Transcript Learning, Teaching & Assessment Strategy

Learning, Teaching & Assessment Strategy
- Autonomous Learning
- Colleen Connor
Awarded for excellence
Strategic Aims:
• To ensure that students have access to high quality support and
guidance that allows them to develop into active, autonomous
learners
• To further develop a learning-oriented approach to assessment
which emphasises that assessment not only measures but also
contributes to learning and provides valuable and effective feedback
for students.
• To strengthen employer links and the range of opportunities
available for students to gain employability skills both within
curricula and through extra-curricular activities
It isn’t new!
The concept of ‘autonomous learning’
stemmed from debates about the
development of life-long learning skills
and the development of independent
thinkers both of which originated in the
1960s (Gardner, D. & Millar, L. 2003 )
Some benefits of autonomy:
• Transferable skill
• Confidence building
• Fosters independence
• Supports creativity
• Can take responsibility
for their own learning
• Are actively engaged
in their learning
• Are prepared to
consider different
approaches to problem
solving
What it does not imply
• It is not ‘teacher-less learning’
• ‘Teachers--have a crucial role to play in launching learners into selfaccess and in lending them a regular helping hand to stay afloat'
(Sheerin, 1997, cited in Benson & Voller, 1997: 63)
• It does not assume all students already have
skills for learning
• It does not take a ‘one size fits all’ approach
Key Activities
• Increased & co-ordinated learning support
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New appointment
Identifying needs, raising awareness
Renewing on-line resources
Code of practice
Integrating in feedback
Subject specific learning support officers
Key Activities
• Staff Development
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On role of personal tuition and PDP
On strategies to promote autonomy
On interactive teaching
On transformative technology enhanced
learning
Key Activities
• Curriculum Design
– Professional teaching sabbatical
– Integration of best practice in
‘design’ phase of validation/review
(Thus integrating QE with QA)
Key Activities
• Evaluation
– Through enhanced representation systems
– Alignment of student/staff expectations
Some Difficulties
• Change from ‘add-on’ to ‘integrated’
support
• Moving review/validation focus from the
‘event’ to the ‘process’
• TIME – particularly for design