As Your Instructor, I Will Be Assisting You Through This Course

WELCOME

Dear PSY212 Telecourse Student:

As your instructor, I will be assisting you through this course.

The course is structured in 20 lessons each covering a different topic in the field of child psychology. I have tried to design the course to make your self-study easier. The telecourse student guide outlines learning objectives for each lesson and I have given you guidance on studying the textbook material and the videos.

Please read the syllabus that accompanies this letter. In many ways, the syllabus is the most important document in the whole course. You will want to refer to it often during the semester, also.

Of course, keeping up with studying, essays and tests is vital but let me stress the importance of communication. If you are having problems, fall behind in coursework or just need some additional feedback, please contact me. If you fall too far behind and need to withdraw, please note that you MUST WITHDRAW BEFORE THE WITHDRAWAL DATE. You’re withdrawal date is printed on your telecourse ID.

I hope you will enjoy the course. Please contact me if you need further course information or assistance. E-mail is the most efficient way of reaching me but all my contact information is provided on my web page. Please identify yourself in your e-mails and remind me that you are a telecourse student. You are also welcome to drop by my office anytime during my office hours (also posted on my web page) or call to make an appointment. Please note that I typically am not on campus during the summer semester except to do grading for this telecourse.

Good luck.

Sincerely,

Jessica Carpenter

Professor of Psychology

Elgin Community College

Elgin Community College

Summer, 2007

Psychology 212 (700) Jessica Carpenter

Child Psychology Room ICT 111

Telecourse Office: (847) 214-7662

Home: (847) 340-9624

E-mail –

(Please do not use the D2L website to email me, I reserve that contact forum for my online students)

ALWAYS identify yourself in e-mails—full name and “telecourse student.”

Course Materials:

What you need to buy:

• textbook—The Developing Person Through Childhood and

Adolescence, by Kathleen Berger

• study guide—the Telecourse Student Guide for the Stepping Stones

telecourse (be sure you have the telecourse study guide. You may want to buy the study guide for the textbook but you MUST buy the telecourse study guide)

What I have provided for each lesson:

• guide to lessons—
• comments that give you an overview of the reading and also tell you what is important in the reading and what parts of the textbook material you will not be tested on.
• comments that give you an overview of the videos for each lesson and what is most important from those videos
• student study guide—if I found errors in the student study guide or there are parts of the guide you do not need to work on, I have noted them for you.

These materials can be found on the D2L site for the course. Information about accessing the D2L site for the course is below.

If you do not have access to the internet at home, we have several computer labs on campus or you can use the Psychology Lab computers in ICT 118. If you are having difficulty getting to these documents, ask a lab assistant to help you or come in during my office hours (posted on my webpage, in the summer email me or call to arrange a time) and I will be happy to help you.

D2L: Enhanced Course Student Information (Carpenter)

Welcome to psychology, enhanced with D2L. You will be required to use D2L to view your grades, and print out course handouts.

The following are usually available at my course pages in D2L:

1. Under “Content”: Syllabi & Schedules, Chapter or Unit Objectives for review, Web Links, Publisher’s PowerPoint and handouts for each chapter or Unit. Course handouts are in Word (.doc) format. The only things “due” are essays in this syllabus, everything else at the D2L site is provided to aid you in succeeding in the course. See the syllabus and schedule for details and due dates.

2. Under “Grades”: Your grades for the course. I also periodically update the “overall grade” column. Please notify me immediately if any grades are inaccurate.

Desire2Learn is the course management system used by ECC. A CMS is a software program used by faculty to manage online classes. You will need a user name and password to access D2L. Details are outlined below:

Returning Student to D2L
If you are a previous user of D2L, your user name is:
e+.ECC ID (digits only)
Example: e0123456

New to D2L
If you are a new student to D2L, your user ID is the same as above, however, your temporary password is your birth date: mmddyear. Example: 010184. You will be prompted to change this information upon entering the system for the first time.

Directions on how to access your class are explained below.

To access your class from the ECC Online page (www.elgin.edu/online) click on the link to “D2L” and enter your User Name and Password. Remember, you will not have access to your class until the start date of classes. Once you can access your class, carefully read any announcements, class syllabus, and other pertinent information your instructor has provided. In some cases there are immediate due dates so be sure to pay special attention to this material.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ACCESSING ALL COURSE MATERIALS AT THE WEBSITE.

If you should need technical assistance with the Desire2Learn system during the course of your online class, please contact the D2L Help desk, at 847-214-7506 or by e-mail at .

Goals of this course:

In PSY 212, Child Development: Stepping Stones, you will be learning about the

research and theories in the area of Child Psychology. With the help of the

textbook, videos and study guide, you will come to understand how children think, feel and learn. The many biological and environmental factors that affect development will also be explored.

