Learning is the process of gaining understanding that leads to the modification of attitudes and behaviours through the acquisitin of knowledge, skills and values, through study and experience. Learning causes a change of behavior that is persistent, measurable, and specified or allows an individual to formulate a new mental construct or revise a prior mental construct (conceptual knowledge such as attitudes or values). It is a process that depends on experience and leads to long-term changes in behavior potential. Behavior potential describes the possible behavior of an individual (not actual behavior) in a given situation in order to achieve a goal. But potential is not enough; if individual learning is not periodically reinforced, it becomes shallower and shallower, and eventually will be lost in that individual. Education can be defined as the conscious attempt to promote learning in others (but see Education for other definitions.) Traditionally, analysis of this attempt has centered around direct teaching on the part of teachers. In what constitutes a paradigm shift, however, people now note that learning can be promoted in ways that go beyond direct instruction by a teacher - education now centers around creating a viable, productive learning environment, regardless of how teacher-centric that environment might be. When the term education is combined with entertainment, the term edutainment is coined. Edutainment also called 'e-learning' are new methods and practices that enabled learning in faster, more efficient and more entertaining ways. The idea is usually to combine games with learning, using software or interactive courses. There are also blogs [1] on edutainment that keep up with the latest news and updates on software, videos, and lessons that use edutainment as a basis for teaching in a more efficient and faster way [2].
Situated learning is a model of learning first proposed by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger. It suggests that all learning is contextual, embedded in a social and physical environment.
Often it is "just in time learning", but not always - music, sports and military training usually begin very early and continue for the whole career of the learner. And classrooms designed for situated learning are usually in use long before there is any "need" to learn the material at hand.
Edutainment (also educational entertainment or entertainment-education) is a form of entertainment designed to educate as well as to amuse. Edutainment typically seeks to instruct or socialize its audience by embedding lessons in some familiar form of entertainment: television programs, computer and video games, films, music, websites, multimedia software, etc. Examples of this would be [1] or guided amphibious duck tours that entertain and educate [2]. There are also blogs [3] on edutainment that keep up with the latest news and updates on software, videos, and lessons that use edutainment as a basis for teaching in a more efficient and faster way [4].
Most often, edutainment seeks either to tutor in one or more specific subjects, or to change behaviour by engendering specific sociocultural attitudes. This is also used for behavior students in certain schools in the UK. Successful edutainment is discernible by the fact that learning becomes fun and teachers or speakers educate an audience in a manner which is both engaging and amusing. Various groups in the United States and the United Kingdom have used edutainment to address such health and social issues as substance abuse, immunization, teenage pregnancy, HIV / AIDS, and cancer. Edutainment is also a growing paradigm within the science museum community in the United States. This approach emphasizes fun and enjoyment, often at the expense of educational content. The idea is that Americans are so used to flashy, polished entertainment venues like movie theatres and theme parks that they demand similar experiences at science centers and museums. Thus, a museum is seen as just another business competing for entertainment dollars from the public, rather than as an institution that serves the public welfare through education or historical preservation.
Personalised Learning is the tailoring of pedagogy, curriculum and learning support to meet the needs and aspirations of individual learners.
Learners embarking on a learning journey need a clear map and some obvious signposts! This also forms part of the dialogue with the learner. Whilst personalised learning may happen in traditional learning establishments such as schools and colleges, it embraces learning that happens anywhere, for example in the home, in the community - anywhere. Personalised learning can happen in partnership with other learners, for example learners working together in a group to study a particular topic. ICT and Communications technology can be a powerful tool for personalised learning as it allows learners access to research and information, and provides a mechanism for communication, debate, and recording learning achievements.
The following support articles, modules and workshops have been designed to assist you during your study programme and beyond:
Student Handbooks and Resources 
Some material in this resource are shown in a .pdf, animated or compressed format. To view or save these files to your computer you should download and install free programs here:
We would be pleased to hear from you if you have any comments or suggestions regarding the present or future development of this Learner Support Resource.
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