Class Sylabus

DEP-2004 Human Growth and Development Syllabus
2014 FALL B /CourseSites platform

COURSE TITLE: Human Growth and Development PREREQUISITES: None
COURSE NUMBER: DEP-2004 14 FALL B COURSE CREDITS: 3
INSTRUCTOR: Rafael Ramos, M.S. E-MAIL: rramos@fnu.edu

1.Text and Materials: Thies, Kathleen M., and Travers, John F. (2014) Custom Edition for FNU – Growth and Development Through the Lifespan, 2nd Edition. Jones and Bartlett Publishers. ISBN: 978-1-284-04862-9.
2. Course Description: The nature of human behavior is considered as a dynamic developmental phenomenon. While the emphasis is psychological, an understanding of the physical aspects of development and their social implications is included. Observation and written analysis of principles of learning involved in human development are required. This course meets teacher certification requirements in the area of psychological foundations.
3. Course Outcomes: At the end of this course, the students will be familiar with the principles that surround the field of Psychology and will have an understanding of the basic concepts and terminology that are emphasized in the field. In addition, the students will become familiar with:
a) The progression of human life from conception through adulthood.
b) The theoretical perspectives for their value in explaining and predicting growth and development.
c) The interdisciplinary explanations of developmental tasks and transitions through the lifespan.
d) The physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development at each stage of lifespan from prenatal stage to Later Adulthood stage.

4. Cheating and Plagiarism is an unacceptable conduct and will NOT be tolerated.
a) The professor will respond to any questions or concern within a time-frame of 24 hours.
b) Students should familiarize themselves with the Blackboard environment and participate in the Blackboard orientation provided in any of the FNU campuses.
c) In keeping with the professionalism for the class, absences, tardiness, and lateness in completion or posting of assignments are not acceptable.
d) Respect for colleagues, their cultural beliefs, differences of opinions and individuality are also required.
e) The professor reserves the right to lower a semester grade on the basis of poor attendance or lack of professionalism.

5. Class Policies and Professional Expectation:

a) Students are responsible for all the material covered during the course.
b) Students must log-on at least twice a week.
c) Attendance is strongly encouraged because the entire test questions will come from material covered in class.
d) Discussion Board participation is required from all students and it is mandatory for all students to respond minimum to two (2) of your peers in every assignment.
When responding to your peers, you must respond with a minimum of 5 to 6 lines or one (1)) paragraph to be graded with the maximum score including your name and the student’s name you are currently writing to in your feedback session.
e) We are implementing Course Sites as part of the evaluation system for this class. You will receive an invitation from your instructor and you will be able to create a User ID and Password to log on into the CourseSites webpage: www. Coursesites.com:
f) Failing to submit any of the required assignments, your grade would be highly affected.
g) Participation is required from all students.
h) All work must comply with APA written standards.
i) Research Paper must comply with APA written standards:
Title page (1),
Abstract (1),
Content pages (5),
Conclusion (1),
Reference page (1).
Therefore, there must be a minimum of nine (9) pages per project.
For more detailed information please, go to the Research Paper Tab located in the left column.
j) In addition, you can contact our Writing Lab at the Hialeah campus and/or Online with Professor Ileana Torres: http://www.fnu.edu/writing-lab/. She can also be reached at the school website: irojas@fnu.edu.
k) All work must be turned in by the due date. Failure to do so will result in a grade of zero (0) for that assignment.
l) If students experience any issues that will affect their performance, they must contact the professor prior to assignment due date.
m) The professor will respond to any questions or concerns within 24 hours.
n) In keeping with the professionalism for the class, absences, tardiness, and lateness in completion or posting of assignments are not acceptable.
o) Respect for colleagues, their cultural beliefs, differences of opinions and individuality are also required.
p) The professor reserves the right to lower a semester grade on the basis of poor attendance or lack of professionalism.
q) Cheating and Plagiarism is an unacceptable conduct and will NOT be tolerated.

6. Learning Outcomes: The student will demonstrate knowledge of:
a) The progression of human life from conception through adolescence.
b) The theoretical perspectives for their value in explaining and predicting growth and development.
c) The interdisciplinary explanations of developmental tasks and transitions through the lifespan.
d) The physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development at each stage of lifespan.

7. Grading Criteria:

GRADED ASSESSMENTS
MAXIMUM POINTS
1.Naturalistic Observation project (1)
100 points each 15%
2. Quizzes (5)
100 points each 15%
3. Research Paper (1)
100 points each 20%
4. Discussion Board (5)
100 points each 10%
5. Midterm Exam (1)
100 points each 20%
6. Final Exam (1)
100 points each 20%
Total
100%

8. Grading System:

GRADE
FROM
TO
A
90
100
B+
85
89
B
80
84
C+
75
79
C
70
74
D
60
69
F
59
0

9. Course Objectives:

COURSE OBJECTIVES TIED INTO THE COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

WEEK

Objectives to be met:

Learning Outcomes

Text and Materials used:

1
A1 - Explain the role of theories in understanding human development.
A2 - Describe three basic issues on which major theories take a stand.
A3 - Trace historical influences on modern theories of human development.
B1 – Describe various patterns of genetic inheritance.
B2 – Summarize research on adaption.

A) Explain the importance of the terms interdisciplinary and applied as they help to define the field of human development.
B) Explain the role and function of genes.

Textbook, Articles & Online Quiz.

2
C1 – Define the term teratogen, and summarize the factors that affect the impact of teratogens on prenatal development.
C2 – Describe the three stages of childbirth.
C3 – Describe major changes in body growth over the first 2 years.
C4 – Describe the general course of motor development during the first 2 years, along with factors that influence it.
C) Comprehend how prenatal, birth and development in toddlerhood take place.

Textbook, Articles & Online Quiz.

3
D1 – Describe how schemes change over the course of development.
D2 - Identify Piaget’s six sensorimotor sub stages, and describe the major cognitive achievements of the sensorimotor stage.
E1 – Discuss personality changes in the first two stages of Erikson’s psychosocial theory
E2 – Discuss the stability of temperament and the role of heredity and environment in the development of temperament.

D) Cognitive development in Infancy and toddlerhood.

E) Emotional and social development in Infancy and toddlerhood.

Textbook, Articles & On-class Quiz.

4

Midterm

Evaluation
On-classroom Exam Only.

5

F1 – Describe major trends in body growth during early childhood
F2 – Describe advances in mental representation during the preschool years.
F3 – Describe Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s views on the development and significance of children’s private speech, along with related evidence.
F4 – Describe Erikson’s stage of initiative versus guilt, noting major personality changes of early childhood.
F5 – Describe advances in peer sociability and in friendship in early childhood, along with cultural and parental influences on early peer relations.
F) Physical, cognitive, emotional and social development in early childhood.

Textbook, Articles & Online Quiz.

6

G1 – Describe major trends in body growth during middle childhood.
G2 – Describe major characteristics of concrete operational thought.
G3 - Describe Erikson’s stage of industry versus inferiority, noting major personality changes in middle childhood.
G4 – Cite changes in understanding and expression of emotion in middle childhood, including the importance of problem-centered coping and emotion-centered coping for managing emotion.
G) Physical, cognitive, emotional and social development in middle childhood.
Textbook, Articles & Online Quiz.

7

H1 – Cite factors that influence the timing of puberty.
H2 – Describe the major characteristics of formal operational thought.
H3 – Describe cognitive and behavioral consequences of adolescents’ newfound capacity for advanced thinking.
H4 – Discuss Erikson’s theory of identity development.
H5 – Discuss changes in parent–child and sibling relationships during adolescence.
H) Physical, cognitive, emotional and social development in adolescence.

Textbook, Articles & On-class Quiz.

8

Final Exam

Evaluation

On-Class Exam Only.

10. Description of Graded Assessment and Policies:
It is my policy that education is an active process in which every student should have the opportunity to earn an excellent grade. Human Growth and Development is a topic that will benefit you in the future for your professional career and for family needs. Although there is a lot of work required, it is a straight forward process to earn an A in this class. I expect the students to adhere to all deadlines.

a) QUIZZES: At the end of the week classes, there will be a graded quiz based on the covered materials and assigned readings. There are five (5) quizzes in this course.
CourseSites platform will be utilized to enhance the class activities and evaluation through the term, but we will still have quizzes that will be administered in class such as Quizzes, Midterm exam, and the Final exam evaluation, and they will not be available on CourseSites.
You will have up to two (2) opportunities to take the quiz. If you decide to retake the quiz, the highest score earned will be the one utilized in your grade. Please, take the second attempt in case the system fails or the internet connection was broken.
Each question will be answered individually and you will not be able to go back to a question once you have submitted the answer.
The quiz will be limited in time. You have 120 minutes to complete and submit your quiz. If you exceeded the time limit allowed, the quiz will automatically boot you out.
Quizzes must be taken before the due date. If you miss a quiz deadline, there will be no makeup time available. You must use a hard wire internet connection for taking the quizzes, Mid-term and Final examination.
There will be five (5) quizzes in total each is worth 3%. Quizzes will account for 15% of your grade.

