Course coordinator
Dr Stephanie Macmahon
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Education School
This course will introduce students to the multi-disciplinary field of the Science of Learning, and how it can be applied to a broad range of teaching and learning contexts and practice. Students will develop an understanding of important evidence-based principles of learning, the science underpinning these principles, and how to apply them in practice. They will also develop skills to facilitate practice-based research and inquiry, as well as leadership capabilities in supporting others to translate research into practice. This course will assist graduates to establish and sustain positive professional knowledge, skills, dispositions and habits around engaging effectively with a range of evidence to continually grow their professional practice and pedagogy.
This course may not be offered in person if the enrolment is less than 10 students.
This course in the Science of Learning (drawing upon research from across neuroscience, education and psychology to better understand learning) has been developed in response to feedback and interest from many of our educational partners. This course was first offered in 2021ﾠas an Intensive course, and then inﾠ2022, 2023 and 2024 as a semester 1 course. The course takes an ﾠapplied approach to the Science of Learning, inviting you to reflect on your own learning and the learning of others you teach and/ or lead in both educational and industry contexts, and how this learning can be informed by the evidence from the emerging and exciting field of the Science of Learning. The course has been co-developed ﾠby members of the UQ Learning Labﾠ who have expertise across the Science of Learningﾠ and in ﾠeducation and leadership. To guide you in your studies, we have established an EDUC7079 Blackboard course on which all of the learning materials will be found and sequenced. These include readings, lecture recordings, workshop activities, powerpoint slides, useful links and resources, and assessments. It also features Podcasts, video interviews and others resources that will enrich your learning experience. Blackboard can be accessed by going directly to the following link:ﾠhttps://learn.uq.edu.au/ﾠ.ﾠﾠThere will be important content posted on the EDUC7079 Blackboard site throughout the semester, please check this site and your UQ email regularly to stay updated with current information.
Course requirements
Restrictions
Entry to the Graduate Certificate and Master of Educational Studies (32 unit) programs.
Jointly taught details
This course is jointly-taught with:
- Another instance of the same course
Students enrolled in this course in both in person and external offerings will attend a joint workshop offered in hybrid mode
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Stephanie Macmahon
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
This course aims are that learners will be able to:
1. Reflect upon, describe and evaluate how the science of learning informs their own and others' learning and/ or practice.
2. Select, apply and evaluate science of learning principles to their own and others' learning and practice.
3. Evaluate illustrations of the science of learning principles applied to authentic problems in practice
5. Critically review science of learning literature and communicate findings to a wider audience.
6. Develop fundamental knowledge and skills in research methodology and how this can be applied in educational contexts.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Reflect upon and explain how the science of learning informs their own learning and/or practice
LO2.
Assess the value and relevance of the science of learning principles to their own and others’ learning and wellbeing
LO3.
Design contextually relevant applications of the science of learning to address an authentic problem of practice
LO4.
Critique and collate a variety of educational resources that evidence the science of learning principles and research
LO5.
Review literature and communicate findings to a wider audience
LO6.
Implement science of learning principles into meaningful applied contexts
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Annotated Bibliography on Topic of Interest | 30% 1500-2000 words |
11/04/2025 2:00 pm |
| Essay/ Critique, Presentation | Leading the Science of Learning in Practice | 35% 1500-2000 words or equivalent |
9/05/2025 |
| Reflection | Professional Reflection and Application | 35% 1500-2000 words |
9/06/2025 |
Assessment details
Annotated Bibliography on Topic of Interest
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 30% 1500-2000 words
- Due date
11/04/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L05
Task description
EDUC7079: An Introduction to the Science of Learning in Practice
Assessment 1: Annotated Bibliography
Weighting: 30%
Due Date: Friday April 11, 2025, 2pm
Length: 1500-2000 words (6-8 resources)
The Aim of the Assessment: To curate an AI-supported annotated bibliography of quality resources and literature related to a Science of Learning inquiry question.
