Quality learning in higher education is an impetus and major objective for educators and researchers. The student approaches to learning (SAL) framework, arising from the seminal work of Marton and Säljö (1976), has been researched extensively and used to predict and explain students' positive (e.g., critical reflection) and maladaptive…

The concept of the independent learner has become increasingly important within the higher education sector. However, there appears to be no consensus and rarely any clarification of what is meant by the term. As a result, students may fail to understand what is expected of them as independent learners, with implications for retention, progression…

Interactive technologies make classroom experience more engaging and enjoyable. Students get much more involved in class discussions in the presence of such technologies and tend to learn more through student-student and student-instructor interactions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether student response systems (i.e., clickers)…

This paper explores practical strategies that can be used by university teachers to facilitate student-centered, self-regulated learning. My primary objective as a university teacher is to be directly involved in my students' efforts by connecting my teaching expertise with their self-regulated learning process. I have developed a strategic…

ICTs have brought benefits to business as well as to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), where an unprecedented demand for tertiary education has seen students enrolling for courses, some doing so through distance education. This has made the internet a very significant and indispensable teaching/learning, communication, and marketing tool for…

The first year of university study has a major impact on later participation and performance. Transitioning to university from school or other contexts requires first year students to become self-directed learners, entering an environment with minimal constraints and expectations of self-motivation and individual effort. In 1991, Costa named the…

The central place of the learning environment and the personal characteristics of the learner in influencing whether students adopt deep or surface approaches to learning is well evidenced in the literature (for example, Marton & Saljo, 1976; Biggs, 1987; Entwhistle, 2001; Ramsden, 2003). For this reason, tertiary educators are constantly…