GUIDED INDEPENDENT STUDY - ADED 370 or 470
DEVELOPING YOUR LEARNING CONTRACT
B.A. in ADULT EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF THE FRASER VALLEY
COURSE FORMATS
Both 370 and 470 can be undertaken in the usual format of independent work done at home and/or in a learning site identified in your learning contract, and with occasional face-to-face, email, or telephone meetings with your course guide. Faculty guides may also propose to students engaged in independent study projects the option of meeting from time to time in seminar with other learners who are similarly engaged. The purpose of the seminar would be to discuss the process of independent learning and to share with others the emerging results of your learning project. This approach is particularly encouraged for 470 students. Please indicate to your faculty guide whether you would be interested in such a seminar.
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING PROJECTS
Students interested in ADED 470 may also wish to propose a joint learning project designed by two or several students who have similar learning interests. The group would prepare a learning contract as outlined above, and identify which learning activities each member of the group will undertake.
The Guided Independent Study Co-ordinator is available to answer questions about doing independent study courses, to help you clarify your proposed learning project, and to assist you in choosing a faculty member who will act as a guide in your independent study project.
Normally, before you register for the course you should:
- have discussed your ideas for a project with the Co-ordinator or with the faculty memberwith whom you propose to work, and
- have prepared a draft of a learning contract.
We therefore encourage you to do some of your planning well before the term starts. The following guidelines will help you prepare a Learning Contract. Please note the information about various course formats.
THE FIRST STEP:
One of the most helpful initial activities is to write a paragraph for yourself explaining why the topic you plan to study has captured your interest. Write about what challenge or problem in your worklife or in the literature of the field has spurred you into wanting to know more? What experience has tweaked your curiosity?
It is just fine if your paragraph is written in informal language and in personal terms (not private) -- it is for your own use and its purpose is to help you claim the project as your own and to affirm it is a legitimate pursuit of knowledge.
Most independent study learners find this paragraph is also invaluable later on in the project, not only for keeping on track, but also in assessing their learning at the end of their project.
FIVE SECTIONS OF A LEARNING CONTRACT
STATEMENT OF GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
You describe briefly the issue or idea you want to study and why you want to learn about it.
SPECIFIC PURPOSE OF THIS LEARNING PROJECT
In this section address what it is you plan to learn in more detail. List your learning objectives.
RELATIONSHIP OF YOUR PROJECT TO THE DEGREE PROGRAM IN ADULT EDUCATION
How will your project help you in your degree program or your work?
Examples:
* "Study of this topic requires me to apply several adult education knowledge areas: barriers to adult learning, and feminist pedagogy", or
* "A study of this concept in a specific adult education site will bring an abstract idea to life and show whether or not this concept from theory is actually useful to me and other practitioners", or
* "This project will help me gain a deeper understanding of ....., so that I can ......."; or, "gain more knowledge about ......, so that I will be able to ......"; or, "help me improve .....; or, expand my awareness of .... so that I can better .....".
OUTLINE OF LEARNING ACTIVITIES
This section outlines what you will do in order to meet your learning objectives, and the timeframe in which you will do it. The activities you choose should be closely related to what you intend to learn. We encourage you to think carefully and imaginatively about how you could best learn what you set out to learn. We also encourage you to include some reading of the literature on your topic. The number of types of learning activities is
huge.
Here are a few:
- Design simple interview questions, conduct interviews with relevant learners or practitioners, and analyze the information they gave you.
- Read and create an annotated bibliography
- Do a field trip or series of field trips or observations
- Revise a lesson plan or course based on your reading
- Examine a learning process or program from the point of view you are interested in studying
- Attend an up-coming conference or workshop on your topic, set your learning goals for the conference, interview a presenter or participants.
- Meet regularly for discussion with your faculty Guide by phone, e- mail, or in person.
After you have established the activities you will pursue, create an approximate timeline or schedule, including completion dates for various activities.
Most learners find such work schedule is essential in helping them to organize their work and to complete the project on time.
EVIDENCE OF LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING
In this section of the contract, describe how it will be determined if your original purposes have been met. What evidence will you provide?
For example:
- a paper (of what approximate length?);
- an annotated bibliography (of about how many, and what types of sources?);
- a series of paintings with commentary; a revised lesson or program plan;
- a presentation to a group of colleagues, faculty members or community practitioners;
- a videotape with analysis; ..... .
If you use several learning activities to achieve your objectives, it often makes sense to use a combination of several types of evidence.
How will that evidence of your learning be assessed?
For example:
- a colleague's, supervisor's, or community practitioners' written evaluation of materials you produce;
- a self assessment; feedback from learners or potential learners; ..... .
What criteria should be used in evaluating your learning: the number of sources in your bibliography, the evidence of application of concepts from the literature, the care taken in analysis of interviews, .....?
We strongly recommend you review Malcolm Knowles' book:
Using Learning Contracts [LB1031 K56 1986] available at the UFV library (and likely elsewhere), or a comparable source.
The examples of learning contracts toward the end of Knowles' book may be quite helpful.
