COURSE SYLLABUS PSYCHOLOGY OF PLAY ONLINE COURSE INFORMATION Catalog Course Code: DEP 1013 Three-Letter Course Abbreviation: PYP-O COURSE DESCRIPTION In the Psychology of Play Course, students explore how the field of psychology values the concept of play as a mechanism that allows a person to apply game strategies to accomplish life goals. Students will be introduced to how the action of play shapes the brain, develops critical-thinking skills, and strengthens the ability to collaborate with others in social and professional settings. By exploring the key works of historical and current researchers and theorists, students will learn about the value of play and how to apply techniques of play in developing cognitive strategies to complete creative, professional, and social tasks. Students will utilize a psychological perspective of play to examine how this relates to their life, education, and chosen creative field. COURSE MATERIALS y Computer y Internet access y Other resources will be provided COURSE OBJECTIVES Students will accomplish these course objectives by completing the milestones specified: y Identify what constitutes play and describe how play differs from other behaviors y Define play, creativity, and innovation to understand how the concepts differ y Evaluate the various types of play to recognize their value y Interpret the role of play in brain development y Explore play from psychological and evolutionary perspectives y Assess scientific findings by conducting personal exploration on research topics y Examine the ways that positive psychology theories impact development y Identify positive psychology concepts y Understand the connection between positive psychology concepts and play and development y Determine the role of play in creative and critical thinking y Explain the role of play in society y Apply class concepts to help solve a challenge y Recognize boundaries when play distracts from productivity y Explore the dark side of play y Compare and contrast the helpful and harmful elements of play y Apply play concepts to increase self-awareness and self-management y Examine interpersonal relationships as they relate to play y Describe the connection between play concepts and future career paths y Reflect on play and how it can impact lifelong learning y Construct a comprehensive plan to apply play material y Demonstrate the ability to follow directions y Maintain professional conduct in course interactions and completion of assignments COURSE OUTCOMES By the end of this course, students will be able to: y Articulate the value of play y Explain how play shapes the brain y Describe the ways that play impacts personal and professional goal achievement y Apply creative and critical thinking through play y Construct a plan for the valued potential use of play in various settings
Psychology of Play Online Degree Connection DEGREE CONNECTION Psychology of Play allows students to explore elements of play within each degree program. Students will begin to evaluate what drew them to their respective degrees through the lens of play. The benefits and necessity of play in both personal and professional development will be explored as well as the potential challenges that must be addressed. Students will learn to use play to motivate themselves to achieve success in their respective degree programs by building upon critical-thinking and interpersonal relationship skills and using research to support their development as professionals. The concepts and research addressed in this course offer additional psychological perspectives and insights to supplement the technical and conceptual skills built into the core curriculum. INDUSTRY CONNECTION Psychology of Play is a course designed to challenge students to examine the connection between play and their respective industries. In order to present their best self to their industry, students must understand how play helps to shape the brain, increases productivity at work, and enhances interpersonal relationships. Students are encouraged to visualize their future paths within their industries and use this to guide their development, both personally and professionally. Psychology of Play aims to validate the importance of play in a way that then allows students entering the entertainment industries to be able to reinforce the value of play in their respective professions. Successful completion of this course will ensure that students are prepared to create a lifelong play plan with greater self-awareness and increased social competence. RESEARCH COMPONENT Students will conduct research through self-assessment, Full Sail Library resources, and observation. Participating in selfassessments will allow students to reflect on themselves and evaluate personal play tendencies, deepening their level of self-awareness. Conducting research using Library resources will help students narrow their focus to scholarly, credible sources. Lastly, engaging in observational analysis will allow students to apply concepts from a real-world perspective. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Websites y www.thehappinessinstitute.org y www.instituteofplay.org y http://www.aspenideas.org/session/neuroscience -play-what-play-does-you-and-your-brain-and-what -happens-you-if-you-dont-play Texts y Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School, John Medina, Pear Press y Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being, Martin E. P. Seligman, Atria Books y Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work, Shawn Achor, Crown Business
Psychology of Play Online Topics Covered TOPICS COVERED y Introduction to Play y Play Personalities y Brain and Development y Positive Psychology y Motivation LEARNING ACTIVITIES Reading Assignments y Critical Thinking y Value of Play in Society y Interpersonal Relationships y Lifelong Play ly reading will be assigned to provide students with a solid foundation of psychological principles and theory. In order to be successful in this course, students will need to apply the theories learned from the readings to their projects. Discussions Each week, students will be given video prompts and/or thoughtfully constructed questions to push them to consider how weekly course concepts are relevant to their industry. Students will write an initial post and a meaningful response post to one or more of their peers. They will be required to write their initial post by Wednesday of each week to allow ample time for their peers to review and respond to the post. The reply must directly address another classmate s post and should offer clear and specific feedback about the post(s). Merely stating agreement or disagreement is not sufficient. Projects/Assignments Students will complete four creative assignments throughout the month that will directly apply the material learned in the specified weeks. ly assignments may involve applying personal examples to content, finding examples from society to apply content to, and/or applying provided examples to content. Specific instructions will be provided on FSO. Learning Checks Students will complete four weekly learning checks that are designed to give students insight into the basic knowledge acquired to date. Items covered may relate to knowledge and comprehension (facts, interpretation of information, and problem solving) or analysis (understanding relationships between pieces of information). Live Interactive Sessions Live interactive sessions will provide students with an opportunity to participate in a video-enabled live presentation with their peers and the instructor. Students will experience live teaching of course concepts as they interact with classmates in structured activities and apply the material to their respective industries. GRADE WEIGHTS ly Discussions (4 at 7% each) 28% ly Learning Checks (4 at 5% each) 20% 1 Training Level: Library Research 2% 1 Assignment 10% 2 Assignment 10% 3 Assignment 10% 4 Assignment 10% Professionalism (GPS) 10% Total 100%
