Learning in Learning Communities

We define a learning community as a group of people that works together on a shared goal or question; and that wants to learn from and with another.  

Through applied research, the research group seeks to gain insight into:

• The learning processes - both individual and collective - that take place within learning communities;
• The effective mechanisms of learning communities, with the goal of developing practically applicable insights and tools to further optimize those communities.

By fostering collaborative learning and strengthening the innovative and research-oriented capacities of (future) professionals, we aim to contribute to lifelong learning and to addressing societal challenges.

The research group focuses on several interrelated lines of research:

How People Learn

The way people learn can differ from person to person, which is not always visible. This line of research seeks to better understand how people learn, particularly how they learn from and with each other. We will gain more in-depth insight into how learning can best be supported by examining what and how people learn, and which factors influence this process.

Example research questions are:

• How can we best prepare students to collaboratively and collectively learn in learning communities?
• How do people actually work and learn together?
• What implications does this have for the design of our curricula?

The Learning Community as a Learning and Working Environment

Learning communities come in many different forms. Therefore, the research group wants to better understand these variations and what defines a learning community as a 'hybrid environment’ that combines learning and working. Overall, the aim is to uncover the mechanisms that enable learning communities to be effective.

Example research questions are:

1. Who are the people involved in learning communities?
2. How is their collaboration organized?
3. How is collective learning facilitated?

In learning communities that are part of our curricula, we also want to examine additional characteristics, such as manners of examination/assessment.

Educational Innovation

Education is constantly evolving and innovating itself. Thus,  successful innovation - where intended goals are actually met - is not always straightforward in practice. The research group evaluates and monitors educational innovations at the Hanze, such as the implementation of the Hanze Learning Concept and and its focus on Learning Communities.

A continuous monitoring of the innovation process, will enable  timely adjustments and interventions to help realize the intended outcomes.

Professional Development

The roles of teachers/lecturers are constantly changing. They are increasingly expected to guide learning processes, design educational curricula, and collaborate effectively with colleagues both within and outside their organizations.

The research group considers the professional development - and lifelong learning - of teachers essential. Therefore, the procedures and effectiveness of different forms of professionalization activities are studied. This includes both traditional forms, such as courses and training programs, as well as more integrated approaches, such as professional learning communities.

All efforts are aimed at broadly contributing to Hanze’s aim of fostering a culture of learning. Thereby, the research group also has a particular interest in how people  engage in a critical reflective dialogue. In the spirirt of practice what you preach, the group itself also aims to embody the very principles of a learning community.