1. 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 Training
May 28, 2009

2. Research and education
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3. 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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4. The metaphor: Fonske
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5. 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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6. 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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7. Concept of Guided Independent Learning
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8. 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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9. Basic components
Students
• Prior knowledge
• Motivation
• Learning style
• Opinion
• Metacognition level
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10. 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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11. 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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12. Basic components
Learning
environment
• To elicit learning
activities and to
stimulate students to
realize them
• Two main elements:
– Support
– Evaluation
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13. Basic components
Learning contents
• Theories
• Concepts
• Research results
• Background
information
• Subject related
matters
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14. 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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15. 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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16. Basic components
Persons
• Instructor, teacher
• Assistent, tutor,
mentor
• Teaching staff
(technician,
secretary,…)
• Student counselor
• Psychologist
• …
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17. Basic components
Evaluation
• Permanent or
frequent evaluation
versus
• Evaluation at the
end
• Different types of
evaluation
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18. Basic components
Context
• Organisational
preconditions
• University rules and
regulations
• Society and job
market
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19. 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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20. 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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21. 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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22. 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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23. 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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24. 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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25. 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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26. 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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27. 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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28. 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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29. 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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30. 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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31. 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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32. 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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33. 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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34. 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
3/06/2009 34

35. 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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36. 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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37. 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
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