Department of
Learning Sciences
Documentation and Academic Structure of the Department
The Department of Learning Sciences examines learning as it actually happens in real, situated educational environments — classrooms, digital platforms, and learning technologies — using interdisciplinary methods drawn from psychology, computer science, and design, distinct from Faculty III’s Department of Learning Psychology, which studies the underlying psychological mechanisms of learning in more controlled conditions.
Where the Department of Education holds the general philosophy of teaching, the Department of Learning Sciences studies how that philosophy actually plays out — and increasingly fails or succeeds — inside the real technologies and environments learners now spend much of their educational lives within.
This document establishes the Department’s complete academic and institutional documentation architecture across seven structural layers.
Foundational Framework
Governing Field. Human Formation, examined through the discipline of Learning Sciences — the interdisciplinary study of learning as it occurs in real, situated educational environments and technologies.
Central Premise. A learning environment’s design — its interface, its data collection, its incentive structures — shapes learning outcomes as much as the pedagogical content it delivers, and increasingly does so through digital platforms that collect substantial data about the learners inside them.
Foundational Theoretical Anchor. The Department operates under the Principle of Educational Equity and Intellectual Independence established by the Department of Education, and coordinates closely with the Department of Learning Psychology (Faculty III, the psychological mechanisms this Department applies in real environments) and the Department of Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence (Faculty IX).
Programme List
The Department offers a complete academic ladder from foundational study through doctoral research.
Delivery Framework
The Department is delivered online-first, using structured cohort-based study supported by Module Specifications, Study Guides, Teaching Manuals, and Assessment Briefs for every unit, consistent with the Institute’s established production standard.
Curriculum
The BA (Honours) Learning Sciences curriculum proceeds across four levels, numbered LS101 through LS111, following the Institute’s core pedagogical standard: scaffolded progression from structured instruction toward fully independent learning environment research.
| Level | Focus | Modules |
|---|---|---|
| Level 4 | Foundations of Learning Sciences; the environment–content distinction; introduction to situated learning theory | LS101–LS104 |
| Level 5 | Learning technology and platform design; comparative learning environments; ethics of learner data collection | LS105–LS107 |
| Level 6 | Independent learning environment research; capstone applied study; specialization electives | LS108–LS109 |
| Level 7 (MA) | Advanced learning sciences theory; learning environments and Human Formation; research methods; dissertation | LS110–LS111 |
Key Pedagogical Standard. Every module moves the learner from structured instruction toward the independent capacity to design and evaluate learning environments that respect learner data and serve genuine learning — no learner exits the programme willing to collect learner data beyond what serves the learner’s own stated educational goals.
Research Fields and Centres
The Department maintains the following primary research fields:
Centre for Learning Sciences
The Department’s standing research centre, coordinating cross-domain research with the Department of Education, the Department of Learning Psychology (Faculty III), and the Department of Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence (Faculty IX).
Assessment and Ethics
Assessment in the Department evaluates a learner’s competence in learning environment research and design — never a reward for a platform design that maximizes data collection or engagement metrics at the expense of learner privacy and genuine learning.
Because learning technologies increasingly collect substantial data about the learners using them, the Department applies a dedicated integrity principle governing that collection.
Award Titles
Public-Facing Department Page
The Department of Learning Sciences is where the Institute studies how learning actually happens inside real classrooms, platforms, and technologies — and holds those environments to a strict standard of learner data dignity. As a sibling Department of Faculty V, it studies the environments where the Department of Education’s philosophy is actually put into practice.
Learners join a structured academic pathway from Certificate through PhD, moving from guided foundational study toward independent learning environment research, supported at every level by the Institute’s full documentation standard: Module Specifications, Study Guides, Teaching Manuals, and Assessment Briefs.
Permanent Department Documentation Order
The permanent documentation order of the Department, restated for reference:
Delivery Framework Detail
Programme Specification I — Certificate in Learning Sciences
Programme Specification II — Diploma in Learning Sciences
Programme Specification III — BA Learning Sciences
Programme Specification IV — BA (Honours) Learning Sciences
Programme Specification V — Postgraduate Certificate in Learning Sciences
Programme Specification VI — Postgraduate Diploma in Learning Sciences
Programme Specification VII — MA Learning Sciences
Programme Specification VIII — Specialized Master’s in Learning Sciences
Programme Specification IX — MRes Learning Sciences
Programme Specification X — MPhil Learning Sciences
Programme Specification XI — PhD Learning Sciences
Programme Specification XII — Professional Practice Certificate in Learning Environment Design Support
Summary Programme Table
A consolidated summary of all twelve programmes offered by the Department.
| Award | Abbreviation | Duration | Credits | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate in Learning Sciences | CertLS | 6–12 months | 60 credits | ₦450,000 |
| Diploma in Learning Sciences | DipLS | 1 year | 120 credits | ₦850,000 |
| BA Learning Sciences | BA LS | 3 years | 360 credits | ₦2,400,000 |
| BA (Honours) Learning Sciences | BA(Hons) LS | 4 years | 480 credits | ₦3,100,000 |
| Postgraduate Certificate in Learning Sciences | PGCert LS | 6 months | 60 credits | ₦900,000 |
| Postgraduate Diploma in Learning Sciences | PGDip LS | 9 months | 120 credits | ₦1,600,000 |
| MA Learning Sciences | MA LS | 1 year (FT) / 2 years (PT) | 180 credits | ₦2,900,000 |
| Specialized Master’s in Learning Sciences | MA LS (Spec.) | 1 year (FT) / 2 years (PT) | 180 credits | ₦3,200,000 |
| MRes Learning Sciences | MRes LS | 1 year (FT) / 2 years (PT) | 180 credits | ₦3,400,000 |
| MPhil Learning Sciences | MPhil LS | 2 years (FT) / 3 years (PT) | 240 credits | ₦5,600,000 |
| PhD Learning Sciences | PhD LS | 3–4 years (FT) / 5–6 years (PT) | 360 credits | ₦9,100,000+ |
| Professional Practice Certificate in Learning Environment Design Support | PPC LEDS | 6–9 months | 60 credits (practice-based) | ₦1,100,000 |
Credit Framework
The Department applies the Institute’s standard credit framework: one credit represents approximately 10 notional learning hours, inclusive of guided instruction, independent study, learning environment design practicum where applicable, and assessment.
| Level | Credits (Full Level) | Notional Learning Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Level 4 (Certificate/Year 1) | 120 | 1,200 |
| Level 5 (Diploma/Year 2) | 120 | 1,200 |
| Level 6 (BA Year 3 / Honours Year) | 120–240 | 1,200–2,400 |
| Level 7 (Postgraduate/MA) | 180 | 1,800 |
| Level 8 (MPhil/PhD, research credit) | 240–360 | 2,400–3,600 |
Learner Data Ethics Principle
Because learning technologies increasingly collect substantial data about the learners using them, the Department’s ethical commitments govern every module, practicum, and research activity it authorizes.
This principle governs curriculum design, learning environment design practicum, assessment design, and all research conducted across the Department, and stands alongside the Principle of Educational Equity and Intellectual Independence (Department of Education) as the second ethics principle documented within Faculty V.
Tuition Principle
Tuition for every programme is published in full above, with no undisclosed fees. Where a learner’s circumstances warrant it, the Department may offer needs-based tuition adjustment, cohort scholarships, or staged payment plans, at the discretion of the Institute’s admissions and finance offices.
Tuition figures reflect the Institute’s standard credit-based tuition model and are reviewed annually.
Final Delivery and Access Declaration
The Department of Learning Sciences is delivered online-first to maximize access for learners regardless of geographic location, with structured cohort support, complete documentation for every module, and a clear pathway from Certificate through PhD. No learner shall be required to relocate to access any taught programme offered by this Department.
Final Structural Declaration
The Department of Learning Sciences stands as a sibling Department of Faculty V, holding the interdisciplinary study of how learning actually happens in real, situated environments and technologies. Every award, module, and research activity documented above proceeds through the Department’s permanent structural chain:
This chain governs the Department of Learning Sciences now and permanently, coordinated with, and answerable to, the Principle of Educational Equity and Intellectual Independence held by the Department of Education.