| Unit name | Brain, Cognition and Education |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EDUCM0102 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Howard-Jones |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Education |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit covers cognitive and biological psychology topics, specifically examining the connections between these levels of psychological process and their relationships to learning and educational experiences. It covers a range of topics, such as brain structures and neurons through to memory and psychology-informed learning practices.
Why this unit is important
This unit provides students with an understanding of the complex interrelationship of mind, brain and behaviour, focusing particularly upon those issues pertinent to learning in educational contexts. It will develop awareness of recent research in areas of cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience pertinent to education and their relationship to evidence about learning arising from education and other disciplines. It will provide students with critical awareness of the insights and limitations of techniques used by cognitive psychologists and cognitive neuroscientists (e.g. experimentation and neuroimaging) in the investigation of human behaviour, learning, developmental disorders and related psychopharmacological treatments. It will facilitate their ability to access and understand primary cognitive psychology and neuroscientific literature that is of potential interest to those involved with education. In this way, the unit provides an understanding of cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience that can support students wishing to apply such concepts in education as part of further studies within their programme of study.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
This unit is mandatory for the MSc Psychology of Education, and for the MSc Neuroscience and Education, emphasising its importance for those wishing to enrich their understanding of education by drawing on insights from the sciences of mind and brain. It will offer insight at the neural level into cognitive concepts such as working memory, attention and long-term memory encountered in other mandatory units on these programmes.
Overview of content
This unit provides students an opportunity to learn about and critically evaluate fundamental principles and knowledge in the domain of cognitive neuroscience and cognitive psychology relevant to educational learning. Students will critically examine research methods appropriate to the study of cognition and associated neural processes. They will also develop an understanding of key historical developments in cognitive and biological psychology. Sessions will be provided that explain and evaluate key concepts and formative support will be provided for the assessment. Students will also study key applied issues in the development of cognition and neurocognition, such as the development of language, and the role of neural and cognitive processes in educational attainment.
How students, personally, will be different as a result of the unit
Students will gain an understanding of the way the brain is structured and functions, and the ability to link this biological psychology knowledge to the cognitive functions which are important for learning and success in educational contexts. This will give them confidence in reading and critically interpreting a wide range of psychological and neuroscientific literature that is relevant to educational learning, as well as enabling them to successfully meet the Learning Outcomes for the unit.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the unit, students will be able to demonstrate that they are able to:
1. Express and discuss key cultural and historical issues in cognitive and biological psychology
2. Critically employ key concepts in the current study of cognitive and biological psychology
3. Critically evaluate and interpret cognitive and neuroscientific research on human behaviour including learning
4. Distinguish and appraise biological, social and cognitive perspectives on human behaviour and learning, and critically discuss their interrelation
5. Critically interrogate claims about cognitive psychology and neuroscience in the educational literature
6. Assess the implications of recent research on cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience for learning in educational contexts
This unit will be taught by a mix of lectures, seminars, workshops and interactive group work. The unit will engage students with collaborative learning via group work, small tasks, inquiry-based teaching and allow time for questions, game-based learning and the blending of traditional methods with technology.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Draft poster and outline essay plan brought to a live session for peer and staff feedback, providing guidance on the poster and essay to be submitted later in the term.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
A poster that visually represents links between cognitive and neural function in a chosen area relevant to learning (600 words + images) plus a 2000-word essay critically reviewing the literature on the same topic (ILOs 1-6) 100%. Both pieces of work are combined in one assessment.
When assessment does not go to plan
When a student fails the unit and is eligible to resubmit, the reassessment will be on a like-for-like basis and both poster and essay will need to be resubmitted. Students will resubmit a revised version of the original work.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EDUCM0102).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
