LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
PSYC 499 Psychological Foundations of Learning (3 Credit Hours)
Fall Semester 2011
Marilyn Gadomski, Ph. D. / Office Hours MWF 8:30-10/ 11-12
434-592-4036 (O) or 434-841-3437 (C) / TR 11-2
DEMOSS 4008 J / Drop In or By Appointment
I. Course Description
Selected topics in psychology will be treated at an advanced level. Experience will be acquired in clinical settings and through exposure/intern opportunities. Application procedures processed through the Career Center. Must apply semester prior to completing internship.
II. Rationale
The Practicum is an experiential application of the research and theories from the previous Psychology courses. Senior Psychology majors apply to a research or community agency for 125 hours (for 3 credit hours, 42 work hours per credit hour) of observation and participation. The requirements of the agency are carried out and documented in a detailed daily log of activities. The log, along with personal reactions to the set of experiences, forms the basis for a Reaction paper of 10 typewritten pages. The course, in direct experience in the science of Psychology or in helping persons with special needs, enhances awareness of the responsibilities and skills needed for professional employment in the psychological services, and requires a synthesis of human development in spiritual, social, emotional, and cognitive behavior patterns. An understanding of the behavior and learning potential of persons who are different in some aspects can be an effective tool for intrapersonal and interpersonal Christian growth.
III. Prerequisite statement
Senior standing, major in Psychology.
IV. Materials List (optional)
(2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). USA: American Psychological Association.
(ISBN#978-1-55798-790-7)
V. Learning Outcomes
1.0 Students will be able to demonstrate competence in the major concepts in Psychology.
3.0 Students will be able to use critical thinking to solve problems related to behavior and mental processes.
4.0 Students will be able to weigh evidence, tolerate ambiguity, act ethically, and reflect values in their personal and
professional behavior that are the underpinnings of the multiple perspectives of psychology as a discipline and
Christian\Biblical faith and praxis.
5.0Students will be able to communicate effectively in written, oral, and technological formats.
6.0 Students will be able to recognize, and respect the complexity of socio-cultural and international diversity.
VI.Assignments/Requirements
Senior Assessment
Take the GRE-based Psychology exam of 140 questions. This is a free GRE trial for students, and it provides internal assessment for the Psychology program. Prepare with online or paper GRE study guides. The maximum grade of 10 points is for earning a score at the national 80th percentile; completion of the Senior Assessment is required to pass PSYC 499. Senior Assessment score is based on standard scores of 120-200, with a mean of 156. Points will be earned as follows: 1=120-125; 2= 126; 3=131; 4=136; 5=141; 6=146; 7=151; 8=156; 9=161; 10=166.
Supervisor’s Evaluations
A MidTerm and a Final Supervisor’s Evaluation is available in the PSYC 499 syllabus and at the Supervisor’s Evaluation link in the Assignments area of Blackboard. Submit the MidTerm Evaluation when you have completed ½ of your hours; submit the Final Evaluation at least one week before the end of the term. Completion of the two Supervisor’s Evaluations is required to receive the Ethics score and to pass PSYC 499.
Ethics
High personal and professional integrity is an integral aspect of Christian Psychology. The Ethics score will be recorded after both of the Supervisor’s Evaluations, and the Reaction Paper at both links, are submitted in Blackboard. It is likely that full credit will be recorded for your Ethics score; you will know if plagiarism or confidentiality/integrity/accountability have presented problems in your internship experience.
Meetings
Four classroom meetings will be held during Fall and Spring terms; virtual meetings in the Discussion Board of Blackboard enhance the class meetings of local Lynchburg interns and replace the face-to-face meetings of interns living outside of the Lynchburg area. Complete the Discussion Board assignments as you finish ¼, ½, and the End of your hours—NOT all at the end of the term.
Log
A record of your internship experiences must be kept in electronic format. For every internship work session, document the date, times, and running total of hours to that point along with the narration describing the setting and events. The log should include the graded areas—Behavior Patterns, Theories, Benefits, Suggestions--of the Reaction Paper and serves as the basis of information in the Reaction Paper. Submit your Log at the link in Blackboard.
Reaction Paper
Your Reactions to the entire internship experience, along with a description of the events and records from your log, will comprise the academic portion of this experiential learning. Significant portions of the Reaction Paper must be devoted to Patterns of Behavior, Theories to interpret those patterns, Benefits (strengths), and Suggestions (weaknesses) found in the agency, supervisor, co-workers, and people being served. Submit your Reaction Paper at the link in Blackboard, at least one week before the end of the term.
Psychology Activity Credits
Each student is expected to complete four Psychology activities throughout the semester. Three of these activities must be ones that are posted on the Psychology Department’s web page ( or activities that are pre-approved by the instructor of this course. These may include speaker events, volunteer activities, or church/community events. Since Activities aim to increase professional experience and the Internship is experiential, the three experiential Activities in PSYC 499 may be events within the internship agency as named in the Announcements in Blackboard. The fourth activity will be the end-of-semester course evaluation survey. The activities will account for 2% of the course grade and must be submitted at least one week before the end of the term.
VII. Grading Policies
A = 90–100%B = 80–89%C = 70-79%D = 60–69%F = 0–59%
900-1000 points 800-899 points 700-799 points 600-699 points 0-599 points
Late submissions: Assignments are due on the posted due date. No late submission of assignments is permitted unless accompanied by appropriate documentation of illness, emergency or school activity.
The PSYC 499 internship is different from all other online courses, in that you must coordinate your work time with an outside agency. Therefore, the due dates of assignments cannot be set the same for all students since some agencies ask for all work hours to be completed within some four-week session, while others require the entire A-term to schedule the work hours. You must be disciplined to submit the assignments without the module guidelines of other online courses.
The Course Checklist must be submitted in the first two days of the term. The Discussion Board Introduction, Activities, and Psychology-content GRE Practice exam should be completed and submitted by the fourth week of the term. The Discussion Board Questions, other virtual meetings assignments, your Log of hours and events, and the Supervisor’s Evaluations should be completed as soon as the work hours allow; the Supervisor’s Evaluations should be separated, not submitted at the same time, so that intervention can occur if there is a need.
The Reaction Paper must be submitted at two links, one which retains formatting for grading and the other which checks for originality (no plagiarism); you can see your TurnItIn score after submission. Your Ethics points will be added after your Supervisor’s Evaluations and Reaction Paper (at both links) have been submitted with no ethics violations.
It is recommended that all assignments be submitted at least one week before the term ends; the last day of the term is the final due date for any assignment to be submitted.
The final grade will be based on the following criteria for 3-6 credit hours, with 42 work hours/credit hour and 3 1/3 pages of the Reaction Paper percredit hour. All of these requirements must be completed to receive a grade.
Course Checklist / 20 pointsSuccessful completion of Senior Assessment; grade based on score, with completion required to pass course / 100 points / Grading scale
Supervisor’s MidTerm (40 points) and Final (40 points) evaluation of the attitudes and skills demonstrated; / 80 points / A 90-100
900-1000 points
High personal ethical and professional conduct / 80 points / B 80-89
800-899 points
Participation in four class meetings and in Discussion Board / 100 points / C 70-79
700-799 points
Documentation of three activities + Course Evaluation (5 point each) / 20 points / D 60-69
600-699 points
Log documentation of at least 125 hours for 3 credits (42 hours/credit hour), with noted patterns of behavior; / 100 points / F 0-59
0-599 points
Personal reactions with noted benefits and
suggestions (10 points), in a 10-page—3 ½ pages/credit hour--(20 points) reaction paper with a theoretical
explanation of behavior patterns (20 points). / 500 points
Turnitin link for Reaction Paper / 0 points, but required
VIII. Other Policies
Attendance Policy
Regular and punctual attendance in the four class sessions is expected of all local Lynchburg students; virtual class sessions are on Blackboard for interns outside of the Lynchburg area and for reinforcement of class content for Lynchburg interns. If, for some reason, you are living in Lynchburg and are unable to attend class, you are expected to communicate via e-mail or phone that you will not be attending. Students that miss class are expected to get the details of what they miss from their classmates.
Classes that meet once per week or less will permit no more than one unexcused absence per semester.
