Learning and memory in the brain

Aims of the course

• Improve understanding of what the neuroscience and psychology of learning and memory can (and can’t) tell us.
• Raise awareness of how the brain changes throughout life and how this affects our behaviour.
• Help develop strategies that can be used at home to improve learning & memory.

Learning outcomes

As a result of the course, within the constraints of the time available, students should be able to:

• know what happens in the brain when we learn
• recall what psychological studies have taught us about learning & memory, and their limits
• understand how the brain changes as we grow and age
• use this understanding to improve the efficiency of their learning & memory

Course content overview

Research in Psychology and Neuroscience progresses rapidly; we discover more about how we learn and how our memories work. This online course will provide a guided tour through the brain, looking at the changes that occur on a cellular level when we learn new information or store a memory. We will examine the way the brain changes from child to teenager to adult, and how these affect the way we learn and remember information. By understanding more about the way memories are stored and recalled, we can explore different ways to help improve this process, at any stage of our lives. 
The study of how learning happens in the brain is a popular emerging field, but it is filled with misinformation. The course will tackle common misconceptions and look at ways in which we can use our understanding of the brain, as well as the tricks psychological research has uncovered, to help everyone learn more quickly and efficiently. We will finish with a practical session covering memory tricks and exercises anyone can use to learn and remember information more effectively.

Target audience

Anyone with an interest in the brain, learning and memory. Teachers, parents, those with elderly relatives. 

Welcome week (Week 0)

Purpose:

• personal introductions
• introducing the course
• useful reading
• personal objectives

Learning outcomes:

By studying this week, the students should have: 

• become familiar with navigating around the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and from VLE to links and back
• test your ability to access files and the web conferencing software and sort out any problems with the help of the Technology Enhanced Learning team
• learn how to look for, assess and reference internet resources
• contribute to a discussion forum to introduce yourself to other students and discuss why you are interested in the course and what you hope to get out of your studies 

Week 1: Learning in the brain

Learning outcomes:

To introduce students to the neuroscience of learning and memory, and our limitations in its understanding. We will cover the reconstructive nature of memories, false memories, and their implications. By studying this week, the students should have:

• understood what neurons and synapses are, and their role in memory formation
• know the main brain regions implicated in memory and learning
• learnt that memory is fallible and changeable, and thought about what this means for e.g. eyewitness testimony

Week 2: Types of memory

Learning outcomes:

To discuss the distinctions that can be made between different types of memory, and their usefulness. By studying this week, the students should have:

• understood the difference between short-term and long-term memories
• explored different types of long-term memory, including explicit and implicit, and the brain regions involved
• looked at how recall and recognition memory differ

Week 3: Brain changes through the ages

Learning outcomes:

To cover the way the brain changes as we progress from babies to children, teens, and adults and as we age. We will explore how these changes impact our ability to learn at each stage in our life. By studying this week, the students should have:

• understood how the infant’s brain is primed for learning, and how different abilities mature at different times. Examined the evidence for critical periods in human learning
• looked at the teenage brain, and its implications for teen behaviour
• gained knowledge about healthy aging, and the brain and behaviour changes associated with it

Week 4: Memory problems

Learning outcomes:

To cover a variety of conditions that can affect memory, including traumatic brain injury, stroke and dementia. We will look at the portrayal of amnesia in the media and its accuracy and discuss what happens in the brain to cause these symptoms. 

By studying this week, the students should have:

• understood that damage to different areas of the brain can cause different types of memory problems
• looked at the psychological causes of amnesia and the controversies surrounding them
• covered childhood amnesia, and our limits in explaining it
• become aware of the limits in our understanding of dementia, and the direction future research is likely to take

Week 5: Brain Boosts

Learning outcomes:

To provide practical, science-based tips and tricks that students can use in their daily lives to help improve their memory and learning. 

By studying this week, the students should have:

• understood that psychology, not neuroscience, currently provides us with the most practical guidance
• tried a variety of memory boosts to determine which work best for them, and thought about how they could apply them in their lives
• analysed how the information they have learnt in the course can help make them better learners

Week 6: what next?

• assessment of student learning
• assessment of student satisfaction
• encouragement of further study

This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.  

Our short courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences. 

Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language to get the maximum benefit from the course.

Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours of self-study time, for example, reading materials, although this will vary from person to person. 

While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material). 

Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the VLE so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (using discussion boards etc).

Fees 

The course fee includes access to the course on our VLE, personal feedback on your work from an expert tutor, a certificate of participation (if you complete work and take part in discussions), and access to the class resources for two years after your course finishes. 

Concessions 

For more information, please see our concessions information page. 

Alison Fordham Bursary

University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education is proud to offer the Alison Fordham bursary, which is awarded to students who wish to study on one of our short online courses via our VLE, reducing the fee paid by 50%. The bursary is limited to a single award for each set of online courses. 

Application criteria:

• applicants should set out their personal learning motivations since priority will be given to those who are returning to learning after an extended break, or have not previously engaged with fully online learning, or are seeking to use the online short course as a bridge towards undergraduate award-bearing study
• applicants who can demonstrate financial need 

For more information, please see our bursaries information page. 

A certificate of participation and a digital credential will be awarded to those who contribute constructively to weekly discussions, exercises and assignments for the duration of the course.