SYLLABUS for EDF 3210, Section 1278

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1 SYLLABUS for EDF 3210, Section 1278 Introduction to Educational Psychology, Fall Semester, 2013 Tues. period 2-3 (8:30-10:25) and Thurs. periods 2 (8:30-9:20) Norman Hall Rm. 292 (This is Not a Gordon Rules Course) Instructor: Sarah Grace Nadler nadlersg@ufl.edu Office hours: Tuesdays 10:30am to 12:30pm and by appointment in NRN Rm. 350 ABOUT THE COURSE Goals/Course Description The goal of this course is to help you learn about fundamental themes in Educational Psychology. You will accomplish this goal by talking, reading, and writing about the research presented in your textbook and in class. The course will survey psychological principles in behavioral, developmental, and cognitive areas as they relate to education. Additionally, there will be an emphasis on core areas of research in Cognitive Psychology, including Learning, Memory & Attention, Language & Comprehension, and Thinking & Problem Solving. Course Resources: Required Text: Educational Psychology by Sternberg and Williams (2010, 2 nd ed.), ISBN: About Your Text: Your text is an important learning instrument. Many of your exam questions will be drawn from your text. This includes information that we may not have covered in lecture or information that was only briefly covered, therefore, students should prepare by reading the chapters before lecture. Course Website: Many important course resources will be posted here including assignment guidelines and requirements, lecture presentations, and a copy of your course syllabus. Lecture Presentations: All material presented during lecture will be posted on Sakai at least 24 hours before that material is to be covered in class. It is recommended that you print out these presentations to bring to each class for your own organized note taking. Each presentation will also include a list of key topics for the corresponding chapter which are meant to guide your reading of the chapter before class and your study of the text in preparation for your exams. About Lecture We will use class time to clarify theories presented in the text through lecture, thoughtful group discussion, and relevant activities. In some instances, the lecture will deviate completely from the textbook. Occasionally, in-class demonstrations or videos will be utilized to help illustrate specific aspects of Educational Psychology. Your questions and participation are always encouraged during class.

2 COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING Attendance Policy (20 points) It is important that you come to class and that you take personal responsibility for your learning here at the University of Florida. However, I understand that emergencies happen and life requires us to juggle priorities occasionally. Therefore, the attendance policy for this class is as follows: Class will begin with a check-in of everyone present. If you miss this, it is your responsibility to come see me after class so that you can get credit for attending. Because our class periods are brief, if you are more than 20 minutes late to a class, you will be counted as absent for that day. You will have one excused absences to account for emergencies and personal issues, no questions asked. There are ONLY one excused absences per student use them wisely. Additional absences will result in a subtraction of 5 points each from your attendance grade. Reflection Papers (50 points) You will be responsible to turn in five (1-2 page) reflection papers over the course of the semester. There will be a reflection prompt for each week (about 12 opportunities to chose from). Papers are required in hard copy during class on their due dates. Late papers will not be accepted. If you chose to complete more than five reflections, I will record your top five scores. Prompts and details of requirements available on the course website (Appendix I). Exam 1 (50 points) The exam will be a combination of multiple-choice and short answer questions. Final Requirement (CHOOSE ONE) (50 points) Option 1: Exam 2. The exam will be a combination of multiple-choice and short answer questions. Option 2: Final Paper. Minimum: 8 pages, double spaced not including references and cover page. Paper prompts and details discussed in class and available on the course website (Appendix II). *You will have to indicate on your Final Requirement Plan Form which option you will complete. If you do not hand in the Final Requirement Plan Form by the due date, I will assume you are choosing option 1 and you will therefore be required to take exam 2 on the designated administration date. Form available on the course website (Appendix III) Forms and Class Activities (50 points) These points are variable and depend on class activities throughout the semester. Please note that missing class may mean missing in-class requirements. Quizzes (30 points) There will be 3 quizzes (10 points each) throughout the semester to encourage distributed learning (studying the material throughout the semester as opposed to just before exams). These quizzes will be timed but open note and open book. Extra Credit Extra credit opportunities may be announced in lecture as the semester progresses. Individual students who communicate an interest may be provided the opportunity to earn missed points...

3 (Extra Credit and Make-Up Points Continued) Instructor and student will collaborate to design an appropriate learning solution that may involve more effort than original assignments. Grading Source Points Percent Exam % Final Requirement 50 20% Reflection Papers (5 at 10 pts each) 50 20% Forms and Class activities (variable) 50 16% Open Note Quizzes (3 at 10 pts each) 30 12% Attendance 20 12% TOTAL % Grades will be based on the University of Florida Grading Scheme: A B D A C D B C D B C E POLICIES AND EXPECTATIONS Missed Exams: Makeup exams will not be given unless the instructor is notified before the test date and only in light of extreme circumstances (i.e., hospitalization, death in the family). Work or vacations are not acceptable reasons to miss an exam. Documentation is required to be eligible to take a make-up exam. This is also the policy for both paper and exam options for the final requirement. Cell Phones and Laptops: Please do not answer your phone or text during class; it is disruptive. You are more than welcome to step out if you need. Likewise, while you are welcome to bring your laptop to class to take notes, I do not want it to become a distraction for you or others (i.e., Facebook, games, etc ). If I notice it becoming a problem I will contact you to discuss the issue, and a continued problem may result in a loss of attendance points. Academic Dishonesty: Cheating or plagiarism in any academic setting is unacceptable. According to the University s Academic Honesty Guidelines ( Plagiarism is defined as: The attempt to represent the work of another as the product of one's own thought, whether the work is published or unpublished, or simply the work of a fellow student. Cheating is defined as: The improper taking or tendering of any information or material which shall be used to determine academic credit. Please see the website for procedures that will be followed if cheating or plagiarism is suspected. Upon suspicion of academic dishonesty, you will need to meet with me and the Chair of the Educational Psychology Department to discuss the consequences of your actions. This isn t a fun meeting for either party, so please don t put yourself in that position.

