Now that you have worked through the material on knowledge, learning, and how people learn, you won't be surprised that there is no single explanation or rule for determining whether or not we have actually learned something. Once again, however, there does appear to be a common theme amongst the theories. These theories imply that learning has occurred when:

the new information is remembered, and
the learner is able to make sense of the information and can apply it in different situations.

Because many educators today support constructivist learning theory, we will discuss this topic from the view of constructivist learning. Remember that constructivist theory requires that information be both remembered and applied.

One constructivist theory of how learning occurs by Richard E. Mayer explains learning in terms of retention (remembering the information) and transfer (applying the information), as shown in the table below.

Retention	Transfer	Learning Outcome
POOR	POOR	No learning
GOOD	POOR	Rote Learning (memorization)
GOOD	GOOD	Constructivist Learning

This table indicates that when both retention and transfer are poor, no learning occurs. When retention is good but transfer is poor, rote learning (memorization) has occurred, and when both retention and transfer are good, then learning occurs.

Of course, a person must also be aware of what they are supposed to know in order to determine if learning has occurred. There must be some measurement or means of comparison. There appear to be two classifications of assessment to determine whether or not learning has occurred. They are:

measure what the person knows now compared to what they knew before, sometimes referred to as a 'value added' assessment
compare against an absolute measure such as learning objectives or an established standard of performance, sometimes referred to as a measure of 'accomplishment'. This is usually accomplished through some type of test to show what the student has learned - a written test or quiz, oral exams, presentations, projects, or even through discussion.

With the popularity of constructivist-based education, assessments are now commonly designed to measure dynamic learning - how students understand a concept and how they apply it based on what information they have. The use of self-assessments, journaling, and portfolios are methods that allow students to reflect on their own learning, create their own goals, and determine what needs to be done to get where they need to be.

go to Has Learning Occurred? activity
A matching activity

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Learning: A Case Study

Conduct an internet search and locate a video or a case where someone has learned that clearly demonstrates that learning has occurred. Please post your example (or the link to your example) to the Discussion forum for Module 1. State what evidence proves that this person actually learned the knowledge/skills they are engaging in.

If you are unable to find an example, please join us to discuss what others have found. Link to Discussion.

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pg.7/8, Mod 1