PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PEDAGOGICAL ASPECTS OF MODULAR LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

• Xaitova Luiza Isomitdinovna

  Author

Modular learning organizes the curriculum into relatively autonomous, goal-oriented units (modules) with clear outcomes, learning resources, and assessment criteria. Beyond structural convenience, modular learning is grounded in psychological and pedagogical principles that influence motivation, cognitive processing, self-regulation, and learner autonomy. This article reviews key psychological mechanisms that support modular learning—goal orientation, cognitive load management, retrieval practice, feedback effects, and metacognitive control—and links them to pedagogical design decisions such as outcomes-based planning, scaffolding, formative assessment, differentiation, and constructive alignment. Special attention is given to learner variability (prior knowledge, self-efficacy, anxiety, and learning strategies) and to the teacher’s role as designer, facilitator, and feedback provider. The discussion argues that modular learning produces the best outcomes when modules are coherently sequenced, cognitively manageable, supported by explicit strategy instruction, and assessed through transparent, criterion-referenced methods.

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