SEE TASK SHEET FOR FULL TASK DETAILS
Task Outline:
Step 1: Devise and clearly state your Inquiry Question
Devise an inquiry question on a topic of interest related to the Science of Learning and your own teaching, learning, or working context. This question is to be drafted in class and shared with the lecturer for feedback.
Step 2: Curate Annotated Bibliography. (approx. 100 words per resource): Generate and curate an annotated bibliography of 6-8 QUALITY sources using AI that can assist in answering this question. Your annotated bibliography needs to include the following for each source:
a) Full Citation: This should be in APA 7 (Not included in word count).
b) Aims/ Research Questions and/ or Research Problem: Outline of the aims/ questions of the article/ research.
c) Description of the methodology: This should include a brief description of the research methods used including details of participants, research design, measures, analysis.
d) Summary of Main Ideas/ Findings/ Arguments: A brief overview of the main findings or arguments presented in the source
e) You must include the AI prompts that you use to generate your bibliography (include in Appendix – not included in word count).
You must also ensure that you read and revise each AI-generated annotation to check for accuracy and relevance to your inquiry question. This means thoroughly and critically reading and engaging with each of the resources you have curated for inclusion in your annotated bibliography.
Step 3: Evaluation and Justification (approx. 100 words per resource). Once your bibliography is generated, you need to (without the assistance of AI):
Evaluate the quality and reliability of the sources and content generated by AI, and justify the inclusion of each source in your final annotated bibliography (i.e. provide a rationale for why it is a valuable resource in relation to your inquiry question).
Step 4: Synthesis (approx. 100 words). Draw on the sources and their content to compose a brief synthesised response to your inquiry question.
Step 5: Reflection (approx. 100 words). Reflect on your personal learning about the topic and about sourcing quality literature through completing this task. This may include a critical reflection of gaps in your own knowledge and understanding of concepts or methodological processes that have been addressed in the literature included in your bibliography.
Presentation
The presentation of your Annotated Bibliography can be in a format that is relevant and useful to you, but must address all parts of the task as outlined above.
No more than 3 resources can be from the EDUC7079 Reading List, but you may not present an annotation that has been developed by the class participants or lecturer.
This task will be assessed on the quality and relevance of the curated resources to your context and inquiry question, and on the quality of the critical evaluations and justifications for the sources inclusion in your curated list, and on your personal reflections of learning in this task (see Criteria Sheet for details).
Please see Task Sheet for full details.
Submission guidelines
Submit via TurnItIn
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.
Leading the Science of Learning in Practice
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique, Presentation
- Weight
- 35% 1500-2000 words or equivalent
- Due date
9/05/2025
Task description
EDUC7079: An Introduction to the Science of Learning in Practice
Assessment 2: Leading the Science of Learning
Weighting: 35%
Due Date: Friday May 9, 2025, 2pm
Length: 1500-2000 words (or equivalent media presentation)
The Aim of the Assessment: to present a response to a stimulus question that informs others about the contributions that the learning sciences can make to support school or organisational leader decision making.
The Task:
In this task you are required to draw on resources and readings from within this course and additional resources to form a response to a stimulus question about leading the Science of Learning in either educational or workplace learning contexts. The purpose of your response is to inform your audience about the contributions that the Science of Learning can make to support school or organisational leader decision making. In the interests of authenticity, the intended audience will be simulated as a school or organisational leadership team, which allows for direct transfer of this assessment task to the practice of professional learning and capability improvement within schools or other organisations.
Guiding question
How can insights from the Science of Learning make us better leaders of learning in our organisations?
Drawing upon research, use the following sub questions to develop your response.:
- Learning Context and Challenge: Describe your context in which this task is being situated. This might be a school, educational, training, or workplace learning context, but it must be specific to you. Describe whose learning you are leading in this context – it does not have to be in a formal leadership role (students, peers, teachers, trainers, others).
