The value of learning modules

Learning modules are organized collections of content basically put together in support of an objective. In short, a learning module is a building block of lessons. Modules are also created in such a way that both teachers and students can track and trace the learning process, which are most of the time (if not all of the time) applied to life skills. Learning modules help to determine whether learners are able to meet their goals.

I am a parent of two home schooled children and for many years, we lived on learning modules that specified what they were supposed to have learned by the end of every semester. My children’s courses were so advanced that for a moment, I had to cope with the volume of novels that were meant to be read in specified periods of time. The course outlines per grade level were very precise, indicating accomplishments on a weekly basis.  By God’s grace, my children were able to meet their objectives and on track, which included a series of assignments, discussions, quizzes and other grade level mandated tasks.

Learning modules are carefully crafted. They are created inside a content area that depends on the understanding of the first concept in order to understand the second. The value of creating learning modules, however, lies in the ability to integrate related content and activities while providing a rich and interactive experience for learners. Parents and teachers alike must focus always on the learning process as this would be the basis of how much a learner has learned.

When it comes to online learning, an environment that is much different from face to face learning, the structure of a module must be in tune with the kind of environment that the learner is dealing with in order to be able to apply what he or she has learned. Learning modules include a whole lot of logic and by using logic, especially if it is meant to demonstrate something that is so much harder to do because it is done online, can pose a challenge.

Learning modules should at all cost improve the standard of learning for learners as they face the struggles and challenges of the learning process itself. In other words, learning modules must be effective in facilitating learners through the learning process. A modular planner therefore must be logical, as the paradigm shift from teacher-centered to learner-centered is very much in place.

While many of us in our generation have been used to “what our teachers taught us”, in the era of technology and online learning, the learning process has transformed into “what the learner has learned”. Having said, this, it is crucial to remember that learners are impressionable and whatever we teach our children will have an impact on the rest of their lives.