such interaction. Many have done so with only the potential benefits in mind, without paying much attention to the contemporary snags surrounding the student-lecturer interaction. This situation is complicated by the recent revelations in the literature indicating a decrease in lecturers time to interact with students outside the classrooms. This paper aimed to provide the foundation towards the institutionalization of systematic plan directed at enhancing the student-lecturer interaction. The qualitative research design was adopted for this study. Fifteen lecturers and twenty former students from government assisted universities in Ghana conveniently participated in the study. Both the former students and the lecturers did agree to the significance of student-lecturer interaction in university education. They however held differing stance when it came down to how such interaction should proceed. They both called for the institutionalization of professional counselling units to help students out with the academic matters outside the classroom teaching. The former students made it clear though that such a move should not be a replacement to student-lecturer interaction, but a supplement to it.