The Higher Education Learning Framework has been created as a guide for organisations, teachers and students to help frame thinking about teaching and learning design in higher education.
Alexandra Osika, Dr Stephanie MacMahon, Associate Professor Jason M. Lodge, and Professor Annemaree Carroll from The University of Queensland’s Learning Lab explore each of the seven principles of learning through a series of short articles published as a collection in the Times Higher Education (THE) Campus.
The sixth principle, learning challenge and difficulty, centres on the role of learning impasses and error making in learning and how to resolve these to promote strong and healthy connections in learning.
Higher education studies expose students to many new and complex learning experiences for the first time. These new learning experiences create challenges such as solving difficult problems, understanding complex content, engaging with unfamiliar and complex technologies and materials, and making challenging decisions. Challenge and difficulty in learning experiences can cause students to get stuck or hit impasses when new information contradicts their existing knowledge. However, if they can harness and explore these impasses, these can lead to productive learning experiences and deep learning, particularly if they are supported with timely, relevant feedback.
Conversely, getting stuck during learning can also lead to confusion, frustration, boredom and possible failure if the impasse is not resolved.
Struggle, effort, confusion and error are all part of learning, but finding the right balance can be tricky.
