Twelve tips for designing assignments that foster independence in learning

Abstract

Independent learning refers to opportunities in which responsibility for learning shifts to learners. Providing health professions learners with independent learning opportunities can be challenging because of the often highly structured curricula of health professions education. Structured independent learning assignments that give learners the opportunity to begin developing the skills and strategies to take on self-directed opportunities in the future may lend themselves to these contexts. However, in health professions education contexts, few guidelines exist for designing effective assignments that foster independence in learning. These twelve tips provide recommendations for how to improve structured independent learning assignments for health professions learners and help them develop the skills and experience required for more self-directed opportunities and for lifelong learning.

Keywords:

• Independent learning
• instructional design
• Undergraduate Medical Education

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The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christen Rachul

Christen Rachul, M.A., Ph.D., is the Director of Research in the Office of Educational & Faculty Development and an Assistant Professor in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba, Canada.

Benjamin Collins

Benjamin Collins, M.A., Ph.D., is a Research Associate with the Office of Educational & Faculty Development and an Adjunct Assistant Professor with the Department of Anthropology at the University of Manitoba.

Mariam Ahmed

Mariam Ahmed, B.Sc.Pharm, B.Sc.Med, is a third-year medical student at the University of Manitoba, Max Rady College of Medicine.

George Cai

George Cai, B.Sc.(H), is a third-year medical student at the Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba.