EDU 614: Advanced Educational Psychology Online Course Dr. Jim McDonald

Transcription

1 EDU 614: Advanced Educational Psychology Online Course Dr. Jim McDonald Course Objectives: The primary goal of EDU 614 is to help practicing teachers gain a more in-depth understanding of important ideas from the field of educational psychology in their professional reasoning about teaching and learning. This course will cover principles of learning, development, motivation and evaluation with an emphasis on an application to teaching. Professor: Jim McDonald, Ph.D. Office: EHS 464, office hours by appointment Office Phone: mcdon1jt@cmich.edu Course Overview: The course is eight weeks long and you will have assignments due each week. Specific due dates can be found in the Semester Schedule. Feel free to work ahead in the class; all materials including quizzes and paper topics are available to you now and can be completed anytime before their due dates. Course Information: The course has been divided into eight weeks and information about what is due each week can be found in the Semester Schedule and in folders for each week found in Blackboard under the Course Materials folder. Textbook: Ormrod, Jeanne Ellis (2008). Essentials of Educational Psychology. 2nd Edition. Course Outline: Week 1: Introduction to class and each other via Blackboard Discussion Board; Pre-Class Assignment; Ormrod Chapters 1 and 2; Reading Journal 1 Week 2: First Online Discussion Glenn Article; Ormrod Chapters 3 and 4; Reading Journal 2 Week 3: Current Event; Cognitive Development and Learning Paper Week 4: Ormrod Chapters 5 and 6; Reading Journal 3 Week 5: Second Online Discussion on Marzano Chapter Week 6: Third Online Discussion on Samarapungavan article; Ormrod Chapters 7 and 8; Reading Journal 4 Week 7: Fourth Online Discussion on Need for Social and Emotional learning Chapter; Reading Journal 5 Week 8: Case Study Paper 1

2 Assignments and Due Dates: I. Reading Journals (20 points each): Five reading journals on the chapters of Ormrod as follows: 1. Chapters 1 and 2 2. Chapters 3 and 4 3. Chapters 5 and 6 4. Chapters 7 and 8 5. Chapters 9 and 10 Each reading journal has it s own due date and you must consult the Semester Schedule to see when each is due. Each reading journal should contain 3 questions (from the choice of 7) from the Reading Journal Assignment Description. Each reading journal should be 3-4 double spaced pages. The format of the paper should include a cover page and reference page in APA format. The only reference you will have is the Ormrod textbook. II. Weekly Sessions on Blackboard Collaborate (25 points each): We will have weekly sessions using Blackboard Collaborate during weeks 2-7. These sessions will be one hour each. This is an online presentation and chat tool that will allow us to discuss the readings and give you a chance to answer questions about assignments and other aspects of the course. The sessions will be interactive in nature. I find that it helps to have constant interaction with my students and between students. These sessions are mandatory and your attendance has points attached to it. I will set up a poll on Blackboard to determine the evening (day of the week) for the students in the class as to the best day to hold the sessions. If you cannot make a session you will be given the opportunity to make up the full points by viewing the archive of the session and then writing a brief reflection that you will to me. III. Current Event Assignment (15 points): You will choose an article having to do with educational psychology and write it up on the current event form found under Assignment Descriptions. The article can have anything to do with teaching and learning that interests you. It should be from a credible source and you should answer the two questions thoroughly, enough to make the assignment about 1.5 pages on the form when you are finished. You will need to write out the full reference in APA format in the appropriate place. IV. Discussion Board Postings (25 points each): An important part of this course involves discussing your thoughts and questions that arise from the educational psychology theories, concepts, and ideas you will be learning. Each time you will be required to post to Blackboard s Discussion Board regarding your learning on a specific article. I will be actively participating in each of the discussions. I will post a few guiding questions, at the beginning of the discussions, to help illicit your thoughts, but you are also encouraged to post and explore your own questions or thoughts. For all discussions your discussion board postings will be based on readings outside of the textbook and you will post three responses to questions based on these readings. Another student will act as the wrapper to summarize the discussion at the end of the seven-day period (Monday-Sunday). There are benchmarks for your postings: your first posting must occur by Tuesday, Your second posting must occur by Thursday, and your final posting must occur by Saturday/Sunday. The point of these discussions that you must keep in mind is that you must refer directly to the reading, refer to the postings of your classmates, and move the discussion forward. Your responses for all Discussion Board postings will be graded on the effort and insight they show 25 points for a strong response/post, 15 points for an adequate response/post, and 0 points for anything less than an adequate response/post. 2

