Formal learning

core definition

Formal learning is planned learning that derives from activities within a structured learning setting.

explanatory context

Formal learning is enrolling on a programme of study, attending lectures, preparing coursework, engaging in seminar/tutorial discussions.

Formal learning should not be confused with ‘formal learning theory’, which, as the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy reminds us, is:

is the mathematical embodiment of a normative epistemology. It deals with the question of how an agent should use observations about her environment to arrive at correct and informative conclusions. … Terminology. Cognitive science and related fields typically use the term “learning” for the process of gaining information through observation — hence the name “learning theory”. To most cognitive scientists, the term “learning theory” suggests the empirical study of human and animal learning stemming from the behaviourist paradigm in psychology. The epithet “formal” distinguishes the subject of this entry from behaviourist learning theory. Because many developments in, and applications of, formal learning theory come from computer science, the term “computational learning theory” is also common. Philosophical terms for learning-theoretic epistemology include “logical reliability” (Kelly, 1996; Glymour, 1991) and “means-ends epistemology” (Schulte, 1999).

analytical review

AEC (2004) defines formal learning as:

Learning typically provided by education or training institutions. It is structured in terms of learning objectives, duration, content, method and assessment and leads to certification.

associated issues

related terms

sources

Association europeenne des conservatoires [Academies de musique et musikhochschulen] (AEC), 2004, Glossary of terms used in relation to the Bologna Declaration http://www.aecinfo.org/glossary%20and%20faq%20english.pdf, undated, accessed September 2004.

Glymour, C., 1991, ‘The hierarchies of knowledge and the mathematics of discovery’, Minds and Machines 1, pp. 75–95.

Kelly, K., 1996, The Logic of Reliable Inquiry (Oxford, Oxford University Press).

Schulte, O., 1999, ‘Means-Ends Epistemology’, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 50, 1–31

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2002, Formal Learning Theory, entry by Oliver Schulte, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/learning-formal/index.html#Sup, accessed, November 2004.