Concept of Autonomous Learner

Concept of Autonomous Learner

Researchers name a whole range of features that need to be present in order for a learner to be identified as autonomous. It is appropriate to explore these features through definitions of autonomy, which are numerous due to elevated interest in the concept and the multitude of issues that have to be taken into account when discussing it. A well-known definition by Holec (1981) states that autonomy is about control over the learning process, it is ‘[the] ability to take charge of one’s own learning’ (as cited in Ding, 2005, p. 41). Control over one’s learning logically involves choice of what, how and when to learn. Weasenforth, Meloni & Biesenbach-Lucas (2005) define choice as an ability ‘[to] modify and adapt tasks [according to students’] needs and interest, and to their own learning, style, rhythm and speed’ (p. 204). Ideally then, the whole curriculum and single courses should accommodate for students’ informed choices with a significant degree of flexibility. On the other hand, an experienced autonomous e-learner has to be able to handle such freedom confidently but cautiously keeping in mind the challenges that the Internet and access to immense amounts of information pose.

Weasenforth, Meloni and Biesenbach-Lucas (2005) point out independence as another feature of the autonomous learner (p. 198). In e-learning, students have to be able to work without supervision; it is essential that they are able to accomplish a certain percentage of the tasks (the number depends on students’ experience and course objectives) independently relying only on instructions and themselves. Through independence, the learner also assumes responsibility for the process of learning and for the outcomes; hence, responsibility is another feature of an autonomous leaner. The authors provide the following characteristic of responsibly: ‘autonomous learners are consciously aware of what they want to learn and why; they are able to monitor and evaluate their progress toward their goals’ (p. 196). Of course, monitoring and evaluation in terms of grades and percentage of task completion can be done by the VLE itself and supplied with teacher’s comments; however, students should be made familiar with the ways of accessing the data and analysing it by comparing course objectives with already achieved results.

Further, the aforementioned authors (Weasenforth, Meloni & Biesenbach-Lucas, 2005) refer to a set of skills that they define as ‘becoming teachers and researchers’ (p. 201). These include critical thinking, self-reflection and self-correction, the features that should be on the list of autonomy constituents as well. A learner can be said to be thinking critically when he or she comprehends the complexity of a given question, is able not to take information at its face value, approaches a topic from several perspectives and re-evaluates one’s opinion accordingly. Self-reflection is a necessary part of re-evaluation because, based on Kolb’s theory (as cited in Murphy, 2005, p. 21), it progresses from experience to observation (forming one’s opinion) to conceptualization (realization that the opinion is one of many) and, finally, to experimentation (practice validating opinions of others). In order for a learner to gain new knowledge, this complex process needs to be a conscious effort of a mind undertaken to grasp as many aspects of a problem as possible. As for self-correction, it is essential for an autonomous learner simply because the teacher or tutors are not always available throughout the learning process and, after the program is finished so is the access to student support. Self-correction can be fostered through feedback that does not correct mistakes but points them out and guides towards better solutions (Ros i Solé & Truman, 2005, p. 77). This strategy aims to minimize learner’s dependence on the teacher support in the issues that could be resolved independently.

Finally, collaboration or teamwork is an indispensible learner skill that is commonly emphasized in relation to autonomy. Autonomous learning does not imply working in isolation from other students, but rather recognizes an interdependence relationship between participants (Ding, 2005, p. 41). Through collaboration, students can have a more critical perception of themselves, learn to negotiate the amount of control and acquire awareness of the validity of different opinions and personal factors that can influence a given learning situation, all of which ultimately contributes to the improvement of one’s autonomy skills. Hence, collaboration emphasizes the importance of flexibility and adaptability in the learning process. These skills can later be translated into a professional environment where the requirement of self-sufficiency is often combined with the necessity to be a team player.

Therefore, altogether seven features of the autonomous learner can be highlighted. They are control, choice, independence, responsibility, critical thinking, self-reflection and self-correction. These seven features constitute an extensive list of skills that have to be mastered by a learner, especially taking into account that substantial time investments are required for their processing. It is also feasible that the list could be further extended, which, however, creates the danger of making the list too long, thus, possibly causing the features to overlap and lose meaning. Fortunately, acquisition of the individual skills does not occur in isolation from the others. The features are interconnected: control requires critical thinking, choice, independence and responsibility and critical thinking requires self-reflection and self-correction. Seeing what it entails, the task of becoming an autonomous learner may seem overwhelming for a student, however, there is no necessity to undertake it on one’s own. Learning is a social process and, thanks to the latest theoretical developments, the teacher is included into the learner community as well, thus making the learning process truly creative and collaborative. The second role of the community is learner support; although the teacher is a primary figure for the provision of support, peer input should not be underestimated because, most importantly, it offers an opportunity to personally relate to people who take the course and appreciate the difference or the similarity of the concerns participants have. Also, e-learning is specifically targeted at the provision of comprehensive learner support, which is executed through a levelled dialogue with the teacher and/or tutors, blame-free specific and general feedback at carefully chosen points of the course and through stimulation of intrinsic motivation. If all components are put to proper use, students can obtain a solid basis of skills applicable outside of formal education. Holmes and Gardener (2006) maintain that the importance of autonomy skills is not exclusive to educational institutions, they can be an asset in one’s professional development: ‘a cross-cutting theme in e-leaning is the aim for all learners to become autonomous lifelong learners’ (p. 99). The mastery of autonomy features allows for efficient improvement and application of transversal skills in one’s professional life in an environment accepted as a norm in the digital age, i.e. an individual sitting in front of a computer.

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