Penalties for unexcused absences will be 50 points out of 1,000 (5%) for each unexcused absence over the permitted number per semester.Save the one free absence for an urgent time since no excused/unexcused difference will be noted except for university-sponsored events with sponsor notes.
Dress Code
Students are expected to come to class dressed in a manner consistent with The Liberty Way.
Honor Code
We, the students, faculty, and staff of Liberty University, have a responsibility to uphold the moral and ethical standards of this institution and personally confront those who do not. The Honor Code as in the Liberty Way is in effect; any breach of the Honor Code, including plagiarism, will result in a grade of 0% for that piece of work and possibly a grade of F for the course.
Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct includes academic dishonesty, plagiarism, and falsification. See The Liberty Way for specific definitions, penalties, and processes for reporting.
Disability Statement
Students with a documented disability may contact the Office of Disability Academic Support (ODAS) in DH 2016 to make arrangements for academic accommodations. For all disability testing accommodation requests (i.e. quieter environment, extended time, oral testing, etc.) the Tutoring/Testing Center is the officially designated place for all tests administered outside of the regular classroom.
Drop/Add Policy
A Fall/Fall course may be dropped without a grade, tuition, and fee charges within the first five days of the semester. From the sixth day until the end of the tenth week, a Fall/Fall course may be withdrawn with a grade of W or WF.
Classroom Policies
The inappropriate use of technology, such as cell phones, iPods, laptops, calculators in the classroom is not tolerated. Other disruptive behavior in the classroom is not tolerated. Students who engage in such misconduct will be subject to the penalties and processes as written in The Liberty Way.
X. Calendar for the semester/term
SCHEDULED Tuesday MEETING DAYS—7:40 AM in DH 4024
August 30 / Placement confirmation. Contact the agency and begin to accumulate hours. Post a question and Prayer Concern in the Blackboard (Bb) Discussion Board (DB).September 27 / Progress, Statistics on behavior patterns. Keep a record of the frequency of some behavior. Submit ¼ report in the Discussion Board.
October 25 / Progress, Theories of behavior patterns
Choose cognitive development (Piaget), social modeling,
and/or Behaviorism as an explanation for the behavior. Submit ½ report in the Discussion Board.
November 29 / Reactions to observed patterns; log and paper due.
What do you now believe/feel about the treatment patterns in your agency of Internship? Submit the End report in the Discussion Board.
XII.Curriculum Objective Mapping
Assignment / Psychology Department Curriculum ObjectivesSenior Assessment / 1.1 Characterize the nature of psychology as a discipline.
1.2 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding representing appropriate breadth and
depth in selected content areas of psychology: theory and research representing
general domains, the history of psychology, relevant levels of analysis, overarching
themes, and relevant ethical issues.
1.3 Use the concepts, language, and major theories of the discipline to account for
psychological phenomena.
1.4Explain major perspectives of psychology (e.g., behavioral, biological, cognitive, evolutionary, humanistic, psychodynamic, and sociocultural).
Supervisor’s Evaluations / 6.1Interact effectively and sensitively with people from diverse backgrounds and cultural perspectives.
6.2Examine the sociocultural and international contexts that influence individual differences.
6.3Explain how individual differences influence beliefs, values, and interactions with others and vice versa.
6.4Understand how privilege, power, and oppression may affect prejudice, discrimination, and inequity.
6.5Recognize prejudicial attitudes and discriminatory behaviors that might exist in themselves and others.
Ethics / 4.1Recognize that ethically complex situations can develop in the application of psychological principles.
4.2Recognize the necessity for ethical behavior in all aspects of the science and practice of professional and personal areas.
Meetings, Log / 3.1Use critical thinking effectively.
3.2Engage in creative thinking.
3.3Use reasoning to recognize, develop, defend, and criticize arguments and other persuasive appeals.
3.4Approach problems effectively.
4.1Recognize that ethically complex situations can develop in the application of psychological principles.
4.2Recognize the necessity for ethical behavior in all aspects of the science and practice of professional and personal areas.
4.3Demonstrate reasonable skepticism and intellectual curiosity by asking questions about causes of behavior.
