Supporting Academically Weaker Students by Improving Their Self-Regulation for Online Learning

Abstract

Teaching and learning are two sides of the same coin. For optimum student outcomes, other than faculty development, investment in building student capacity for learning is required. For the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) as a university of applied learning, this involves enhancing both metacognitive and project-based learning skills, especially in academically weaker students.

This is a collaborative translation project between SIT and the National University of Singapore (NUS). It (1) leverages on the successful NUS Learning to Learn Better (LTLB) module, (2) adapts it to SIT’s students and extends it by adding support for project-based learning skills, and (3) implements it as an intervention to support at-risk SIT students who did not respond adequately to first-line early intervention.

This project strengthens SIT’s ability to help weaker students build capacity for learning and is aligned with student needs and institution goals. At national level, there are many more university students from the polytechnic route than before, and this project allows Singapore to more comprehensively understand effective methods for helping university students from different pathways learn better. In future, SIT could also collaborate with the polytechnics to start supporting these students while they are still in the polytechnic, to achieve better outcomes for them.