Course Structure and Delivery

An overview of the course is presented during the contact-time block weeks. During the January block weeks, students are introduced to some aspects of the course and to the computer skills needed for online learning and online communication required during the online course delivery.

Online teaching and learning of the Teaching and Learning Theories Course is scheduled for seven weeks between 6 February and 23 April 2012. The learning materials, readings and resources will be provided on VULA.

Assessment of learning in this course will be based on an assignment in the form of a written report which is described below. To pass this course, a mark of 50% for the report is required.

Topic: How students learn and the assumptions educators make about how their students learn and what they bring to the learning process and the various roles of the 'teacher'

Topic: An overview of education theory applied to health professional education

Topic: Experiential learning theories including situated learning theories, reflective practice, and adult learning theories

Topic: Social and cognitive learning theories

Topic: Organisational change and impact on teaching and learning

Topic: Appraise e-learning

Learning Task: Reflect on your understanding of how students learn in relation to your particular students. Argue whether knowing about learning styles and approaches to learning is helpful or not. This will be based on readings and your experience and substantiate with evidence where possible.

Learning Task: Drawing on readings and your experience, reflect on the relevance of these theories to your teaching practice and how you apply any or all to your teaching practice

Learning Task: Reflect on the appropriateness of these theories in your context, and critique these theories, based on your experience and the literature. Further questions will be posed in relation to the different theories.

Learning Task: Reflect on how you do, or could apply these theories in your teaching practice and why this is appropriate.

Learning Task: Change is constant. Discuss how change impacts on teaching and learning, and principles of managing change.

Learning Task: E-learning or technology mediated learning is becoming more prominent in health sciences education.

Discuss research findings related to this topic and the similarities and differences with your experience (500- 1000 words)

This takes the form of comments and suggestions for how you can improve on the tasks, and further questions posed on the different theories during the duration of the course.

Describe your approach to teaching at the beginning of the course and analyse the theory or principles that underpinned your teaching at the time. Describe any changes you have made, or plan to make and substantiate why, using the appropriate theory/theories that underpin your changes. Explain the effects your changes may have on student learning. Explain any obstacles to these changes in relation to your organisation/department or context and briefly how you might manage the change.

Long essay (+/- 2000 – 4000 words)
This assignment, which draws on your readings and tasks during the course, should take the form of an essay with:

1. An introduction: setting the context of your teaching, who your students are and the assumptions you made of how your students learn before you started the PG Dip in Health professional Education. (+/- 250 – 500 words)
2. The body of the essay: Reflect on your approach to teaching at the beginning of the course and critically analyse the theory or principles that underpinned your teaching at the time. Describe any changes you have made, or plan to make and substantiate why, using the appropriate theory/theories that underpin your changes. This should also include your changing assumptions regarding your students’ learning. Explain the effects your changes may have on student learning. Discuss any obstacles to these changes in relation to your organisation/department or context and briefly how you might manage the change. (+/- 1500 – 3000)
3. A conclusion: summarising the main points of your essay (+/-250- 500 words)