Postgraduate Course: Understanding Student Learning and Studying (EDUA11270)
Course Outline
| School | Moray House School of Education |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | Against the backcloth of consideration of the distinctive aims and outcomes of higher education, this unit provides a critical introduction to contrasting approaches to conceptualising learning and studying at university level. The perspectives surveyed are drawn from grounded and phenomenographic studies of students' experiences of learning and studying, cognitive psychology, subject-centred perspectives on threshold concepts and 'troublesome' knowledge and undergraduate learning as participation in discourse communities. More recent and alternative perspectives on conceptualising student learning, emphasising notions of power and difference, will be juxtaposed to these four dominant perspectives. Throughout the course the assumptions various perspectives make about students' motivation to learn will be explored and critiqued. The course focuses on what insights can be gleaned from these differing perspectives that can inform day-to-day teaching-learning practices. |
| Course description |
Not entered
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Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
| Course Start Date |
18/09/2017 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 14,
Online Activities 1,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 8,
Other Study Hours 1,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
74 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Focusing on a first-year course unit in their own subject area, participants draft a set of guidelines alerting the course team for the unit to the likely differences between the students enrolling in that unit in how they go about their learning and perceive what is expected of them academically. The guidelines should also incorporate suggestions as to how teaching-learning practices in the unit could be enhanced such that they are better attuned to the student cohort, while still being realistic for a research-intensive setting. The guidelines should draw appropriately on student learning research literature relevant to the subject area and what is known about the prior knowledge, educational experiences and backgrounds of the incoming students. Target length 2,000-2,500 words.
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| Feedback |
Feedback is provided on the independent study course participants complete in between Parts A and B. Course participants have the opportunity to present on the independent study to their peers. Their insights and conclusion are discussed and they receive feedback from the course organiser and their peers. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- acquainted themselves with the principal conceptual frameworks and perspectives deployed in understanding learning and studying in higher education
- reviewed the implications of discipline and subject differences for undergraduate learning and studying
- examined the possibilities and limitations of these frameworks and explored alternative models of understandings student learning that focus on differences among learners
- explored and critiqued the assumptions various perspectives make about students' motivation to learn
- drawn critically upon different conceptual perspectives to enhance their grasp of learning and studying in their own discipline or subject area
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Reading List
Cousin. G. (2006). An introduction to threshold concepts, Planet, No 17.
Haggis, T. (2003). Constructing images of ourselves? A critical investigation into żapproaches to learningż research in higher education. British Educational Research Journal, 29(1), 89-104.
Mann, S. (2001). Alternative perspectives on the student experience: alienation and engagement. Studies in Higher Education, 26(1), 7-19.
Marton, F., Hounsell, D., and Entwistle, N. (1997/2005) The Experience of Learning. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press.
Northedge, A. (2003). Enabling participation in academic discourse. Teaching in Higher Education 8(2), 169-180.
Vermunt, J. D. & Verloop, N. (1999). Congruence and friction between learning and teaching. Learning and Instruction 9, 257-280.
Yorke, M. and Knight, P. (2004). Self-theories: some implications for teaching and learning in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 29(1), 25-37.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Cognitive skills
Students gain experience critically evaluating their professional practice as teachers in light of the research literature they read, critical discussions they have with colleagues taking the course, and presentations the hear from leading scholars in the field.
Communication, numeracy and IT
Course participants will gain experience of communicating their critical understanding of key concepts as well as statistical procedures used in contemporary students learning research to analyse data through debates, discussions and analytical as well as reflective essays.
Autonomy, accountability and working with others
Course participants will gain in autonomy and demonstrate accountability as they develop a position on the critical issues and theories encountered in the course as they present their critique to others in a persuasive manner and engage in debate.
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| Additional Class Delivery Information |
The course is divided into four taught sessions (of 3 hours each) grouped into two parts plus substantial reading time in between Part A and B as well as assignment preparation following Part B. |
| Keywords | student learning |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Velda Mccune
Tel: (0131 6)51 4083
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Emily Salvesen
Tel: (0131 6)51 6661
Email: |
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