Curriculum and Course Schedule

LRN_SCI 403: Foundations of the Learning Sciences
Cognitive and social science theories of how people learn to understand, reason, and solve problems. Implications for the design of classroom learning environments; learning in real scenarios for investigating central issues in cognitive science. Learning in mathematics, science, reading/writing, and informal reasoning.

LRN_SCI 401: Knowledge Representation for the Learning Sciences
Theoretical and methodological techniques for knowledge representation, primarily as practiced by cognitive scientists. Application of these techniques to issues of learning that are of interest to researchers in the learning sciences.

LRN_SCI 402: Social Dimensions of Teaching and Learning
Students' relationships with one another and with teachers in school and nonschool settings. Implications for classroom instruction of social learning theory, student diversity, classroom climate, cooperative and competitive goal structures, and processes of attribution and achievement motivation.

LRN_SCI 425: Introduction to Design for the Learning Sciences (required)
Building the skills and knowledge necessary to support the design of educational experiences. Exploration of general design principles and learning sciences theoretical perspectives through examination of existing cases of instructional design. A design project involving needs analysis, specifying learning objectives, and designing a new educational experience.

LRN_SCI 426: Design of Technological Tools for Thinking and Learning
This course is a hands-on practicum in designing and building technology-enabled curricula
and learning environments. We will use many rich software toolkits designed to enable
novice computer-users to get their “hands dirty” doing iterative software design. In addition
to the hands-on component, the course is also designed to introduce you to the
Constructionist Learning design perspective. This perspective, first named by Seymour
Papert and greatly influenced by the work of Jean Piaget, is very influential in the learning
sciences today. The Constructionist approach starts with the assumption that teaching
cannot successfully proceed by simply transferring knowledge to students’ heads. Skillful
teaching starts with the current state of knowledge of the student. In order for students to
learn effectively, they need to construct the knowledge structures for themselves. In the
spirit of Constructionism, we will engage in our own construction of artifacts in this class
and, through this activity, explore and evaluate the design of kits and tools intended to
enable learners to construct their own motivating and powerful artifacts. We will do this by
constructing both physical and virtual artifacts and by engaging in reflective discussion of
both the artifacts themselves and the tools used to construct them. In the final project,
students will put all of this together by designing and implementing a constructionist
learning environment.

LRN_SCI 429: Design of Learning Environments
Issues in designing and studying innovative learning environments. New models of classroom interaction, particularly using technology to enable new cognitive and social roles for students. Topics include simulations, tutors, computer-mediated communication, project-based learning. Theoretical motivations in cognitive and social-interaction learning theories, empirical studies evaluating their effectiveness, and prospects for propagation of such innovations.

 EECS 472: Designing and Constructing Models with Multi-Agent Languages (elective)
Course description will be here.

LRN_SCI 404: Methods and Epistemologies for the Study of Learning 1
This course focuses on the development of research questions and understanding the range of possible methodological approaches to understanding learning based on those questions.

LRN_SCI 405: Methods and Epistemologies for the Study of Learning 2
Course description will be here.

LRN_SCI 410: Quantitative Methods 1
Course description will be here.

LRN_SCI 411: Quantitative Methods 2
Course description will be here.

LRN_SCI 415: Field Methods (Qualitative Methods 1)
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the world of qualitative research so that they will be able to read qualitative studies intelligently, and learn to design and conduct qualitatively oriented studies themselves. Beginning with an overview of the epistemological assumptions behind different kinds of research, the course will explore various types of qualitative research approaches and the kinds of topics and queries they support. Students will read and critique examples of published research of various kinds. Next, students will investigate the various methods of collecting qualitative data.  The class is designed so that students simultaneously read about and discuss qualitative research, and gather data themselves.  Although the course touches on analysis, the main focus is on developing a qualitative research project and collecting data for it.

LRN_SCI 416: Advanced Qualitative Methods (Qualitative Methods 2)
Course description will be here.

*Other quantitative stats sequences in other departments may satisfy the quantitative requirement but need to be cleared with the Program Coordinator.

PSYCH_450: Fundamentals of Statistics
Probability, decision rules, and tests of significance, including chi square, t, and F.

PSYCH_451: Statistics in Experimental Design
Design and analysis of experiments. Emphasis on analysis of variance techniques.

PSYCH_453: Linear Models: Correlation and Regression
Course description will be here.