Development Of Self-directed Learning Skills Research Articles

Learning to Learn Independently: Guiding Students to Develop Self-Directed Learning Skills During Medical Student Independent Research Projects—Findings from an Australian University

Abstract Introduction Most medical schools offer students the opportunity to conduct independent research projects in order to learn about evidence-based medicine. This study aimed to explore the experience of students, graduates, and supervisors during an independent research project through the lens of self-directed learning. Methods Students and recent graduates were asked to complete an anonymous survey about their experiences. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with a purposeful sample of 11 students, 14 graduates, and 25 supervisors. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. An inductive thematic analysis was conducted and themes were refined through the lens of self-directed learning. Results Most participants agreed that the independent research project could enable students to develop valuable self-directed learning skills. Participants commented on the importance of the research mentor, faculty support structures, and membership of a research team. Participants who were not well supported described feeling distressed and isolated. Discussion Medical student involvement in independent research projects can develop self-directed learning skills in the presence of a one-to-one mentoring relationship with a research supervisor, structured guidelines and support from the faculty, and membership of a research team. The development of self-directed learning skills should be part of the learning outcomes of any independent student research project.

Assessing the virtual reality perspectives and self-directed learning skills of nursing students: A machine learning-enhanced approach

AimThis study aims to investigate nursing students’ perspectives on virtual reality technologies and their self-directed learning skills, specifically focusing on how these variables interact and influence each other in the context of nursing education. We also discern potential disparities in these skills based on descriptive characteristics, using both traditional statistical and advanced machine learning approaches for a comprehensive analysis. BackgroundRapid developments in technology, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, have brought virtual reality technologies to the forefront of nursing education. However, there is a gap in understanding how nursing students’ perceptions of these technological relate to their development of self-directed learning skills. DesignA descriptive and cross-sectional study design is employed to both quantify nursing students’ perspectives on virtual reality in their education and assess their self-directed learning skills. This approach integrates traditional statistical methods with advanced machine learning techniques, with the intention of offering a comprehensive and nuanced analysis to inform future teaching strategies in nursing. MethodsThe study used a blend of survey scales and a tree-based machine learning model to measure and analyze nursing students’ views, attitudes and self-directed learning levels. This dual approach allows for a more detailed assessment of the factors influencing self-directed learning abilities. Traditional statistical techniques were also applied to assess the reliability of the machine learning findings. ResultsFindings reveal that nursing students generally held positive views towards virtual reality technologies and exhibited a high level of self-directed learning skills. Notable differences in self-directed learning skills were influenced by gender on the overall scale (p <0.001), with male students scoring higher than their female counterparts in both specific sub-dimensions and on the overall scale, but not by academic year. The machine learning analysis provided deeper insights into these variations, highlighting subtle distinctions in student demographics that traditional statistical methods did not fully capture. ConclusionsThe study offers valuable insights into interconnected nature of nursing students’ views on virtual reality technologies and their self-directed learning skills. The results support the integration of virtual reality in nursing curriculum programs and underscore the importance of customizing teaching strategies based on insights gained from machine learning analyses. This approach has the potential to substantially improve both the learning experience and the overall quality of nursing education.

Fostering Self-Directed Praxis in Student Teachers: Investigating the Advantages of a Pedagogical Intervention for Augmenting Autonomy

The 21st century requires students to develop information education and thinking skills, including creative and critical thinking and problem-solving skills. However, the current classroom culture does not encourage self-directed learning. A study was conducted with Baccalaureus Educationist (BEd) pre-service teachers from the North-West University in South Africa to investigate the effect of Habits of Mind, Thinking Maps, and Six Thinking Hats on the development of self-directed learning skills. A non-probability sampling method was employed to select a convenient and purposeful sample of 277 students who volunteered and specialised in Business Studies, Economics, Accounting, and History. The participants completed the Self-Rating Scale of Self-Directed Learning (SRSSDL) of Williamson's questionnaire to evaluate participants' self-direction in learning. A quantitative-descriptive survey and qualitative phenomenological research were used to triangulate the data. The study found that the self-directed learning awareness of first- and fourth-year student teachers marginally increased. The proposed model fit the data well; all variables contributed statistically and practically significant correlations. Quantitative analytical tools were employed to determine the reliability of all constructs by calculating the Cronbach Alfa values. The study also found that self-directed learning enhanced academic achievement in first- and fourth-year students. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), was conducted on the pre-test data (n = 277) of this study to assess how well the proposed model fits the data. All the variables contribute statistical significance to the model (p-values of all the regression coefficients &lt; 0.05), and all the correlations between the constructs are practically significant. Improvements in SRSSDL scores were investigated using dependent t-tests. The participants valued teaching strategies that accommodate varied learning requirements and provide flexibility and autonomy. The study highlights the importance of a nurturing learning environment that challenges and fosters individual growth. It also emphasises that self-directed learning does not occur in isolation but thrives in environments that offer coherence and independence. Overall, the study contributes to the understanding of self-directed learning and provides insights for teachers on promoting and supporting this skill among pre-service teachers.

Expanding the scope of problem-based-learning at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine; integrating domain-general skills with domain-specific content

The Master Adaptive Learner is a model used to develop students to become self-regulated and adaptable lifelong learners to practice medicine in a complex and ever-changing environment. The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine (HMSOM) proposes a new course, Patient Presentation Problem-Based Learning Curriculum (PPPC), a dynamic and integrated course that goes beyond the scope of traditional Problem-Based-Learning (PBL). PPPC allows students to build domain-general skills in tandem with domain-specific content learned during a pre-clerkship curriculum. An integrated case provides weekly scaffolding, such that the course takes place throughout the week and is not isolated from the rest of the curriculum. Students receive iterative feedback and structured assignments which allows development of self-directed learning skills along with integration and consolidation of weekly curricular content. A layered analysis approach was used to outline the philosophies, principles and techniques that link to our course objectives. Techniques used could easily be translated to other pre-clerkship curriculum to promote development of self-directed learning and clinical reasoning skills, as well as promote more meaningful learning of basic, clinical, and health system science content.

Self-Directed Learning Capacity by Differentiated Teaching – A Case Study of High School Students

Self-directed learning (SDL) capacity is one of the core common values of students, as defined in the Vietnam General Education Curriculum 2018 (VGEC). Because of the students’ variety in capacity and needs, educators are challenged to assist in the development of self-directed learning skills and to encourage learners to more freely use self- direction in their learning activities by personalization and differentiation in teaching practices. However, previous works on SDL in Informatics for Vietnamese students mainly focus on educators’ teaching without considering academic diversity. Our work introduces differentiated teaching and criteria to classify students in Informatics. On the basis of criteria, we designed a procedure to develop SDL capacity in Informatics for high school students. We also provide an implementation setting applying our method which uses the combination of cognitive capacity, personality classification and dependability criteria. The SDL capacity assessment can be used in addition to evaluate the improvement on students’ SDL capacity scores.

Vārdnīcu lietošana otrās un trešās svešvalodas apguvē: mācīšanās stratēģija

Learning strategies are important for controlling and optimizing the acquisition and use of a foreign language. Regular use of strategies with specific work steps and tips helps students to become more independent and reach their learning objective quicker. This study provides an insight into one foreign language learning strategy – working with dictionaries. Dictionaries are not only a tool for translation, but also an important part of language learning. This foreign language acquisition tool is often undervalued, although proficient and appropriate use of dictionaries not only strengthens the learner’s self-directed learning skills, but also their confidence in using the foreign language. The research question: how can students acquire the learning strategy of using a dictionary to enhance their foreign language skills and self-directed learning? The aim of the study is to explore whether and how the use of dictionaries can contribute to learning a second and third language by summarizing theory and developing and validating techniques and appropriate tasks for this strategy to make the dictionary an important tool for language learning, as well as for the development of self-directed learning skills. The research has resulted in a summary of the theory on the chosen topic and the development of materials for an introductory lesson on working with dictionaries. The study concludes with a number of conclusions. The most significant of these are as follows. The use of dictionaries as part of foreign language acquisition must be included in the group of resource use strategies, which can be metacognitive or cognitive. First, students need to learn how to work with printed dictionaries, which is also a good basis for future work with electronic dictionaries. Printed dictionaries should be available in the lecture room to build the habit of using them. If they are not available, students should be allowed to use electronic dictionaries. Vocabulary skills will certainly improve language acquisition and give learners the confidence to make their own decisions about the choice of language unit in their speech or a written text in a foreign language. The materials developed under the research can be used in German language classes for beginners learning German as a second or third foreign language. Acquiring this learning strategy will not only be useful for students at school, but also later at university.

Метод адаптації самоспрямованого навчання майбутніх авіадиспетчерів до їх стильових особливостей для автоматизованої системи адаптивної передтренажерної підготовки

The subject matter of the article is the characteristics of learning styles of future air traffic controllers' practical learning at the basic training stage for the appropriate individual learning style formation. Besides, this study focuses on the adaptation processes of the future air traffic controllers' professional learning activities based on self-directed learning, conducted with the use of synthetic training devices in a pre-simulator training form, to the style preferences of students. The goal of the study is a method for adapting the future air traffic controllers' self-directed learning to the style characteristics of students during their pre-simulator training based on the proposed two-generic complex model of learning styles. The tasks: to explore some modern approaches to adaptive learning, taking into account the student’ style characteristics using computer-based learning systems and analyze the main models of learning styles; to develop a comprehensive model of learning styles for the future air traffic controllers' adaptive pre-simulator training and identify the key features characteristic of each style component in the context of future air traffic controllers' practical self-directed learning to make recommendations to avoid choosing inappropriate variants to implement individual learning strategies at the level of particular learning activities according to their inherent parameters of learning styles; to develop a general optimization model of adaptive learning to provide guarantees of the target practical skills level achievement by the future air traffic controller during a certain training cycle by adapting the content of the relevant individual learning strategies (selection of learning actions) to the students' style characteristics; to develop a conceptual model for adapting the future air traffic controllers' self-directed learning to their individual learning styles. The methods used are analysis, set and graph theory, optimization theory and mathematical modeling The following results were obtained. The presented conceptual model of adapting the future air traffic controllers' training activities to their style preferences based on self-directed learning can be applied in adaptive pre-simulator training, while providing the basis for determining the students' style characteristics to apply them at the stage of air traffic controller training in the "self-directed learning" mode". Conclusions. The scientific novelty of the results obtained is as follows: for the first time, a model of future air traffic controllers' individual learning styles was developed, unlike the existing ones it considers the specifics of air traffic controllers' pre-simulator and simulator training and covers the students' individual typological characteristics in a wide range: from cognitive to reflective style dimensions. The presented complex two-generic model of learning styles systematically combines two levels of adaptation of learning activities to the students' style preferences – the level of development of professional competencies and the level of development of self-directed learning skills.

Skolotāja pedagoģiskā darbība pašvadīta mācību procesa īstenošanā pamatskolas 1.–3. klasē

In the context of educational values of the 21st century, Latvian education system is changing, and transversal skills are named as an essential component of the education process. One of the most essential transversal skills, which describes not only the learning process but also essential aims of education, is self-directed learning. For implementation of self-directed learning, the student’s activity is crucial, but the teacher still plays a significant role as well. A survey was conducted to analyse the teachers’ understanding of self-directed learning process and its implementation possibilities. The results show that the teachers rate the understanding of self-directed learning concept quite high and they feel competent in methods and techniques required for development of self-directed learning skills. They also see a purposeful application of such learning process in their own pedagogical frameworks. However, the collected data shows that this year the achieved results in learning skills’ development are rated mediocre. The responses also highlight the necessity to continue research regarding this matter because some contradictions are observed between teachers’ understanding of self-directed learning concept and the very essence of this concept.

Teaching Pediatric Surgery in the Online Environment: Challenges and Opportunities

&lt;span&gt;The research is aimed at investigating challenges and opportunities of teaching online course in Pediatric Surgery at Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine. The participants were 42 students of the 5-th year of study. After taking the course, the students were offered to fill in 24-item 4-point Likert-type scale containing the statements regarding various issues of distance learning: gaining theoretical and practical knowledge, teacher-student and student-student interaction, the interface and content of the course, technical issues and computer literacy, academic success, development of self-directed learning skills, as well as motivation for learning, critical thinking, problem solving, self-organization and time management skills. The median value for the total cohort is 3 indicating that the majority of students gave affirmative responses. Students positively evaluated the course content and structure, interface of the platform Neuron and the interactive tools like forums, chats, videoconferencing which allowed communicating with peers and the teacher in real time and getting immediate feedback. At the same time, students experience lack of practical skills as quarantine measures don’t allow attending face-to-face lessons, they cannot interact with patients and participate in surgical operations, etc. This is a challenging task to develop medical students’ motivation, professional problem-solving and critical thinking skills in the online environment. The authors offer the recommendations to enhance the quality of online learning: use image-guided surgical simulation tools, implement interactive forms of virtual teaching, case method.&lt;/span&gt;

The development of Self-Directed Learning skills of Teacher Candidates through Community-Based Recreation Program

The purposes of this experimental study with pretest-posttest control-group design were to examine the effect of community-based recreation program (CBRP) in developing of self-directed learning skills (SDLS) among teacher candidates and to evaluate their satisfaction of CBRP. The samples were 60 teacher candidates from Srinakharinwirot University. They were divided equally into two groups (experimental and control group) by using multi-stage sampling. Research instruments were: a CBRP for SDLS development of teacher candidates, which face validity was approved by five experts; and two questionnaires designed by researcher to evaluate teacher candidates’ satisfaction of CBRP and assess their SDLS. Both questionnaires using IOC = 0.8-1.0 on all item with five experts also approved the content validity. Cronbach’s Alpha on all item were 0.80 or higher respectively for coefficient of reliability. Data was analysed by means, S.D., and dependent t-test, independent t-test, and effect size (Cohen’s d). The results indicated that: 1) after the CBRP was completed, the experimental group scored better in both overall and each item of SDLS than before joining the program with significant differences of 0.05, 2) there was no significant difference in the overall and each item of SDLS in the control group between before and after the CBRP was completed; 3) after the CBRP was completed, the experimental group SDLS’s scores were better in both overall and each item than control group at the significant differences of 0.05. Finally, the effect size (Cohen’s d) of this study indicated that the experimental group is large enough to have an influence on the population (d = 18.52); 4) the experimental group scored the highest on the satisfaction evaluation for the CBRP.

‘It’s been a challenge finding new ways to learn’: first-year students’ perceptions of adapting to learning in a university environment

ABSTRACT The first year of university is a challenging period of academic and personal development for students. Through phenomenographic analysis of 27 interviews with students who had just completed their first year at university, this study provides valuable insight into students’ perceptions of adapting to learning in a university environment. Four themes emerged: (i) incoming students were not prepared to be self-directed learners; (ii) students began to develop self-directed learning skills during their first year; (iii) peers supported students’ transition to learning at university; and, (iv) at the end of first year, students were still figuring out how to be effective learners in a university context. Our findings can inform strategies to support students in their transition to university studies. In particular, our results underscore the importance of supporting first-year students’ development of self-directed learning skills and facilitating their access to communities of peers who can provide academic and social support.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL REFLECTION SKILLS IN FIRST-YEAR ENGINEERING INFORMED THROUGH STUDENT PERSPECTIVES

Reimagined curriculum models offer new possibilities for embedding durable competencies into the curriculum, including critical reflection, which promotes the development of self-directed learning skills. However, students often perceive these skills as unimportant with pre-existing biases focusing on technical content as the core of engineering. The primary goal of this work was to identify key considerations when integrating critical reflection into engineering curricula, specifically in the context of first-year engineering, to promote the development of student self-directed learning skills. This work was framed within the Students-as-Partners (SaP) approach, where two undergraduate students worked in collaboration with the instructor. To gather information regarding student perceptions of critical reflection, focus groups were conducted for first-year engineering students and students familiar with reflection. Qualitative thematic analysis was performed on the focus group data and key insights were identified and categorized into five themes: approaches, supporting students, evaluation and framing, development pathway and value, and reflection for engineers. Suggested learning outcomes, student activities, and evaluation methods are proposed. These findings are applicable to implementing reflection across a variety of academic settings, as they highlight main considerations and challenges faced with reflection from the perspective of students in multiple programs.

"Monkey See, Monkey Do, That’s Not Going to Actually Teach You": Becoming a Self-Directed Learner in Enabling Mathematics Units

To explore the mathematics learning experiences of those more likely to come from non-traditional educational backgrounds, ten students studying one or two maths units in the Skills for Tertiary Education Preparatory Studies (STEPS) at CQUniversity Australia were interviewed. The aim was to investigate how these students learnt to become self-directed learners during their preparation for their intended undergraduate study. Using grounded theory methodology, data were analysed within the theoretical framework of andragogy, namely, adult learning. Analysis of data indicated that students were able to learn how to become self-directed learners when lecturers ‘tailored’ teaching to the students’ needs, taking into consideration their state of mind, ability to plan their work, developing adeptness at engaging in mathematical activities, and assistance received in evaluating their own learning outcomes. In practice, findings of this study provide some insight into how enabling mathematics lecturers can tailor activities to best meet the needs of their students. Further, the development of self-directed learning skills in the context of mathematics has potential to benefit these students in all their university study.

An anatomy workshop for improving anatomy self-efficacy and competency when transitioning into a problem-based learning, Doctor of Physical Therapy program

First-year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students entering a problem-based learning (PBL) program are faced with a number of pedagogical challenges, including the development of self-directed learning skills, resource unfamiliarity, and group dynamics. These challenges can make learning anatomy in a self-directed manner less efficient. Prematriculation introduction of strategies to improve anatomy learning may help prepare students for a rigorous DPT program and improve anatomy learning efficiency. The present study describes a 2-day anatomy workshop offered to incoming students before a DPT program was initiated. Knowledge acquired during both days of the workshop resulted in statistically significant improvements in anatomy postquiz scores for each corresponding prequiz (P < 0.001 for lower and upper limb quizzes). Workshop participants survey responses demonstrated that anatomy confidence and PBL preparedness increased at distinct intervals following the workshop and was significantly higher than controls after the first semester (P < 0.01 for anatomy confidence and PBL preparedness). Multivariate regression analyses demonstrated statistically significant relationships between semester anatomy practical scores and workshop participation (P = 0.03 for practical 1 and P = 0.049 for practical 2) and undergraduate grade point average (P < 0.001 for practical 1 and P = 0.03 for practical 2). First-year DPT students reported the anatomy workshop to be a valuable experience for learning strategies to improve anatomy self-efficacy. An introductory anatomy workshop is an effective strategy to improve self-directed anatomy learning efficiency before the start of a rigorous DPT program.

PERFLECT: Design and Evaluation of an Electronic Development Portfolio Aimed at Supporting Self-Directed Learning

This design case describes the blueprints of an electronic development portfolio (PERFLECT) aimed at supporting the development of self-directed learning skills, including self-assessment of performance on learning tasks, formulation of points for improvement and future learning task selection. The design is described both in terms of theoretical foundation and practical characteristics. As part of the design process a small-scale evaluation study with 22 students of senior vocational education was conducted. Students hold positive perceptions about PERFLECT’s ability to help them self-assess their performance on learning tasks and formulate points for improvement. Furthermore, they were also satisfied with PERFLECTs usability and user-friendliness. However, students request a simplification of language use and need more support and guidance with the selection of criteria for performance assessment. Suggestions for improvement will be incorporated in the next iteration of the design. PERFLECT is a promising, user-friendly tool to support students’ development of SDL skills.

Walking the tightrope with an e-portfolio: imbalance between support and autonomy hampers self-directed learning

ABSTRACTTeacher coaching is essential to support self-directed learning, but requires a lot of time and energy. This mixed-methods study investigated the effects of using an e-portfolio with a self-coaching protocol and limited teacher coaching on the development of self-directed learning skills and motivation. With regard to self-directed learning, students’ overestimation of performance on learning tasks grew over time, while their ability to formulate points for improvement did not change significantly. With regard to motivation, students’ controlled (i.e. largely extrinsic) motivation increased while their autonomous (i.e. largely intrinsic) motivation decreased. Thematic analysis of interviews demonstrated students needed more support and feedback from their teacher. The use of suboptimal cues for performance assessment and an imperfect balance between autonomy and support hampered self-directed learning and motivation. We recommend providing just-in-time feedback about performance on learning tasks and giving students some autonomy over the choice of learning tasks, to enhance reflection and motivation.

Rich Language Learning Environment and Young Learners’ Literacy Skills in English

This research aimed at developing rich language learning environment to help elementary school students develop their literacy skills in English. Shortage of professional English teachers in primary school, limited time allocation, as well as the lack of tools and facilities that support English language teaching and learning for young learners had resulted in students’ low literacy skills in English. It was tried out in six primary schools across Bali involving 12 teachers and 520 students. The data were collected through questionnaires, observation, interview, English literacy tests, and students’ literacy journals. Research finds that young learners should have the opportunity to learn by doing without too much intervention so that a natural process of learning could occur. The product comprises multiple literacy experiences in the form of five different texts. The findings reveal that the readability of the material is in the category of high. The systematic exposures of these materials to beginner learners of English have been proven to have the significant impact on their literacy skills. The highest improvement is found in word level (87,1%), followed by sentence level (56,2%), and discourse level (46,8%). The improvements are all confirmed at the significance level of 0,05. The research also finds that RLLE has the positive impact on the development of self-directed learning skills.

The Academic Half-Day redesigned: Improving generalism, promoting CanMEDS and developing self-directed learners.

The Montreal Children's Hospital Pediatric Residency Program redesigned its Academic Half-Day based on program concerns consistent with the published literature. These concerns included inadequate preparation for general paediatric practice, gaps in CanMEDS education and exclusive use of didactic lectures. Novel instructional methods included monthly simulation sessions to learn CanMEDS competencies, increased use of general paediatricians as instructors, implementation of a 'systems-based' curriculum and development of self-directed learning skills through activities such as 'Residents as Teachers'. A postimplementation online survey was sent to all 18 residents who had been exposed to both curricula. The survey was designed to determine the impact of the new curriculum on their perceived ability to retain information and acquire the competencies of a general paediatrician, and to assess the effect on their self-directed learning. Responses were recorded on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 'strongly disagree' to 'strongly agree'. Fourteen of 18 (78%) residents completed the survey. All residents preferred the 'systems-based' educational program. Seventy-nine percent of all residents agreed that the simulation sessions were an effective method of learning the CanMEDS competencies. Importantly, 64% of residents voluntarily read more about the topics presented and 71% agreed that they retained the content better. Moreover, 79% believed that changes made to the teaching curriculum better prepared them for a general paediatric practice and 64% of residents believed that it better 'supplements' learning in the clinical setting. The authors propose that the new curriculum is comprehensive, while developing the skills required for life-long learning as a general paediatrician.

Competency-Based Curricular Design to Encourage Significant Learning

Most significant learning (SL) experiences produce long-lasting learning experiences that meaningfully change the learner's thinking, feeling, and/or behavior. Most significant teaching experiences involve strong connections with the learner and recognition that the learner felt changed by the teaching effort. L. Dee Fink in Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Course defines six kinds of learning goals: Foundational Knowledge, Application, Integration, Human Dimension, Caring, and Learning to Learn. SL occurs when learning experiences promote interaction between the different kinds of goals, for example, acquiring knowledge alone is not enough, but when paired with a learning experience, such as an effective patient experience as in Caring, then significant (and lasting) learning occurs. To promote SL, backward design principles that start with clearly defined learning goals and the context of the situation of the learner are particularly effective. Emphasis on defining assessment methods prior to developing teaching/learning activities is the key: this ensures that assessment (where the learner should be at the end of the educational activity/process) drives instruction and that assessment and learning/instruction are tightly linked so that assessment measures a defined outcome (competency) of the learner. Employing backward design and the AAMC's MedBiquitous standard vocabulary for medical education can help to ensure that curricular design and redesign efforts effectively enhance educational program quality and efficacy, leading to improved patient care. Such methods can promote successful careers in health care for learners through development of self-directed learning skills and active learning, in ways that help learners become fully committed to lifelong learning and continuous professional development.

The effects of portfolio-based advice on the development of self-directed learning skills in secondary vocational education

This experimental study was designed to investigate whether supervision meetings, in which students receive specific advice on how to use a development portfolio to monitor their progress and plan their future learning, helps them to develop self-directed learning skills and improve their learning in the domain. In the first year of a hairdressing program in vocational education, supervision meetings were used to provide students with either specific advice or not. Students in the advice group (n = 21) formulated better learning needs, selected more suitable learning tasks, completed more practical assignments, and acquired more certificates than students in the feedback-only group (n = 22). Interviews also showed that students in the advice group appreciated the supervision meeting more and perceived them as more effective than students in the feedback-only group. Guidelines are provided for the use of development portfolios and the organization of supervision meetings in on-demand vocational education.