Talk:Independent study

Anybody have any ideas on how to expand this article? Mwv2 04:49, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

There is more than one definition for independent study and what high schools offer is Directed Study or directed independent study. Homeschooling often does independent study but I have never heard of a high school letting a student loose to study independently, it is always directed study many times with nothing independent about it.

High School Independent Study - Directed by a High School High School Independent Study - Independent by a home schooled person Collegiate Independent Study - Directed by a College Collegiate Independent by an Independent Learner Professional or Continuing Education Independent Study

There are entire universities that use the Socratic method (Thomas Aquinas College) and others. Free open university has no instructors or professors and uses a fully independent auto-Socratic method. There are other examples of formal education being gotten in informal settings with and without direction, guidance or dependence on a professor, dean or formal college.

All university education was at one time, independent study or at the least directed independent study. It is not surprising that this movement is growing so fast and terminology is just taking form.Scottprovost (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 01:36, 13 March 2009 (UTC).

This article says independent study is offered by "most high schools, colleges, and other educational institutions around the world". I don't think so. I remember asking several of the counselors at my high school, and they told me it's actually only offered mostly in continuation schools. But I couldn't find any sources for this article at all, so I'm really not sure.  Lady   Galaxy  21:09, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

Well, I can't explain your case...but what I think the article is trying to say by saying "most" offer the program...means the program isn't necessarily within that school/college/etc., I have a friend in independent studies who decided to take the program when he found out his high school offers that program...but the program is actually taken in another school. In other words, a school can offer the option to agree to independent studies, but it's usually not done at the school that offered the option. Michael Betancourt (talk) 21:15, 3 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Indented line

I did my BA in Independent Study at UEL in the early 90s. Students could study any subject as long as it was deemed suitable and could be supported by the University, either by tutors from the IS dept or tutors on other courses. My degree in Music Business was supported by the music dept, cultural studies dept and law dept. Students had to write a 2000 proposal for each year's studies, conduct the work and write essays and dissertations, take additional modules in other subjects, write at least 2000 words review of the work and how it had matched up to the proposal and have all of it assessed and approved by tutors. Hope this helps. 86.128.241.188 (talk) 23:44, 26 February 2013 (UTC)

Proposed merge with autodidactism
please do not merge with "autodidactism". The 2 subjects are not related and there are no good reasons to merge. The "independent study" article is short and if it must be merged, it would be more appropriate to consider the "education" article for this purpose. Independent study is not self-education.--Christophe Krief (talk) 22:55, 16 May 2012 (UTC)


 * I agree, they shouldn't be merged. Independent study occurs within the context of school, and always has a supervisor (or at least someone you report back to).  Autodidactism often occurs without a supervisor.  --Hirsutism (talk) 19:46, 9 June 2012 (UTC)


 * I will add to the above comment by Hirsutism that "independent studies", as defined in the present article, may also be part of a process for rewards like academic degrees or other recompense, while "autodidactism" is purely learning for knowledge.--Christophe Krief (talk) 07:29, 10 June 2012 (UTC)

I agree with the others here. The term independent study is academically oriented. Even it it is applied to "vocational education", it is still oriented to the school context. Many currently learn trades/skills autodidactically without any formal academic component. Inductive learning is alive and well. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Peter wilson 765 (talk • contribs) 13:50, 22 June 2012 (UTC)

Another thinking autodidact shouldn't be mereged with academic programs of independent study, since autodidactism is a nature and life long pursuit of the individual separate from the insutional-izing of learning. — Preceding unsigned comment added by LeoViridis (talk • contribs) 12:25, 10 July 2012 (UTC)

SI 110 Reviewer
I believe your group has done a good job of editing this article from its original standing but that there is still room for improvement. I believe you guys could add subtopics about independent study regarding the different types and reasoning instead of squeezing it in the general topic/explanation. I think by not doing this the article is a bit confusing at times especially when you are talking about "GATE". Other then that I believe you had edited the page with good neutral coverage and have strong list of reliable sources making the page more credible, and in better shape then when you started. Adumas10 (talk) 16:26, 14 March 2014 (UTC)

This article has come a long way from when it was a stub, and I think you guys did a great job of elaborating on this not so well-known topic. You guys describe different types of independent study, which is good to learn. However, you guys might want to elaborate on these. As the previous reviewer said, You mention "GATE" very abruptly, with little to no transition into the next topic, which could use some work. Also, you might want to elaborate on ideas such as the effectiveness or feedback when it comes to independent study. Is it widely accepted as a good way of educating students? Has it been proven to be a better method of learning for students? Are there any numbers supporting this? These are just some things you might want to explore. In all, it's impressive how much you guys added from when this was just a stub. Good work. Rahujain (talk) 22:27, 20 March 2014 (UTC)Rahujain

