Learn to learn

Our students are at the university to learn, and we, as educators, are here to support them in that as best we can. We know quite a lot about what individuals should do to learn as effectively as possible. Two of the most effective and broadly applicable learning techniques are: 1) practicing retrieving what we want to learn from memory, and 2) attaching rich meaning to what we want to learn so that it sticks more easily. Decades of both basic and applied research have contributed to making this some of the most solid and reliable knowledge we can boast of in educational and cognitive psychology.

At the same time, research suggests that students' independent learning efforts are relatively rarely characterized by the use of the most effective learning techniques. There are likely many reasons for this. The most intuitive explanation is probably that they lack sufficient knowledge about what actually leads to the best learning. And if that is true, the obvious solution is to ensure they gain that knowledge. Therefore, one element of the Learning to Learn project is a video series where we attempt to explain the most effective ways to learn.

However, one challenge is that even when students know what leads to effective learning, they often struggle to utilize that knowledge and put it into practice. Therefore, we have also chosen to focus on other aspects related to changing habits—in this case, study habits. We have designed our project in line with a framework (the KBCP framework) that, in addition to knowledge dissemination (K for Knowledge), includes three other elements. We aim to convince students that research findings on effective learning strategies are valid for them as well (B for Belief), stimulate the perception that these strategies are valuable and foster personal commitment (C for Commitment), and assist with planning to increase the likelihood of follow-through (P for Planning).

This is part of the reason why, starting in the fall of 2023, we introduced a "Learning to Learn" intervention in the course HEL-0700 for approximately 600 new health science students. This project is led by HelPed (Center for Health Education Pedagogical Development) and is conducted in collaboration with the University Library, the Department of Psychology, and FUF.

In January 2025, we launched a new project related to the mentoring programs at the BFE and HSL faculties, funded by the Program for Quality in Education. Here, we aim to reach first-year students through student mentors, and we have developed a dedicated course module as guidance for mentors and mentor coordinators.