Independent Learning in UK Universities

by Sarah Powell Research Associate

Introduction

Independent learning is the refined form on a larger scale of the concepts like “personal training”, “student-centered learning” and ownership of learning. This training plays a vital role in making progress in lifelong learning, social equity, and cohesion (Meyer, 2010). The trend of independent learning has increased significantly in the UK, especially in the context of online learning, where a number of UK online educators and UK essay writing services support students and academics. 

THE CONCEPT “INDEPENDENT LEARNER”

The concept is not merely an ‘’empty, potentially divisive phrase. The concept emerged from the philosophical approaches to learning and followed the “Knowles” principles of andragogy. The Glasgow Caledonian University in 2008 adopted an assessment strategy goal of “Independent Learning” or “I – Learn” Framework. This document provided a list of key learning outcomes that would eventually promote the development of independent learning attributes in the pupils. The need for the students to become independent learners in higher education sector seems to be pervasive. Since the evolution of Personal Development Planning (PDP) and reflective learning as an essential part of learning and teaching in the UK that has followed the reports of 1997 known as “Dearing” and “Garrick”, the notion that students are “independent learners” had become an accepted norm of the British universities. Different authors have tried to associate the terminology of “independent learner” to that of “current cultural prescription” and “normative paradigm”.  This also means that the term signifies not only academic learning but also include current social and health paradigms.

CASE STUDIES OF VARIOUS UNIVERSITIES IN UK

The case of Oxford Brookes University

The third-year module at the Environmental Philosophy Department at Oxford Brookes University is designed around an exercise that uses a range of resources, including two handbooks, reading the material and an extract from a classic film - The Grapes of Wrath (Healey, 2014, p.4). The aim of this strategy is to make the students indulge in random sources and get assessed by their peers against pre-circulated criteria. This helps in constructing their mental abilities and helps them to develop critical appraisal of the work presented by their fellow pupils.

The case of University of Leeds

Students of Bio-Medical Sciences group of programmes which include subjects of Human Physiology, Medical Sciences, Neuroscience, and Pharmacology are asked to select one of the seven types of research projects. Students have to submit a 20-30 pages dissertation and give an oral presentation. Those seven areas of research topic selection are

1.      Individual Laboratory Projects

2.      Group Laboratory Projects

3.      Computer Simulation Projects

4.      Critical review Projects

5.      Survey Projects

6.      Science and Society Projects

7.      Educational Development Projects

The students work in these projects either individually or in small teams. By working in this way, the university management assumes that the students grasp learning resources easily and are also able to learn new teaching methods which would contribute in the clear understanding of the topics (Healey, 2014). Students, when preparing these diverse ranges of topics, find themselves in full command of the subject theme. Giving responses to their fellow beings develops their critical appraisal of these diverse topics.  

Having experience in consultancy and other business-oriented works, students after completion of their education do not let themselves under pressure of job seeking, rather they are able to develop their own private digital small or large-scale business. This methodology is more profit-seeking for the fresh graduates and also for the government as well. 

The case of University of Central Lancashire

The students of Community Sports Development are asked to work as a team on a consultancy project in addition to their honors dissertation. They are asked to work with a partner agency and recommend strategies that can be employed to support community development through community sport and coaching proposals. There are normally 8-12 consultancy briefs which are divided up among the 40-50 students, with students creating their own consultancy teams (Healey, 2014, p.6).

The development of consultancy traits in students in this stage of their career would indeed be a source of help in the professional career of the students. The students would be able to understand the credentials required for consultancy and would experience the pros and cons of the practical application of the subject.  

The case of Thomas Telford School

This school is considered as the first comprehensive school in the United Kingdom in which 100% of the students gained A-C grades in at least five GCSEs. The management of the school claimed the reason for success lied in the independent learning skills introduced in the school (Meyer, et al., 2008, p. 2). The process of making the students learn the techniques of independent learning at the early stage of their career could prove much blissful for them rather than having to understand the entire process after entering the university.  

Criticism on “Independent Learning”

It is assumed that by promoting independence, institutions neglect those who require support (Meyer, 2010, p.210) which would discourage the students for guidance seeking and would eventually increase their anxiety making their withdrawal from education. This type of learning method will not be feasible for individuals who have been accustomed to external guidance at every stage of their career.

CONCLUSION

Independent learning is considered a phenomenon of modern times. With rapid technological developments taking place, it is becoming easier to acquire knowledge and information of any kind. Owing to the criticism of this method, it would be wiser to state that it all depends upon the students themselves on how they devise ways to gather the required information. This method also enables the students to learn at their own pace and thus they are relieved from getting overburdened in seeking knowledge.

After going through the research, it can be said that many of the universities in the UK are following this pattern of independent learning. This fact also points to the fact that the results yielded by this method must indeed be fruitful as the number of universities who have adopted this methodology is growing in the United Kingdom.

The universities of United Kingdom have played their part well in introducing this novel concept to their students. It is through this method that the students are become accustomed to self-study and develop the characteristics of self-critique of their own work. This method grooms the students for self-study and builds their base for carrying out research at a higher level. Seeking knowledge of this method also proves to be bliss for the odd one out or minority students. Working in groups also facilitates the spirit of acknowledging the others’ opinions and reaching out to a collectively decided conclusion. These universities have become trendsetters for other universities around the world in making their students develop coherent and self-teaching techniques.

Sponsor Ads

• Ad Space Available - Rent it Now!

Created on Dec 12th 2017 01:21. Viewed 314 times.

Comments