Education Kick-Off 2025: Encouraging psychology students to take responsibility
How can we enhance psychology students’ sense of responsibility for their own learning? Lecturer Anouk van der Weiden led a discussion on this pressing question during the Education Kick-Off on 28 February and explains why it’s so crucial to address it collectively.
The annual Education Kick-Off provides a vital opportunity to discuss the overarching framework for psychology education and marks the start of course updates for the new academic year. This year’s focus lies on shaping a vision for autonomous learning across the various stages of the curriculum and determining what’s required to implement it effectively. Additionally, the event explored formative assessment methods to reduce lecturers’ workload and boost student engagement.
Spoon-fed material
Van der Weiden has observed a growing trend of students relinquishing control over their own learning. ‘Self-study increasingly hinges on deadlines and grades,’ she notes. ‘Students also expect a great deal of handholding from lecturers, whether it’s detailed rubrics, model essays, mock exams, or lectures that explicitly cover all exam material. When a course deviates from these expectations, negative feedback in course evaluations often follows.’
Collaboration is key
According to Van der Weiden, addressing this issue during the Education Kick-Off is essential because meaningful change requires collective effort. ‘To make the most of the time we spend with students, it’s crucial that they come to class prepared. Moreover, autonomous learning is a vital skill for lifelong learning, and students should develop it progressively throughout the curriculum. For that to happen, we need to agree on what we can reasonably expect from students at different stages of their studies. This also requires course coordinators to increasingly shift responsibility for the learning process to students. And for this to succeed, we all need to commit to the same approach.’
Seeing the bigger picture
Van der Weiden is aware of how difficult it can be to take a step back when you’re immersed in your work, and that colleagues experience frustrations within their courses about the level of responsibility students take. 'My hope for this session is that everyone takes a moment to reflect on how their courses fit into the broader curriculum and how they contribute to students’ development. I also hope that some frustrations have been transformed into more constructive ideas and solutions, restoring a better balance between the responsibilities of students and lecturers.’
Unlocking the potential of formative assessment
In the day’s second and final session, colleagues joined Yentl Croese (from LLInC) to explore the opportunities afforded by formative assessment. They discussed practical, easy-to-implement strategies to reduce grading workloads while fostering student learning. The session also outlined concrete tools to integrate these techniques into existing courses.