- What is a learning need or challenge in this context that you would like to lead positive change in?
- Rationale: Why could it be beneficial to you as a learning leader to engage with research from the Science of Learning to understand and address the identified learning need or challenge?
- Challenges: What are some challenges outlined in the literature that might prevent you as a learning leader from engaging with research from the Science of Learning?
- Framing Problems: How can the Science of Learning help you as a learning leader to frame problems in your educational or workplace contexts?
- Reviewing Evidence: How can you as a learning leader draw upon the Science of Learning to review evidence in the literature and in your context?
- Taking action: How can you as a learning leaders use a Science of Learning approach to take action and lead learning in your team/ class/ organisation?
SEE TASK SHEET FOR FULL DETAILS OF THE TASK
Submission guidelines
Submit via TurnItIn
Mode
Your assessment response may be communicated in two forms:
(1) It may be a paper of no more than 2000 words that is written in the form of a professional learning paper for distributing to members of a school or organisational leadership team; or
(2) a slide deck of no more than 20 slides (with associated notes) for the simulation of a presentation to members of a school or organisational leadership team.
Both options share the common purpose of building the audience awareness of the connection between the Science of Learning and school or organisational leadership and strategic decision making about advancing learning in that context.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.
Professional Reflection and Application
- Mode
- Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written
- Category
- Reflection
- Weight
- 35% 1500-2000 words
- Due date
9/06/2025
Task description
EDUC7079: An Introduction to the Science of Learning in Practice
Assessment 3: Professional Reflection and Applications to Practice
Weighting: 35%
Due Date: Monday 9th June, 2025, 2pm
Length: 1500-2000 words (or approx. 10 minutes if Audio Visual option selected)
The Aim of the Assessment: To reflect on the key learnings across the course and present a final reflection on the implications of the Science of learning for your own professional learning and your practice.
SEE TASK SHEET FOR FULL DETAILS
The Task: This task requires you to reflect on your learning and how it has evolved and draw upon this to consider ways to translate the Science of Learning into your professional practice, now or in the future.
In this task you are required to respond to the following:
1. Reflect on key ideas from the course and describe one overarching Science of Learning principle or concept that has resonated with you as a learner, teacher, trainer, and/or as a leader of learning, drawing on relevant literature explored in the course to support your discussion of this principle and why it is important to you.
2. What teaching, learning, or leadership need or challenge is the principle or concept intended to address in your context and what are the mechanisms to support this, drawing on evidence from the literature to explain these mechanisms?
3. Explain how this principle or concept could be applied into your practice, identifying what some of the implementation or mobilisation challenges might be, and how you could overcome or mitigate these.
4. Describe ways in which you could evaluate the impact (gather evidence) of the above principle or concept in your context (refer to Module 4 in particular).
5. How has your understanding of the Science of Learning and its application to practice evolved over the course?
6. How could you draw upon the Science of Learning to sustain your professional growth and learning beyond this course?
The task can be presented as a written response, a video, or an audio presentation.
A draft of your key principle/ concept and of your responses to questions 2, 3 and 4 will be shared in the weekly workshop in Weeks 12 and 13 for peer and lecturer feedback.
