| Unit name | Emotions and the learning brain |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EDUCM0097 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| 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 |
Why is this unit important?
As science reveals the interconnectedness of our brains, bodies and minds, we are coming to appreciate the key role of emotions in our ability to reason, reflect and learn. By integrating perspectives from the natural and social sciences, this unit provides you with the ability to critically link how emotions are experienced with the neurobiological mechanisms involved and their impact on how we learn. It will provide you with the skills required to investigate these relationships using a range of qualitative and quantitative techniques, from interviews to measuring the body’s psychophysiological signals. The unit is informed by cutting edge research carried out at the University of Bristol. It has been developed for those concerned with learning across the full range of ability and across the lifespan.
How does this unit fit into programme of study
The proposed new unit requires no pre-requisite knowledge and should have broad appeal that includes offering research methods skills required for psychophysiological, interpretive, qualitative and reflective approaches to studying emotions (which may be applied in students’ dissertation studies). By including a quantitative and qualitative basis for exploring emotions, it integrates psychological and neuroscientific insight with practical implications for education, so making a valuable contribution to the offer of optional units on the bulk of SoE’s masters courses. In this way, it helps bridge the gap between programmes/pathways with a strong natural science perspective (Psychology and Neuroscience) and other programmes/pathways.
Overview of content
The unit supports students in developing the skills required for collecting and analysing data that supports the inclusion of emotion in educational practice and research. In this way, the unit provides opportunities for students to consider their own professional practice as learners, educators and researchers, drawing on constructs about emotion that are meaningful and valid in relation to current understanding of the learning brain.
Student will have
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this unit, a successful student will be able to:
A variety of teaching strategies will be used to deliver this unit, which may include whole group lectures, case studies, practical demonstration and hands-on practical tasks, critical analysis of key readings, group discussions and student presentations. eLearning approaches will augment face-to-face teaching to facilitate individualised study and support within the broad parameters of the unit and the pathway. These will include: on-line discussion, online supervision and peer mentoring/feedback.
Formative Assessment
Formative assessment of understanding regarding methods will be provided through verbal feedback during workshops; Formative assessment of theoretical content will derive from tasks during lectures designed to encourage explicit reflection on concepts.
In addition, students will take a multiple-choice exam focused on the procedures, affordances and limitations of quantitative and qualitative methods involving emotion data.
Summative Assessment
A 3000-word essay critically reflecting on an emotional learning experience in terms of current understanding of brain and mind, with a proposal for how processes related to this experience might be researched (ILOs 1-4).
When assessment does not go to plan
When a student fails the unit and is eligible to resubmit, failed components will be reassessed on a like-for-like basis.
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. EDUCM0097).
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 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.
