Self-Directed Learning

Students are encouraged to develop projects that speak to their passions and interests, that may prepare them for a next stage of study or for their professional careers. Students have developed projects that range from oral histories, curriculum development, social practice, creative writing, film, theater, and more.

Students begin the program by participating in a 2-credit Self-Directed Learning Fundamentals Workshop taught by the Coordinator of Self-Directed Learning. The workshop foregrounds pedagogies and principles of Self-Directed Learning and asks, “What does it mean to be both the student and the teacher?” Students focus on creating a proposal that clearly defines the rationale, learning outcomes, and scope of their project. Students gain skills necessary to determine not only what they will do for their project but also what they will learn, how they will learn it, and what resources they will need along the way. They engage in a process of self-reflection to assess their learning orientations, learning styles, and skills acquired through previous learning inside and outside of the classroom. Students also conduct research to understand how their work relates to other work and to established fields or disciplines, and they identify a faculty mentor who will provide expertise in relevant areas.

To complete the course, students produce a cogent, rigorous, and well-structured final project proposal that includes a proposed number of project credits, project rationale, fields of engagement, learning objectives, work plan, prior preparation, learning resources, deliverables, forms of evaluation, and timeline for engagement with a faculty mentor. Over the course of the semester, students also co-create a strong cohort of their peers—a community of learners to draw on throughout their project semester(s).

Once a student’s project plan is approved and a faculty mentor is confirmed, students can start in the next semester to conduct their Self-Directed Learning Projects.

In the semester when students are undertaking their first semester of Self-Directed Learning Project work, they are enrolled in a 1-credit Self-Directed Learning Reflections Workshop taught by the Coordinator of Self-Directed Learning and that builds on the skills developed in the Self-Directed Learning Foundations course. This course is designed to complement and support students’ self-directed learning projects and the mentorship and evaluation that they receive from their Faculty Mentors.

The Self-Directed Learning Reflections Workshop is focused on building skills in reflection, peer support, documentation, and self-assessment, as students carry out their Self-Directed Learning projects, and pivot when need be. The crux of this class is for students to reflect and document the experiences of undertaking a Self-Directed Learning project through reflective journal entries, short writing assignments, and peer engagement.

During each semester in which students are conducting self-directed learning projects, they will have a faculty mentor of their own choosing. Faculty mentors provide 9 hours of support: 2 hours of preparatory feedback at the start of the semester; 3 hours of mid-point feedback; and 4 hours of evaluation at the end of the term, including attendance at the Self-Directed Learning Projects Showcase.

The Self-Directed Learning Projects program is designed for BPATS students and is distinct from independent studies, capstone projects and senior theses for a few reasons. The first of which has to do with learner autonomy. Unlike a senior thesis or capstone project (which is structured to take place as a student nears degree completion), BPATS students can participate in the Self-Directed Learning Projects at different stages in their degree plan. Moreover, students in the Self-Directed Learning Projects program take on the roles of practitioner, learner, and teacher, earning the approval and privilege to “be in the lead,” with a limited 9 hours of participation from their faculty mentor. This stands in distinction for the independent studies conducted under the on-going supervision of a faculty member.

Students who complete the initial year of the Self-Directed Learning Projects program earn 3 credits for the 2-credit Self-Directed Learning Fundamentals Workshop and the 1-credit Self-Directed Learning Reflections Workshop that they take concurrently with their first project semester. In addition to these 3 credits, students also earn project-based credits (2-6 credits) for the project they undertake.

Some students continue in the program, to develop new projects, or new components of the projects they started in their initial year. Students can earn up to 12 credits in total through Self-Directed Learning Projects.  For project work in a subsequent semester, students are required to submit a new/updated project proposal and to go through the process of confirmation and approval of their faculty mentor for each semester.

Project-based credits are earned at a reduced cost rate ($415/credit). The 2-credit Self-Directed Learning Fundamentals Workshop and the 1-credit Self-Directed Learning Reflections Workshop are billed at the regular credit rate.

BPATS students who have completed at least one semester at The New School and who have at least 5 credits remaining to degree completion are eligible to participate in the program.

The first step is to meet with the Self-Directed Learning Coordinator to discuss your project idea, make sure it fits the program, explore possibilities, and talk about next steps.

Upon preliminary approval applications are accepted on a rolling basis. A key part of a successful application is making sure you have a clear idea for a project—something more than an abstract concept or creative genre. The entire project does not need to be fleshed out, as this is developed during the program year.

For more information, please contact [email protected].