EDP 380G PSYCHOLOGY OF HUMAN LEARNING
Unique #09520
Fall, 2000
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Instructor: Marilla Svinicki, Ph.D. |
Class Time: Monday 1-4 |
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Office: Main 2209, 232-1777 |
Room: SZB 524 |
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Office Hours: T W Th 11-12 or by appointment |
Email: msvinicki@mail.utexas.edu |
Class website: http://www.utexas.edu/courses/svinicki/380G/
Texts: Ormrod Human Learning (This is a basic text on learning for those of you who have not had a recent general psychology class. If you have had a lot of learning theory already, you probably won't need to get this book. I suggest going over to the COOP and looking through it to see if things are familiar. If they're not, you'll need it to understand the other readings.)
A packet of readings will be available at Jenn's copy (22nd and Guadalupe).
Goals: This is a general course in the theories and research on human learning and motivation for students who are not specializing in psychology, but who need background knowledge for their own work. It will be a balancing act between being too elementary and too sophisticated, but we will work it out together. By the end of the class, you will be able to:
Assignments: There are three types of activities that reflect the above goals.
Three "connections" essays; to make the connections between this content and your area of specialization: 10 points each (30 total)
One of the most agreed-on phenomena in learning is the value of making connections between prior knowledge and new learning, between learner goals and learning goals, between classroom contexts and "real world" contexts of use. Therefore, approximately every other week, you'll have an opportunity to describe how some aspect of what we have been discussing applies in your own experience or field. You'll bring an essay that makes a connection between the literature in your own field and this course, which will be shared in small groups with others from the same or closely related fields. The first essay may be reworked on the basis of feedback and resubmitted once for additional points, but this must be done before the second essay is submitted.
A Learning/Teaching project; to demonstrate the use of theories in the actual practice of learning or teaching: 30 points total
To give you an opportunity to experience firsthand the concepts we are discussing, you will be invited to undertake an 8 week project in which you are either the learner or the teacher. You may choose what you wish to learn or teach, but it can range from a new skill (like tennis) to a new language (like SPSS) to a new content area (but not this content). Of course, if you decide you want to be the teacher, you will need to find a learner. Your grade will not be based on whether you learned or taught, but on how well you understood and applied the course content to the process. In this project, you will monitor and plan the learning activities and maintain a personal physical log of strategies attempted, experiences, interpretations and observations on the progress of learning and the reasons behind it. When the 8 week period is over, you will produce a report that describes objectively what was observed and subjectively what was going on in the learner. (Note that if you choose to be a teacher, you'll have to debrief the learner periodically.) Then you will analyze the learning/teaching from the standpoint of one or more of the theories we have studied during the semester. Once the projects have been decided on, I will attempt to group class members into groups working on similar projects. These groups will meet during class as one of the regular class activities and compare notes and observations from their log and discuss questions I will provide. On the last day of class each group will report to the others the types of learning they observed and the kinds of instruction that seemed most appropriate to producing it.
Three mini-exams: to demonstrate grasp of basic content, ability to use the theories, critique ideas: 10 points each (30 total)
What is a mini-exam? I have found
that having regular activities that ask you to use the information we're
reading and discussing encourages deeper processing and longer retention. Since
many of the folks in this class ask me to serve on qualifying exam committees
or dissertation committees, I want to be sure about your grasp of the material
before I agree. I also want you to get used to writing about these theories for
other faculty as well. These are quizzes over basic ideas and applications that
use the reading material in a way that demonstrates you understand it.
Learning Group Executive Summary: Throughout the semester you’ll meet with a group all of whom are working on a learning project similar to yours. Across the weeks your group will be charged with identifying key components of the kind of learning you are engaged in, the kinds of problems you encountered, and how they were overcome. On the last class day each group will prepare and present an executive summary (1 page list of findings) of what the group members’ experiences in tackling that particular kind of learning were. The groups will spend the first part of the class creating the summary from notes taken throughout the semester, and then each group will have about 15 minutes to summarize their conclusions for the rest of the class. Everyone in the group will receive 5 points when the group presents and turns in a brief summary.
Class presence and participation: you are an important part of the course, and your presence makes a difference to me and to your colleagues. Therefore, coming to class regularly and participating in the small group and whole class discussions will be worth 5 points. (Believe it or not, I keep track of who’s in class.) You lose 1 point for every two classes missed up to six classes (total of 3); then no points will be given for this since that would be more than half the class. This will apply to arriving late and leaving early if it gets to be a habit. The other 2 points will be based on my assessment of your participation during class and groups.
The final grades will be based on the following scale: 85 points or more will earn an "A"; 70 points a "B"; 55 points a "C". I cannot imagine anyone at this level falling below 55 points. If that appears to be happening, we'll talk before it's too late.
Class activities: Since this is a 3 hour class, we're going to do a lot of different things each week so our attention is maintained. Class will usually follow this sequence:
1st 75 minutes: Review and discussion of main reading topic for the day
Break
2nd 40 minutes: One of three possible activities -
read and discuss "connections" essays in groups
or report and discuss learning projects
or do a mini-exam or activity about major theories
Final 20 minutes: Debriefing on group activities if
appropriate or continue the mini-exams or activities
This schedule is subject to correction as we see how the group coalesces. I am always open to deviations from the schedule for interesting but related current events.
Anything else? I have laid out these course activities
prior to meeting with the class, so it may be the case that the actual make-up
of the class will necessitate some modifications. However, I will attempt to
remain true to the course goals and basic outline, and I am always open to
suggestions. Please ask me if you don't understand or need some help. Don't
suffer in silence.