Exploring Heutagogy in Higher Education : Academia Meets the Zeitgeist

This book explores heutagogy (self-determined learning) - a new approach to teaching and learning in higher education - and proposes a paradigm shift in teaching, learning, and the educational enterprise and ecosystem. The first part of the book presents the philosophical, psychological and sociological foundations of heutagogy, and describes lessons learned from prior experiences of its implementation. The second part presents a collaborative self-study of five heutagogy courses in higher education. The third discusses how the academic community can enhance the paradigm change, and compares heutagogy to similar academic approaches. The concluding chapter of the book explores the question of “what next”? and suggests some possible elaborations of heutagogy. “At the beginning, it was very difficult for me to appreciate the course’s mode of learning. All my life I had learned in a traditional manner. Occasionally I felt that I was being thrown into deep water without a lifeguard. … But as the course progressed, I succeeded in letting go of my deeply rooted habits and discovered a new learning approach, through which I found in myself a new learner…” (Student’s reflection)“...this book suggests a novel approach to learning and education and will become a widely read one.” Dr. Lisa Marie Blaschke, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg