title: Self-directed learning in health professions education.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Self-directed learning has been recommended as a promising methodology for lifelong learning in medicine. However, the concept of self-directed learning continues to be elusive, with students and educators finding difficulty in defining it and agreeing on its worth.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this paper we review the literature of self-directed learning in health professions education and present a framework based on Malcolm Knowles' key components of self-directed learning.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The key components of self-directed learning are: the educator as a facilitator, identification of learning needs, development of learning objectives, identification of appropriate resources, implementation of the process, commitment to a learning contract and evaluation of learning. Several but not all of these components are often described in the published literature.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the presented framework provides some consistency for educators interested in applying SDL methods, future studies are needed to standardise self-directed learning curricula and to determine the effectiveness of these components on educational outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Preventive, Occupational and Aerospace Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA. Murad.Mohammad@mayo.edu
authors.forename: M Hassan
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Murad
authors.forename: Prathibha
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Varkey
mesh_terms: D004496:Education, Continuing; D004522:Educational Status; D006281:Health Occupations / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D011361:Professional Competence; D012647:Self-Assessment