3 In regards to postings for the outside readings, a strong response must show a thoughtful analysis of the question and represent a thorough understanding of the article. It must also be more than two or three sentences long. The weekly discussion board postings are listed in Course Documents under each week s folder and posted on the Discussion Board by week. The additional readings are found in Course Reserve on Blackboard. V. Cognitive Development Paper (60 points): The video, Reflections on Elementary Science: Levers (go to focuses on a group of fifth grade students doing an entire unit on levers. Their task is to figure out what makes a lever work. They are guided by their teacher through a series of hands-on science activities having to do with levers. Watch all of the video clips as well as the teacher reflections. Further information can be found in the Assignment Description on Blackboard. VI. Case Study Paper (60 points): Your final assignment for this course will involve creating a case study based on a student you have observed. This will include observing the student for several days and then writing an analysis using theories and terms from educational psychology to make sense of what you observed. See the Case Study Paper Guidelines in Assignments, Case Study Paper on Blackboard to learn more. Due Dates and Late Work: The Semester Schedule lists specific due dates for each assignment. Late Papers: Late papers will not be accepted. All assignments must also be uploaded to Blackboard. All assignments will be available for a 2-week period in Blackboard so you can work around your other commitments. You can turn in the assignments any time during the 2 weeks before the before the due date. I will work with individual students in the event something comes up. It is better if you let me know about this as soon as possible. Discussion Board Postings: Responses to the discussion questions and two readings must be posted on blackboard by the due date and time. No late discussion board postings will be accepted. Evaluation: Your grades and feedback can be found under Course Grade in the Blackboard course site. Course Requirements and Basis for Grade Component Reading Journals Blackboard Collaborate Sessions or reflections Current Event Discussion Board Postings Cognitive Development Paper Case Study Paper Points: 20 points each (100 points total) 25 points each 15 points 25 points each (125 points total 60 points 60 points The grading scheme used for this class will be the following: % = 4.0 (A) 74 77% = 2.0 (C) 90-93% = 3.7 (A-) 70 73% = 1.7 (C-) 3

4 87-89% = 3.3 (B+) 67 69% = 1.3 (D+) 84 87% = 3.0 (B) 64 67% = 1.0 (D) 80 83% = 2.7 (B-) 60 63% = 0.7 (D-) 77 79% = 2.3 (C+) 59% & Below = 0 (E) Course Policies: 1. Expectations for Students It takes great effort to be a successful online student. You have to be self-motivated and selfdisciplined to keep yourself on schedule with reading, assignments, projects, etc. You must devote time from your busy family and work schedule to work on the course so you will not fall behind. It is very important that we keep connected and interact with one another while you complete your online work. If you have questions, please feel free to use , discussion board, or chat to contact your classmates or me. Learning takes place in a community. 1) It is extremely important that students take ownership of their learning for this online course, and to demonstrate their ownership, students are expected to be full participants throughout the duration of this course. Active participation is paramount to your success. 2) All papers (with the exception of current events) will be formatted using APA style. This means that you need to have a running head, the correct cover page, numbered pages, and a reference list at the end of all assignments. Writing in correct APA style will be graded for every assignment. 3) For the current schedule and calendar for the course please refer to the course schedule. This will tell you when assignments are due and when you need to read specific material. This is subject to change. An announcement will be posted to Blackboard if any changes are made. 2. Expectation for the Instructor Just as I have my expectations of you, the following is what I will do (as a minimum) to ensure communication conducive to efficient online teaching and learning. 1) I will check my daily. 2) I will have a lot of contact with my students by having Blackboard Collaborate sessions and actively participating in each of the online discussions. 3) I will respond to course related questions within 24 hours. 4) If I find those questions relevant and important to others, I will post them on the Announcement page. 5) I will post announcements and reminders once per week, or more frequently, if needed. 6) I will give feedback on submitted assignments within a week. 3. Online Communication Netiquette: Discussion boards and chat rooms are the primary communication channels in online courses. Most of time, those tools are text-based. Pay attention to the following when you are communicating with your instructor and/or peers in online courses: 1) Check before you post. Always check whether a similar question to yours has been posted and answered on the discussion board to avoid duplicated messages and responses. 2) Use a descriptive subject line. When creating a new message or replying a message, use a descriptive subject line that reflects the content of your message. It can help readers 4

5 catch the key concept even before reading your message. This makes the discussion more efficient. 3) Write in short paragraphs. If you have lots to say, break it down using smaller segments. This makes things easier for the readers. 4) Do not write in all uppercase. ALL CAPS MEANS YOU ARE SHOUTING although you may not mean it. 5) Use emotional symbols (:-), ;-), :-(, :`-(, :-p, etc.) to indicate the tone of voice. It is often hard to tell the emotion of a text-based message. Use emotional symbols to give your message a little social touch. :-) 6) Do not edit or change the message content once someone has already responded to you. If you have something to add or change, simply add a follow-up message. 7) Respect others. Like all communication and discussion occasions, use your professionalism and talk to others with respect. Unprofessional messages will be removed. 8) People in this course may come from places around the world, so be respectful to other cultures and languages. Be careful with sarcasm. 4. Students with Disabilities: ADA CMU provides individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in educational programs, activities and services. Students with disabilities requiring accommodations to participate in class activities or meet course requirements should contact (800) , Extension 4464, as soon as you register for class. Note to faculty: CMU Administration will notify you if applicable. For more information, please visit the ADA CMU website at 5. Academic Dishonesty: In the academic community the high value placed on truth implies a corresponding intolerance of scholastic dishonesty. Written or other work, which a student submits, must be the product of his/her own efforts. Plagiarism, cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty, including dishonesty involving computer technology, are prohibited. In cases involving academic dishonesty, determination of the grade and of the student s status in the course are left solely to the discretion of the instructor as defined in the Policy on Academic Integrity. In a case where the instructor judges a student guilty of academic dishonesty, the instructor is encouraged to report the incident of dishonesty to the director of the Office of Student Life in order to discern potential patterns of egregious dishonesty. For more information on academic dishonesty see: 5