In this article you will learn how to design real-life learning with the Real-Life Learning design tool (RLL design tool).

Real-Life Learning (RLL) refers to educational experiences that actively involve students from WUR in genuine and meaningful activities that closely resemble or directly apply to real-world situations and problems. The Society Based Education-team is committed to supporting this approach, focusing on the five following elements:

• Students engage with real-life issues and authentic learning tasks
• Students need to be open to collaborating across the boundaries of their own disciplines and/or perspective
• Students are collaborating in groups
• Learning takes place in multiple learning environments. Students learn both on campus and off campus (within society and/or in the context of their future professional field), alone, together with their peers and while interacting with case-owner(s) and/or stakeholders
• Society based learning has an element of reciprocity. Learning as reciprocity means students, WUR staff and case owners have expectations and the opportunity to learn something from one another

Real-Life Learning adopts a student-centered approach, placing the diverse learning needs of students at the core of the learning process, rather than focusing solely on content. In this learning approach, the course coordinator is responsible for designing and organizing the Real-Life Learning environment. It is the students' responsibility to actively engage with the learning activities. The case-owner(s) contribute real-life issues and interact with the students as if they are young professionals, while understanding that students are encouraged to experiment with new behaviors and are allowed to make mistakes, as they are actively participating in a learning process.