Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (Promoting Learner Autonomy)

1. Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning(Promoting Learner Autonomy) Small scale project workshop September 2008 Ivan Moore Director CPLA

2. Format for the session • Lunch • Review of last meeting (the launch) • Action learning set • Workshop • evaluation

3. A definition of learner autonomy • An autonomous learner takes responsibility for his/her own learning • They can identify: • their learning goals (what they need to learn) • their learning processes (how they will learn it) • how they will evaluate and use their learning

4. Characteristics of ‘effective’ autonomous learners • they have well-founded conceptions of learning • they have a range of learning approaches and skills • they can organize their learning • they have good information processing skills • they are well motivated to learn

5. STANCE TOWARDS LEARNING Orientation to learning Appropriate conceptions of learning Deep approach to learning A range of appropriate learning strategies WILLINGNESS TO LEARN Balance of vocational, academic, personal and social motivations to learn Intrinsic motivation Extrinsic motivation Goals Short - Medium - Long Confidence INFORMATION Information handling Access to resources: On line and Paper-based Role models (people, exemplars, designs) Equipment Other learners Contexts MANAGEMENT Study Skills Planning and problem solving Evaluation & Metacognition Self-assessment Focus & ‘stickability’ Time and project management Balancing social, work and learning needs Assessment

6. STANCE TOWARDS LEARNING Orientation to learning Appropriate conceptions of learning Deep approach to learning A range of appropriate learning strategies WILLINGNESS TO LEARN Balance of vocational, academic, personal and social motivations to learn Intrinsic motivation Extrinsic motivation Goals Short - Medium - Long Confidence INFORMATION Information handling Access to resources: On line and Paper-based Role models (people, exemplars, designs) Equipment Other learners Contexts MANAGEMENT Study Skills Planning and problem solving Evaluation & Metacognition Self-assessment Focus & ‘stickability’ Time and project management Balancing social, work and learning needs Assessment

7. Review • The questionnaire • Ethics

8. The action learning set • Is my work on track, in general? • Since the last meeting: - What have I accomplished? - What’s going well? - What’s not going well? - What have been the barriers to my progress? • What support could I get? • What I am going to do next.

9. Evaluation • Why evaluate? • Minimise risk • Partnership with students • control, autonomy • Professional practice

10. Developing teaching practice Theory

11. Developing teaching practice scholarship Theory

12. Developing teaching practice scholarship Theory Previous experience

13. Developing teaching practice scholarship Theory Previous experience Different contexts

14. Developing teaching practice scholarship Theory Previous experience Different contexts Teaching in practice

15. Developing teaching practice scholarship Theory Previous experience Different contexts Teaching in practice Outcome

16. Developing teaching practice scholarship Theory Previous experience Different contexts Teaching in practice Outcome Further scholarship Reflection, feedback

17. Principles of evaluation • An integral part of our teaching practice • An ongoing process, so that we learn from systematic reflection • Should be participatory • Should enable us to make appropriate modifications along the way • Should enable us to make judgments on specific sessions, but also to draw out wider implications

18. Purposes of evaluation • Mike Prosser • Quality Assurance • student satisfaction • the mean score is important as a measure of quality • Quality Enhancement • Student conceptions/how they experience the course • The deviation is important: more focused view

19. Purposes of evaluation • Mike Prosser • Is the learning environment/teaching approach having any influence on student conceptions/approaches? • A student experience survey is more important than a student satisfaction survey

20. Evaluating your development • Three approaches • Goal-oriented evaluation • Goal-free evaluation • Context-based evaluation • Several methods • Questionnaire • Focus groups • Structured interviews • frequent, large student numbers, superficial • summative, representative sample, rich information

21. But first - autonomy • The potential for autonomy in learning (Fazey and Fazey, 2001) • Autonomous people are intrinsically-motivated, perceive themselves to be in control of their decision making, take responsibility for the outcomes of their actions and have confidence in themselves

22. Three factors

23. Motivation • interest in the subject/task • clear goals, tasks and standards • support • feedback • sense of belonging and sharing • success - improvement

24. The Course experience questionnaire(P. Ramsden) • Designed as a performance indicator • 24 statements relating to 5 aspects • 1 overall satisfaction statement • Research-based • Drawn from statements made by students in interviews • Students with positive responses take a deep approach

25. The five sub-scales • Good teaching • Clear goals and standards • Appropriate assessment • Appropriate workload • Generic skills

26. The five sub-scales • Good teaching 3, 7, 15, 17, 18, 20 • Clear goals and standards 1, 6, 13, 24 • Appropriate assessment 8, 12, 16, 19 • Appropriate workload 4, 14, 21, 23 • Generic skills 2, 5, 9, 10, 11, 22

27. From Ramsden CEQ • The module has helped me develop my ability to work as part of a group • I have usually had a clear idea of where I was going and what was expected of me • I have found this module interesting • The tutor motivated me to do my best work • Learning this way has helped sharpen my analytical skills • There has been more assessment of what I have memorised than of what I have understood • This module has helped me to develop the ability to plan my own work

28. Designing an evaluation questionnaire • On your own • Write down the kind of learning experience(s) and outcomes you would like for your students • In groups • Outcomes based design • For each factor (Fazey), design 4 statements that will help to determine if the goal is being achieved • Record the goals and statements on a flip chart • Identify any further common goals or outcomes • design and record 4 statements that will help to determine if that goal is being achieved

29. Goal – free evaluation (Scriven) • The module has helped me develop my ability to work as part of a group • Presupposes and leads the student • What parts of the module motivated you most? • (ok so it presupposes motivation, but not autonomy) • Why? • Illuminative evaluation

30. Goal-free evaluation • In groups • Choose another group on which to focus • Devise up to 5 questions that you might ask students to answer that might provide information on what they are experiencing • Record your questions • Compare them with the other group • Discuss what information you might receive from these questions • Draw up your conclusions for feedback

31. Context-oriented evaluation • Since the beginning of the year: • What skills, if any, have you developed? • What helped you to develop these skills? • How have you changed the way you study? • What prompted you to make these changes?

32. Other methods • Focus groups • Structured interviews • Continuous feedback • What did you find most difficult/confusing today? • What things did you find helped you learn last week? • What should I: • Start/stop/continue?

33. The three minute paper • What was the most useful of meaningful thing you learned during this session? • What question(s) remain uppermost in your mind as we end this session? • What was the ‘muddiest’ point in this session? • What would you like me to stop doing? • What would you like me to start doing? • What would you like me to continue doing?

34. Other instruments • Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory (LSI) • Honey and Mumford’s LSQ • Sternberg’s thinking styles • Felder’s Index of Learning Styles • Weinstein’s Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) • Entwistle’s Approaches to Study Inventory