Preparing Professionals for Changing Educational Contexts

Department of Educational Psychology

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

EPY 303: EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY (Distance Education)

July 15 – August 16, 2002

Dr. Michael Nussbaum

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course applies psychological principles to issues that teachers encounter in the classroom, specifically issues related to student learning, development, motivation, and behavior management. The course is primarily intended for individuals who are preparing to be teachers. It is a 4-credit course. Prerequisites: PSY 101 (preferable), SOC 101, or ANT 101, and completion of at least 45 credits.

This is a distance education course that will use a combination of lectures and discussions. Because both of these (as well as exams) will be delivered over the Web, you will need to use a computer on a daily basis with access to the Internet. The computer should contain Netscape (version 4.7 or later) or Internet Explorer (Netscape preferred) and, for viewing certain videoclips, RealPlayer (basic) version 8. Possession of Acrobat Reader 4.0. is optional but desirable. Free downloads of these tools and an explanation of the technical requirements of the course are further explained at http://www.unlv.edu/courses/wct/tech.html.

You will need a WEB-CT account if you do not already have one, which you can establish at http://webct.unlv.edu:8900/ and you will need to add the following course: epy303s210mn. (Signing up through WEB-CT is not, however, the same as registering for the course.) As there are other sections of EPY303, be sure you add the correct section. Additional readings and materials will be distributed through WEB-CT. We will also use WEB-CT to conduct small- and large-group discussions of the material.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Technical problems with WEB-CT: 895-0334 (distance education office)

General information on distance education: http://www.unlv.edu/infotech/Distance_Education/

For instructional questions, you may contact the instructor. I will not be on campus when this course is conducted. The best way to reach me is to through WEB-CT private mail. (Click on private mail, compose, browse, instructor.) If this does not work, I can also be contacted through voicemail at (702) 895-2665 (which I will check on a daily basis during the first week of the course).

Office hours (through WEB-CT chat): M & Th 7-7:15 pm (longer if necessary) & by appointment.

TIMELINESS: This is a 4-unit course that is normally offered over a 15-week period but has been condensed into 5 weeks. Given the short time frame and the distance education format, it is very easy to fall behind if you do not observe the course schedule. It is therefore important for you to keep up. It is in fact a good idea to view lectures, complete reading, etc., early if at all possible. Quizzes should be completed by the appropriate due date.

MATERIALS

Required

Textbook: Eggen, P., & Kauchak, D. (1999). Educational psychology: Windows on classrooms (5^th ed, with CD-ROM). Available from the UNLV bookstore.

Supplementary articles, videoclips, & case pages (available over WEB-CT).

Recommended: PowerPoint slides (contains slides from lectures), available from the WEB-CT bulletin board if you have PowerPoint. (I recommend printing them out in “handout mode.”) For all students (including those without access to PowerPoint), lecture outlines are available in the course content section of WEB-CT.

COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

By the end of the course, you should have acquired the following knowledge, skills, and dispositions.

Knowledge of….

1. development, including (a) the major milestones in human development, and (b) different explanations for these milestones (as applied to cognitive, psychosocial, and moral development).

major parenting styles and the role of parents in child development.
the major principles of cognitive, social cognitive, and behavioral psychology and the relevance to teaching and learning.
approaches for teaching concepts and learning strategies.
the factors that contribute to the transfer of learning.
different approaches for motivating students, including those related to intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, attributions, and self-worth.
the various dimensions of students’ self-concept and methods for enhancing it.
various instructional delivery systems and the underlying psychological principles.

Prerequisite knowledge for the following skills:

Classroom management.
Lectures and direct instruction.
Conducting classroom and electronic discussions.

Skills

1. The ability to participate effectively in small-group and large-group electronic discussions.

2. Ability to apply psychological concepts to practical situations through, for example, case analysis skills.

3. Ability to use study skills in teaching and learning.

Dispositions

1. Dispositions to think critically, consider different points of view, and an appreciation of the complex and uncertain nature of knowledge.

2. A desire to understand complex issues and ideas in-depth.

RESULTS

Students will demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and dispositions in the following ways:

1. Engaging in thoughtful bulletin board discussions regarding issues of professional practice and the role of parents and effective parenting;

2. Responding to application questions requiring comprehension of course concepts;

3. Preparing written analysis of teaching cases regarding motivation and pedagogy.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

This course covers a large amount of material in a short amount of time. It is therefore very important that you keep up with the assigned readings, lectures, and activities. In addition, you need to keep up so as to participate in small- and large-group discussions in a timely manner. Please follow strictly the due dates outlines in the courses schedule. The major requirements for the course are:

1. Timely completion of assigned readings, lectures, and activities. Follow the syllabus carefully. (The course content section in WEB-CT is organized just like the syllabus, so if you go through the course content section step-by-step, observing the due dates carefully, you should do fine.)

