Before describing how you want to teach your programme, spend some time on defining how you, as designers of the program think that students learn. The recent European LAS programs have been designed with a wealth of theory available on this topic. When researching the current programmes you will find that many are directly or indirectly founded in the theory of Social Constructivism. This theory of knowledge maintains that human development is socially situated and that knowledge is constructed through interaction with others. In short: students learn from interaction with their teacher and peers.

The foundations for this theory were laid by Lev Vygotsky, a 19th century development psychologist who posed the theory that learning continues to build on previous learning and when instruction is available. The context for learning has to be relevant and multiple modes of learning are offered. Students take responsibility for their own learning and actively construct their own knowledge. LAS programmes usually have determined their own mode of teaching and their own context to encourage learning in students and include characteristics of this theory. The student is central to the learning process, for example in Problem Based Learning, small classes, close staff-student interaction, case studies or a combination.

Once you have determined how you conceptualize learning the next step is to describe how you want to facilitate this in teaching. Assuming you want to use the student-centred learning which works particularly well in a LAS programme, you now have to decide how you will implement this. The student and her or his learning are at the centre of the program and all decisions you take now are related to this aim.

There are various didactical approaches that you can use to achieve this aim. You will find that most European LAS programs do not use frontal lecturing for large groups of students. Rather they opt for smaller classrooms, between 12-25 students, in which interaction between teacher or instructor and students, and students among themselves is optimal. In small classes students have to be involved in their own learning, there is no hiding behind others as one can in a large group or even in an auditorium. In some cases, large-group lectures are complemented by small-group discussion which can also be an effective approach. Problem-based learning, as used e.g., by the University College Maastricht, is one didactical approach that can be used effectively to give students responsibility for their own learning. Through the seven-step procedure students analyse a case and while doing so, master the knowledge and skills set in the aims of the course. This way they learn in context and the supporters of this approach belief that it increases the learning gain.

Another approach is project-based learning where students work during the course students on a specific project: for example a business plan, a solar powered instrument or an annotated literature list. While working towards that end goal, the students have to find and understand specific knowledge in order to reach the goal: how to write a budget, how solar energy cells work or which schools of literary theory exist. Again, it is learning in context, but with a strong motivational goal attached.

It is not necessary to use a strict prescription of one didactical approach for your entire program. Often a variety of approaches suit best the aim of a specific course. There are numerous other ways in which students can be involved, motivated and responsible: class discussions in which students lead the discussions, reflections on reading materials, simulations, moot courts, lab sessions, smaller projects, presentations, even theatre productions in content classes can work. Depending on your learning outcomes and the learning outcomes of the courses in your program, you decide on the way you want to shape your teaching.

In order to safeguard coherence in the program the teaching conceptualization should be written down, shared and discussed regularly, making sure all teaching staff understand and support it. When planning your new programme, it is recommended to plan ample time for this and for training teaching staff if necessary.