Student perceptions of reflections as an aid to learning

An important aspect in any learning situation is the approach that students take to learning. Studies in the 1980's built an increasingly convincing case for the existance of three learning approaches; deep, surface and achieving. These approaches are not mutually exclusive, and a single student may use any or all of them in combination. In addition, a connection has been demonstrated between deep learning approaches and understanding of the material being learned. Encouraging deep learning behaviour, however, is a much more complex issue, since choice of learning approach seems to be dependent on the manner in which the student experiences the learning environment. This paper explores the use of reflections in the instructional design of two computing courses based on the text of the reflections and student feedback regarding the reflection exercise collected through surveys and interviews. Student's learning approaches are infered from a textual analysis of the reflection texts. Results describing student's perceptions of the utility of reflections as a learning tool are explored using interview data collected from students in one of the study cohorts.