Psychology 3442F-001
Mind, Brain & Education
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
WESTERN UNIVERSITY
LONDON CANADA
Department of Psychology
2021 - 2022
Psychology 3442F Section 1
Mind, Brain & Education
- CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
The course reviews data from recent cognitive neuroscience research on educationally relevant cognitive functions. Discussions will focus on how such studies may be useful to education and how, in turn, insights from education may inform developmental cognitive neuroscience research.
Antirequisite: Not applicable
Prerequisite: Psychology 2820E, or both Psychology 2800E and Psychology 2810, and one of Psychology 2040A/B, Psychology 2410A/B, Psychology 2220A/B, Psychology 2221A/B or Neuroscience 2000.
3 lecture/seminar hours, 0.5 course
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Daniel Ansari
Office and Phone Number: WIRB 5180, 519-661-2111 Ext. 80548
Office Hours: Wednesdays, 11-12 via Zoom: https://westernuniversity.zoom.us/my/daniel.ansari
Email: daniel.ansari@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: Leah Brainin
Office: WIRB
Office Hours: Tuesdays 11-12 via Zoom: https://westernuniversity.zoom.us/j/99982673326
Email: lbrainin@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Thursdays, 3.30pm-6.30pm, WIRB1170
Delivery Method: In-Person
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Health and Wellness @Western https://www.uwo.ca/health/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
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 Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
The readings, with a few exceptions, will be recently published, peer-reviewed journal articles or book chapters. For this course to be productive, interesting, and successful it is imperative that you do all the readings. For your convenience I have posted the readings on the OWL website (https://owl.uwo.ca) for this course. If you have difficulties accessing the materials or if you find that materials are missing from the website, please contact the TA.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES & LEARNING OUTCOMES
The aim of this course is to critically review recent evidence from psychological and Cognitive Neuroscience studies on the development of mental functions that are important in the context of education. The review and discussion of evidence will focus on whether or not and by what mechanisms evidence from behavioral and brain-imaging studies of developmental processes can have an impact on education. In addition, the course will introduce students to the methods currently used to study the development of brain function and structure, thereby providing transferable skills in critical reading of peer-reviewed journal articles. Finally, the aim is to develop graduate-level writing skills.
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Learning Outcome |
Learning Activity |
Assessment |
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Depth and Breadth of Knowledge.
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Assigned readings Writing assignments Weekly Lectures
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Midterm Paper Final Paper Lay Summaries Quizzes Class attendance and participation |
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Knowledge of Methodologies.
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Weekly Lectures Assigned Readings |
Midterm Paper Final Paper Quizzes Class attendance and participation |
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Application of Knowledge.
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Assigned Readings Weekly Lectures Class Discussions |
Midterm Paper Final Paper Lay Summaries Class attendance and participation
|
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Communication Skills.
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Assigned Readings Class Discussions Writing assignments |
Midterm Paper Final Paper Class attendance and participation |
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Awareness of Limits of Knowledge.
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Weekly Lectures Writing Assignments Class Discussions |
Lay Summaries Midterm Paper Final Paper Class attendance and participation |
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Autonomy and Professional Capacity.
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Weekly Lectures Writing Assignments. Class Discussions |
Lay Summaries Midterm Paper Final Paper Class attendance of participation |
5.0 EVALUATION
Attendance & Participation (5%): This course depends on your active participation in the class discussions. It is therefore crucial that you make every effort to attend every class and come prepared to participate. Often the instructor will ask for definitions of terms from a previous class and thereby conduct a mini-review of the preceding class at the beginning of each class. Your active participation is required for this part of each class.
Quizzes. (5%): Every week, starting the week of September 16th, you will be asked to complete a short quiz that relates directly to the required readings for that week and will be made available at the beginning of class via OWL.
Lay Summaries (10%) and Feedback (10%) on 2 lay summaries:
Being able to summarize research findings in a way that is understandable to the general public is a critical communication skill. You will be asked to write two (2), 250-word (max) summaries of a research article related to the course content. To do so, you are asked to independently find two research papers (not review or opinion articles) using scholarly search engines such as PsychInfo, PubMed, Google Scholar etc. and provide a lay summary of the background, aims, results and implications of the research article you found.
In addition to being asked to write two lay summaries of articles, you will be asked to grade two lay summaries written by your peers to evaluate. You will be given a grading rubric and instruction on how to grade before the first deadline.
The deadline for submitting the first lay summary is: Monday, September 20th 2021, 11.59pm.
The deadline for submitting your reviews of 2 of your classmates lay summaries is: Monday, October 4th 2021,11.59pm
The deadline for submitting the second lay summary is: Monday, November 8th 2021, 11.59pm
The deadline for submitting your reviews of 2 of your classmates lay summaries (2nd round) is: Monday, November 29th,2021, 11.59pm
Midterm Paper (30%)
The purpose of this assignment is to give you the opportunity to write a short paper on one of the topics of the first 5 weeks and thereby consolidate your knowledge on this topic. You are required to write a paper of no more than 1500 words (1.5 spaced, 12 pt. font). Longer papers will be penalized. During the second week the instructor will circulate a list of 5 possible essay topics/questions. You are required to pick one of these topics for your midterm paper. In your paper you should not merely rely on the class readings, but go beyond them and do your own independent literature searches. The Midterm paper is due by 11.59pm via OWL on Friday, October 22nd 2021. Please make sure that you save your midterm in Microsoft Word Format. Please title your paper in the following way: Your Name_Midterm_Paper_3443. Please include the exact word count on your title page.