You will be viewing twenty, 30 minute videotapes, answering questions in the study

guide and reading the textbook. Grades are based on multiple choice exams and essays. We do not have set class meetings. You need to work on your own and ask my assistance when you need it.

Although telecourses have multiple start dates, they also have a firm end date as indicated when you registered. NO WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER 5PM ON THAT DATE. Check your telecourse ID for your completion date.

Course Requirements:

Your grade is determined by performance on 5 tests and 10 essays (see list of

essays at the end of this syllabus).

Test one/Unit I—

Lesson 1: Introduction: Theories of Development (video 101)

Lesson 2: Developmental Study as a Science (video 102)

Lesson 3: The Beginnings: Heredity and Environment (video 103)

Lesson 4: The Beginnings: Prenatal Development (video 104)

answer two essays related to this material (included in syllabus)

Text Chapters : 1-4

Test two/Unit II—

Lesson 6: The First Two Years: Biosocial Development (video 106)

Lesson 7: The First Two Years: Cognitive Development (video 107)

Lesson 8: The First Two Years: Psychosocial Development (video 108)

Lesson 9: The First Two Years: Summary (video 109)

answer two essays related to this material (included in syllabus)

Text Chapters : 5-7

Test three/Unit III—

Lesson 11: The Play Years: Biosocial Development (video 111)

Lesson 12: The Play Years: Cognitive Development (video 112)

Lesson 13: The Play Years: Psychosocial Development (video 113)

Lesson 14: The Play Years: Summary (video 114)

answer two essays related to this material (included in syllabus)

Text Chapters: 8-10

Test four/Unit IV—

Lesson 16: The School Years: Biosocial Development (video 116)

Lesson 17: The School Years: Cognitive Development (video 117)

Lesson 18: The School Years: Psychosocial Development (video 118)

Lesson 19: The School Years: Summary (video 119)

answer two essays related to this material (included in syllabus)

Text Chapters: 11-13

Test five/Unit V—

Lesson 21: Adolescence: Biosocial Development (video 121)

Lesson 22: Adolescence: Cognitive Development (video 122)

Lesson 23: Adolescence: Psychosocial Development (video 123)

Lesson 24: Adolescence: Summary (video 124)

answer two essays related to this material (included in syllabus)

Text Chapters : 14-16

Please Note: You will NOT be responsible for the following Lessons:

Lesson 5: The Beginnings: Special Topics

Lesson 10: The First Two Years: Special Topics

Lesson 15: The Play Years: Special Topics

Lesson 20: The School Years: Special Topics

Lesson 25: Adolescence: Special Topics

Lesson 26: Closing: Developmental Psychopathologies

1. Read the pages assigned in the textbook for each of the lessons.

My suggestion: As you start a lesson, read the learning objectives listed in the Telecourse Student Guide and the guide to the lesson for each lesson (available at D2L) before you read the textbook. Go back over the learning objectives during or immediately after the reading to be sure you are picking up the important information.

1. View the video segments for each of the lessons. My suggestion: Read the

learning objectives and guide to lesson before viewing the video. Go back

over the learning objectives immediately after viewing to be sure you are

picking up the important information. I also recommend you take notes on

the videos so you have something to study right before you take the test.

1. Study the textbook material and go over your notes for the videos. Use the study methods you have found most helpful from other school work you have completed. Work through the telecourse student guide for each lesson.

As you work through the lessons jot down thoughts from your studying to get you started on the essays.

1. Write the essays from the material for each of the tests. I recommend writing

the essays as you study for the test. Writing the essays will help you study.

Do not wait until the end of the course to go back and try to write all the

essays.

1. Submit the first essay assignment early in the semester and get my feedback to help you to effectively write the remaining essays.

You must take AT LEAST the first test and submit the first unit essay assignment (essays 1 and 2) by your midterm date (listed on your telecourse ID). Otherwise ECC WILL drop you from the course.

Grading:

Your grade is determined by points accumulated on exams and essays

Exams (75 points each) x 5 = 375

Essays (25 points each) x 10 = 250

Total = 625

Grading scale—

563-625 points = A (90% or better)

500-562= B (80%-89%)

438-499= C (70%-79%)

375-437= D (60%-69%)

less than 375 = F (under 60%)

Exams:

Exams are 75 multiple choice questions.

Exams are taken in one of the two testing centers on campus—Main Campus in

SRC 108, or Fountain Square Rm 408.

Note: You must have your telecourse ID and a picture ID to take tests.

