In this course we will explore a variety of theories of learning, cognition, instruction, and development and their application in the creation of learning environments and the design and development of instruction. As a course in the professional core for the Masters degrees in the College of Professional Studies,the goal of EDF 6218 is to provide you with knowledge and skills related to applying theories to a variety of work settings. If you are an educator, you might find some theories are more or less applicable to your setting. Others in the field of training or instructional design might find other theories more or less interesting as they apply to their audience of learners. Still others in military or human service work settings might find particular theories of interest given their setting. The point here is that the theories we will discuss in this courses are not just for teachers. They are for trainers, instructional designers, instructors, counselors/therapists, and many others. The common thread among many of the professions you are in is that somewhere within your job responsibilities you are likely to be concerned about teaching someone else how to do something, mentoring others, trying to get others to follow new policies, or getting people motivated. If you think this course still has no relevance to you, then try to think about yourself as a current learner in a graduate degree program or as a parent. The theories we will discuss in this course will also apply to these roles you have in life. So, I hope the content you will learn in this course will have direct application for you in at least one way but I expect it will be many more.

Distance learning is often defined as taking place when the instructor and student are separated by physical distance. I like to add the twist that student and instructor are separated by TIME and/or physical distance. Distance learning is very flexible! In some cases, such as this course, you have the opportunity to log on and participate in lessons at times that are most convenient to you. You may have 30 minutes during lunch or you may choose to participate early in the morning or late in the evening.

Distance learning on the web is becoming a logical way to learn. In this course, we are trying to make the "distance" experience as beneficial as possible. It is my hope that we will get to know one another and support one another in much the same fashion as we would in a traditional course.  In my experience, it seems like I will end up knowing my students BETTER in an online course because I spend more one-on-one time with each student. 

If you begin to feel isolated, let me know and I will try to pull you in!  It is critical that we each become contributors to this learning community. Otherwise, the true benefits of collaboration and learning will not be available to us!

Intern Orientation this week will include activities related to getting to know one another and preparing for learning in the weeks that follow.

Exploring the Institute and Ordering Your Texts

One of the best ways for you to "get comfortable" in any online learning community is to be an explorer.  This means that you don't just go to the few links I send you to in these few pages.  It means go to the Institute home page and click on all the different links to find out what's there (or what's not).  Some pages you will find are somewhat sparse because it is just the first week.  Others are full of information for you to explore.

You should also get to know the other interns at the institute. It is often great to form a small study group for learning and motivational support during your internship. So that everyone can get to know one another I would like everyone to participate in an Icebreaker Threaded Discussion. This is usually a fun way to introduce yourself.

One important thing for you to do if you have not done so is to order your texts for this course. The required texts for this course are:

Ormrod, J.E. (2008). Human Learning (5th Ed.). Prentice Hall.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 5^th Edition (2001). APA: ISBN: 1557987912.

Session Activities

• Participate in the Icebreaker Threaded Discussion
• Order your texts. Once you receive the Ormrod text begin reading Chapters 1 and 2 for next week.
• Email me if you have any questions/concerns related to the course

Now that you have gathered some information about the institute, let's begin the process of applying it to your own learning context

• Theory Into Practice: From your review of the course syllabus you should have a good idea that the focus of this course is on developing knowledge and skills related to theories of learning, cognition, instruction, and development. Often in a course in which the content is weighted heavily in theory, students (and instructors) find themselves concentrating on developing a basic understanding of the components of each individual theory and devoting less time to translating the theory into practice. One of the reasons I chose the Ormrod text for this course is because she assists us in closing the gap between theory and practice by devoting portions of each chapter to discussions of the implications of different theories for instruction.

  To begin to reinforce this theory into practice focus in the course I would like for you to explore the TIP (Theory Into Practice) Database site. This site is specifically designed to provide educators with an overview of theories of learning and instruction. Even better, it provides a section on learning domains that discusses how different theories can be applied to learning in different domain fields.

As your library activity for this week:

• check out the TIP database,
• pick a few (at least 2) theories, concepts, and domains to explore;
• summarize and share what you learned on the course listserv.

  NOTE: Please wait until Sunday to begin posting to the listserv. This will give everyone the opportunity to subscribe so all can benefit from your summary.

Normally this section will have you applying some of the theories in one of many ways. You might be discussing your perceptions or experiences that pertain to a particular theory or working on an application project or case study. This week, however, you will be thinking a little bit about yourself and what types of theories you think you put into practice every day in relation to your own learning and in your job. To share this information I would like you to complete a Pretest. Please download the pretest, read the directions and then send the completed pretest to me as an attachment.

• Email your Director;
• Email the Mentor;
• Email other interns.
• Refer to the Course FAQ.

Now Let's Review Your Training Checklist
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