Promoting Student Autonomy and Engagement (P02204)

? Credit Points : 10 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : EDU-P-P02204

This course will critically examine the important role of autonomy and engagement for high quality student learning particularly, but not exclusively, at the undergraduate level within research-intensive settings. Emphasis will be placed on key features of the learning environment conducive to bringing about student autonomy and engagement in learning.

The course will draw on a wide range of educational research literature examining the notion of student self-directedness focusing, in particular, on the two key concepts of learner control and responsibility. Participants also will have the opportunity to critically engage with the question of how student self-directedness, autonomy, or self-authorship, is related to their capacity to think critically about significant issues such as the certainty of knowledge in their subject area but also the expectations they hold with regards to teachers, teaching methods and assessment strategies. A further important concept examined in the course is that of self-regulated learning, especially the important influence of motivation, goal-orientation and self-monitoring on the quality of student learning and students engagement in it.

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to demonstrate a critical understanding of the complex questions and varying concepts underlying educational buzzwords such as learner autonomy and student engagement in learning and will be in a position to creatively contribute to the designs of learning environments that are conducive to promoting both.

Entry Requirements

? This course is not available to visting students.

? Pre-requisites : For new lecturers participation in the two day orientation to teaching at the University of Edinburgh offered by the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Assessment is a course requirement.

? Special Arrangements for Entry : Pre-course reading, in-course reading as well as assignment preparation complement face-to-face teaching/learning activities to a total of 100 notional effort hours.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Education, (The Moray House School of Education, Schedule C)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Full Year (Blocks 1-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 6 hour(s) per week for 2 weeks

? Other Required Attendance : 44 hour(s) per week for 2 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

On completion of the course participants will be able to:
- Critically examine why student autonomy is important for learning and identify the various challenges associated with promoting it
- Demonstrate a critical awareness of the possible tensions and challenges inherent in encouraging students to assume greater control as well as responsibility for their learning
- Distinguish between context-specific and generic features of self-directedness in learning and discuss how these are linked to the expectations students have with respect to knowledge, teachers, teaching methods and assessment strategies
- Demonstrate a critical awareness of the influence of motivation, goal-orientation and self-monitoring on students ability to self-regulate their learning and consequently engage in it more effectively
- Develop principles of programme, course and/or session planning that create learning environments conducive to promoting increasingly greater student capacity for autonomy and engagement in learning

Assessment Information

The assignment for this course consists of developing (or revising) a course with particular focus on the teaching and assessment strategies used to promote student autonomy and engagement (1500 words). This assignment would be accompanied by a short essay (1000 words) discussing the principles guiding the design and explaining the choices made.