Using Learning Contracts to Foster Professional Initiative and Lifelong Learning

Abstract

Issue

This article suggests using the instructional method of contract learning in interior design programs to prepare students for their role as professional designers.

Goal

The goal of contract learning is to develop students into self–directed learners. The most significant benefits of using this method are flexibility of teaching and learning styles.

Application

Reorganizing the role of faculty members from teachers to resource persons enables them to encourage students to work with the newest technology and specific design problems without having to be experts on every detail. It also offers ways to encourage independence on the part of the students, thus enabling faculty to work with students who have special needs, interests, or different skill levels.

Description

Critical elements of an effective learning contract include deciding what to learn, how to learn it, how long it will take, and how it will be evaluated. The primary difference between this learning method and traditional methods is that the student, rather than the teacher, makes these decisions.

Conclusion

Using learning contracts involves a change from traditional teacher–centered instruction to student–centered instruction, focusing on the individual needs of the student. The most important result is that the use of contracts prepares students for lifelong learning, which is necessary for professional designers throughout their careers.