ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book begins with an overview of general issues in the study of student learning. It explores the nature of meaningful learning in the arts and sciences, and focuses on the context in which students learn. The book describes how students’ perceptions of these contexts, and the role of the peer group in student learning, among other topics. It reviews students’ intellectual and ethical development in the broader context of the ‘impact’ of college on students and alternative ways of conceiving of student growth. The book deals with the role of the peer group in student learning, and provides some of the models of student learning and examines these a model based on a developmental perspective. It discusses the implications for improving student learning in the context of teaching in higher education.
