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News & Events
Spotlight on Students
New Minor in Education, Learning, and Society
Over the past few decades, research on methods that support successful learning has increased significantly at the University of Washington. The University of Washington’s collaborative relationships with Boeing and 
Stanford, as well as bioengineering, engineering, and medical programs reflect the importance of researching the processes that enhance human learning.
How do human beings learn? What influence does society or culture have on the learning process?
These questions are at stake in the new College of Education minor in Education, Learning, and Society, jointly offered by the College of Education and the College of Arts & Sciences.
The Education, Learning, and Society minor provides a strong background in how human beings learn, and how society, environment, and culture shape that learning. University of Washington students with junior standing can declare the minor.
“We anticipate that the new minor will cultivate interest in education as a scholarly endeavor and a career pathway for our highly qualified University of Washington undergraduates,” stated Tom Stritikus, Associate Dean for Academic Programs in the College of Education. “Essentially, this enables undergraduates to seamlessly enter our teacher education program.”
Students in the Education, Learning, and Society minor select from a range of interdisciplinary courses, building a core of 31 credits for the minor. These classes must include a human development course and a course on current issues in education.
One available course is taught by John Bransford, the James W. Mifflin University Professor of Education and Psychology at the University of Washington in Seattle and Principal Investigator and Director of the LIFE Center. Bransford’s course integrates a field-based practicum based on research that he is currently doing in Bellevue public schools.
“It has been said, “There is nothing as practical as a good theory,”’ Bransford states. “We’ll “try on” some learning theories and see if that’s true. We will also explore how scientists study learning processes and create or test theories that can help people learn.”
In addition to stimulating coursework, students in the minor will participate in a field experience or internship, which provides hands-on experience to supplement their coursework. They also engage in a learning colloquium, in which students, educational researchers, and practitioners contribute to small learning communities.
Click here for more information on the Minor in Education, Learning, and Society.
For more information, contact Jenee Myers.
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