Many recent studies of student learning are grounded in a theoretical framework which is experiential and describes learning from the learner's perspective or "from the inside". A research project on student learning in the Open University has followed a group of 30 students through their first year of university study. Students were interviewed on three occasions. This paper concentrates on their conceptions of key concepts before the course, how these have changed over the period of the course, and their approaches to studying these concepts. The results of the study demonstrate the crucial link between students' approaches to study and the quality of the learning outcomes. Both the demands of particular learning tasks and students' development as learners influence how students go about studying. (Author/BW)