Independent learning: Self-Directed Learning

At university, although you are expected to engage with academic work for much of the time, you will not be in lectures or tutorials very often. Instead, you will need to work independently to organise your time, find and read useful books, journals and online resources, and plan and write your assignments. 

However, independent learning doesn’t necessarily mean working alone. It can also include working with others; for example, students on your course, to share problems and discuss plans of action to help each other. Some people prefer to work and study alone; however, others like to work in groups or teams where you can help to motivate each other through difficult times. Often, talking to someone else with the same background knowledge can help to clarify concepts and issues and motivate you to move forward.

So, independent learning is about deciding what approach is best for you in certain situations. The transition from school or college to university means moving from an environment where you are told what to do to one where you are expected to manage your own time and find things out for yourself. This can sometimes feel quite daunting so it is important to find out what skills you already have, what new skills you may need, and where to find further support if you need it.

Many of the skills you need to be an independent learner are represented in our range of Abertay Study Skills guides. Click on the Study Skills tile on MyAbertay to find the list of guides available:

These include:

Critical Thinking

Notetaking

Researching

Reading

Writing

Generative AI

If you feel you have difficulty with a particular independent study skill – perhaps in relation to an assignment you have been asked to complete, you can contact the Learner Development Service at studyskills@abertay.ac.uk to book a confidential appointment (face-to-face or online) with a Learner Development Advisors who will try to help you develop this skill further.

To be able to work independently, you need to know your own strengths, admit weaknesses, make the most of opportunities and recognise potential threats. Therefore, undertaking a SWOT analysis can be a really helpful start.

• SWOT Analysis

• Independent Learning skills audit

Using the checklist below, audit your own independent learning skills to see at a glance which skills you already have and which skills you may need to develop.

Once you have identified your strengths and weaknesses, you can draw up a list:

• Which skills need to be addressed urgently?
• Which skills need addressing but can wait?
• In which order should I address them?

Don’t be afraid to re-visit some of the basic skills as this can help you to feel confident about your abilities in preparation for developing new skills later on.

What goals could you realistically set yourself? Don't make them too ambitious but set small goals or targets that you know you will be able to achieve without having to spend a very long time working on them. How many hours will you need to achieve them? How will you know when you've achieved them? Try giving yourself clear aims:

• Tonight, I will read the Study Skills guide on Time Management

• In the next week, I will experiment with one of the suggested GenAI tools listed in the Study Skills guide: Generative AI and your education, assessment and success

• As soon as I receive my first assignment, I will read the brief on MLS and then the study skills guides on Getting Started to try and understand the best way to break down the question and create an initial structure plan.

• If I am confused about anything I will firstly speak to my tutor to get some clarification. If I am still confused, I will contact the Learner Development Service (LDS) at studyskills@abertay.ac.uk to book a confidential appointment to discuss my assignment brief with an Advisor.

Independent learning can become a lifelong habit and keeping a record of what you have done can not only give you a sense of achievement but also serve to impress your university tutors if / when required. Developing your independent learning skills will also prepare you well for life after university as including a list of skills you have developed on your CV will almost certainly impress any prospective employers.

Your record need not be elaborate – an A4 sheet, for example, with a column for the date, one for the skill you developed and one for reflections on your achievements. Reflecting on what you have done can help you decide whether the activity was really effective, whether an alternative approach might be better on another occasion, whether you spent the right amount of time and whether you achieved the target you had set yourself.

What are some of the clear benefits and potential difficulties associated with independent study or self-directed learning’? Decide which of the statements below describe benefits and which may be potential difficulties.

Complete the table.

• Independent learning enables you to learn at your own speed and in your own way, which can be more efficient.
• You need to have a good understanding of your strengths / weaknesses as a learner when studying independently.
• Not everything you try at first works well, so learning may take longer.
• It is not easy to develop the skills required independently, especially at the start!
• Independent learners usually become more motivated, and they often perform better in different kinds of tasks.
• You can select the things which are important for you to learn and not waste time on things you think are unimportant when you study independently.
• You probably need to have lots of motivation when you study independently.
• You can gain a great deal of confidence in your own abilities.
• Once you have developed the skills necessary, you can continue learning effectively beyond school/university.

• Academic programme / module support

If you are seeking academic support with your studies, you should firstly contact your module tutor / lecturer or Faculty Academic Advisor (FAA) / Student Success Officer (SSO) to see if any additional help is available. If they are unable to help, they will often refer you to the Learner Development Service who offer a range of study skills support.

• Studiosity

Studiosity is a service that you can access 24*7, 365 days a year via MyLearningSpace and/or an app. There are two main services, called 'Writing Feedback' and 'Connect Live'. You can use Studiosity to get feedback on your academic writing before you submit coursework and /or to speak to a Studiosity advisor at any time.

• Turnitin

Turnitin is a web-based plagiarism prevention system used by most universities in the UK. At Abertay University, Turnitin is embedded within assignment submissions in MyLearningSpace. Turnitin is a useful learning tool which can be used to identify and correct possible occurrences of plagiarism (similarity) in your work and to improve your academic writing

• Study Skills Guides – available to all students

The Learner Development Service aims to support all students at Abertay with any study skills related issue. Firstly, you can access our wide range of Study Skills guides designed by our team of Learner Development Advisors and Academic Librarians who are here to help you improve the skills you will need to become a successful independent learner.

• Individual appointments

If you would like to discuss any study skills related issue you can book a confidential appointment (face-to-face or online) with a Learner Development Advisor. To request an appointment, please contact the team at Studyskills@abertay.ac.uk

• Micro-credentials

We also have two online micro-credentials available in MyLearningSpace: ABE102 Successful writing at Abertay and ABE208 Optimising your professional written communication. These credit-bearing micro-credentials are optional for students who would like to improve their academic writing skills.

• Abertay College Transition Programme (ACT)

For third and fourth year undergraduate students transitioning to Abertay University from school, college or other pathways, we have developed the online Abertay College Transition Programme (ACT) which can be completed in your own time and at your own pace and is available in MyLearningSpace. This programme is also available to all postgraduate students.

• Workshops

The Learner Development Service works closely with academic staff to deliver academic skills workshops embedded in modules.

• Aberystwyth University (2024) What Skills Do I Have? Available at: What skills do I have?  : AberSkills , Aberystwyth University (Accessed at 21/11/24)

• Oxford Brookes University: Centre for Academic Development. Academic Skills Audit (Available at: Skills Audit Draft V6 2024 .docx (brookes.ac.uk) (Accessed 21/11/24)

• Turner, J.(2002) How to Study. London: SAGE Publications, Ltd. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9780857025036

• University of Hull (no date) Introduction to university study: Independent learningAvailable at: https://libguides.hull.ac.uk/introduction/independence (accessed 21/11/24)