Course Syllabus

Spring 2024 | PSY-1050-VO02 - Human Growth & Development

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Mike Sauro
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Kate Hughes

General Education Requirements

VSCS Social Sciences

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This course is a survey of human growth and development throughout the life cycle including physical, cognitive, linguistic, ethical, and psychosocial dimensions.

Essential Objectives

1. Compare and contrast two major theories of developmental psychology.
2. Identify and discuss issues in human growth and development arising from differences in gender, race, and socioeconomic status.
3. Select one theory and discuss the major aspects of each stage of growth according to physical, cognitive, language, and social dimensions.
4. Explain how both environmental and genetic factors influence growth and development.
5. Apply the main concepts and principles of one developmental theory to the development of an individual.
6. Describe the process of empirical and ethical research (both cross-sectional and longitudinal) as it is commonly practiced and applied in the field of developmental psychology, including how that research informs contemporary issues.
7. Distinguish between fact and opinion, recognize unstated assumptions, and evaluate arguments according to the quality of supporting evidence in the literature.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

This course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations.

Spring 2024 textbook details will be available on 2023-11-06. On that date a link will be available below that will take you to eCampus, CCV's bookstore. The information provided there will be specific to this class. Please see this page for more information regarding the purchase of textbooks/books.

PSY-1050-VO02 Link to Textbooks for this course in eCampus.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Methods

• Readings
• Syllabus Scavenger Hunt
• Weekly Discussion Forums
• Weekly Chapter Quizzes
• Several Chapter Assignments
• Midterm Examination and Final Examination
• Several Quest Assignments and Quest Quizzes
• "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" Analysis Paper
• Weekly Optional Extra Credit Opportunities

Evaluation Criteria

Students will be evaluated utilizing the following methods:

• Syllabus Scavenger Hunt (100 possible points): A brief quiz on the contents of the syllabus that needs to be completed by the end of Week 0.
• Midterm and Final Examinations (250 possible points each; 500 possible points):These two examinations will be given at the midpoint and end of the semester. They are found in Connect and will consist of multiple choice questions covering a certain number of chapters. Each examination is worth 250 points. You may use your textbook and notes to complete them. All questions are designed to have you apply what you have learned. Students will have two weeks to complete each examination. A paper copy of each examination will be provided by the instructor. Students who score less than 250 on their first attempts will be afforded a second opportunity to improve their grades.
• Several Chapter Assignments (100 points each; 700 possible points): Some weeks during the semester, students will be completing written assignments designed to help them synthesize and apply the knowledge gained about developmental psychology. They appear in the course space in Canvas under the week they are due. Assignments should include references to the text or other sources where appropriate, and must be clearly and legibly written.
• Weekly Chapter Quizzes (100 possible points each; 1300 possible points): All Santrock 19e chapter quizzes will be available to students at the start of the semester and will close on their respective due dates. They are found in Connect and will consist of twenty multiple choice questions per quiz. Each quiz is worth 100 points. Students may use their textbook and notes to complete them. Students who score less than 100 on their first attempts will be afforded two more opportunities to improve their grades.
• Weekly Discussion Forums (100 possible points each; 1500 possible points):All Discussion Forums open on Tuesday and close on Monday. Students are expected to create and share their original post by 11:59 PM on Thursday of each week. This affords your classmates plenty of time to respond to the posts of all other students. You must create and post your response in the discussion forum before you can respond to the posts of your classmates. Original posts should be substantial and answer all questions in order to meet the grading requirements. Responses to other student posts should also be substantial (please refer to the grading rubric in Canvas for details). It is expected that students will read all the posts of their classmates. Students are required to respond to three (3) of the original posts of their classmates. As a best practice, students should also respond to responses to their original posts. In some cases, lengthy discussion threads might be created. That is why it is important for students to log in several times each week and to plan on spending adequate time for responses when logged in to the course. All student responses in the Discussion Forum need to be posted by 11:59 PM on Monday of each week in order to receive credit.
• Quest Assignments and Quest Quizzes (700 possible points for each assignment; 700 possible points for each quiz): Quest provides students with opportunities to apply content from the developmental psychology curriculum to real-life scenarios. Students play unique characters who range from 9-months-old to 80-years-old and make decisions that apply key concepts and theories as they negotiate events in an array of authentic environments. As students analyze real-world behaviors and contexts, they are exposed to different cultures and intersecting biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes. Each Quest has layered replayability, allowing students to make new choices each time they play. Fresh possibilities and outcomes shine light on the complexity of and variations in real human development. Each Quest is accompanied by a follow-up quiz. As with any quiz in the course, students who score less than 100 on their first attempts will be afforded a second opportunity to improve their grades.

• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Analysis Paper (500 possible points): Students will read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and develop a detailed analysis of the book. Students will analyze and discuss how Maya Angelou’s childhood experiences exemplify different aspects or topics of development. Students will need to think “developmentally” and analyze the contents of the book from at least three developmental perspectives. For example: A stage theory of your choice, the environment, relationships peers, social systems, abnormal psychology, development of self-concept and self-esteem, resilience, effects of abuse, Erikson, parenting styles, sibling relationships, friendships, Humanistic Psychology, gender issues, cognitive development, puberty, identity formation, etc.

• Optional Extra Credit Opportunities (1800 possible points): 1. Students may choose to earn extra credit points towards their final grade by utilizing the Optional Extra Credit SmartBook study tool for each chapter in Santrock's Life-Span Development, 19e. SmartBook is designed to assist students in learning and remembering the material found in each chapter in the Santrock textbook. SmartBook is found inside Connect. There will be a link to each SmartBook chapter in Canvas during the week that the chapter is covered. Completing one SmartBook chapter earns up to 50 bonus points. Canvas will identify each assignment with the notation, “This assignment does not count toward the final grade.” As a result, the earned points will not be reflected in a student’s final grade until the end of the semester. 2. There are four extra credit opportunities available at various points throughout the semester. Each extra credit opportunity can earn students up to 200 possible bonus points.

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

To earn full participation points for the week, students should:

• Read the assigned material and demonstrate an understanding of those resources in your assignments and posts. Readings and resources should be cited using APA format.
• Post an original response to the weekly prompt(s) before Thursday at midnight (11:59 PM) and a minimum of two responses to peers before Monday at midnight (11:59 PM). You are welcome to post early and/or more frequently, as your schedule allows, but you will not receive full credit if you do not meet these minimum requirements and/or deadlines.
• Posts should be substantive and demonstrate college-level writing. A substantive post is well-developed, a minimum 150 words, and references the reading or another appropriate source. A substantive post is NOT one or two sentences of general statements or unsupported opinion.

Missing & Late Work Policy

Assignments are expected to be completed by the due date. Assignments will lose five (5) points for each day they are late, up to a maximum of 25 points. After two weeks from the due date, the assignment will NOT receive credit. NOTE: In case of illness, a copy of a doctor’s note will be required for full credit.

It is required that individual out-of-class assignments be submitted through the course space on Canvas. Assignments that are attached to e-mails will not be accepted.

Attachments must be in a Microsoft Word or Open Office format, with one of the following extensions: .doc,.docx (Microsoft),.odt (Open Office), .txt (WordPad), .PDF (Adobe Acrobat), or .rtf (rich text). Extensions that I am unable to open and will not accept: .pages.zip (Mac), .png, or .jpg.

Students who use Apple computers: Assignments must be saved and attached as a PDF.

Students who use Google Docs: Assignments must be saved and attached as a PDF or Word document. Please DO NOT send me a link to your Google Docs folder.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity