ISTC 663: Applied Psychology of Learning

Course Syllabus

Below are examples of constructivist learning environments and information on constructivist design peinciples. Some sites will require that you download a plug-in (either shockwave if the files are Macromedia files, or Neuron if they are Toolbook files). Your browser should also be Java enabled for some sites. To see whether your browser is Java enabled go to the Netscape site and see if you have the right version. If not you can download it from their site. Have fun exploring and constructing!

Constructivist On-Line Learning Environments

Span-It

Design Your Own Robot

Adventure Online

Constructivist Design Principles

More Examples of CLEs

The Institute for the Learning Sciences - NWU

The Four C's

Characteristics of Meaningful Learning

Below are links to examples of programmed instruction which is a result of behviorist learning theory.

TIP Theory database

An example of Programmed Instruction

Free Samples

Another Example

After reading the syllabus, you can click here to see examples of student papers for this class.

ISTC 663.101 - 3 credits

• Towson University
• Spring 1998
• Time: Thursdays, 4:20 PM - 6:50 PM
• Location: Hawkins Hall Room 203
• Instructor: Dr. Nada Dabbagh,
• Office: 402-G Hawkins Hall
• Phone: 830-4492
• Email: dabbagh@towson.edu

Course Objective

To understand the cognitive processes underlying behavior and learning and the relation of these processes to current teaching methods. These processes are implied in such phrases as Teaching Thinking Skills Across the Curriculum, Problem Representation in Science and Mathematics, Cognitive Assessment, Generative Learning, Constructivism, Problem-Based Learning, Outcome Based Education, and so on.

Application

This course deals with the psychological foundations of learning and cognition (i.e. thought processes and thinking). It begins with an overview of three learning paradigms: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. It then examines behaviorist principles of learning where learners are thought of as reactive agents in the learning process and where the learning outcome is accomplished through behavior shaping strategies such as extrinsic reinforcement and drill and practice. Next, the course examines the cognitivist principles of learning where learners are perceived as proactive agents in the learning process. Learning outcomes in this case are accomplished as a result of mental events or processes that transform information from input to output. Finally, the course examines constructivist principles of learning where learners are also perceived as active agents in the learning process but the cognitive dimension takes the perspective that students construct their own learning by taking ownership of the learning process and becoming self-directed and self-regulated learners. Constructivism takes the view that learning is a function of the content, the context, the activity of the learner, and, perhaps most importantly, the goals of the learner. Therefore, understanding is in our interactions with the environment and not separate from it.

For each of the paradigms discussed above, the course will examine its application to instruction and the design of learning environments. Examples of learning and teaching strategies, classroom applications, and educational units that model the techniques of those paradigms will be demonstrated and discussed. More emphasis will be placed on the cognitivist and constructivist learning paradigms.

Course Goals

At the end of this course the student should be able to demonstrate capabilities in the following areas:

• Identify the underlying principles of each of the learning paradigms discussed in this course;
• Describe the characteristics of each of the learning paradigms and their impact on knowledge acquisition;
• Compare and contrast the three learning paradigms from a cognitive perspective;
• Identify instructional theories and strategies that are suited for each of the learning paradigms;
• Identify instructional applications for each of the learning paradigms discussed in this course;
• Describe the advantages and disadvantages of each of the learning paradigms from an instructional perspective;
• Develop a prototype of a learning environment based on the instructional strategies identified for each of the learning paradigms.

Required Readings

• Course packet at student bookstore;
• Other readings as specified (any additional reading will either be in the form of a handout, a URL on the WWW, or at Cook Library).

Readings listed for each week should be done before class. A list of questions, concepts, and or issues pertaining to the topic of the week will be made available one week prior to each class to guide you in your readings. Class discussions will generally revolve around those questions however you are encouraged to bring your own experience and ideas on the topic to class.

Class Requirements and Grading Policy

The requirements are intended to encourage students to think about and take responsibility for the course material. The emphasis will be on understanding and mastery of the central ideas, concepts, and applications of the three paradigms discussed above and their contributions to the teaching and learning process. The success of the course, including what we all learn, is the joint responsibility of all members of the class. As the instructor, I will be responsible for selecting topics, providing course material that will be useful in thinking about the topics, assisting you in making connections between and among these topics, and in connecting them to your interests. However, it is the studentsÌ responsibility to learn and to help others learn by participating in class and actively questioning and reflecting on issues. Although I will take the responsibility for guiding discussions, I will not lecture. The group will summarize, critique, and synthesize the material together. The goal of the class is not to deliver information or to provide pat answers to questions, but to provoke questions and to deepen your ability to think about the psychology of learning and its application to instruction.

