Lifespan Growth & Development Syllabus for 2019-2020
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Instructor Information

Course Information

COVID-19 Protocols

Recording Policy

Disability Statement

If you have a disability (learning, mental, physical) that affects your ability to participate effectively and have access to any program or service at Amarillo College please contact Disability Services at (806) 345-5639 . Our offices are located in the Student Service Center office 112. More information may be found at www.actx.edu/disability.
Disability Services facilitates access to all programs and services according to the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as other federal and state laws.

Amarillo College Web Accessibility Policy Statement

Amarillo College is committed to providing equal access to all programs and services, including all working, learning, and service environments that affect equal access for persons with disabilities. This commitment to provide equal access and opportunity for persons with disabilities is in compliance with federal and state law. Amarillo College also strives to provide Electronic and Information Resources (EIR) that are accessible to all authorized users.

If you find you are unable to access material in an accessible format please contact the Disability Services Office at (806) 345-5639 . This office will work in conjunction with other campus resources to address and accommodate your issue in a timely manner.

Statement for Mental Health and Advocacy & Resource Center:

As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

The Tutoring for Success policy applies to any student whose grade or performance in the course falls below a departmentally determined minimum threshold. In either of those cases, the instructor will direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. Under this policy, the instructor will follow specific departmental guidelines governing the use, duration, and grade component of the tutoring need.

Administrative Drop Policy

Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

Student Withdrawal Procedures

Students who wish to withdraw from a course must complete all steps indicated on the Academic Withdrawal Request form by the course withdrawal deadline.

NOTE: Students who are attending Texas institutions of higher education, for the first time fall 2007 and later, may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career. This withdrawal limitation does not include dual credit or developmental classes (Senate Bill 1231 Rule 4.10.) For more information on Drop and Withdrawal Policies, please visit the Registrar's Office Web site.

Privacy Statement

The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students.  If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .

Course

PSYC-2314-001 Lifespan Growth & Development

Prerequisites

Course Description

Life-Span Growth and Development is a study of social, emotional, cognitive and physical factors and influences of a developing human from conception to death.

Student ResourcesStudent Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact:

Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me

You can also contact the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

Online Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Human Development 10^th Edition, Crandell, Crandell, and Vander Zanden

Supplies

Access to a computer with an Internet connection. If you do not have your own computer, you will need to use AC computers located on the 4^th floor of the WARE building.

Student Performance

Student performance and learning outcomes for PSYC 2314:

1.    Learn and gain mastery over the basic facts and research findings, terminology, principles, and theories important in the various areas of lifespan developmental psychology.

2.    Develop an understanding, the skills, and techniques for analyzing human behavior using a scientific approach.

3.    Gain a basic understanding of the interaction between genetic and environmental influences on human development.

4.    Gain a basic understanding of physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development across the lifespan.

5.    Gain a basic understanding of family, school, and work achievement, and death and dying, as they apply to lifespan development.

6.    Analyze current issues and controversies in the field of developmental psychology.

7.    Practice and develop critical thinking skills and written communications skills.

8.    Find ways to apply psychological findings to everyday life.

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

Reading your textbook will enable you to do well in this class.  Exam questions are pulled directly from the textbook, so you will need the book. Even though I will not be seeing you for lectures in this online-only class, I have still provided you with PowerPoint files for the lectures I give to my in-person classes.  You should use these to guide your work in this course. In addition, I have created full-length videos of my in-person lectures. You are NOT required to view these; however, you might find it helpful to hear information that supplements what you are reading in the textbook. By using these videos and looking at my PowerPoint slides, you will have a better idea of what to focus on for the exams. As an 8-week course, we simply cannot cover everything in the book, but we do go over all 19 chapters. I have made additional, general, short videos about our class and my expectations. Since we won’t be seeing each other regularly, please take advantage of these, since they will likely answer your questions.

All students are expected to be tolerant and respectful of other students and of me. There will be zero tolerance for any type of harassment. On Discussion Boards and all other assignments, please be courteous and respectful of the different opinions of your classmates. AC also expects that each student will engage in academic honesty and refrain from cheating and/or plagiarism. I require each student to complete his/her own work independently rather than copying assignments from classmates or working collaboratively. Exams should be completed independently, as should all other assignments for this class. Penalties for cheating as well as plagiarism are outlined in the Amarillo College Student Handbook. 

I expect all students to complete assignments in a timely manner.  No extensions of any due date will be provided.  Take advantage of the time you have and plan ahead.  For most assignments, you will have weeks to complete them – if they are available to you in Blackboard, submit assignments as early as you wish. Even on exams, you will have at least five days to complete them.  If you would like to complete an exam before it opens, please contact me as soon as you can.  If you are unable to complete an assignment by deadline, you will receive a 0.  I do not extend deadlines or accept late work.

