ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an empirically researched understanding of the independent learning experience and its elements. It focuses on understanding the component elements of the ILE and illustrating to what degree and with what frequency they are present and interact with each other in the ILE. At the core of any educational endeavour is the learning experience. The independent learning experience is defined in this book as the experience “of learning without (or with decreasing amounts of) external direction, guidance and evaluation, in volitional and non-volitional contexts”. Learning can be considered as a process of becoming, so learning experiences should in some way enable the learner to move forward. A learning experience is intended to result in the transformation of information into knowledge. It is important to note that learning experiences can be lower-order or higher-order, in that they may be concerned with simply cognising information, or with understanding and managing complexity. In independent learning, the facilitation of the learning experience is the responsibility of the learner or learners, so it necessarily involves learning at both lower and higher levels.