Therefore, it is imperative that you come to class prepared for active involvement. The questions I will provide are intended as beginnings to help you probe the material and to see both connections and disjunctions. I strongly urge you to prepare the questions before class as an exercise in thinking about the material; in addition, you are advised to generate your own questions. Also, you should try to make connections across articles. Some students benefit from concept mapping or other graphic organizers.

As part of the learning process, students will pair up and take the responsibility for sharing the leadership of one class discussion. Students are encouraged to work together on all requirements for the class. This can include preparation for weekly readings as well as conceptualization for the position papers and final paper. However, each paper is to be an individual students effort. All work must be completed by due dates.

The following is a breakdown of the requirements and their grade percentage:

1. 1) Leading a class discussion: (10% of grade)
2. 2) In-Class participation: (20% of grade)
3. 3) Position papers: (40% of grade) - there will be two position papers, the first paper will be worth 15% and the second 25%. Each paper should be approximately 4 pages in length (single or 1.5 spaced). You will have 4 topics to choose from and a due date for each topic. You may choose the two papers based on interests and time commitments. The purpose of these papers is to allow you to return to readings covered in class for a closer, more thoughtful reading, and to synthesize ideas across topics and readings. You will not be required to do any additional readings for these papers, but instead to take a more refined or critical look at our assigned readings and establish a position towards the topic of your choice by formulating your own interpretation of the material. You will receive feedback on each paper and you always have the option of rewriting the papers to improve. I strongly suggest therefore that you choose one of the first two papers in order to get early feedback on expectations for papers. The topics for these papers will address questions very similar to the discussion questions that are handed out each week.

   The four topics will include:

• Paper 1 - Learning Theory and Instructional Theory: how are these two theories related? Does one derive from the other or are they mutually exclusive theories? How have they influenced the field of Instructional Technology? Compare and contrast the two theories from a theoretical and empirical perspective and discuss applications or examples of each from the readings;
• Paper 2 - Behaviorism and Cognitivism: are these learning paradigms related? If yes, how? If not, why not? How do they influence instruction? Compare and contrast the two paradigms from a theoretical and empirical perspective. Provide examples or applications from the readings to support your position;
• Paper 3 - GagneÌs Theory of Instruction and its relationship to learning and teaching strategies: what learning theory (or theories) is GagneÌs Theory of Instruction grounded in? How does it tie learning and instruction? Does it emphasize learning strategies, teaching strategies, or both? Which learning outcomes do you think it is best suited for? Discuss applications from the readings;
• Paper 4 - Objectivism and constructivism: are they opposing paradigms? How do they translate into learning theories? Instructional theories? Learning strategies? Instructional strategies? Classroom applications? Do they differ in the learning outcomes that they support? Compare and contrast the two paradigms theoretically and empirically and support your argument with examples from the readings.

1. 4) Final Paper: (30% of grade) - Students will design a learning environment or write a review of the literature (approximately 10-15 pages) based on the constructivist learning paradigm. Students have the option of working in teams or individually. Teams are restricted to two students.

• Option 1 - Designing a learning environment based on the constructivist paradigm. The three applications of constructivism that were covered in the readings included, situated learning, cognitive apprenticeship, and microworlds. Select one of those applications and design a learning environment for a specific audience and content based on this application. Your final project should include the following:
  • An introduction on constructivism and its implications on teaching and learning;
  • A justification as to why the learning application that you have selected is based on constructivist principles (citing the related articles covered in class);
  • The context and the parameters of the learning environment that you will be designing and prototyping, specifying the learners, the learning medium(s), the content, the learning activities, the learning outcomes, and the evaluation criteria;
  • A prototype of the learning environment - computer based, story board, poster, model, script, etc., showing all options, requirements and activities available to the learner and the tutor;
  • A conclusion on how you can expand your learning environment to other student populations and content areas.
• Option 2 - Review of the literature on constructivist applications. Review the literature on constructivism and select an application of constructivism not covered in class such as Problem-based Learning or Cognitive Flexibility Hypertext. Your final paper should include the following:
  • An introduction on constructivism and its implication on teaching and learning; A justification as to why the learning application that you have selected is based on constructivist principles (citing new articles that you have researched);
  • A breakdown of the constituents and parameters of the application (how it works);
  • Examples of the particular application and its application to the teaching and learning process;
  • A critique or inside look at the successes and failures of this application in action (citing research studies, case studies, or situations where the particular learning application that you have selected has been tested or implemented and the associated results);
  • A comparison of the selected application to those covered in class (similarities and differences amongst them);
  • Your own conclusions about this particular learning application and its usefulness in terms of its implementation in our educational system.