I think this is a great example of a well-edited article for this assignment. They added a decent amount of solid content, and the article satisfies all the elements of a quality article. The lead section and the entire article is very easy to understand, although there could have been more explanation of "GATE." The structure is clear and balanced, and the fact that they added two subsections shows they really put in the work to research and understand this topic. I would not consider this a controversial topic, but their coverage seems neutral. Their sources all seem reliable and they used a scientific journal, which is definitely reliable. Overall, this is a great example of this assignment. CaptnJakeus (talk) 22:44, 25 March 2014 (UTC)

According to the guide for evaluating Wikipedia article quality, the main elements that contribute to a high-quality article are a lead section that gives an easy-to-understand overview, a clear structure, balanced coverage, neutral content, and reliable sources. In terms of these qualification, this article succeeds in having a very strong and easy to understand introductory overview of what exactly an Independent study is. The structure is very clear; divided into an introduction section, and explanation of the programs, personality types that fit the program, a see also section, suggestions of further readings, and a reference section. In terms of balanced coverage there could have been more information on what "GATE" is and possibly further examples of different Independent studies that have been done in order to give the readers more of a substantial idea of what an independent study constitutes. The content that is given is very neutral and the resources provided seem reliable - especially the Independent Study for Gifted Learners provided in the Further Reading section.Epersky (talk) 19:18, 27 March 2014 (UTC) Emily Persky — Preceding unsigned comment added by Epersky (talk • contribs) 19:44, 26 March 2014 (UTC)

This is a good collection of sources for the topic on hand. A clear image of what independent study is and has become. It develops along and does a good job describing each heading and title. I know exactly what to expect in each section. Also, the collection of sources is astonishing, there are 14 high quality sources for further explanation of the topic and to back up the editors words. However, the article has just a few flaws. First, while the writing and the facts are accurate and on point, the do not lend much to readability. I understand that readability is not always the most important of a Wikipedia article, it would certainly help to have a little more elaboration and smoother transition between each topic under the same headline. Also, I would have liked to see a little bit more of the editors own summary of a few sources. There are a lot listed and I feel like they collectively will hole more information than is displayed on the Wiki page. Again though, these are just nitpickings, by every measure of a strong Wikipedia article, this passes with flying colors. Cslivs (talk) 15:20, 27 March 2014 (UTC)cslivs

The article appears to be well cited containing references after the majority of sentences. The language and voice of the article is written a form that emulates the standard for Wikipedia articles. It's presentable in a way that's easy to read without bias. The lead section is understandable and has a clear structure. The references utilized appear to be legitimate, coming from published books, universities, and digital libraries. However, the authors did not specify the advantages and disadvantages to independent studying versus the traditional classroom experience. I suggest that the author could include information regarding the criticism of online college degrees. For example, they might discuss how employers view such degrees as unfavorable. A lot of this criticism comes from the ability for students to easily cheat on non-proctored online tests. Also, some employers may see isolated learning as a lack of teamwork skills. Independent studies are highly variable depending on the student and the resources utilized. For students who are motivated and naturally gifted, independent learning may allow them learn at a more advanced pace. However, students who are less motivated and For graduate school, independent studies encompass a critical part in earning a doctorate degree in a form known as a dissertation. It may have been better to include how learning tools have evolved over the last several decades that contribute independent studying. As a result, I felt that the authors could’ve more thoroughly research on their topic because there are reliable resources easily accessible that support the previous statements. There are several sentences that could be further explained such as the GATE study. It is difficult to comprehend what the program entails from the Wikipedia article. Upon looking at the source, it appears that GATE stands for Gifted and Talented Education. It is understandable that the authors may not have wanted to compromised the article’s balance, but basic information such as the program’s acronym and target audience should not be excluded. Readers should only refer to the references for more intricate details not principal facts. The article mostly covers formalized and accredited methods of learning but does not mention informal and recreational sources for independent learning such as massive open online courses such as MIT OpenCourseWare or KhanAcademy. Furthermore, the usage of technology has greatly influenced independent learning, but there isn’t much discussion on exactly how. It may be noteworthy to discuss the difference between independent studying and distance educational programs. Readers may feel this article gives less information than expected for a Wikipedia resource. Huynhlm (talk) 20:55, 28 March 2014 (UTC)