Guided Independent

Learning

The all-embracing pedagogical framework at K.U.Leuven to improve the quality of higher education in the Knowledge and Competence Network

of the university

AVLM TrainingMay 28, 2009

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Research and education

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Objectives for academic education

• To familiarize students with results of scientific work situated in time and space

• To let students gain insight into the way in which research results are established

• To enable students to interpret new information critically and independently

• To stimulate students to actively contribute to knowledge development processes

• To help students form a substantiated opinion based on critical insight into underlying processes and develop well-founded social viewpoints

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The metaphor: Fonske

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Need for a new educational concept

• External factors– Economical context, rationalisation of

resources (effectiviness, efficiency, responsibility)

– Impact of technological developments in a knowledge society, new educational technologies

– Internationalisation, teacher and student exchange, virtual mobility

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Need for a new educational concept (II)

• Internal factors– New vision on knowledge (creation,

sharing, specialisation)– (Socio-)Constructivism: Learning is an

active, constructive, cumulative, goal oriented, self-regulated and contextualised (social) process

– Quality assurance, accreditation

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Concept of Guided Independent Learning

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Concept of Guided Independent Learning

• Holds students responsible for their own learning, making them more independent throughout their education (decreasing guidance and increasing autonomy)

• Holds the instructor responsible for setting specific objectives, developing an evaluation system, creating a learning environment embedded within the existing context and coaching the students through their learning activities

• Holds the organisation responsible for supporting the teaching and learning processes at the university

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Basic components

Students• Prior knowledge• Motivation• Learning style• Opinion• Metacognition

level

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Basic components

Objectives/goals• What must be

achieved?• What must

students know at the end of the course?

• Which competence growth should students have gone through?

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Basic components

Learning activities• Examples: memorising

certain data, following instructor’s reasoning in a lecture, looking for connections between course topics, interpreting the core of a text, solving problems, developing a test set-up, analysing own research results, etc.

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Basic components

Learning environment

• To elicit learning activities and to stimulate students to realize them

• Two main elements:– Support– Evaluation

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Basic components

Learning contents

• Theories• Concepts• Research results• Background

information• Subject related

matters

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Basic components

Study materials• Syllabi• Background texts• Lab materials• Handbooks• CD-ROMs• Exercises• Examples of exam

questions• AV learning materials• Protocols

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Basic components

Teaching methods• Which assignments will I

give to students?• How will I combine

practical sessions with f2f lectures?

• Will I answer students’ questions via e-mail, interactive lectures, or through the digital learning environment?

• When and how will I give feedback to the students?

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Basic components

Persons• Instructor, teacher• Assistent, tutor,

mentor• Teaching staff

(technician, secretary,…)

• Student counselor• Psychologist• …

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Basic components

Evaluation• Permanent or

frequent evaluation versus

• Evaluation at the end

• Different types of evaluation

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Basic components

Context• Organisational

preconditions• University rules

and regulations• Society and job

market

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Basic components and their coherence

Objectives determine learning activities

Support is geared to these objectives (and so to the learning activities)

Evaluation is adjusted to the objectives

Evaluation and learning activities are closely connected

Support and evaluation are part of the same learning environment

Support must be adjusted to the student characteristics

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Implications of GIL

• For students:– They need to be empowered so that

they can manage their own learning process

– Individual learning paths are necessary (based on individual characteristics)

– They need to learn how to deal with (the possibilities of) the learning environment

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Implications of GIL (II)

• For teachers:– Their role changes from ‘sage on the

stage’ to ‘guide on the side’– Guidance includes the proper use of

ICT and the development of appropriate learning materials

– Guidance decreases (or better: changes) over the curriculum, while learning skills are increasing

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Implications of GIL (III)

• For the organisation of education:– Strong commitment at all levels is

necessary– Workload of teachers changes, with

impact on their professional career– Flexibility in the organisation increases

(time schedules, group distributions, room reservations, teaching loads,…)

– The role of Permanent Educational Commissions (responsible for curricula) becomes more demanding

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Implications of GIL (IV)

• For the organisation itself:– Competence development of the

teaching staff is of utmost importance– Infrastructure (lecture halls vs

seminar rooms) need to be (updated and) adapted

– Embedding in administrative processes needs to be done carefully

– Innovation should be stimulated (also in terms of financial resources)

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GIL: an all-embracing concept

Guided Independent Learning is an all-embracing concept because:

• It is broader than just one teaching method

• It functions as guideline for the entire academic education

• It specifies the role of our university within society

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GIL: an open concept

Guided Independent Learning is an open concept:

• It deals with all aspects of the learning environment

• It imposes no strict guidelines (this does NOT mean that ‘anything’ is possible!)

