ABSTRACT
The introduction of any learner-centred approach will challenge a department or institution with a predominantly teacher- or subject-centred culture. Learning contracts are sufficiently flexible in their application that they can provide simultaneously an explicit structure and organizing framework for study which takes into account academic and professional standards, and a means of responding to student diversity and a variety of learning needs in a way which gives students significant influence over their study. The approach they represent can reassure staff who are concerned about handing too much control over to learners as well as providing sufficient scope for those who wish to give students greater responsibility for their learning. It is possible to build an alliance of both groups around the idea of learning contracts. Depending on which group exerts the most influence, contracts can be structured in a looser or more rigid manner. This is reflected in the examples discussed in Chapter 8.
