ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the issues which are typically raised by staff, and discusses two forms of orientation: staff workshops and a course handbook suitable for both staff and students. Advisers need to consider how the method will affect the structure of their subjects and the role it will have in relation to other learning activities. The role of the adviser is clearly influenced by the nature of the process and encompasses different areas of responsibility: responsibility towards the learner and responsibility towards the academic standards of the institution. Students regard as knowledge of resources and assessment criteria as being the sole responsibility of the adviser. The process of negotiating the contract is the most significant change for both learners and advisers. The staff workshop provides the ideal conditions to model the style of interaction that is likely to develop between student and teacher when working with learning contracts, as learning partners jointly involved in problem solving.