• The university is not an ivory tower: it invites all stakeholders to participate in the decision making process with regard to (higher) education

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Implementation of GIL

• 1st phase: conceptual phase– The first phase of the implementation starts

with the process of familiarization with the new pedagogical concept of GIL, an analysis of the institutions’ own current practices and a subsequent match between both, resulting in a final, agreed vision on the pedagogical framework for SfedU. To ensure acceptance, it is recommended to involve top decision-makers, as well as practitioners ‘in the field’; i.e. both top-down and bottom-up.

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Implementation of GIL (II)

• 2nd phase: project definition– The final vision text becomes the basis for

implementation, a phase which starts with the set-up of a Project Steering Committee, the translation of the vision (strategy) into project goals (tactics), actions (activities, timing, teams and resources (including a Team of Project Support Officers. Training of the team in GIL and its implementation is necessary.

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Implementation of GIL (III)

• 3rd phase: project start-up and pilots– In the third stage, the actual implementation

starts by applying the new concept of GIL to a series of early adopters, i.e. selected programs and ‘champion teachers’. These early adopters will serve as a pilot as well as an example for the rest of the university. All pilots will be under the guidance and support of Project Support Officers. All pilots will be regularly monitored for input to the Steering Committee, to allow the collection of lessons learned or to allow certain project adjustments.

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Implementation of GIL (III’)

• 3’rd phase: accompanying measures– Communication

• Communication, transparent and regularly, is crucial to the success of the project, in terms of acceptance (and subsequently efficiency) at all levels. It is best to plan actions during this stage ahead, in a communication or dissemination plan

– Professionalisation• All teaching staff and Project Support Officers need to be trained in the

application of the concept to the programs. This training consists of a training package with both workshops and documentation. Also, appropriate rewarding schemes must be installed (career development, etc.)

– Research• As GIL is continuously evolving it is important to further develop the

concept based on fundamental scientific research. And also, the impact of introducing GIL on teaching and learning within SFedU needs to be analyzed in a scientific sound way, in order to evaluate and improve the implementation program.

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Implementation of GIL (IV)

• 4th phase: consolidation– Lessons learnt– Institutionalization of the Project Steering

Committee into a permanent Education Advisory Board

– Creation of a plan for further university-wide implementation of GIL

– Further implementation of the plan in the university– Further dissemination outside the university, taking

SFedU as an example university for other higher education institutions

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Success factors

• Top-down decision for implementation

• Training possibilities for teaching staff and students

• Support at all levels (central vs decentral)

• Research to increase own expertise

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GIL in a nutshell

Guided Independent Learning• Is an all-embracing concept

developed by the K.U.Leuven, based on research

• Is NOT restricted to one teaching method

• Emphasises the close connection between research and education

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GIL in a nutshell (II)

• Stipulates the following objectives for academic education:– To be familir with results of scientific work situated in

time and space– To gain insight into the way in which research results

are established– To be able to interpret new information

independently– To be able to actively contribute to knowledge

development processes– To be able to form a substantiated opinion based on

critical insight into underlying processes and develop well-founded social viewpoints

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GIL in a nutshell (III)

• Holds students responsible for their own learning, making them more independent throughout their education (decreasing guidance and increasing autonomy)

• Holds the instructor responsible for setting specific objectives, developing an evaluation system and creating a learning environment embedded within the existing context

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Five good reasons for GIL

• In GIL students must take personal responsiblity for their own learning process and are forced to play an active role

• GIL is an open concept which gives you the freedom to choose your own teaching methods in accordance with the objectives

• GIL creates a framework where the mutual insemination of research and education receives more opportunities

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Five good reasons for GIL (II)

• In addition to basic knowledge students acquire skills to keep track of the developments in their field and function in a socially acceptable manner

• Critical, motivated and independent students are more interesting communication partners

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Contact

More information?

• Link: http://www.avnet.kuleuven.be/en/• Mail: info@avnet.kuleuven.be• Call: +32-16-32.82.00• Fax: +32-16-32.82.70• Visit: Kapeldreef 62, 3001 Heverlee