Apprenticeship contracts have gained popularity as a result of the shift in the trend from tutor evaluation methods to more student-centred approaches. It also reflects the step towards more self-reliant learning. Knight (2002b) describes how there are many alternative conditions for apprenticeship contracts, including „apprenticeship agreements“ and „negotiable apprenticeship agreements.“ An apprenticeship contract is an agreement negotiated between a learner and a supervisor to ensure that certain activities are carried out in order to achieve an undified learning objective. This variant clarifies the purpose (goals and learning experiences) and roles (tutor, learner, peer, etc.). In addition, it allows parties to gain a sense of ownership of the entire process, which in itself is a strong motivation to participate in future collaborative activities. It also paves the way for the development of a number of key skills that are transferable; such as communication, personal efficiency, thinking practice, etc. An essential element of apprenticeship contracts is that they focus on the student`s shortcomings and what he or she needs/wants to learn. In this process, the learner must explicitly define his or her learning intentions (and agree) on achievable goals. And be able to justify their own plans by „x“ [x being the curriculum or agreed learning achievements]. An apprenticeship contract usually has a written recording of: Back to Engaging StudentsContinue to Example Learning Contract It is accessible at the Bachelor level, whether through a class debate or by individual learners who decide their respective paths – such as the choices made available by the UUCD Horizons.
At the graduate level, it is almost inevitable that this will occur in discussions between a research student and his or her superior. This is also supported by recent interventions such as the PDP (Personal Development Planning) student and the Supervisor Evaluation Cycles.
