The Learning to Learn Project, officially titled "Learning to Learn: Developing Students' Cognitive, Motivational and Interpersonal Strategies for Learning", is an institutional-wise project of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The Project was funded by the University Grants Committee competitive Teaching and Learning Development Grant. The ultimate goal of the Project was to develop methodologies for helping students learn to learn. Three specific objectives have been laid down:

a) To identify students’ needs, as perceived by themselves, in coping with the difficulties encountered in university learning;
b) To develop methodologies and resources for addressing the identified needs in learning to learn, and to evaluate the effectiveness of these methodologies and resources; and
c) To document and disseminate the findings generated under objectives (a) and (b).

The Learning to Learn Project drew together the excellence of 20 teaching professionals from 10 academic departments representing all 6 faculties of the University. The Project, initiated by Dr Angela Ho of the University’s Educational Development Centre, soon built up an unprecedented momentum towards achieving the above objectives. Since its commencement in 1999, the Project has carried out a large scale survey, given 44 student workshops, 3 short courses for teachers, 2 seminars, developed numerous learning-to-learn materials, written 6 conference papers and published a book chapter. The Project has created a rising concern for helping students learn to learn among tertiary educationalists. An evidence of that might be the invitation of our principal project leader to give a presentation, based on the findings of the surveys in this project, on ‘How to develop a quality university students’ at the 3rd Forum on Higher Education Reform organised by the Society of Hong Kong Scholars, 16 March 2002.

The nature of the Learning to Learn Project is a dynamic one – it is ever guided by the actual needs of students and teachers. For example, the development of the three student handbooks was based on the finding of a large scale survey in which learning difficulties of students were investigated in depth through focus group interviewing of 150 students from 9 departments. The Project itself was organised into three phases. In Phase 1, students’ perceived learning problems were investigated. Phase 2 and 3 intermingled a great deal. The focus of Phase 2 was to develop materials to address student’s learning difficulties as identified in Phase 1. The materials were implemented and formal and informal feedback was collected. More materials and resources were developed on the basis of the feedback and they were implemented and feedback collected… Thus, the Project progresses with the changing needs of the teaching and learning community of the University, and the way it is makes this project a very good piece of action research.

The Project adopted a contextualised approach to learning to learn, which goes beyond the more common ‘add-on’ model, thus making learning to learn more relevant and readily applicable to students. Furthermore, the Project shifted the focus of learning to learn from acquiring a range of learning skills such as note-taking and time management, to that of conceptual change and the development of intellect. While the former approach helps students cope with present demands, the approach adopted by this project allows students to deal with the unforeseen, to adapt and make advancement. The Project thus walks at the forefront of the area of learning to learn.