Child Psychology Syllabus for 2016-2017
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Course

PSYC-2308-001 Child Psychology

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: RDNG 0331-minimum grade of C or a score on a state-approved test indicating college-level reading skills

Course Description

This course will address psychological development from conception through middle childhood with references to physical, cognitive, social and personality changes. Students will examine the interplay of biological factors, human interaction, social structures and cultural forces in development.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

Online Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Feldman, R. S. (2016). Child Development (seventh edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

 

You may choose to use either the hard copy or e-book version of the textbook. Please make sure you are using the correct edition (7^th). You do not need to purchase any supplemental reading materials.

Supplies

No supplies available

Student Performance

No performance information available

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

Learning is an active process, and it can be hard work. You are the only one who can determine how well you accomplish your goals. Success in this course ultimately depends on your willingness to put in the necessary time and effort. This course will only fulfill the Course Promises if you promise the following in return:

 

• To keep up with the class. Online classes require maximum student-led initiation and motivation. Remember, that if you were taking this class as an in-class lecture class, you would be spending 6 hours per week sitting in a classroom. This does not include the time it would take you to read your text and prepare for exams. This means that you should be spending 10-12 hours, weekly, minimum, on the class in order to be fully prepared for this course.  You must be a self-motivated learner, and a good reader, to do well in this course. If you learn best through lectures, this may not be the best course for you. Logging into Blackboard on a regular basis, completing the assigned readings, and watching the videos, before each lecture, are crucial for doing well in the course.

 

• To ask questions when needed. Please do not hesitate ask questions in class or to email me if you are having trouble or questions with any of the material.

 

• To complete the required assignments on time. The assignments provide you with opportunities to articulate your thoughts and responses to the issues we’ll be discussing.

 

Part of maintaining professionalism is completing assignments in a timely manner. You will also get the most out of the course if you turn in your work on time. It is your responsibility to make sure that your assignments are submitted on time. Late assignments will not be accepted.

 

Grading Criteria

Course Requirements and Evaluation

 

Quizzes (10 points each/ 150 total points):

 

You will take weekly quizzes over each chapter. Each quiz will contain 10 multiple choice questions from the chapter. At the end of the semester, your one lowest quiz grade will be dropped (There will be 16 quizzes, but only the 15 highest will count towards your total grade). Note that each week requires two to three chapters of reading, meaning that you will need to take two to three quizzes each week. The quizzes will be timed (1 minute per multiple choice question). So, you must be familiar with the material PRIOR to opening the quiz! The weekly quizzes will open on Mondays at 12:30 am, and will be due at Midnight on the following Sunday.

 

Final Exam (100 points)

 

At the end of the semester, you will take one final exam, which will cover all course material. You will be required to draw connections between the theories and concepts discussed in the course and to apply your knowledge of psychology to “real world” situations. These exams will be a mix of multiple choice and essay. Most multiple choice questions will be new questions which you have not previous seen on quizzes. The essay questions will be difficult, and will require you to understand the material, as well as connections between topics. A review will be posted in the weeks prior to the final exam. The final exam will be timed (1 minute per multiple choice question; 10 minutes per essay). So, you must be familiar with the material PRIOR to opening the Final! You will have from Monday, October 10^th at 12:30 am to Thursday, October 13^th at midnight to take the final.

 

Service Learning Project (100 Points):

 

For this assignment you will be required to serve a MINIMUM of 4 hours of community service at an agency of your choosing. You will be responsible for getting contact information including the name, title, phone number and email address for the SUPERVISOR or agency CONTACT PERSON for your project. After completing the service you will be required to give that information in the 1st question on your essay, so we can contact your supervisor/contact person if we have questions about your project. In writing your essay, you must answer in complete thoughts and complete sentences. Each question will be worth a certain amount of points totaling 100 points for this assignment. More detailed instructions regarding this project can be found in the “Service Learning Project” folder in Blackboard. This project is due by midnight on Sunday, October 9^th.

