Psychology (PSYC) 310

Overview

This course will focus on one of the primary concerns of educational psychologists: the study of learning and instruction. It will examine both how people learn traditional school subject matter and various instructional approaches designed to promote such learning. As the course is firmly grounded in empirical research, it will present research studies, their methods, and their results. As such, the course will have a much more specific focus than introductory courses in educational psychology and should appeal to both psychology and education students.

Outline

PSYC 310 comprises the following 14 units:

• Unit 1: Introduction to Learning and Instruction
• Unit 2: Learning to Read Fluently
• Unit 3: Learning to Read for Comprehension
• Unit 4: Learning to Write
• Unit 5: Learning Mathematics
• Unit 6: Learning Science
• Unit 7: Teaching by Giving Productive Feedback
• Unit 8: Teaching by Providing Concreteness, Activity, and Familiarity
• Unit 9: Teaching by Explaining Examples
• Unit 10: Teaching by Guiding Cognitive Processes during Learning
• Unit 11: Teaching by Fostering Learning Strategies
• Unit 12: Teaching by Fostering Problem-Solving Strategies
• Unit 13: Teaching by Creating Cognitive Apprenticeship in the Classroom
• Unit 14: Teaching by Priming Students’ Motivation to Learn

Objectives

At the end of the course, students should be able to do the following:

1. Explain what educational psychology is, and discuss its potential role in improving education.
2. Describe and contrast the behaviourist and cognitive approaches to research on learning and instruction.
3. Describe the concept of learning from each of the behaviourist and cognitive approaches with respect to three metaphors of learning.
4. Describe the types of knowledge and the types of understanding a learner can achieve, and provide relevant examples of each. Explain which approaches to learning would typically result in knowledge and which approaches would result in understanding, and outline the underlying implications.
5. Explain the concept of transfer with respect to a positive/negative continuum and general/specific continuum. Discuss transfer with respect to behaviourist and cognitive approaches.
6. Describe how the cognitive processes of selecting (new) information, organizing this information, and integrating new information with existing knowledge produces understanding, and describe how these processes interact with the three memory stores.
7. Describe the prior knowledge and cognitive processes involved in learning how to read (fluently and for comprehension) and write, and in learning mathematics and science, and discuss their instructional implications.
8. Describe, differentiate, and produce typical measures (tasks or items) used to assess different types of learning and understanding (e.g., literal/retention, inference, and transfer questions).
9. Describe the following general instructional approaches, and indicate their efficacy in promoting learning: providing feedback, providing concrete examples and activities, providing worked out examples and cases, guiding cognitive processes, strategy instruction, and cognitive apprenticeship.
10. Discuss how self-efficacy, (self) attributions, and goal-orientation may affect students’ motivation to learn and their approach to learning.
11. Locate empirical research articles about learning and instruction from reputable journals, and summarize and evaluate such articles.

Evaluation

To receive credit for PSYC 310, you must complete both assignments, achieve a minimum grade of D (50 percent) on the final examination, and achieve an overall grade of D (50 percent) for the entire course. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:

The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.

Materials

Digital course materials

Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:

Mayer, R. E. (2008). Learning and instruction (2^nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Other Resources

All other learning resources will be available online.

Challenge for credit

Overview

The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.

Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.

Evaluation

To receive credit for the PSYC 310 challenge registration, you must complete and achieve a grade of at least D (50 per cent) on an assignment and at least D (50 per cent) on an exam. The assignment involves locating an empirical research article about learning or instruction and then summarizing and critiquing it. The exam consists entirely of short essay questions.

Important links

• Academic advising
• Program planning
• Request assistance
• Support services