Description:

Preparing lifelong learners is often a tagline in higher education. The apparent assumption is if a student has learned the structured learning outcomes required for a particular degree, they have learned how to learn and will continue doing so for the remainder of their lives. However, there have been few empirical investigations into how well current educational structures within higher education prepare students for continued self-directed learning throughout life. The juxtaposition of a highly structured and outcome-driven formal learning environment and an unstructured, often ambiguous learning environment outside of academia warrants consideration when exploring the concept of preparing lifelong learners. How do we structure learning experiences within academia to prepare students for learning experiences outside of academia? This presentation will be an empirically based and thoughtful exploration of the connections between course and assignment structures, accountability within learning experiences, and the process of becoming a lifelong and self-directed learner. Participants will have the opportunity to begin applying concepts of self-directed learning within the context of their courses and assignments.

Objectives:

1. Understand the associations between assignment structure and self-directed learning.

2. Gain knowledge of adult motivations for learning and how they can be incorporated into structured learning experiences.

3. Explore how co-construction of learning can prepare lifelong learners.