Yes, the instant feedback that digital affords is great for learning.
Bottomline: Go digital for learning, unless you really can't afford it.
There are tons of arguments are how film forces you to think / be more careful, etc. That really boils down to the temperament of the photographer - a careful photographer is careful, film SLR or Digital SLR.
With regards to going 'Manual' as part and parcel of becoming a true/real (or other hogwash) photographer - I think we need to be careful on what 'Manual' really means.
If 'Manual' means using M-mode on the camera, the photographer is still at the mercy of the camera's metering system.
A trained monkey can be taught to move the simulated match-needle to the centre by manipulating some dials.
Instant review is sure a fast way to learn but be aware not to fall into the trial and error category. The key point is to understand what you are shooting and understand the effects of the changes you make to the setting.
In my opinion, using a DSLR will speed up this process because for film, one will need to be diligent enough to take notes, then review the images when the photos are processed. Film processing may take up to a day and they cost money.
One also need to plan carefully what to shoot to learn, say, about aperture or shutter speed. You don't bracket your shots like f/5.6, f/8, f/11 and then ending not knowing the differences. Go something drastic, like f/2.8, f/5.6, f/11, then the effects can be clearly seen with minimum number of shots. These effectively will give drastic shutter speed also, if the metering was 1/125s @ f/5.6, then you'll get 1/500s, 1/125s and 1/30 respectively for the above apertures. Having a notepad is very important to take down the settings.
In the beginning stage, be prepared that the first few rolls of film will only give you a few satisfactory images. But that's learning. Some people need to spend the money and feel the pinch before they learn.
Going the DSLR way may be a heavier initial investment because the bodies are more expensive. But now, let's say decent ones will cost about $500-$1000 more than their film counterparts, that's about 30-60 rolls of film plus processing or 1000-2000 shots. As a beginner, it's not difficult to hit that because experimentation is part of learning.
For digital, you'll only need to print the images you want, so the shots used for learning are essentially free because you can just use a computer to view the images. It's just a faster way of learning if you learn the right way and not just trial and error just because it's free.
As for image manipulation etc, for film, if you leave it to the lab to colour correct during printing, then there is no reason why you cannot do the same for digital but many people would want to do it themselves and send for printing with no correction. Then you'll need to spend more money to get a monitor calibrator and image manipulation software.
Similarly, with film, you'll need to spend money to set up a darkroom, buy enlargers and processing equipment if you want to do it yourself. Believe me, a monitor calibrator and editing software is cheaper if you already have a PC/Mac (otherwise how did you post in CS? Right?) Instead of spending nearly an hour in the darkroom just to get the skin tone right with the test prints you make, you would now get instant preview on the computer.
Digital has revolutionized photography. There is nothing wrong with film just that the running cost and opportunity cost are higher even though the initial investment is cheaper.
Not trying to sway anyone one way or the other, I started with film, I won't know if it's good or bad to start learning with digital because sometimes the foundationn is not strong if one goes too fast.
The difference between P mode and manually adjusting a dial to match the needles or LED can be quite different for a beginner. At least the latter shows that the amount of light has to be measured and you are the one choosing the aperture and shutter speed, you are in control. If one started with P mode and get correct exposures, then he/she will not understand what metering is all about. No?
the module uses the darkroom at ADM?
