TRANSFER OF SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING COMPETENCY

In this new disrupted world, it is important for students to be self-directed learners and equipped with the ability to purposefully transfer their learning from one context to another. The Diploma in Chemical Engineering (DCHE) aims to develop self-directed learning (SDL) in students, and their ability to transfer learning by integrating SDL activities into different core modules of its 3-year curriculum. In this manner, students will develop SDL skills alongside other skills specified in those core modules. The general approach taken to integrate SDL into the DCHE curriculum, and how SDL was introduced in a Year 1, Semester 2 practical-based module through an explicit instructional process using the DCHE SDL Model supported by good thinking heuristics have been shared earlier. This paper continues with that study and determines if the same cohort of students, who had learnt SDL skills in Year 1, were able to apply them in later years of study to different contexts, specifically to a project-based module in Year 2, followed by internship at local companies in Year 3. Practical-based modules generally consist of structured workshop sessions with activities where application of SDL may not be so obvious or intuitive to students. Conversely, project-based modules, being less structured and often ambiguous, will naturally lead students to realise that SDL is necessary to complete their projects. This paper highlights the differences when embedding SDL into the different types of modules, then discusses the process of infusing SDL activities into the Year 2 project-based, chemical product design module by referring to the SP-customised CDIO syllabus. Simple surveys were conducted on the students to evaluate their ability to transfer the SDL skills learnt from the structured practical-based module in Year 1 and apply them to the project-based module in Year 2. The findings indicate that the students find the DCHE SDL Model useful in helping them learn systematically as they progress through the curriculum. There is also evidence of SDL transferability and application across the two years of studies and the different learning contexts. When a representative number of students from the same cohort were surveyed in Year 3 during their internship, findings show that they were also able to use the SDL skills acquired in school in the real-life work environment. The paper concludes by outlining areas of improvements to enhance transferability of SDL in DCHE students.