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Unit Summary

Unit type

PG Coursework Unit

Credit points

12

AQF level

8

Level of learning

Introductory

Former School/College

Former School of Education

Unit aim

Examines both the various processes that individuals go through as they attempt to change or enrich their knowledge, values, skills or strategies; and also the resulting knowledge, values, skills, strategies and behaviours.

Unit content

The unit comprises the following topics:

  • Education psychology and the development of theories of learning
  • Characteristics of the adult learner: physiological, self-concept, emotion, stress, anxiety, past experience, time, motivation, learning styles and abilities, developmental stages and transitions
  • The emergence and critical debate of a theory of adult learning: Andragogy vs pedagogy
  • Characteristics of the learning situation: directing, facilitating, collaborating, teaching models (information-processing, programmed learning, learner-centred), teacher characteristics
  • Adult learning principles and their application to program planning.

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

GA1: , GA2: , GA3: , GA4: , GA5: , GA6: , GA7:
On completion of this unit, students should be able to: GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 demonstrate an understanding of the general issues involved in developing theories of learning
2 examine theories of adult learning and development
3 identify and assess the characteristics of the adult learner
4 identify and assess the characteristics of the adult learning situation
5 evaluate critical features of their workplace as a learning environment
6 demonstrate an appreciation of the major issues involved in applying adult learning theory to program design and delivery.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. demonstrate an understanding of the general issues involved in developing theories of learning
    • GA4:
    • GA6:
  2. examine theories of adult learning and development
    • GA4:
    • GA5:
  3. identify and assess the characteristics of the adult learner
    • GA4:
    • GA5:
  4. identify and assess the characteristics of the adult learning situation
    • GA4:
    • GA5:
  5. evaluate critical features of their workplace as a learning environment
    • GA4:
    • GA6:
  6. demonstrate an appreciation of the major issues involved in applying adult learning theory to program design and delivery.
    • GA4:
    • GA5:
    • GA6: