PSYCHOLOGY Section M01 Mixed Mode Spring Semester Fundamentals of Psychology I MW 11:30 - A130. Course Description

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1 PSYCHOLOGY Section M01 Mixed Mode Spring Semester Fundamentals of Psychology I MW 11:30 - A130 ***You are responsible for all information in this syllabus!*** Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Poole, Ph.D. Office: B252i Phone: jpoole@langara.bc.ca (best way to contact me) Office Hours: Mon. to Thurs. 10:30-11:20 am; or by appointment Text Resource: PsychPortal (includes ebook for Psychology by David G. Myers [9 th edition, 2010]) Optional Text: hard copy of Psychology by David G. Myers (9 th edition, 2010) Course Website: thru mylangara on Blackboard CE Course Description Welcome to Psychology 1115! Psychology is an exciting scientific discipline, as well as an essential part of the helping professions. Psychology 1115 is a survey course, designed to introduce students to a broad range of topics within the field. Some of the topics we will deal with in this course include a brief history of psychology, research methodology, biology of the mind, how nature and nurture interact to influence behavior, development, consciousness, memory and learning. This course is a hybrid course which means that half of the course material is delivered in-class and half on-line. The class meets for two 50-minute sessions per week on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:30-12:20. In-class activities may include mini- lectures, group activities, videos, and discussions. These activities will be based mainly, but not exclusively, on topics covered in the textbook. In addition to these classroom periods, you are expected to spend additional time each week (approximately two hours) on-line completing assigned activities. Online activities will consist of posting discussion responses on Blackboard, watching videos and completing activities, tutorials, and quizzes from PsychPortal. Course Objectives Thinking about how and why we perceive, feel, think, and behave the way we do is the core of this course. To think is to question; thus, in order to do well in this course, you must adopt the

2 Page 2 Dr. Jennifer Poole Psyc 1115 Sec M01 Spring 2011 role of a scholar (i.e., in this case, one who is actively questioning assertions about behaviour and mental processes) rather than passively memorizing and accepting ideas in the text or my words in class. If you do this, you will develop an understanding of psychological ideas that will forever change the way in which you view yourself and the world around you. Many of the classroom and on-line activities have been designed to aid you in this venture. My hope is that you will choose the scholarly path and that you will find the study of psychology to be as fascinating and useful as I do. To be successful in this course, you must synthesize information presented in-class, in the text, and from on-line activities. Specifically, this means that your studying for tests should involve reviewing and integrating the essential ideas contained in all aspects of the course. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to: define modern psychology and identify the major perspectives within it; summarize the main areas, findings and methods in the subfields of psychology, (such as biological and developmental psychology) as described above; explain the scientific methods of gathering information and forming conclusions about human thought and behaviour; critically evaluate information about psychological research; relate information in this course to your own personal life; understand the need for multiple exposures to material in order to develop a solid understanding of it (e.g., participate in class, review notes, read text, complete online interactive exercises); demonstrate respectful, professional conduct in , online, and face-to-face communication with your peers, and instructor; and use your knowledge and understanding of psychology to serve as a foundation for taking more advanced courses in psychology and other related disciplines. Blackboard CE Online Course Materials This semester, our class website will be located on Blackboard CE. Through this site, you will be able to access class notes, the syllabus, discussions, your grades, and other useful information. To access Blackboard CE, login to your mylangara account. Once you are in mylangara, select the MyCourses tab at the top of the page. Listed under Blackboard CE, you should see Psyc 1115: Fundamentals of Psychology I Sec M Click on this link to open the course website.

3 Page 3 Dr. Jennifer Poole Psyc 1115 Sec M01 Spring 2011 PsychPortal In addition to our Blackboard site, we will also be using PsychPortal. PsychPortal is an interactive learning site that supports the e-book for Psychology by David Myers (9th edition). This site improves on the traditional reading experience in many ways, with frequent interactive demonstrations, activities, and opportunities to test yourself embedded within each chapter. You will be able to access reading material, online activities, and other study materials through PsychPortal. I will also post in PsychPortal learning modules for each chapter, outlining the readings and activities required to complete the online portion of the course. Because using PsychPortal is an integral part of this course, all students must purchase access to it. I strongly encourage you to plan on reading the course material through the e-book. However, students who prefer can also buy a physical copy of the textbook in addition to the PsychPortal website access code. To access PsychPortal: 1.) Point your browser to 2.) Click on the "STUDENTS REGISTER YOUR CODE" button 3.) Click the Register Your Code link next to your textbook s title 4.) You will be prompted to follow the on-screen instructions to find your course. You will start by selecting the school's state/province, the school name, then your instructor, course, and/or section. 5.) You will enter the access code that came with your textbook or that you purchased separately. You will also be asked to enter your address, choose a password and you will be ready to go! If you have any trouble during the registration process, please call or techsupport@bfwpub.com Term Tests Course Requirements There will be four term tests during the semester. The first three term tests will occur in-class on the dates listed in the course schedule below. Term Test 4 is to be scheduled during the final exam period; however, it only consists of material covered after the 3 rd test and will be similar in structure to the first three term tests. All tests cover only material from the previous test - they are not cumulative. All term tests will consist of multiple-choice questions. Test questions will assess your understanding of ideas discussed in the text, lecture, and classroom and on-line activities/ discussions.

4 Page 4 Dr. Jennifer Poole Psyc 1115 Sec M01 Spring 2011 Please bring your Langara student picture ID card to all tests. Bring a pencil and eraser to all exams. You may also bring a dictionary to the exam (in book form only NO electronic dictionaries). All other papers need to be left at the side of the lecture hall or classroom upon taking your seat to write the exam. PLEASE NOTE: You are expected to take the tests on the specified dates. If you miss a test, it is your responsibility to provide suitable documentation (e.g., doctor's note, death certificate), no later than two days after the test was originally scheduled, to verify your absence. Failure to do so will result in a score of 0! Once you have received permission from me to write a makeup test/ quiz, you will contact Kathy McBride in the psychology lab (A236; phone ) to schedule the make-up. Make-ups must be delayed no longer than a week - you will have only one week after the date of the scheduled test to write a make-up. PsychPortal Pre-Lecture Quizzes As you will see below, a portion of your grade is based on your completion of time sensitive Pre- Lecture quizzes within PsychPortal. The Pre-Lecture Quiz for each chapter must be completed BEFORE the lecture when the text chapter is first introduced (you ll find the specific dates listed in PsychPortal). You will receive credit for successful completion of 7 out of 9 possible Pre- Lecture Quizzes, although it is expected that you will come to class prepared by completing EVERY Pre-Lecture Quiz. Successful completion of a Pre-Lecture Quiz requires that you obtain a score of 80% or higher on the quiz. You may take the Pre-Lecture Quizzes multiple times before the cut-off date. PsychPortal Tutorials A good portion of your on-line activity will be dedicated to the completion of numerous on-line tutorials for each chapter. These tutorials will tend to focus on aspects of the course that are NOT covered in-class. You will receive credit for successful completion of 15 out of 18 possible tutorials. Each tutorial will be worth 1% for a total of 15%. To receive credit for each tutorial, you need to complete the quizzing exercise for the relevant tutorial before the due date. Tutorials will be due at various dates throughout the term. See PsychPortal for the precise dates. Discussion Posts on Blackboard You are also required to make weekly discussion posts on the discussion board on Blackboard. I will post discussion questions for each chapter and you will participate just as you would participate during an in-class discussion. These are graded, at the end of the term, based upon both the amount and quality of your participation. In order to receive a grade of 100% in this part of the course, you will need to make a minimum of three on-topic posts for eight out of nine possible modules. Each module corresponds to a particular text chapter. Each post will be graded as follows: 1 point = on-topic, insightful post; correctly applies course material.5 points = attempts to make a post relevant to course material; may contain errors 0 points = off-topic post; or doesn t apply course material You may receive a maximum of 3 points for each module, for a total possible 24 points.

5 Page 5 Dr. Jennifer Poole Psyc 1115 Sec M01 Spring 2011 I encourage you to post your own questions and comments above and beyond the posts that I have made to get discussion going. You are also expected to respond to posts that other students make as part of their participation. You must keep up with discussion posts. I will only grade contributions made during the time when we are dealing with a particular topic in-class. After the cut-off date for each topic, the discussion will be shut down and you will not be able to make any more posts for that particular chapter. In-class Group Assignments You are required to participate in and submit four in-class group assignments, each worth 2.5% of your final grade, for a total of 10%. See course schedule below for dates. For each group assignment, you will be randomly assigned to a group of five students. Your group members will be posted on Blackboard a few days before the due date. On the due date, you will come to class and complete the assignment with your group members during class time. The assignment is due at the end of the class. Be sure to bring course notes and the text to class on those days they will be most helpful in completing the assignments! PLEASE NOTE: Because group assignments require contributions from all group members, it is mandatory that all group members show up on the scheduled day to complete the assignment in class. If you fail to show up to class on these days, for any reason at all, you are in effect letting your group members down. As such, failure to show up in class for a group assignment will result in you receiving a score of 0 for this assignment, no exceptions! Extra Credit Bonus Points! You will be allowed to earn up to 3% in extra credit this semester by participating in research conducted by psychology students in my 2 nd year research methods class. You can receive 1% extra credit points for each study you participate in, to a maximum of 3%. You may participate in as many studies as you wish, however, you will receive no more than 3% of course credit (i.e., credit for no more than three studies). Studies are only available for a limited period of time - about mid- to late- March to the end of the semester (exact dates and descriptions of studies will be posted on the subject pool link under the Psychology Lab in Blackboard). I will direct you there later in the term.

6 Page 6 Dr. Jennifer Poole Psyc 1115 Sec M01 Spring 2011 Grades In summary, you will be evaluated in the course, as follows: Assignment % of final grade Term Test 1 10% Term Test 2 15% Term Test 3 15% Term Test 4 20% PsychPortal Pre-Lecture 5% Quizzes PsychPortal Tutorials 15% Discussion Posts on 10% Blackboard In-Class Group Assignments 10% Total 100% Your overall grade will reflect your mastery of the course material as measured by all of the indicators, listed above. The cut-off scores for the various grade categories are as follows: Grade % A+ >96 A A B B B C C C D F <50 I reserve the right to curve grades under certain circumstances. However, if I do curve grades, it will only be for your benefit!!

7 Page 7 Dr. Jennifer Poole Psyc 1115 Sec M01 Spring 2011 In-class Lecture Schedule* Week Date Topic Assigned Chapter(s) 1 Mon. Jan. 10 Wed. Jan Mon. Jan. 17 Wed. Jan Mon. Jan. 24 Wed. Jan Mon. Jan. 31 Wed. Feb. 2 5 Mon. Feb. 7 Wed. Feb. 9 6 Mon. Feb. 14 Wed. Feb Mon. Feb. 21 Wed. Feb Mon. Feb. 28 Wed. Mar. 2 9 Mon. Mar. 7 Wed. Mar Mon. Mar. 14 Wed. Mar Mon. Mar. 21 Wed. Mar Mon. Mar. 28 Wed. Mar Mon. Apr. 4 Wed. Apr. 6 TBA 1.5 hours sometime during exam period April Welcome! Syllabus Introduction to Blackboard and PsychPortal Introduction to psychology Prologue Research methods 1 Research methods cont d 1 In-class assignment #1 1 Term Test 1 Prologue & 1 Biology of the mind 2 Biology of the mind cont d 2 In-class assignment #2 2 Consciousness 3 Term Test 2 Nature and nurture 2 & 3 4 Nature and nurture cont d 4 Developing over the lifespan 5 Developing over the lifespan cont d 5 In-class assignment #3 5 Term Test 3 4 & 5 Sensation and perception 6 Sensation and perception cont d 6 Learning 7 In-class assignment #4 Memory 8 Final Exam 6,7, & 8 *Note: Schedule is subject to change at my discretion!