1 Child Development (PSY2105) Section IN 2014 Winter Term Lectures: ONLINE Professor: Dr. Brenda J. Baird Office: VNR 4001 Contact Hours: Tues/Fri 11-1(email/online) Tel: 562-5800 (Ext 4292) email: bbaird@uottawa.ca Teaching Assistants: Robyn Carson Office/hrs: Online or by appointment email: rcars035@uottawa.ca Required Text Younger, A., Adler, S., Vasta, R. (2012). Child Psychology: 3rd Canadian Edition, Toronto: John Wiley & Sons. In addition to the University bookstore, the publisher has set up a website www.wiley.com/go/uofopsy2105 for students who wish to purchase and download an E- version of Child Psychology.
2 Course Description This course is intended to provide a basic understanding of developmental psychology with an emphasis on the various perspectives and theories pertaining to cognitive and emotional development. Theories will address a biological, psychological, and sociocultural perspective to help explain developmental milestones. The course has a chronological organization that presents material associated with major developmental periods covering Prenatal Development, School-Age and Adolescence. This view of the lifespan will cover such diverse topics as genetic influences and prenatal environment, perceptual and cognitive development in early childhood, the emotional transition into adolescence and adult relationships. When possible video presentations and activities will accompany the material to integrate theory with real-life and applied scenarios. The course will be available solely in an online environment so direct contact with myself and Robyn, your TA, will be made available through email or online office hours. Please allow 24-48 hours for a response to any inquiries or concerns outside of regular office hours. It is important to follow and work according to the weekly schedule provided in this course outline. Learning objectives and course content will be released weekly so it is very important to keep up and schedule your studies accordingly. Use your textbook to accompany this site and to read about the concepts in more depth. We will be checking in from time to time, so please explore the site, complete the activities, watch some visual clips, and perform the self-check quizzes on the links provided. Most of all; have FUN learning in this new venue! Evaluation Evaluation for this course will consist of three formal exams: midterm quiz (20%), midterm 2 (35%), and a final exam (45%). The exams will be completed online; as such you will be required to complete all exams within a specified time period which will be announced prior to the exam date. These dates are firm so arrange your time accordingly. The final grade will be composed of the weighted average of these three requirements and is not subject to individual negotiation. Exams will consist of multiple choice and may incorporate short answer questions. Exam material will be drawn from the course textbook, online content and video presentations. Makeup exams will only be permitted in extreme circumstances, and will require written medical documentation to support your absence. Please contact myself or the TA at least 24 hours prior to the missed test to make alternate arrangements. Failure to make alternate arrangements within 3 days following an exam will result in an F for the missed component. Any student unable to write the final exam must complete an application for a formal deferral.. Midterm Grades will be posted in Blackboard Learn; final grades are only be released by the University and will be posted in Infoweb
3 Course Outline Week/Date Topic Chapter/s January 6 Introductions/Course Overview N/A January 13 Background and Theories 1 January 20 Research Methods 2 January 27 Genetics and Heredity 3 February 3 Prenatal Development 4 February 10 Midterm 1 (Chapters 1-4) 1-4 February 17 February 24 Reading Week No Classes Physical Development 5 Neural Development (pp. 170-190) 6 March 3 Sensory/Perceptual Development 7 March 10 Cognitive Development: Piagetian Approach 8 March 17 Midterm 2 (Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8) Intelligence and Schooling 5-8 10 March 24 Language Development 11 March 31 Early Social and Emotional Development Families and Peers 12 15 University regulations require all absences from exams and all late submissions due to illness to be supported by a medical certificate. The Faculty reserves the right to accept or reject the reason put forth if it is not medical. Reasons such as travel, work and errors made while reading the exam schedule are not accepted. This course requires that all midterms and exams be completed Final Exam Period April 7-24 Date: TBA (Cumulative Exam)
4 Beware of Academic Fraud! Academic fraud is an act committed by a student to distort the marking of assignments, tests, examinations and other forms of academic evaluation. Academic fraud is neither accepted nor tolerated by the University. Anyone found guilty of academic fraud is liable to severe academic sanctions. Here are a few examples of academic fraud: engaging in any form of plagiarism or cheating; presenting falsified research data; handing in an assignment that was not authored, in whole or in part, by the student; submitting the same assignment in more than one course, without the written consent of the professors concerned In recent years, the development of the Internet has made it much easier to identify academic plagiarism. The tools available to your professors allow them to trace the exact origin of a text on the Web, using just a few words. In cases where students are unsure whether they are at fault, it is their responsibility to consult the University s Web site at the following address; you will find «Tools for Writing Papers and Assignments» to http://www.socialsciences.uottawa.ca/eng/acad1.asp. Persons who have committed or attempted to commit (or have been accomplices to) academic fraud will be penalized. Here are some examples of the academic sanctions, which can be imposed: a grade of «F» for the assignment or course in question; an additional program requirement of between three and 30 credits; suspension or expulsion from the faculty. Last session, most of the students found guilty of fraud were given an «F» for the course and had between three and twelve credits added to their program requirement. For more information, see: http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/info/newsletter/fraud_e.html
5 Grading system Letter grade Numerical value Percentage scale value A+ 10 90-100 A 9 85-89 A- 8 80-84 B+ 7 75-79 B 6 70-74 C+ 5 65-69 C 4 60-64 D+ 3 55-59 D 2 50-54 E 1 40-49 F 0 0-39 ABS 0 Absent EIN 0 Failure/Incomplete