Abstract
The shift in focus in Higher Education from teaching to learning has prompted renewed debate about the nature of learning and how it might be facilitated and assessed. Non-invasive brain imaging in humans using structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (sMRI), functional MRI (fMRI), and Positron Emission
Tomography (PET) is for the first time offering researchers the ability to directly observe the effect of different types of learning on brain structure and function. These imaging techniques have the potential to bridge the gap in our understanding between low-level computational and mechanical-biological models of learning and high-level theories rooted in psychology and education. In this paper we compare and contrast recent work on learning-related brain imaging with theoretical and empirical models of learning. We consider the extent to which results from contemporary imaging studies can inform educational
theories, focussing on the Higher Education setting.
Tomography (PET) is for the first time offering researchers the ability to directly observe the effect of different types of learning on brain structure and function. These imaging techniques have the potential to bridge the gap in our understanding between low-level computational and mechanical-biological models of learning and high-level theories rooted in psychology and education. In this paper we compare and contrast recent work on learning-related brain imaging with theoretical and empirical models of learning. We consider the extent to which results from contemporary imaging studies can inform educational
theories, focussing on the Higher Education setting.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Higher Education Research Network Journal |
| Subtitle of host publication | Prizewinning Essays |
| Publisher | King's Learning Institute |
| Pages | 37-47 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Volume | 1 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-0-9558633-3-2 |
| Publication status | Published - 2010 |