 

Marijuana Research Paper (100 points):

 

You will be required to take a position on the legalization of marijuana, review research supporting your stance, apply that information to information learned in this course, and write an essay outlining your stance as well as the available research. More information regarding this project can be found in the “Marijuana Research Paper” folder in Blackboard. This project is due by midnight on Sunday, October 9^th.

 

Discussion Boards (50 Points):

 

One of the limitations of online courses is the lack of convenient opportunities to raise points, draw connections between topics, and ask questions. You will be required to participate in weekly discussion boards to help facilitate communication, questions, and thought-provoking points. One discussion board will be posted in each of the first six weeks’ content folders. You can earn discussion points for any of the following:

1. 10 points - Post a link to an online news or research article that correlates to a topic in that week’s readings. You must also ask a question, or pose a thought (which requires responses) to your class. For example, during week 2, you could post a link to a New York Times article about premature babies, and ask a question such as, “This article discusses how, due to medical advances, babies can now be born, and survive, much earlier than was possible 20 years ago. However, many of these infants have lifelong health difficulties. Do you think this is ethical? Why or why not?”
2. 5 Points – Ask a question about a topic in that week’s reading. Questions should be about reading content, NOT course format (i.e., “Does anyone know when the quiz is due?” will not count). Your questions should be specific, well thought out, and not easily answered in the text. Simple thoughts or questions, such as, “I don’t understand the contextual perspective” or “What is the definition of the contextual perspective?” will not count.
3. 5 Points – Answer a question or thought posed by another student. Your answer must be well thought out, and contain at a minimum of two complete sentences. In other words, comments such as “Oh wow,” “I think so,” or “That’s the contextual perspective” will not count.

 

You do not have to post in the discussion forum every week; however, you need to have a total of 50 points at the end of the semester in order to earn 100% of your discussion board points. You may not earn more than 20 points in any one week (i.e., you cannot wait until the last week to post all of your points). You must post in each week’s discussion board during the week in which the readings/ quizzes are due. Posts to old discussion boards will not be counted towards your total points. It is recommended that you post original thoughts/ questions/ articles early in the week, so others have a chance to respond to your post. Discussion points will not be calculated until the end of the semester, so, you need to keep track of how many posts you have made. If you have less than 50 points, than that is the grade you will receive in the “Discussion Board” column in the grade book. You can earn up to 10 extra bonus points by making additional discussion board posts or comments (So, 60 points worth of posts). No other bonus assignments will be available, so, do not ask!

 

Make Up Quiz Assignments

 

In prior semesters, students would miss quizzes due to technical computer errors. Due to this, you may complete a replacement assignment, if you are, for some reason, unable to complete a quiz on time. The replacement assignment will be a 1-2 page "Reaction Paper", where you demonstrate how well you have read, and thought about, the chapter. These will be due 24 hours after the quizzes are due (Midnight on Mondays). This means that if you are taking a quiz on Sunday night at 9:00 PM, and your Internet suddenly goes out, and you get kicked out the quiz, you do not have to spend the night worrying about your grade. You can, instead, write a reaction paper over the chapter and email it to me. Another case where you might use the reaction papers is if you are planning on being unavailable for a week, and do not think you will have Internet access. You must write one reaction paper for each missed quiz. These options should cover most "emergencies" you face, no other options for make-up will be accepted. Specific Instructions for these papers are included in the “Reaction Paper Make-Up Assignment” Folder on blackboard.

 

Evaluation

 

Your grade is determined by your performance on the written assignments, quizzes, and exams, as well as your in-class and online participation. Performance is assessed individually (i.e., not  curved).

 

Course grades will be based on the following:
	Quizzes	150	(30%)
	Final Exam	100	(20%)
	Service Learning Project	100	(20%)
	Marijuana Research Paper	100	(20%)
	Discussion Boards	50	(10%)
	Total	500

 

Grades will be assessed on the following scale:

 

1. 450-500 (>89%)
2. 400-449 (80-89%)
3. 350-399 (70-79%)
4. 300-349 (60-69%)

6. Below 300 (<60%)

Attendance

No attendance information available

Calendar

Additional Information

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