Development and evaluation of STEPS, an out-of-class learning planning and monitoring strategy support system for students

Self-directed learning (SDL) is a means of providing students with an opportunity to teach themselves skills that will serve them well throughout life. The development of such skills should be seen as existing alongside those taught by teachers; it is often the case that SDL teaches students how to learn, as well as what to learn. When students are encouraged to partake in SDL it not only enables them to think for themselves, it also reduces the burden on specific teachers and faculty members who might be responsible for hundreds of students. A team of researchers based at four universities in Japan have come together to develop a Self-Tailored Educational Portal System (STEPS). The team is composed of Professors Takeshi Matsuda and Hiroshi Kato, and Associate Professors Nobuhiko Kondo, Yuki Watanabe and Katsusuke Shigeta. The central idea behind STEPS is to provide advice to students and enable them to make decisions based on available data.