The tone of the response can be conversational but must utilise quality academic references, cited using APA 7 style.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: No evidence of effective engagement with assessment requirementsﾠand literature. ﾠCritical analysis of literature not evident. No critical reflection of own learning and application. |
| 2 (Fail) |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Very minimal engagement with assessment requirementsﾠand literature.ﾠCritical analysis of literature and reflection of own learning and applicationﾠseverely lacking.ﾠWritten presentation extremely poor. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: Lack of engagement with assessment requirements and literature.ﾠ Poor critical analysis of readings, minimal reflection of own learning and application,ﾠwith substandard written presentation. |
| 4 (Pass) |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Satisfies all of the basic requirements for the course, such as some use of fundamental concepts, some use of references, some reflection on own learning and application to practice;ﾠsome elaboration of ideas and arguments, some degree of coherence and organisation and appropriate length; demonstrates sufficient quality of performance to be considered satisfactory or adequate or competent or capable with respect to explaining the significance and implications of the course and of reflections to practice. |
| 5 (Credit) |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Demonstrates ability to use and apply fundamental concepts of the course, going beyond mere replication of ideas from source materials to show understanding of key ideas, awareness of relevance, analysis of implications, thoughtful reflections,ﾠand drawing of conclusions to apply to practice. |
| 6 (Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Demonstrates awareness and understanding of deeper and subtler aspects of the course, such as identifying and debating critical issues or problems, applying ideas to practical situations in schools, and offering insightful reflection, commentary, implications and conclusions. |
| 7 (High Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Demonstrates imagination, originality or flair, based on comprehensive and complex understanding and reflection of the course.ﾠAssessment is interesting or surprising or exciting or challenging or erudite. |
Additional course grading information
Assignment Submission:ﾠAll assignments must be submitted electronically. Assignments must be submitted by the due date.
Determining Final Grades:ﾠThe final grades are determined by consideration of the weighting of individual assessment items, through the use of weighting formula and the profile of individual grades across accumulated assessment tasks.ﾠ
Exemplar to show calculation of final grade:
All three assignments in this course will be provided a grade out of 7.ﾠ The final grade will be calculated using the weighting and the individual assignment grade as follows.ﾠ For example if a student receives the following three grades:
Assignment 1: Grade of 4 at 30% weighting
Assignment 2: Grade of 5 at 35% weighting
Assignment 3: Grade of 6 at 35% weighting
The final grade for this student taking into account the weighting of each assignment would be:
ﾠﾠﾠ (A1)ﾠﾠﾠﾠ +ﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠ (A2)ﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠ +ﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠ (A3)ﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠ
(0.30 x 4) + (0.35ﾠx 5) + (0.35ﾠx 6) = 1.2ﾠ+ 1.75 + 2.1ﾠ= 5.05
The final grade would be rounded to the nearest whole number; in this case the grade would beﾠ5.
In the case where the final grade is a half gradeﾠthe grade will be rounded up to the nearest whole number (e.e.: 5.5 would become 6). In the case where the final grade is .49 or below, the grade will be rounded down to the nearest whole number (e.g.: 6.49 would become 6).ﾠ
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
The following applies to all assessments in this course:
Marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the 'Assessment' folder in Blackboard for this course.
Release of assessment item marks and feedback
In addition to the grade awarded, feedback will be provided in a timely manner to enable students to apply the feedback to further tasks within the course or program and/or plan for supplementary assessment, requests for re-mark, or re-enrolment. However, as per UQ Policy and Procedures Library under the Assessment Policy, results for the final assessment item are to be released only after the final grade for the course has been released. Time frames for applications for assessment re-mark are indicated under the Assessment Procedure.
Re-mark policy
After each assessable item, students will be given the opportunity to view their assessment and so satisfy themselves that a marking or administrative error has not occurred. The formal process of querying a course result (requesting a remark on academic grounds) is set out in the UQ Policy and Procedures Library under the Assessment Procedure.