Psychology of Play Online Strategies for Successful Learning STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL LEARNING y Time management is the biggest challenge for students in this course. Look through all the activities for the week as early as possible and plan your time accordingly. Some activities require quite a bit of preparation and involve multiple steps for successful completion. y Networking is critical to your success in this course. Your classmates are some of the best resources you have available to you in this program. They re experiencing the same classes as you and juggling a similar list of other life commitments. Get to know them. Read their profiles. Correspond with them on discussion boards. Send an email if you re interested in learning more about a classmate s professional experiences. By doing some networking now, you will enrich your experience in the online program and magnify your job opportunities after completion of the program. y For many of you, your computer may be another subject you need to take time learning. To address any technical issues you may have, please contact FSO Support. y Read the fine print. Many of your assignments will have instructions for you to follow and a grading rubric for your work. To get the most out of an assignment, it is important that you understand and meet all the requirements for your work. The more personally you can apply the concepts, the better you will understand them and retain them. Look for personal applications of the concepts addressed or evidence of how they may affect others or the world around you. To ensure the best grade, you can use the guidelines as stated on the grading rubric. Before submitting any assignment, it is best practice to proofread for grammatical and spelling errors. y Communicate any concerns or questions to your instructor as soon as possible. Make note of your instructor s office hours, ichat hours, and preferred method of contact to ensure that you reach the instructor successfully. Your instructors are not typically accessible over the weekends, so please keep that in mind when planning your time. y Above all, make sure you play! DEFINITION OF A CREDIT HOUR Psychology of Play is a 3.0 credit hour course. Full Sail University breaks down one semester credit hour into 45 units of academic activities as follows: One clock hour of Contact with a Lab/Course Director or Associate Course Director One hour of Homework and/or preparation for a course activity 2.0 units 0.5 units Psychology of Play s contact and homework hours amount to 135 total units. The number of units for each academic activity in this course is broken down as follows: Academic Activity Number of Contact Hours Number of Homework Hours 1 2 3 4 Total Hours Total Units 11.25 11.25 11.25 11.25 45 90 23.5 22.5 23.5 20.5 90 45 Total 135 135
Psychology of Play Online Course-Specific Rubrics COURSE-SPECIFIC RUBRICS Assignments Dimension Mastery Competency In Development Beginning Total Assignment Completion Follows directions and completes all parts of the assignment Concept Application Demonstrates understanding of class concepts Connection Connects class material to realworld experience Innovation Uniqueness or originality of idea, format, expression, and so forth Technical Aspects Spelling/grammar Comments All instructions are followed and completed Most instructions are followed and completed Few instructions are followed and completed No/very few instructions are followed and completed 15 points 14 15 points 11 13 points 8 10 points 0 7 points Class concepts are clearly and thoroughly applied in a way that demonstrates an understanding of the material Class concepts are applied in a way that demonstrates a basic understanding of the material Class concepts are referenced in a way that does not demonstrate an understanding of the material No class concepts are referenced, or class concepts are referenced incorrectly 25 points 24 25 points 21 23 points 15 20 points 0 14 points Makes a clear connection to the real world (such as personal life and/or industry connection) and shows a deep understanding Makes a connection to the real world (such as personal life and/or industry connection) Makes a vague or unclear connection to the real world (such as personal life and/or industry connection) A connection to the real world (such as personal life and/or industry connection) is not present 25 points 24 25 points 21 23 points 15 20 points 0 14 points Assignment is polished and of professional/portfolio quality, making use of innovative ideas and/or forms of expression Assignment is polished and makes use of innovative ideas and/or forms of expression Assignment is either polished or makes use of innovative ideas and/or forms of expression Assignment is not polished and does not make use of innovative ideas and/or forms of expression 20 points 19 20 points 16 18 points 10 15 points 0 9 points Three or fewer spelling/ grammatical errors Four to seven spelling/grammatical errors Eight to ten spelling/grammatical errors More than ten spelling/ grammatical errors 15 points 14 15 points 11 13 points 8 10 points 0 7 points Adjustments Grade
Psychology of Play Online Course-Specific Rubrics Discussion Boards Points will be earned based on the following point system: 25 POINTS earned for thoroughly rocking all the questions. Way to follow directions! 30 POINTS earned for knocking my socks off with the course concept application. Wow you really know this stuff! 30 POINTS earned for posting to peers and offering awesome suggestions. Nice feedback! (Minimum of two response posts) 5 POINTS earned for making zero grammatical errors on this board/level. Great job double-checking and proofreading your work! 10 POINTS earned for being on top of your game and meeting the deadline or being a Chatty Cathy and having an additional response post. Good job being organized! (Total of four posts)