P540 Units

The course consists of seven units, each two weeks in length. The units are preceded by a week-long "pre-unit", which is intended to help us orient ourselves to the course and each other. The course concludes with a "wrap-up" week. 

Pre-Unit: Course orientation

Unit 1: Approaches to the study of learning / Radical behaviorism
Unit 2: Cognitive approaches I: Basic information processing model
Unit 3: Cognitive approaches II: Cognition in the classroom
Unit 4: Motivation and learning
Unit 5: Cognitive development theories
Unit 6: Gagne's instructional design theory
Unit 7: Constructivism
Course wrap-up

Each unit page has three sections:

Readings. You will find the text chapters and any supplemental readings assigned for the unit listed here.

Instructor notes. For each unit, I'll offer you my ideas about important points, try to explain difficult concepts, or provide supplementary material. You'll probably want to review these notes before, during, and after your reading of the assigned chapters.

Learning activities. These activities are designed to help you understand and apply the concepts and theories in the unit. Some are designed as individual activities; most are group activities. Usually, you will respond to the activity assignments via the course Conference. Your completion of these activities is important, and will constitute a significant part of your course grade.