Explore by Learning Style

Particular tools can either be integrated into course syllabi or facilitated as one-time activities. It is especially important in education abroad programming to be attentive to the interplay between formal, non-formal and informal learning and to develop and implement programs that respond to different learning situations. For the purposes of the Toolkit, the terms are concisely defined as follows:

1. Formal Learning is planned learning that derives from activities within a structured learning setting. It typically involves attending lectures, preparing coursework, engaging in seminar/tutorial discussions, etc.
2. Non-Formal Learning is a distinction in learning between formal and informal learning. It is learning that occurs in a formal learning environment, but that is not formally recognized within a curriculum or syllabus. It typically involves workshops, clubs, student organizations, etc.
3. Informal Learning is unstructured learning that derives from activities outside the formal learning and teaching settings. It has no curriculum and is not professionally organized, but is an ongoing process that occurs in its natural function as a tool for living and survival. Informal learning is likely most prevalent form of learning in an education abroad setting.