4 Accommodating Students with Disabilities: Students requesting classroom accommodations must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Disability Resource Center (DRC) will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the Instructor when requesting accommodation. Please talk to me after class or me about accommodations or concerns at the start of the semester. Course Incompletes: A grade of Incomplete I will only be given in extreme circumstances (i.e., illness) and must be pre-approved by the instructor. If approved, a contract will be drawn up with the student specifying assignments and due dates. According to the University, all incomplete work must be completed by the following semester or you will receive a punitive incomplete (i.e., an E ). **TENTATIVE** Course Schedule Date Topic Chapter Assignments Due* January 6 th Introductions, Syllabus, Personal January 8 th January 13 th Becoming an expert Development of cognitive, 1 2 Questionnaire January 15 th learning and language skills PPR 1 January 20 th Development of personal, 3 January 22 nd social, and morality PPR 2 January 27 th Neuroscience TBA Read Articles January 29 th PPR 3 February 3 rd Quiz 1 (open note) 7 February 5 th Behavioral Approaches PPR 4 February 10 th Cognitive Approaches 8 February 12 th PPR 5 February 17 th Thinking, reasoning and 9 February 19 th problem solving, Exam Review February 24 th Exam 1 Study! February 26 th Motivation 10 PPR 6 March 10 th March 12 th Student Diversity 6 PPR 7 March 17 th March 19 th Quiz 2 (Open note) 4 PPR 8 March 24 th Individual Differences Read Articles March 26 th Exceptional Children 5, TBA PPR 9 March 31 st Final Req. Form April 2 rd Classroom Management and 11 & 12 PPR 10 April 7 th April 9 th Teaching Quiz 3 (Open note) 13 & 14 PPR 11 April 14 th April 16 th Standardized Testing & Classroom Assessment PPR 12 April 21 st Review Party (attendance counts) Study/ Final 4/27-5/1, Exam 2 (OR Paper due) Write! Final Requirement TBA Thursdays *Students only required to complete 5 reflection papers out of the 12 paper options.

5 ***Important: Research Requirement*** RESEARCH PARTICIPATION INFORMATION FOR ED PSYCH 3110, 3210, 3132, and 3135 STUDENTS Purpose At the University of Florida, as at other major universities, the accumulation of new knowledge in the field of educational psychology comes from research conducted by faculty and students. One of the academic objectives of this course is to acquaint students with the nature of research activity. This objective is accomplished, in part, by requiring students enrolled in this course either to participate in on-going experiments, (see Method A) or to make arrangements for another research-related activity (see Method B). If you fail to meet the research participation requirement (through either Method A or B, see descriptions below), you will receive an Incomplete Grade (I) for the course. Your course grade will be unaffected, but you will have to complete the research requirement by midterm of the following semester in which you are enrolled at the University of Florida or the incomplete grade will turn into an E. Research-Related Activity Method A. During each academic term, students can serve as research participants in a variety of available experiments. Included are projects dealing with cognition, reading, memory, learning, etc. At the end of each experimental session, you will receive a description of the general nature of the research project and the anticipated implications of the findings from the study. All research projects in the department have been reviewed by the University s Institutional Review Board to ensure that student participation is appropriate. As part of the review process, particular attention is given to the establishment of coding procedures to guarantee that all research data are kept confidential. An informed consent form will be provided at the beginning of each experiment and you have the right to discontinue participation in any experiment at any time, without penalty. The sign-up procedure for all experiments will be described by your instructor. You must be at least 18 to participate in any research experiment. If you are 17 or younger, you will fulfill the requirement through Method B. If you miss two research appointments to participate in research projects and do not cancel the appointments in advance, you must then complete the Option B project (the research paper). The researcher is required to wait for 15 minutes. If you come later than 15 minutes after the research appointment, this is considered a missed, unexcused appointment. However, if you arrive at the appointed time, but the researcher does not arrive within 15 minutes, you will be given credit for participation. To document this, students must go to pool administrator s office (Dr. Therriault, Norman 1424) to alert him that the researcher failed to show. Method B. If you choose not to fulfill your research requirement through participation as a research participant, you must inform your instructor that you will complete Method B. Method B will be a paper with requirements specified by your instructor. The paper should be completed by the end of the fourteenth week of classes. In the event of a documented illness or some other serious extenuating circumstance, the instructor of your course will consider extending this deadline.