NMBU Learning Philosophy
The Learning Philosophy reflects how we want students to develop skills for lifelong learning during their studies at NMBU.
NMBU is dedicated to excellent teaching and learning.
The Learning Philosophy is at the heart of our vision of excellent teaching and learning. The philosophy emphasizes our dedication to helping our students learn throughout their lives, and to acquire the skills necessary to cope with global challenges.
NMBU will create an inclusive learning environment and good academic homes, both for students and staff. This is achieved by facilitating that the students can be active participants in the academic environment, and know that teachers guide and support the students in their learning processes.
Learning is a student-active process that promotes reflection and independence. By encouraging and challenging students, they get the necessary tools to be able to take responsibility for and manage their own learning.
Through constructive feedback and structured reflection, the chance for learning increases. The students must therefore be seen as an important learning resource for each other and must actively participate in the teaching of their fellow students. We should therefore encourage students to teach, evaluate and learn from each other through academic dialogue.
The connection between learning outcome descriptions, learning activities and assessment plays a major role in NMBU's Learning Philosophy. Good descriptions of learning outcomes must be developed for both different programs and the faculty, so that one has good research-based learning activities that contribute to the students achieving their learning goals.
To ensure that one makes good descriptions of learning outcomes, learning activities and assessment methods, the way in which one evaluates a course is important. This is traditionally done with a summative evaluation at the end of the semester. Good formative, long-term evaluations also contribute to constructive further development of a course. By using both methods, valuable feedback is given on the learning to students, at the same time as one collects valuable feedback from students on how one can support, facilitate and guide their learning. Teachers are free to choose how they perform formative evaluations.
In a final evaluation, teachers are obliged to give their reflections and work to continuously improve their courses.
- We create inclusive learning environments and a good professional home
- Students are active participants in the academic community
- Learning is a student active process that promotes reflection and independence
- Students take responsibility for and manage their own learning
- Students are an important learning resource for each other and actively participate in the teaching of their peers.Teachers facilitate, guide and support students in their learning process
- Teachers promote students' learning process underway through constructive feedback
NMBU's Learning Philosophy is promoted by:
- The institutes are further developing and using more student active teaching activities
- A guiding goal at NMBU is that 25% of the time the student spends on a course should be contact time with scientific staff, and 75% is various forms of organized tasks, learning activities and self-studies
- The study administration centrally ensures a high level of support functions for the development work