07P:200 - Educational Psychology
syllabus

Time & Place: Tuesday, 9:30-12:00 - N218 LC
Course web page: http://www.uiowa.edu/~c07p200b/

Instructor:
Kathy Schuh
N304 Lindquist Ctr
335-5667
e-mail: kathy-schuh@uiowa.edu
Office hours: Monday 11:00-12:00, Tuesday 1:00-2:00, & by appointment

Teaching Assistant:
Jessica Martens
353/348 Lindquist Ctr
e-mail: jessica-l-martens@uiowa.edu
Office hours: Monday 2:00-3:00, Tuesday 1:00-3:00, Wednesday 2:30-3:30

Course Goal:
There are number of disciplines that contribute to an understanding of educational issues. The goal of this course is to improve students' ability to reason psychologically about teaching and learning. In practicing this ability, students will have the opportunity to survey current research and theory in educational psychology and thus develop an informed view of their own foundational beliefs about the learning process.

Required Materials

• Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson.
• A collection of articles on reserve through our 7P:200 ICON site: http://icon.uiowa.edu/index.shtml -- then click on Content.

Recommended Reading

If you plan continued study in educational psychology, you may want to have a copy of:

• Alexander, P. A., & Winne, P. H. (2006). Handbook of educational psychology (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.

If you are a Ph.D. student in Psychological and Quantitative Foundations you may also want to have a copy of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

Course Policies
Attendance and participation. Attending class is a very good idea. Class sessions provide an opportunity for you to interact with your classmates and me as we come to understand what it means to consider educational issues from a psychological perspective and is a key part of the learning process. It is my goal that class sessions will not be a reiteration of the assigned readings. Missing classes means missing additional understanding. Students are expected to be well-prepared for classes that will provide for discussion and interaction with the readings and the development of these new skills. The class will include a variety of instructional methods including activities and discussion, relying heavily upon the students. Attendance will be noted each class session. If missing class is unavoidable, contact me in advance by e-mail. Please remember that you are responsible for any assignment and activities that take place on any day that you miss. Beyond one excused day of absence, you forfeit .5 % of your final course grade for each absence. Three tardies will count as an absence. Excessive absence and tardiness may result in failure of the course. If you have concerns about this, please contact me.

Just a reminder -- class begins at 9:30 a.m. It is my policy to start class on time and end class on time. That means we all need to be there on time. Be respectful of the time that others have committed to enrolling in this class.

Adaptations and modifications. Please let me know within the first 2 days of class if you require special adaptations or modifications to any assignment or due date because of special circumstances such as learning disabilities, religious observances, or other appropriate needs.

Feedback on paper drafts. Gaining feedback on your work is important to your learning process. Given this, we try to provide timely feedback frequently as you work on your major assignments (MA). Typically if you request feedback on a MA draft, you will receive feedback within 48 hours from either the instructor or the teaching assistant (you may not necessarily get feedback from both). Please do not request written feedback less than one week before your assignment is due (you may certainly come in and ask questions about your assignment). Less than a week will not allow enough time to provide the feedback and for you to be reflective in thoughtfully incorporating it into your assignment. Instructor and TA feedback is to help you learn, not to provide editorial work. Further, although you may choose not to incorporate all of the feedback in your revised paper, certainly it is counterproductive to not include any of it. If that is the case, you have only wasted the instuctor's, the TA's, and your time.

Contesting a grade. If you wish to contest a grade, please send me an e-mail detailing your reason within 48 hours of receiving the grade. This will allow both of us time to think, reflect, and discuss the matter without taking away class time from other students. To contest any grade you must provide a copy of the graded assignment.

Late work. All assignments are due at the start of class on the specified due date unless otherwise stated. Late items will be accepted, but with a 20% reduction of possible points for each day that they are late (this includes weekends as well). You can turn late assignments at my mailbox located in 361 Lindquist Ctr. This office is typically open from 8:00 to 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday (closed during the noon hour). Please send me e-mail if you place a late assignment in my mailbox.

Examples. In the past, students in this course have been interested in seeing examples of completed Major Assignments (MA). Throughout the semester there will be a binder at the help desk in the ETC on the first floor in North Lindquist Center. You are encouraged to browse these materials, but do not make copies of them. So that the pool of examples continues to grow and remain current, I encourage you to submit your own assignments to be included in the example binder for future students. All identifying information will be removed. To have your MA included complete the Major Assignment Consent Form and submit that along with a copy (paper or electronic) of your MA.

Plagiarism. Unless you are otherwise instructed, you work should be entirely your own. Please take care in writing your major assignments; writing in your own words, citing others' ideas, and quoting text as appropriate. At times I may request an electronic copy of your assignment to scan using Turnitin.

Other information. It is suggested that you be aware of university policy statements regarding academic misconduct, academic accommodations, student complaint procedures, etc. Consult the following websites:

• College policy on student complaints and dispute resolution. Student Complaint Procedures available at: http://www.uiowa.edu/~coedean/policies/student_complaint/index.htm
• College policy on student academic misconduct (plagiarism and cheating). See Policy on Student Academic Misconduct available at: http://www.uiowa.edu/~coedean/policies/student_ac_misconduct/index.htm
• Statement on accommodations for students with disabilities. See 7/02 memo from Provost's Office at: http://provost.uiowa.edu/docs/notifications/adacover.pdf
  Student Disability Services: http://www.uiowa.edu/~sds/
  Assisting Students with Disabilities: A Guide for Faculty and Instructors at: http://www.uiowa.edu/~eod/education/publications/assisting-students.html
• This course is given by the College of Education. This means that class policies on matters such as requirements, grading, and sanctions for academic dishonesty are governed by the College of Education. Students wishing to add or drop this course after the official deadline must receive the approval of the Dean of the College of Education. Details of the University policy of cross enrollments may be found at: http://www.uiowa.edu/~provost/deos/crossenroll.doc

Changes to the syllabus. I reserve the right to change the syllabus as necessary to ensure adequate student progress. I don't expect this to occur, but if any changes are made, I will notify you via e-mail. NOTE: Blank spots in the syllabus do not mean that there is not class. Rather, they mean that we will continue the content from the previous class via discussion or some other activity!

Course Schedule and Assignments

General Criteria for all Documents
Clear, precise, graduate level writing is expected in all written documents that you submit for this course. If you have concerns about this, please visit with me so we may develop a plan to support you in developing your writing skills. Citations using APA style are expected whenever you draw on another work. In addition, quotation marks and in-text citations are necessary when using direct quotes from a source.

Grading
Grades will be determined on a point scale. If you have concerns about your grade throughout the semester, please contact me. Remember, late assignments will be docked 20% of their total point value for each day they are late. Descriptions of assignments are available on the web (these descriptions are subject to change, be sure you keep the latest copy). Total points for the course may change or assignments may be added or deleted. You will be notified of these changes in class and via e-mail.

Evaluation Scale

* Why such a high lower-boundary for an "A"? It provides me an opportunity to be flexible. At my discretion I can lower the level of a grade boundary, but I will never increase one. Your goal should be to do your best work.

Evaluation Points

This course is offered through the
Division of Psychological and Quantitative Foundations - College of Education
Dr. Timothy Ansley, DEO
361 Lindquist Center
timothy-ansley@uiowa.edu