Use of AI/MT to support or inform assessment
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
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Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (24 Feb - 02 Mar) |
Workshop |
Module 1 - Introduction to the SoL in Practice Students will be introduced to the Science of Learning in Practice, including some key overarching principles from the field and the science underpinning them. We will explore current definitions of the Science of Learning. They will be introduced to the purpose and value of meta-learning and reflective tasks, and provided with an overview of the course and assessments. Learning outcomes: L01, L04 |
Week 2 (03 Mar - 09 Mar) |
Workshop |
Module 1: The factors involved in how people learn WEEK 2: In the second week of Module 2, students will have the chance to develop their understanding of the science of learning research that underpins our understanding of how people learn and the factors that affect learning. We will draw from research across the key disciplines of the science of learning and explore learning in educational and workplace contexts. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 3 (10 Mar - 16 Mar) |
Workshop |
Module 1: Applying the SoL into practice WEEK 3: In the final week of Module 1 students will focus on some important principles of the science of learning and how these can be applied into practice, and consider these within wider holistic learning frameworks in different learning contexts including educational and workplace environments. |
Week 4 (17 Mar - 23 Mar) |
Workshop |
Module 2: Diving Deep into the SoL WEEK 4: Module 2 will focus on building deep understanding in individually identified topics. In Week 1, students will identify a topic of particular interest for individual exploration, and be introduced to ways to narrow scope of an investigation. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Week 5 (24 Mar - 30 Mar) |
Workshop |
Module 2: Diving Deep into the SoL WEEK 5: This week students will be focusing on developing skills in sourcing, evaluating and annotating quality resources relevant to their focus area. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Week 6 (31 Mar - 06 Apr) |
Workshop |
Module 2: Diving Deep into the SoL WEEK 6: In this final week of Module 2 students will be developing their skills in the evaluation of sources and how these can be communicated in a way that is useful for an educational context. There will be a focus on completing Assessment 1 and some links to reflective questions in Assessment 3. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Week 7 (07 Apr - 13 Apr) |
Workshop |
Module 3: Leading the SoL in Practice WEEK 7: This week we will explore current models of leadership in educational and workplace contexts, with a particular emphasis on Instructional and Transformational Leadership. We will then examine how selected models of learning leadership fit with principles from the Science of Learning. This week provides the context for Assessment 2 by examining leadership within the lens of the Science of Learning. Learning outcomes: L01, L04 |
Not Timetabled |
Assessment 1 Annotated Bibliography due Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
|
Week 8 (14 Apr - 20 Apr) |
Workshop |
Module 3: Leading the SoL in Practice WEEK 8: In the second week of Module 3 we will explore one of the fundamentals of learning leadership in the Science of Learning ﾖ problem framing. We will examine how learning leaders frame problems and set objectives. We will also recap the use of evidence in making informed decisions as learning leaders. The focus on problem framing and examining evidence is mapped directly to Assessment 2. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Mid-sem break (21 Apr - 27 Apr) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
Mid-Semester break |
Week 9 (28 Apr - 04 May) |
Workshop |
Module 3: Leading the SoL in Practice WEEK 9: This week we will examine how learning leaders can be informed by principles of the Science of Learning when they take action. We will explore some useful frameworks for leading learning in educational and workplace contexts, with explicit links made to Knowledge of these Science of Learning actions will be transferred to Assessment 2. Readings/Ref: Darling 2020 ; |
Week 10 (05 May - 11 May) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
Independent Study Week - Week 10 Independent Study Week |
Week 11 (12 May - 18 May) |
Workshop |
Module 4: Evaluating the SoL in practice WEEK 11: In Module 4, we will start to delve deeper into the barriers and enablers for mobilising science of learning research into real-world practice. Learning outcomes: L03 |
Week 12 (19 May - 25 May) |
Workshop |
Module 4: Evaluating the SoL in practice WEEK 12: This week we will take a look at some common ways in which research in the science of learning is conducted, and do a quick tour of some methodologies and analysis techniques that are frequently utilised in science of learning research. The aim of this week will be to build up student knowledge of common qualitative and quantitative methods so as to continue to develop individual efficacy around how to critically engage with and mobilise knowledge into your own context. |
Week 13 (26 May - 01 Jun) |
Workshop |
The SoL in Practice - a reflection WEEK 13: The final week of the course will synthesise the 4 modules and key ideas from each. It will also be an opportunity to share ideas and engage in dialogue with peers about how the key learnings can be applied in practice. |
Exam week 1 (09 Jun - 15 Jun) |
Not Timetabled |
Assessment 3 Professional Reflection and Application |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.