Student-Centred Learning – SCL – represents both a mindset and a culture within a given higher education institution and is a learning approach which is broadly related to, and supported by, constructivist theories of learning. It is characterised by innovative methods of teaching which aim to promote learning in communication with teachers and other learners and which take students seriously as active participants in their own learning, fostering transferable skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking and reflective thinking.
With this definition serving as a useful starting point, this toolkit will now move on to suggest practical ways in which SCL can be implemented in a meaningful manner, keeping in mind the benefits that this learning approach produces and the key characteristics which are necessary in order for an institution to assess whether the SCL approach is being applied by it.
SCL, if implemented properly, offers benefits to all, including the institution, students and staff involved, higher education staff unions, students’ unions and society as a whole. Given the current context of higher education across Europe—the financial situation, massification of higher education and a high workload for teaching staff—there are many benefits to be reaped by implementing the SCL approach.
Learning Research Methods 