4.4Seek and evaluate scientific evidence for psychological claims and biblical truth.
4.5Tolerate ambiguity and realize that psychological explanations are often complex and tentative.
4.6Recognize and respect human diversity and understand that psychological explanations may vary across populations and contexts.
4.7Assess and justify their engagement with respect to civic, social, and global responsibilities.
4.8Understand the limitations of theirs and others psychological knowledge and skills.
4.9Apply knowledge of psychology (e.g., decision strategies, life span processes, psychological assessment, and types of psychological careers) to formulating career choices.
4.10Identify the types of academic experience and performance in psychology and the liberal arts that will facilitate entry into the work force, post-baccalaureate education, or both.
4.11Describe preferred career paths based on accurate self-assessment of abilities, achievement, motivation, and work habits.
4.12Identify and develop skills and experiences relevant to achieving selected career goals.
4.13Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of lifelong learning and personal flexibility to sustain personal and professional development as the nature of work evolves.
4.14Describe major applied areas of psychology (e.g., clinical, counseling, industrial/organizational, school, health).
4.15Articulate how psychological principles can be used to explain social issues and inform public policy.
4.16Apply psychological concepts, theories, and research findings as these relate to everyday life.
4.17Describe major applied areas of psychology (e.g., clinical, counseling, industrial/organizational, school, health).
4.18Identify appropriate applications of psychology in solving problems, such as (a) the pursuit and effect of health lifestyles (b) origin and treatment of abnormal behavior,(c) psychological tests and measurements, and (d) psychology-based interventions in clinical, counseling, educational, industrial/organizational community, and other settings and their empirical evaluation.
4.19Articulate how psychological principles can be used to explain social issues and inform public policy. Apply psychological concepts, theories, and research findings as these relate to everyday life.
5.6Demonstrate effective oral communication skills in various formats (e.g., group discussion, debate, lecture) and for various purposes (e.g., informing,. defending, explaining, persuading, arguing, teaching).
Reaction Paper
(objectives in addition to the Meetings and Log, which are preparation for the Reaction Paper) / 1.1 Characterize the nature of psychology as a discipline.
1.2 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding representing appropriate breadth and
depth in selected content areas of psychology: theory and research representing
general domains, the history of psychology, relevant levels of analysis, overarching
themes, and relevant ethical issues.
1.3 Use the concepts, language, and major theories of the discipline to account for
psychological phenomena.
1.4Explain major perspectives of psychology (e.g., behavioral, biological, cognitive, evolutionary, humanistic, psychodynamic, and sociocultural).
5.5Demonstrate effective writing skills in various formats (e.g., essays, correspondence, technical papers, note taking) and for various purposes (e.g., informing, defending, explaining, persuading, arguing, teaching).
5.8Demonstrate effective interpersonal communication skills.
5.9Exhibit the ability to collaborate effectively.
Psychology Activities / 4.9 Apply knowledge of psychology (e.g., decision strategies, life span processes,
psychological assessment, and types of psychological careers) to formulating
career choices.
4.10 Identify the types of academic experience and performance in psychology and the
liberal arts that will facilitate entry into the work force, post-baccalaureate
education, or both.
4.11 Describe preferred career paths based on accurate self-assessment of abilities,
achievement, motivation, and work habits.
4.12 Identify and develop skills and experiences relevant to achieving selected career
goals.
PSYC 499 Paper Evaluation
Senior Assessment score is based on standard scores of 120-200, with a mean of 156. Points will be earned as follows: 10=120-125; 20= 126; 30=131; 40=136; 50=141; 60=146; 70=151; 80=156; 90=161; 100=166.
Successful completion of Senior Assessment / 100 pointsSupervisor’s Evaluations / 80 points
Professional Ethics / 100 points
4 class meetings and Discussion Board / 100 points
Documentation of four Activities / 20 points
Log of 125 hours/3 credit hours, daily running total / 100 points
Paper Benefits, Suggestions / 100 points
10 pages/3 credit hours / 200 points
Patterns, Theory / 200 points
Copy this grading chart onto the end of your Reaction Paper. It will be used for scoring your paper, and you will be reminded of every graded aspect of your paper.