Psychology 2062A-001
Educational Psychology
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
Welcome to this course! As a species, one of the most impressive things that we do is pass along knowledge from one generation to the next. We will discuss theories and principles to optimize the learning experience, for both students and the teacher. And who knows, the principles we discuss in class just might help you boost your GPA, given that the course is all about learning!
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
Survey of psychological research and theory in terms of their implications for educational practice. Topics will include learning, motivation, development, problem-solving, individual differences, teacher effectiveness and assessment.
Antirequisites: Psychology 2610F/G, 2620A/B
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.
3 lecture hours, 0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Alexandra Twyman
Office and Phone Number: SSC 7440, ext 84727
Office Hours: By appointment
Email: atwyman3@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: Mikayla Keller
Office: TBA
Office Hours: Mondays after class
Email: mkeller4@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Lectures: Mondays, 9:30 – 12:30 a.m. UCC-37
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Woolfolk, Winne & Perry (2016) Educational Psychology, 6th Canadian edition.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
The aim of this course is to become familiar with psychological research in educational psychology with a particular focus on learners and learning. The broad questions to be addressed include: what is learning, who is the learner, under what conditions does learning occur, how can learning be facilitated, and how do we assess (measure and evaluate) learning?
5.0 EVALUATION
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows the University of Western Ontario grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/general/grades_undergrad.pdf):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
Exams (80%): There will be two multiple choice non-cumulative exams in this course.
The first exam (40%) will take place in class on Monday, November 2nd, 2015 and the second exam (40%) will be during the final exam period.
Assignments (20%): Assignments are due on the Mondays listed below as a paper copy turned in before the start of class. There is a strict half page, 11 pt Arial font limit to each written assignment. I will use your top 4 of 5 assignments for your course grade, so each assignment is worth 5% of your course grade (20% of grade)
September 28th
October 19th
November 16th & 23rd
December 7th
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Date Topic Assigned
Reading
September 14th Course Introduction Ch. 1
21st Piaget & Vygotsky Ch. 2
*28th Basic Cognition Ch. 8
October 5th Complex Cognition Ch. 9
12th Happy Thanksgiving!
*19th Intelligence & Individual Differences Ch. 4
26th Assessment Ch. 15
November 2nd Midterm Exam: M.C. Questions will be on any topics covered in lectures, videos, and required reading up to and including October 26th.
9th Behavioral Principles Applied to Learning Ch. 7
*16th Social Cognitive Views of Learning Ch. 11
*23rd Motivation Ch. 12
30th Family & Peer Contexts of Learning Ch. 3
*December 7th Culture and Diversity in the Classroom Ch. 6
TBA Dec 11th- 22nd Final Exam – M.C. Questions will be on topics covered in lectures, videos, and assigned readings post midterm exam up to and including December 7th.
*Dates marked with an asterisk are days when an assignment is due at the start of class.
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
The University of Western Ontario’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/pg117.html
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2015 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.