Course Outline

Wednesday February 5 Introduction and syllabus Assignment of "leading class discussions" Overview of Topics
Wednesday February 12 Topic: Instructional Design and Educational Psychology Readings: Shrock, S. A. (1991). A Brief History of Instructional Development. In G. Anglin (Ed.), Instructional Technology: Past, Present and Future (1st edition ed., pp. 11-19). Seels, B. (1989). The Instructional Design Movement in Educational Technology. Educational Technology, May, 11-15.	Wednesday April 2 Paper 3 Due Topic: Constructivism and the Theory of Instruction Readings: Bednar, A. K., Cunningham, D., Duffy, T. M., & Perry, J. D. (1992). Theory into Practice: How Do We Link? In T. M. Duffy & D. H. Jonassen (Eds.), Constructivism and the Technology of Instruction: A Conversation (pp. 17-33). Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Perkins, D. N. (1992). Technology Meets Constructivism: Do They Make a Marriage? In T. M. Duffy & D. H. Jonassen (Eds.), Constructivism and the Technology of Instruction: A Conversation (pp. 45-55). Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Wednesday February 19 Topic: Learning Theory, Instructional Theory, and Behaviorism Readings: Shuell, T. J. (1980). Learning Theory, Instructional Theory, and Adaptation. In R. E. Snow, P.-A. Federico, & W. E. Montague (Eds.), Aptitude, Learning and Instruction (Vol. 1). Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Cook, D. A. (1993). Behaviorism Evolves. Educational Technology, October, 62-77.	Wednesday April 9 Topic: Constructivism Reading: Jonassen, D. H. (1992). Evaluating Constructivistic Learning. In T. M. Duffy & D. H. Jonassen (Eds.), Constructivism and the Technology of Instruction: A Conversation (pp. 137-148). Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Wednesday February 26 Topic: Learning Events and Teaching Events Readings: Gagne, R. M. (1977). Chapter 1: Introduction, The Conditions of Learning and Theory of Instruction (3rd ed., pp. 1-20). New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. Gagne, R. M. (1977). Chapter 15: Designing Instruction for Learning, The Conditions of Learning and Theory of Instruction (pp. 302-330). New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.	Wednesday April 16 Paper 4 Due Topic: Situated Learning Readings: Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated Cognition and the Culture of Learning. Educational Researcher, January-February, 32-42. Vanderbilt, C. a. T. G. a. (1992). The Jasper Experiment: An Exploration of Issues in Learning and Instructional Design. Educational Technology Research and Development, 40(1), 65-80.
Wednesday March 5 Paper 1 Due Topic: Human Cognition Readings: Bransford, J. (1979). Chapter 1: Introduction, Human Cognition (pp. 3-11). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Bransford, J. (1979). Chapter 8: Conclusions and Implications, Human Cognition (pp. 247-263): Belmont, CA.	Wednesday April 23 Topic: Cognitive Apprenticeship Readings: Collins, A. (1991). Cognitive Apprenticeship and Instructional Technology. In L. Idol & B. F. Jones (Eds.), Educational Values and Cognitive Instruction: Implications for Reform (pp. 121-13138). Hillsdale, N.J.: Erlbaum.
Wednesday March 12 Topic: Learning Outcomes and Learning Strategies Readings: Reilly, R. R., & Lewis, E. L. (1983). Gagne's Hierarchy: Different Types of Learning, Educational Psychology: Applications for Classroom Learning and Instruction . New York: MacMillan. Weinstein, C. E., & Mayer, R. E. (1986). The Teaching of Learning Strategies. In M. C. Wittrock (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Teaching (pp. 315-325). New York: MacMillan.	Wednesday April 30 Outline of Final Paper Due Topic: Microworlds Readings: Rieber, L. P. (1992). Computer-Based Microworlds: A Bridge between Constructivism and Direct Instruction. Educational Technology Research and Development, 40(1), 93-106.
Wednesday March 19 Paper 2 Due Topic: Paradigm Shifts Readings: Cooper, P. A. (1993). Paradigm Shifts in Designed Instruction: From Behaviorism to Cognitivism to Constructivism. Educational Technology, 33(5), 12-19. Jonassen, D. H. (1991). Objectivism versus Constructivism: Do We Need a New Philosophical Paradigm? Educational Technology Research and Development, 39(3), 5-14.	Wednesday May 7 Expanded outline of final paper due Topic: Summing Up Readings: Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism: Comparing Critical Features from an Instructional Design Perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50-72.
Wednesday March 26 Spring Break	Wednesday May 14 Reading Day - no class
Wednesday May 21 Final Paper Due Presentation of Final Paper

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