2. Participation in electronic discussions. Approximately twice a week, there will two discussion questions that I will place on the bulletin board: one for whole-class discussion, the other for small-group discussion (you will be assigned to a small-group with three other students).

a. For small-group discussions, go to the small-group forum on the bulletin board. For each discussion, you must write at least two notes (one should be a response to someone else’s note). You are also encouraged to bring-up new issues and questions. Groups may be required to produce a final product (for example, answers to a series of questions).

You must volunteer to summarize your small-group’s answers at least once.

b. For whole-class discussion, you should make at least two contributions during the course (your initial introduction does not count). The contributions should add-on to the discussion in a meaningful and coherent way; it is okay to “second” and add-on to someone else point, but it is not useful to have participants repeat the same point over and over again. You are also encouraged to respectfully disagree with your classmates or the instructor, if you provide reasons for your disagreement.

c. At the end of the course, you will be asked to provide the instructor with three examples of “good” contributions to a small-group or whole-class discussion. A good contribution would be an insightful comment, idea, or question you raised.

3. Submission of exercises on moral development from the textbook’s CD-ROM, and two individually written case analysis (on "Tim" & "Voss/Barton").

4. Completion of 4 multiple-choice quizzes (one per week) over WEB-CT. The quizzes will not be cumulative.

ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION

Grades will be based on the following:

Quizzes (15% each) 60%

Completion of learning activities:

Minimum participation in discussions 10%*

Completion of small-group and CD-Rom assignments 5%*

Performance assessments:

Evidence of quality participation in discussions 15%

Individual case analyses (5% each) 10%

*Generally graded credit-no-credit. Full points will be awarded unless there is a serious deficiency. A penalty of up to 10% may be assessed for failure to complete all work in a timely manner.

TIMELINESS: I REPEAT--this is a 4-unit course that is normally offered over a 15-week period but has been condensed into 5 weeks. Given the short time frame and the distance education format, it is very easy to fall behind if you do not observe the course schedule. It is therefore important for you to keep up. It is in fact a good idea to view lectures, complete reading, etc., early if at all possible. Quizzes should be completed by the appropriate due date.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: If you have a documented disability that may require assistance, you need to go to the Disability Resource Center (DRC) for coordination of your academic accommodations. The DRC is located in the Reynolds Student Services Complex, Rm. 1387. The DRC phone is 895-0866 or TDD 895-0652.

USE OF WORK SAMPLES: Work samples completed for this class may be used as part of the College of Education's NCATE accreditation and be viewed by COE administrators and the NCATE accreditation team. By enrolling in this class, students give permission for work samples to be used for this purpose.

UNIT 1: DEVELOPMENT & INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

SCHEDULE WEEK 1: CHILD/ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT

Chapters 2 & 3

July 15-21

On or before July 15 (Monday):

Familiarize yourself with how to use WEB-CT. (It's pretty easy to figure out, but if you desire, you may request a videotape on WEB-CT from the distance ed. office.)

Read course introduction (in WEB-CT, course content section).

Place on the bulletin board a note introducing yourself in the introductions topic.

On or before July 17 (Wednesday night):

View lecture #1 on stage theories (in WEB-CT, video lectures)

Read textbook pp. 38-52: Piaget’s stages.

View case page, “Piaget & Conservation” (in course content section of WEB-CT)

View case page, “Erikson’s Stages of Development” (in course content section).

Additional recommended reading: Textbook pp. 91-98 Erikson

On or before July 18 (Thursday night)

Read textbook pp. 104-117: Development of morality.

View textbook CD: Assessing moral development (slides 1-23, ignore the rest)

Save your answers—send to me as a text file by Friday, noon, in private mail.

On or before July 20 (Saturday night):

View lecture #2 nonstage concepts (in WEB-CT, video lectures)

Read Jenny Newhall case in textbook, pp. 74-76.

View case page, “Example of Assimilation”

View case page, “Scaffolding”

Read Shure, “Kids who behave differently, think differently/4 styles of parenting” (in Web-CT)

Start small-group discussion notes (on parenting): Think about either Baumrind’s or Shure’s list of parenting styles. As a child, which parenting styles did your experience the most, and how do you think it affected you? (Write at least one note and place on the bulletin board.)

UNIT 2: THEORIES OF LEARNING

BEHAVIORISM AND SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY

Chapter 6

On or before July 25 (Thursday)

--View lecture #3, “Behaviorism & Social Cognitive Theory” (in video lectures)

On or before July 26 (Friday)

--Reading on behavior modification (WEB-CT)