Using Learning Logs to Promote Metacognition:

Opening the Portal to Self-regulated Learning

Bill Byers, School of Health Sciences, University of Ulster

w.byers@ulster.ac.uk

University education is currently undergoing major changes as we move from the elitist system of the past towards a mass higher education system that will be needed to support a knowledge based economy as envisaged by the Lisbon Agenda. Widening access is not being accompanied by appropriate increases in resources and this is resulting in less time being able to be devoted to individual students by teaching staff. The challenge facing universities thus becomes how to maintain academic standards in the face of decreasing class contact time. Surely this will only be able to be achieved if students start to take more responsibility for their own learning. Such a move to independent learning would also be likely to lead to benefits in employability and career development. In the past many graduates were employed by large multinational companies who provided extensive graduate training programmes. Not so today where the majority of graduates are likely to join small or medium sized companies offering little additional training. New graduates then need to identify any shortcomings and take steps to rectify them rapidly if their careers are to develop. The lecture will discuss why students need to become more independent in their approach to learning, why this is currently not happening and will explore possible approaches to promote this. In particular the potential of 'Learning Logs' to promote metacognition will be discussed.