Learning Module

By: Dr. Aida Florendo and Engr. Gilbert Hufana

Definition
A module is a self-contained learning component (unit or item) that is used in
combination with other components used as one instructional material to improve
teaching and learning.

Parts
Title Page
Title of the Module
Author
Table of Contents
Preface
Module Description
This describes what the subject/module introduces to the students. It provides the
general understanding of the whole module. It also includes the following:

Description of what you are doing in the module. Write this

description as if you are completely unfamiliar with the module, so
that any teacher can understand it. (The notes from which you
teach your lessons, including statement of the problems (which
presents an industry scenario to be solved) and the procedures
used to solve the problem).

Description of the lessons and assignments necessary to prepare

the students to transition to the tasks at the end of the module.

Description of any group work or collaborative learning.

Description of the lessons and assignments necessary to teach the

student the task.

Instruction on How to Use the Module

This part provides critical information for the teacher. Explains when and
how to teach the module and when to administer the pre- and post-tests,
assignments, surveys, etc.

Learning Outcomes/Objectives

A learning outcome is a written statement of what one expects the student to

achieve by the end of the module/course. Using these explicit statements can help in
ensuring consistency of delivery across modules, and in particular can provide a common
format for different forms of delivery, e.g. distance learning, work-based learning and
experiential learning, which can thus be more easily compared.
Learners also benefit from a clear and comprehensive statement of what they will
achieve from taking the module, and this should explicitly include any skills the student
will acquire; this will help them in their choice of modules. The learning outcomes can
also help demonstrate any areas of overlap or complementarities between two different
modules.
Learning outcomes may be used at various levels in course description, i.e. the
course, the pathway, the module, but are probably most useful at the module level.
Learning outcomes may be used in conjunction with a description of the content of the
module, but the content itself can be described in learning outcome terms.
State student outcomes in a measurable way (for instance Upon completion of the
module, students should be able to). These statements should be clear and detail
exactly what skills students will possess upon module completion.
Presentation of Content
Module Assessment
You need to be able to get some measure(s) of the performance and attitudes of
students on the topics you are teaching with your module both before the teaching of the
module in a previous section of the class (the baseline data), and after the teaching of the
module in a new section of the class.
An assessment criterion can be defined as what a student must do to demonstrate
that the learning outcome has been achieved. It enables a judgment to be made.
Many academic staff have these assessment criteria in their heads, and mark on this basis
intuitively. Writing them down can:

Focus the mind on appropriate assessment

Speed the marking process

Help the student if the assessment criteria are made explicit

Provide the basis for a pro forma for feedback to the student

Help ensure consistency when several members of staff are marking the same
piece of work

Writing Learning Outcomes

A useful acronym in the writing of learning outcomes is SMART. A learning
outcome should be:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time scaled

Specific
The learning outcome should accurately state what the student is
expected to achieve in terms of knowledge and skills, which might be
intellectual or practical skills (and personal attributes if these are relevant).
The learning outcome should be presented in terms of what the
student will (not should) know or be able to do by the end of the course,
not in terms of the aims of the course. If the student cannot demonstrate
this ability they will have failed that element of the module.
A useful approach to defining what is expected of the student is to
determine what the student should attain in the following areas:

Knowledge (complexity of knowledge)

Comprehension

Application

Analysis

Synthesis

Evaluation

Measurable
The learning outcome must be open to assessment, and the
assessment should accurately measure whether the learning outcome has
been achieved or not.
In a taught course a range of assessment techniques can be
employed. The more specific the learning outcomes, the more the
assessment strategy can be targeted in the most appropriate way.

Achievable
The learning outcomes should be within the range of abilities of
the student, and should represent a threshold of achievement for that
course or module.
The terminology used for the learning outcome might differ at
different levels of a student's course. As a student progresses through a
course one might expect a greater level of independent planning in project
work, a greater level of autonomy with less supervision, a greater ability to
interpret data, etc.

Relevant
The learning outcomes should relate to the key aims of the course.
They should include all elements of the course and be sufficient to define
it. However, as stated above, a list of indicative content may be added to
define the detail.
The learning outcomes will include relevant knowledge, but also
skills. These may be precise subject based skills, but may also include
elements of the learning that are "hidden" in the normal presentation of the
syllabus, such as transferable skills.
Personal qualities may also be important outcomes of a course, e.g.
the honesty of a student in the interpretation of scientific data, ethical
considerations when working within the health service, etc.

Time scaled
The learning outcomes must be achievable within the duration of
the module.
It may be useful to consider what learning outcomes can be
attained, and assessed, in the early parts of the module, and what can only
be achieved by the end-point of the module. This might help in the design
of assessment strategies that spread the assessment through the module.

First Approaches
If the presentation of the syllabus in learning outcome terms is
unfamiliar it is often helpful to initially determine the key purpose of the
course. What is this course trying to achieve?
It is then often helpful to consider what activities the student
normally undertakes in the course; lectures, tutorials, practicals, library
work, research, group projects, presentations, writing essays etc.
It is then possible to define in broad terms the knowledge, skills
and attributes you expect the student to acquire. These broad outcomes can
then be refined into more detailed statements and the assessment criteria
can be developed.

The assessment strategy and methodology would then be designed,

ensuring that the learning outcomes are measurable and achievable.
Ideas For The Future (optional)
Suggestions you may have for other lessons that would challenge the
students and reinforce their knowledge. Also include any other ideas for the
future related to your module.

References/Reading List
List the resources used to create this module, such as links to web sites and
citations