0221 Learning Contract
0221 Learning Contract
Format: Individualized elective
CEUs: From 1.0 to 2.0 CEUs
You plan and carry out your own self-directed activity or project using a learning contract. A learning contract is basically a written plan that describes what you will learn as a result of completing some specified activity. The contract is a means of individualizing your learning by tailoring the experience to your needs and interests.
To complete this elective, you will take the following steps.
1. Talk with your course advisor to plan the learning contract. (Your advisor provides help, if needed, at any point during the contract.)
2. Submit a one-page learning contract to your advisor that covers:a. your learning objectives.
b. the resources you will use.
c. the amount of time you will spend (you may design a contract to earn from 1 to 2 CEUs, which is from 10 to 20 hours of work).
d. a target date for completion.
e. how you will self-evaluate the outcome.
3. Carry out the contract and self-evaluate the results.
4. Report on the learning experience and the self-evaluation with your advisor by phone or electronic mail. You decide, with feedback from your advisor, if the learning contract was successfully completed.Here are some general examples of how a learning contract might be used:
- Gain knowledge about a topic by reading selected articles.
- Learn more about something by interviewing experts.
- Test or demonstrate your knowledge by doing a small project.
- Evaluate the usefulness of an idea by applying it to a work situation or work problem.
- Integrate material from several sources by writing a paper.
- Practice new instructional design skills by creating a short study guide, audiotape, or videotape.
- Improve your teaching methods by taping and critiquing yourself.
- Learn a new skill by working alongside a resource person.
You also gain hands-on practice with a learning contract. Some distance education programs use learning contracts routinely to respond to the varying needs of adults, to help students plan and manage their learning, and to foster self-direction or self-evaluation.