Testing is currently done on a computer. If you would prefer to take the

test using a printed version, please be sure to ask the staff in the testing

center for a paper copy.

If you want to be able to write on the test (mark off questions, circle correct

answers, etc) you will need to contact me prior to taking the test.

Essays:

Please be sure your answers reflect material you have learned in the textbook, videos and study guide. Your answers must be IN YOUR OWN WORDS.

Paraphrasing, copying or quoting from the textbook or any other source is unacceptable and will result in a either a Zero on the essay or COURSE FAILURE depending on the level of cheating.

Your answers must be in full sentences and essay form.

Do not just outline your answer or give a series of sentence fragments

roughly covering the material. Write in a scholarly style with coherent, organized

paragraphs (topic sentence, 3-5 supporting sentences, concluding sentence).

Each essay is worth 25 points.

You can submit your essays in one of the following ways:

1. mail them to my college address: Jessica Carpenter

Elgin Community College

1700 Spartan Dr.

Elgin, IL 60123

ALL MAILED MATERIALS MUST BE IN MY MAILBOX BY 5PM ON THE LAST DAY OF CLASS. ALLOW 1 WEEK FOR DELIVERY.

1. drop them off at my office—ICT 111. If I am not there, slide it under

my door in a folder. Remember, pages must be stapled together. Make sure to label them with your full name and “telecourse student”

1. drop them off at the Testing Centers (make sure pages are stapled

together). Allow 1 week time for transit between the center and my mailbox.

PREFERRED--4. e-mail them to me (). Attached E-mailed essays must be in Microsoft Office Word (.doc) or in .rtf format. (WORKS is not the same as WORD, I cannot open .wps files!) You may also paste the essay into the body of the email if you are unsure about these issues.

Your name—first and last—must appear IN THE FILE itself so

when I print out your essay, I know who submitted it. You must

also number your essay (1-10).

Please be sure to identify yourself in the e-mail itself. For security reasons, I will not open files attached to e-mails if the sender does not identify him/herself. Give your first and last name and say you are a telecourse student.

ALSO GOOD--5. Put them in the digital dropbox in D2L (.doc or .rtf format ONLY). Send me an email at to know you did this so I can check and give you feedback.

If you do not have Word on your home computer, you can use computers in the

open labs on campus or in the Psychology Lab (ICT 118). Also, most public

libraries have word processing available to their patrons.

If you don’t know how to send files as attachments to your e-mail, consult your e-

mail provider.

Feedback on your performance:

I will make every effort to give you feedback on tests and essays within one week

of submission of the materials. E-mail is the most efficient means of

communication. If I have to type out a letter and put it in the mail, feedback takes

much longer. I strongly recommend that you e-mail me right away and Identify

yourself—first and last name—and tell me you are a telecourse student. Then I will have your e-mail address on file and can give you prompt feedback via e-mail.

Tests—You will simply learn how many questions you got correct on each test. I

encourage students, however, to come into my office and look over the exam

after you have received a grade. Going back over exams not only increases

learning but also helps you prepare for future exams. Check my office hours. If

those are not convenient times for you, let me know and we will try to arrange

another time to meet at my office.

Essays—On the first two essays (due before midterm!) I will give you written feedback designed to help you write future essays IF you either submit them via email (I will email you back) or you provide me with a SASE (self addressed, stamped envelope).

If you procrastinate and turn in several essays all together, you will not receive thoughtful feedback on those essays. If you need

more help with essays, again, please come in and talk to me. I am happy to go

over essays in detail with students to improve learning and future performance.

Your essays will NOT be returned to you. If you want copies of your essays, be

sure to keep your files or make copies of the papers.

Plagiarism--Plagiarism on essays will result in a zero for that essay at minimum. The

essay questions are purposely worded to reflect information and discussion

unique to this course. Consequently, it would be very difficult to find an essay

from an online paper mill that would adequately answer any of the essays. I am

very familiar with these services and how to track a student's essay to one of

these sources.

As I always tell students...If your goal is to get a good grade without really

learning anything, you don't belong in this course!!

Withdrawal from the course—

Class withdrawals are processed in the Registration Center. The college encourages students to discuss their intent to withdraw with their instructor(s).

Students who have attended their classes and withdraw during the time periods designated below receive a grade of "W" (Withdrawal), which carries no academic penalty and is not used in the calculation of the student’s grade point average.

It is the responsibility of every student to calculate the final date for formal withdrawal for each class in which he or she is enrolled according to the schedule below.

Withdrawal Schedule

Count weeks from the first week of the session in which a class begins. Count days Mon.-Fri. from the first day of the session, not the first day a class meets. Do not count Saturday, Sunday and holidays.