Studies in Self-Access learning Journal, 4(2)

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SiSAL Journal Vol. 4, No. 2, June 2013, 142-153 !

physical resources available, such as classroom numbers and size, internet and computer/tablet access,

personnel issues (for example, staff turnover rates, availability of administrative support),

Learning advisors •

number and possible workload of advisors, taking into account other duties

professional qualifications and experience (level of familiarity with learner autonomy/learning advising on appointment)

availability of professional development

Learners •

likely language proficiency level of learners (the self-directed learning modules are currently conducted only in English, an L2 for the vast majority of students at our university)

their schedules, and potential time available for self-directed learning As KUIS has six different departments, each with its own learner demographics, it was

necessary to investigate each separate department. Advisors used the following sources to answer the environment analysis questions: their own knowledge of the context at KUIS, analysis of departmental documents giving course objectives and curriculum plans, and interviews with departmental directors and coordinators. This resulted in a large amount of data, which can be referred to at subsequent steps in the process. Findings In order to identify the most relevant data for our project, each project team member organized and presented their findings, highlighting the areas considered most relevant. This data was then discussed and prioritized through several advisor meetings, resulting in a list of seven important constraints identified and agreed upon by the whole team, which can be found in Table 1. These include aspects from all three categories mentioned above.

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