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Science & practise of navigating professional work in the FIKTage

Sem02 (2024-2025) Learning to (un)learn*

This course is a journey of “learning to (un)learn” through which we explore and practice meta-skills of (un)learning by drawing on the science and practice of workplace learning.

In today’s fast-paced, interconnected, knowledge-driven, and tech-heavy (FIKT) workplace, we constantly need to acquire new skills, abandon outdated practices, and develop the meta-skill of learning to (un)learn. Rather than simply "choosing the right pool," we must navigate an unpredictable ocean of change. Mastering efficient, effective, and enjoyable learning is essential for career success in any field, especially in today’s complex environment, which calls for new learning approaches grounded in scientific and practical insights.

These meta-skills complement the specific content students learn in their fields. While we may think swimming just requires water, without swimming skills, we struggle. Similarly, meta-skills of (un)learning empower us to apply our expertise within a shifting work context, collaborate with diverse peers, and actively engage with emerging technologies rather than passively accepting them. You as honors students often take on leadership roles—like team leads, lab managers, or project coordinators—where supporting others in their learning becomes essential, requiring an understanding of workplace learning science and practice.

This course focuses on the meta-capability of learning to (un)learn, emphasizing practical strategies for designing, engaging with, and assessing one’s learning journey. While hands-on, the course also translates workplace learning science into practical frameworks, exercises, and reflective practices. You'll gain knowledge in both the “science” and “practice” of designing, assessing, and engaging with learning initiatives and apply these skills to a personal learning challenge throughout the course.

Course details

  • Practical information

    Academic year
    2024-2025

    Semester
    2

    Period
    5

    Day(s)
    Tuesdays and Thursdays

    Time
    19:00 – 21:00

    Number of meetings
    12

    Dates of all meetings
    1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22 April
    6, 8, 13, 15, 20 May

    Location
    Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam

    Room
    HG-07A36 

    Credits
    6

    Coordinator & Lecturer
    Dr. M.H. Rezazade Mehrizi

  • Learning objectives

    After completing this course, students are able to

    • Design effective, efficient, and meaningful learning initiatives for themselves and others in to proactively learn in the context of work;
    • Critically assess their learning experiences and the learning initiatives and identify ways of improving them for themselves and others;
    • Effectively engage in their own learning initiatives and engage others in collective learning in their working context.
  • Working formats & structure

    The course includes an organic integration of three teaching methods:

    • Dialectic lectures: where students come to the lectures already covered the reading materials with a critical mindset; this means that they will bring their own critical summary of the materials and questions to the table. The lectures engage students in sharing, debating, and co-creating around examples and cases (both from their own experiences and the guest lecturers).
    • Reflective assessments: At the end of lecturers, there will be reflective quizzes and practices through which students apply the concepts and content of the materials and lectures into specific questions concerning work-practice learning.
    • Peer-learning: students will be paired as learning peers and are guided to coach each other on their own learning challenges during each week.

    The course will involve a diverse group of guest lecturers from different domains of expertise (e.g., medicine, data science, cybersecurity, psychology, legal, …) coming from different institutions across the world. In addition, it will be supported by (guest) lecturers from KIN center for digital innovation with strong international research and teaching profiles in the domain of workplace and organizational dynamics. 

  • Assessment methods

    The students will demonstrate their learning through:

    • 20%: Reflective quizzes on the readings and engagements with the class activities (often at the end of lectures)
    • 30%: weekly peer-discussions and reflections
    • 50%: Individual project, combined with their peer discussions: in the form of their learning manifest

    You need a minimum overall grade of 5.50 AND a minimum of 5.0 for each of the grading components to pass the course.

  • Study materials

    The course will draw on a range of classic readings such as (Cheetham and Chivers 2005; Senge 1993; Edmondson and Moingeon 1998)  and an even wider range of recent studies (Matthew Beane 2019; Matthew Beane and Anthony 2023; Jonassen et al. 2023; M. Beane 2024; Mollick and Mollick 2024) and materials in relation to the dynamics of workplace learning. Students will be supplied with the fragments of these materials and many other inputs online via Canvas.

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