Final Paper (40%)
To give you the opportunity to review literature in depth and to provide a cohesive summary of conceptual and empirical advances in the Mind, Brain and Education, you are required to write a final paper of no more than 2500 (1.5 spaced,12pt font). You should choose the topic for your final paper from the topics within the syllabus and generate a question. You are strongly encouraged to discuss the topic of your final paper with the instructor or teaching assistant. You may also give the instructor a short plan of your final paper for review at least 3 weeks before the deadline. Your paper should be a critical review of the literature. Your paper should also contain a section on ‘Future Directions’ in which you discuss outstanding questions and ideas for future studies. The Final paper is due at 11.59pm via OWL on Monday, December 6th, 2021. Please make sure that you save your midterm in Microsoft Word Format. Please title your paper in the following way: Your Name_Final_Paper_3443. Please include the exact word count on your title page.
5.1 POLICY ON MISSING COURSEWORK
Quizzes(10%): Failure to complete the quizzes by the indicated deadline will result in a grade of 0.
Lay Summaries (10%) and Feedback (10%) on 4 lay summaries: There will be a late submission penalty. Specifically, 5% from the grade will be deducted for every day that the submissions are late.
Midterm Paper (30%): There will be a late submission penalty. Specifically, 5% from the grade will be deducted for every day that the submissions are late.
Final Paper (40%): There will be a late submission penalty. Specifically, 5% from the grade will be deducted for every day that the submissions are late.
PLEASE NOTE: Because this is an essay course, as per Senate Regulations, you must pass the essay component to pass the course. That is, the average mark for your written assignments must be at least 50%.
[This course is exempt from the Senate requirement that students receive assessment of their work accounting for at least 15% of their final grade at least three full days before the date of the deadline for withdrawal from a course without academic penalty.
The expectation for course grades within the Psychology Department is that they will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level to 2099-level courses
72% 2100-2999-level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows Western’s grading guidelines, which are as follows (see: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/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
Note that in the event that course grades are significantly higher or lower than these averages, instructors may be required to make adjustments to course grades. Such adjustment might include the normalization of one or more course components and/or the re-weighting of various course components.
Policy on Grade Rounding: Please note that although course grades within the Psychology Department are rounded to the nearest whole number, no further grade rounding will be done. No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade; nor will requests to change a grade because it is needed for a future program be considered. To maximize your grade, do your best on each and every assessment within the course.
6.0 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
Monday, September 20th, 11.59pm – Deadline for 1st Lay Summary
Monday, October 4th, 2021, 11.59pm – Deadline to provide feedback on 1st round of Lay Summaries
Friday, October 22nd ,2021, 11.59pm – Deadline for Midterm Paper
Monday, November 8th, 2021, 11.59pm – Deadline for 2nd Lay Summary
Monday, November 29th, 2021, 11.59pm – Deadline to provide feedback on 2nd round of Lay Summaries
Monday, December 6th, 2021, 11:59pm – Deadline for Final Paper
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Thursday, September 9th, 2021: Introduction to the Course
Thursday, September 16th, 2021: Methods & Models in Mind, Brain and Education
(Thomas et al., 2019)
CHAPTER WITH ANNA AND STEPHAN
Thursday, September 23rd, 2021: Brain plasticity and education
(Power & Schlaggar, 2017)
(Casey et al., 2005)
Thursday, September 30th, 2021: Early Experience & Brain Development
(Bick & Nelson, 2017)
(Noble & Giebler, 2020)
Thursday, October 7th, 2021: Genetics and education
(Harden, 2021)
Thursday, October 14th, 2021: The mathematical brain and education
(Vogel & De Smedt, 2021)
(McDonald et al., 2021)
Thursday, October 21st, 2021: The reading brain and education
(Ozernov-Palchik & Gaab, 2016)
(Church et al., 2021)
Thursday, October 28th, 2021: The adolescent brain and education
(Foulkes & Blakemore, 2018)
(Dumontheil, 2016)
Thursday, November 4th, 2021: Fall Reading Week – NO CLASS
Thursday, November 11th, 2021: Does brain training work?
(Stojanoski et al., 2021)
(Goffin & Ansari, 2018)
Monday, November 18th, 2021: Mindset and Grit
(Dweck & Yeager, 2019)
(Credé, 2018)
Thursday, November 25th, 2021: COVID-19 and Education
(Engzell et al., 2021)
(Orben et al., 2020)
Thursday, December 2nd, 2021: Course Review and Discussion
8.0 Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that Western University is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron peoples, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum.
With this, we respect the longstanding relationships that Indigenous Nations have to this land, as they are the original caretakers. We acknowledge historical and ongoing injustices that Indigenous Peoples (e.g. First Nations, Métis and Inuit) endure in Canada, and we accept responsibility as a public institution to contribute toward revealing and correcting miseducation, as well as renewing respectful relationships with Indigenous communities through our teaching, research and community service.
9.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offences. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offences because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offence 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 offences. 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).
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams will be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
In classes that involve the use of a personal response system (PRS), data collected using the PRS will only be used in a manner consistent to that described in this outline. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make every effort to ensure that data remain confidential. However, students should be aware that as with all forms of electronic communication, privacy is not guaranteed. Your PRS login credentials are for your sole use only. Students attempting to use another student’s credentials to submit data through the PRS may be subject to academic misconduct proceedings.
Possible penalties for a scholastic offence include failure of the assignment/exam, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
10.0 POLICY ON THE USE OF EXAM PROCTORING SOFTWARE
When examinations and tests cannot be given in person (e.g., in courses coded as Distance Studies; in the event of a lockdown order), they may be conducted using either a monitoring platform such as Zoom or a remote proctoring service, such as Proctorio. If Zoom is used for exam invigilation, you will be required to keep your camera on for the entire session, hold up your student card for identification purposes, and share your screen with the invigilator if asked to do so at any time during the exam. The exam session using Zoom will not be recorded.*
If a remote proctoring service is used, the service will require you to provide personal information (including some biometric data). The session will be recorded. The instructor will alert you to the use of this software as close as possible to the start of the term, however, in the event that in-person exams are unexpectedly canceled, you may only be given notice of the use of a proctoring service a short time in advance. More information about remote proctoring is available in the Online Proctoring Guidelines. Please ensure you are familiar with any proctoring service’s technical requirements before the exam. Additional guidance is available at the following link: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/onlineproctorguidelines.pdf
* Please note that Zoom servers are located outside Canada. If you would prefer to use only your first name or a nickname to login to Zoom, please provide this information to the instructor in advance of the test or examination. See this link for technical requirements: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us
11.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR ILLNESS OR OTHER ABSENCES
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf
If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:
- Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
- For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
- For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form must be submitted before the exam/coursework deadline in order to be valid. It may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
- must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hoursafter the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence
Students seeking accommodation for religious purposes are advised to contact Academic Counselling at least three weeks prior to the religious event and as soon as possible after the start of the term.
12.0 Contingency Plan for Return to Lockdown: IN-Person & Blended classes
In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence or any other event that necessitates the course delivery moving away from face-to-face interaction, all remaining course content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at the times indicated in the timetable) or asynchronously (e.g., posted on OWL for students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change. Any remaining assessments will also be conducted online, as determined by the course instructor.
13.0 STATEMENTS CONCERNING ONLINE ETIQUETTE
In courses involving online interactions, the Psychology Department expects students to honour the following rules of etiquette:
- please “arrive” to class on time
- please use your computer and/or laptop if possible (as opposed to a cell phone or tablet)
- please ensure that you are in a private location to protect the confidentiality of discussions in the event that a class discussion deals with sensitive or personal material
- to minimize background noise, kindly mute your microphone for the entire class until you are invited to speak, unless directed otherwise
- In classes larger than 30 participants please turn off your video camera for the entire class unless you are invited to speak
- In classes of 30 students or fewer, where video chat procedures are being used, please be prepared to turn your video camera off at the instructor’s request if the internet connection becomes unstable
- Unless invited by your instructor, do not share your screen in the meeting
The course instructor will act as moderator for the class and will deal with any questions from participants. To participate please consider the following:
- If you wish to speak, use the “raise hand” function and wait for the instructor to acknowledge you before beginning your comment or question.
- Please remember to unmute your microphone and turn on your video camera before speaking.
- Self-identify when speaking.
- Please remember to mute your mic and turn off your video camera after speaking (unless directed otherwise).
General considerations of “netiquette”:
- Keep in mind the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students in the course.
- Be courteous toward the instructor, your colleagues, and authors whose work you are discussing.
- Be respectful of the diversity of viewpoints that you will encounter in the class and in your readings. The exchange of diverse ideas and opinions is part of the scholarly environment. “Flaming” is never appropriate.
- Be professional and scholarly in all online postings. Use proper grammar and spelling. Cite the ideas of others appropriately.
Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct.
14.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services: 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
- 2021-2022 Calendar References
If you wish to appeal a grade, please read the policy documentation at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/appealsundergrad.pdf
Please first contact the course instructor. If your issue is not resolved, you may make your appeal to the Undergraduate Chair in Psychology (psyugrd@uwo.ca).
Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, videos and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute any course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
Policy on the Recording of Synchronous Sessions: Some or all of the remote learning sessions for this course (if scheduled) may be recorded. The data captured during these recordings may include your image, voice recordings, chat logs and personal identifiers (name displayed on the screen). The recordings will be used for educational purposes related to this course, including evaluations. The recordings may be disclosed to other individuals participating in the course for their private or group study purposes. Please contact the instructor if you have any concerns related to session recordings. Participants in this course are not permitted to privately record the sessions, except where recording is an approved accommodation, or the student has the prior written permission of the instructor.
