The Student-Centered Learning Lab (SCL Lab) aims to become a leading voice in the field of student-centered learning and instruction (SCLI) in education and other disciplines, from pre-school to higher and postsecondary education. The Lab fosters understanding of the nature, theory and practice of student-centered learning and student-centered learning environments (SCLE) that aim to foster deeper learning processes and outcomes in all students. The SCL Lab conducts work in the following areas:
- SCL theory: roots and evolution of the concept, (new) theoretical perspectives, frameworks and meanings (e.g. definitions, features, distinctions) in different education contexts and disciplines;
- Student-centered education policy: national and international policies to promote SCLI, (higher) education reforms (curricular, governance, funding) and modernisation initiatives (policy goals, measures);
- Sociology of SCLI: equity in education (e.g. graduation and drop out rates, socio-economic background), learning opportunities for a diverse student body, widening access and participation;
- Research on the effectiveness of SCLI: effectiveness studies comprising single classes, whole institutions or comparative research, including metaanalyses and metasyntheses;
- SCLI educational practice: implementation of the concept in real-life (higher education) classrooms, good practices, classroom examples, challenges.
Wie also offer professional development workshops worldwide:
- How to become a student-centered teacher/instructor? How to design effective student-centered learning environments?
- Higher education learning and instruction (paradigms, mindset/beliefs, learning outcomes, effective methods, assessment, challenges)
Current projects:
Routledge Handbook of Student-Centered Learning and Instruction in Higher Education, edited by Sabine Hoidn, University of St. Gallen and Manja Klemenčič, Harvard University, publication planned for Spring 2020 (with 36 chapters and 67 authors).
With contributions from: Michael R. Matthews (Univ. of New South Wales, Australia), Terrence J. Doyle (Ferris State Univ., US), Thanh H.T. Pham (Monash Univ., Australia), Jeffrey Cornelius-White (Missouri State Univ., US), Renate Motschnig (Univ. of Vienna, Austria), Elizabeth Duraisingh (Harvard Univ., US), Paul Ashwin (Lancaster Univ., UK), Michael Hannafin (Univ. of Georgia, US), Aaron Kessler (MIT, US), Sioux McKenna (Rhodes Univ., South Africa), Patricia J. Brooks (City Univ. of New York, US), Anu Vedantham (Princeton Univ., US), David Kember (Univ. of Tasmania, Australia), Katrien Struyven (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium), Susan M. Land (Penn State Univ., US), Roberto Di Napoli (Univ. of London, UK), Robert A. Lue (Harvard Univ., US), Adam Finkelstein (McGill Univ., Canada), Melinda Maris (Best Teachers Institute, US), Catherine Vistro-Yu (Ateneo de Manila Univ., Philippines), d'Reen Struthers (Univ. of London, UK), Julie Schell (Univ. of Texas at Austin, US), Alfonso Echazarra (CERI/OECD), Goran Dakovic (EUA), Aleksandar Susnjar (ESU), Melissa Ng Lee Yen Abdullah (Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia), William (Bill) Nave (US), among others.
Educational Transitions to General Upper Secondary Education in German-Speaking Switzerland. A Multilevel Comparative Case Study Analysis; Sabine Hoidn and Franz Schultheis, University of St. Gallen, research project (in preparation). Short presentation and white paper.