1. Autonomous learning in A Level transition: theory and practice 2. The first-year experience: autonomous learning after A Level 3. Teaching autonomous learning: theory and practice

Introduction: the problem of autonomous learning Autonomous learning is the capacity to think for oneself. It is an acquired habit. It consists in a set of skills, developed and perfected through continuous practice. It is central to university learning.

AL in A Level Transition: Theory and Practice Transition from A Levels to university is a process of change in the disposition of the student. Central to the transition is the actualisation of the capacity for autonomous learning. The problem: 1. Students are less equipped with the ability on entry to university than in the past 2. The context within which HE functions has changed—lecturers face new demands.

First Year Experience: Autonomous Learning After A Level Students’ views Autonomous Learning: “Does it mean learning by oneself?” “It is not being spoon-fed” “It is initiative-based learning”

First Year Experience: AL after A Level Lecturers’ views Group 1 “Given some information students go away to the library, find sources for themselves, and work by themselves”. “It means sitting down with a text and trying to get an understanding of it”. Group 2 “It means showing the student how to do something so that they are then capable of going off and doing it themselves…” “It is a capacity to think for oneself, recognised by its expression in a number of different forms such as the ability to: understand an argument and set it in context; search for, and read and understand, relevant primary and secondary material, explain and articulate an issue in oral and written form to others, demonstrate an awareness of the consequences of what has been learned. Group 2 felt that autonomous learning was inculcated through practice and exemplification

Perceptions and Recommendations Autonomous learning is a habit of mind, expressed through a range of skills and activities, acquired and developed through practice. An explicit formulation of best-practice is necessary if it is to be positively embedded in practice. How is it promoted? Autonomous learning is not teacherless learning. Teachers have a crucial role in inculcating this habit of mind. Best practice means fostering good habits. This will be best met by developing a handbook of practices.