Grading Criteria

You can check your grades in our course in Blackboard.  For your final overall course grade, I will round up at the standard .5 and above.  Grading will be on the grade scale:

100-89.5% = A
89.4-79.5% = B
79.4-69.5% = C
69.4-59.5% = D
59.4% and below = F

The points will be earned:

50% of overall grade – Exams (4); each Exam is worth 12.5% of your total grade
20% of overall grade – Social Responsibility Assignment
15% of overall grade – Reading Quizzes (19 total, but 4 can be skipped or dropped); each 
                                         of the required 15 will be worth 1% of your total grade
15% of overall grade – Discussion Boards (3) are each worth 5% of your total grade

• There will be four 50-question multiple-choice exams taken online in Blackboard.   
  • I will drop your lowest exam grade.
  • The exam questions will be taken from the book.
  • Exams are open-book and open-note.
  • Exams will open at 12:00 a.m. on the date indicated on the course calendar and will close at 11:59 p.m. on the indicated day. 
  • You must complete the exam all at once, in the allotted time of 90 minutes.
  • Please do not wait until the last minute, when you will not find anyone to assist you with technical problems.  I will be unavailable to answer questions after 8 p.m. each night. 
  • Do NOT take exams on a laptop connecting to the Internet wirelessly, a cell phone, or when using an unreliable connection.  Use an actual computer that has a dedicated cable for the Internet connection.
  • You will be able to see your exam grade immediately, but you cannot access all of the questions/answers until after the due date has passed.
• For the Social Responsibility Assignment:
  • You will be required to complete 4 hours of community service at a service agency in your community.
    • Possible agencies in the Amarillo area are provided in the “Instructions” document, available in our course in Blackboard, on the page in our course for this assignment. 
    • Note:  If you want to volunteer at a location not found via the “Instructions” document, you must ask me about your possible location.  I must provide my prior approval, before you complete your volunteer hours.
      • This applies to those of you who live elsewhere – get my approval for a comparable site in your area first.
  • You must provide signed documentation verifying that you completed all of the hours.  
    • If you do not provide verification of all 4 hours completed, you will receive a 0 for your overall Social Responsibility Assignment. 
  • After you have completed your hours, you will then answer questions about the experience. 
    • You will complete the “Social Responsibility Assignment Template” and submit it through Blackboard as a Word document or Rich Text file. 
      • Do NOT create your own file – use the TEMPLATE, filling in your answers after each question.
      • Do NOT submit this assignment as a PDF.  Only Microsoft Word or Rich Text files are acceptable.
  • Each question has a rubric, which will be used for grading. The questions are worth different amounts of points.  You will be able to access the rubric within the assignment in Blackboard and in the “Instructions” document for this assignment.
  • Although you can complete your volunteer hours with other classmates, you are required to complete the template on your own.  Submit your own independent work for a grade.
  • If you have done this for another class in a previous semester, you must complete another 4 hours and submit a new template, tailored to THIS class.
    • For example, you are required to cite our textbook – use the textbook we are using in this class.
  • See additional information about this project in our Blackboard class, including the rubric by which you will be graded.
    • In our Blackboard class, I have also created a video on this assignment.  I encourage you to watch it, because students who do not comply with the requirements outlined here and in that video will have points deducted.
• There is a Reading Quiz on every chapter in our book, and we will cover all of the 19 chapters in this course.
  • These quizzes are completed on Blackboard.
  • Each quiz includes 10 multiple-choice questions covering a specific chapter, (e.g. Reading Quiz #1 is over chapter 1).
  • Like the Exams, these are open-book, open-note.
  • Unlike the Exams, there is NO time limit, and you do not have to complete the quiz all at once. You can save your answers, exit Blackboard, and then see your answers again when you return.
  • Also unlike the Exams, you can take each Quiz as many times as you like. Your highest grade will be recorded in the gradebook.
  • Immediately after taking each Quiz, you will see your grade; however, you will not be able to access the full quiz with the questions/answers until after the due date has passed.
    • Because these quizzes are due before the exam (covering the same chapters) opens, you will be able to use your answers to the quiz to help you with similar questions on the exam.
  • I will drop 4 of these quiz grades. Or, if you score a 100 on all 19, I will award you bonus points for the 4 that are not required.
• There will be 3 Discussion Boards completed online in our course in Blackboard. 
  • Each Discussion Board will require you to submit an initial post responding to TWO of my prompts. 
  • Two days later, you will need to have replied to 2 different classmates about their initial posts. 
    • These replies must be substantive (not simply “good job” or “I agree.”)
  • You can find additional information, including the rubric by which these will be graded, in our course in Blackboard.
  • I will drop your lowest Discussion Board grade.

Attendance

As an online-only course, we will not be meeting for classes in person, so attendance is measured by way of you completing assignments by the deadlines indicated in our course calendar.  You must complete the first assignments by their deadlines or communicate with me about why you are not participating, or you will be dropped from the class altogether.  Also, remember that I do not accept late work – no due dates will be extended for any assignment.  So it is up to you to check our class online each day and to calendar and keep up with when all assignments are due.  Occasionally, I will make announcements, which will be posted in our class on the “Announcements page” in our course and also sent out via email, so checking your email regularly is also highly recommended.

Do not expect that you can put off all of the work in this class until the last minute.  Online classes are not usually easier; in fact, for many students, they are harder, since you are completing all of your work on your own, without easy access to your classmates or instructor.

That said, please contact me if you have questions or problems that are impacting your performance in this class.  As much as possible, I will be happy to help you.  My contact information is below.

Calendar

Additional Information

I will hold office hours by appointment.  I am happy to schedule times that are convenient for you, even after-hours or on weekends.  Since this is an online class, if you are unable to meet with me in person, we could arrange a time for a video call or Skype session.

The best way to reach me is by sending me an email (mseder@actx.edu) or a message using the Remind app.

You can also contact me on my office phone (806)345-5582, but that will only work during typical business hours (9:00-6:00).  If you do not reach me when calling, leave me a message.  I will check voicemail messages periodically throughout typical workdays (from 9:00-6:00).  If you do not leave a complete message, I may not be able to help you.  Please tell me your full name and which class you are attending (for example, “Sue Smith in General Psychology online”). 

I cannot guarantee that I will respond to any messages after 6:00 p.m.  I can guarantee that I will not respond to any messages left on my office number after 6:00 p.m. or to very many messages sent via email or Remind after 8:00 p.m.