School of Public Policy and Professional Practice  
 
 
EDU-10033 Understanding Learning  
Co-ordinator: Dr Damian Breen   Tel:33556  
Teaching Team: Miss Tracy  Roberts, Miss Jo-Anne  Watts, Miss Alessandra  Ceccarelli  
Lecture Time: See Timetable...  
Level: 1 Credits: 15 Study Hours: 150  
School Office:
 
 
 
Programme/Approved Electives for
None
Available as a Free Standing Elective
Yes
Prerequisites
None
Barred Combinations
None
Description

Is learning a matter of conditioning or making impressions on a blank sheet, or is the mind itself active in exploring the world around it? Do we learn individual items one by one or in a random way? What is the relationship between language and learning? Why do some people learn easily at school and in higher education while others encounter enormous or insuperable difficulties? What are the most effective learning strategies to adopt? This module will introduce students to contemporary and historical theories of learning. It makes use of these in an exploration of educational practice at various levels and encourages students to focus on and reflect on their own learning in the context of higher education.
Aims
To enable students' to reflect critically on some of the more important contributions to our understanding of the nature and processes of learning and their relevance to educational practice and well as students' own learning in higher education.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Articulate the central contribution of a number of theorists to an understanding of the learning process and some of the limitations and reservations to which they are subject will be achieved by assessments: 1, 3;
Comment on ways in which theorists contribute to educational studies and educational practice will be achieved by assessments: 1, 3;
Reflectively apply their knowledge to some substantial areas related to learning and education including their own learning in the context of higher education will be achieved by assessments: 1, 2, 3, 4;
Recognise and contribute to debates about formal and informal contexts for learning will be achieved by assessments: 1, 2, 3, 4;
Communicate ideas and arguments about different educational learning environments and the values underpinning their organization will be achieved by assessments: 1, 2, 3, 4;
Identify how they best learn, and the strengths and weaknesses of their individual approach to learning and reflect critically on the process of researching for and writing a reasoned argument will be achieved by assessments: 2, 4;
Participate in group discussions and work with others to communicate their ideas about learning will be achieved by assessment: 3;
Drawing on a range of sources of information, recognise, analyse, sythesise, evaluate, and identify problems and solutions will be achieved by assessments: 1, 2, 3, 4.
Study hours
29 contact hours (consisting of 22 lectures/seminars, 2 hours assessment workshop and 5 hours essay writing and university level skills workshops);
26 hours preparation for portfolio and reflective commentary;
50 hours preparation for essay;
45 hours preparation for seminars and workshops;
Description of Module Assessment
01: Essay weighted 80%
Essay (2,500 words) on theories of learning.
02: Reflective Analysis weighted 20%
Reflective commentary (1,000 words) to be submitted with the formative portfolio of learning resources.
Version: (1.06B) Updated: 03/Mar/2013

This document is the definitive current source of information about this module and supersedes any other information.