Independent learning is one of the cornerstones of UK higher education yet it is poorly understood by students and is seen by politicians as a poor substitute for face to face teaching. This paper explores students’ understandings, approaches and experiences of independent learning and how they may become more effective independent learners. This large scale qualitative study, funded by the HEA, included students-as-researchers, independent learning diaries, and student-led interviews. Findings suggest that students initially use low level reinforcing and organising skills and in later stages of their courses develop higher level extending and applying skills. Clearer guidance, clearer tasks and in-course support are amongst the students’ recommendations for enhancing independent learning. However the most powerful influence on their independent learning was the support, collaboration and advice of other (more experienced) students in non-assessed scenarios. These findings have implications for staff involved in induction, student support, curriculum design and for staff and officers in Students’ Unions
In this paper I present my view of effective academic work as creating the conditions for effective teaching and learning and I explore the barriers to this faced by one university lecturer when he adopted a student-focused approach to his teaching. I compare the lecturer's perception of the teaching situation to the Teaching Environment Inventory factors, and discuss how institutional policies and practices designed to improve standards and efficiency within the case study institution inhibited those designed to improve student learning. In this respect academic leaders were often perceived to create rather than remove barriers to effective academic work. Finally I consider what can be done to improve standards and efficiency as well as student learning.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.