b) NATURALISTIC OBSERVATION PROJECT: Observations are an important part of studying human development. You will be required to submit one (1) observation for this course. Instructions for the completion of the observation are provided on the following page. The observation is worth 100 points for a total of 15% of your grade.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING A NATURALISTIC OBSERVATION
Course Number: DEP-2004
Course Title: HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
Description
To conduct observations is an important part of studying human development. Select a subject to watch either (not a family member) at a mall, playground, daycare, school, library, etc. You should observe the subject for at least 30 minutes without interrupting them. Prior to the observation, the subject should not be made aware of your study. Once done, you can disclose the purpose of your project.
Requirement

The subject you select should be between 1-18 years of age. You must follow APA ethical guidelines.
Content

The following points need to be addressed on your report:
Demographics. (Age, race, sex etc.)
Appearance. (clothing, approximate height and weight and other defining characteristics)
Physical Development.
Cognitive Development. (Piaget’s stages - which one?)
Emotional and Social Development (Erickson’s stages - which one?)
Does the child meet the milestones and stages for the physical, cognitive, and social/emotional development?
Is there anything unusual or "off-development" for this child (deficits as well as giftedness)?
Your thoughts about the observation.
Your opinion about what you observed and the application of the theories of development.

Format

The observations should be between 2 to 3 pages maximum.
Write your name on the top of the page.
12 font.
Double spaced.
The report should be in your own words.
No images, graphics, etc.
Focus on content, no fluff.
Make sure you write your name.

Grading Criteria

The report is worth 15% of your grade. A breakdown of the grading criteria is described as:
Grammar – 20 points
Content – 60 points
Format – 20 points

Please, describe, and provide details and examples observed during the assignment. Follow the aspects to successfully complete this assignment:
Where the Observation took place.
Child’s Physical development observed.
Cognitive Development according to Piaget’s stages.
Emotional and Social Development according to Erickson’s stages.
Does the child meet the milestones and stages for the physical, cognitive, and social/emotional development? Yes/No. Explain why.
Is there anything unusual or “off-development” for this child (deficits as well as giftedness)?
My thoughts about the Observation.
My opinion about what I observed and the application of the theories of development.
c) RESEARCH PAPER ASSIGNMENT: You will be expected to complete a research paper and submit it for the class according to the syllabus.
The instructor must approve your topic. You must submit your paper through the school website: rramos@fnu.edu.
The paper assignment should include the following structure:
All work must comply with APA written standards: Title page (1), Abstract (1), Content pages (5), Conclusion (1), and References (1). Therefore, there must be a minimum of nine (9) pages per project.
For more detailed information please, go to the following link: http://flash1r.apa.org/apastyle/basics/index.htm.
Each topic will be accepted two (2) times only per students!!! After assigning the same topic two (2) times, students will have to choose and submit another topic from the list provided on the syllabus.
Every student needs to submit his/her topic to be approved by me before starting to work on the topic. Research papers would not be accepted unless it has been submitted and approved by me via school email: rramos@fnu.edu
By copying and pasting information to complete any assignment during the class such as Research papers, GameScape episodes or Discussion Forums would not be tolerated. Therefore, your grade will be “0” grade.
In addition, you can utilize the services from the Writing Lab at the Hialeah campus and online with Professor Ileana Torres.
Please, make the necessary arrangements to get the help and support you may need in writing and editing your Research Paper assignment before you submit it to Turnitin. Prof. Ileana Torres can be reached at: irojas@fnu.edu
All work must be turned in by the due date. Failure to do so will result in a grade of zero (0) for that assignment. You must include at least three (3) professional journal articles (Primary Sources) from journals in Psychology. Include in-text citations for any information taken, quoted or paraphrased from references sources.
Once you have submitted your Research paper, Turnitin will provide you with your similarity rate for the document. If you similarity rate is more than 40%, the student will be able to resubmit it, but this time you will get a lower grade.
No previous Research papers will be accepted from previous class since this is a Turnitin assignment; therefore, the similarity rate will be extremely high. As a consequence the student will have to submit another Research paper and this time, it will be graded with a lower grade.
Use APA citation style in the body of your paper so I know where the information came from (like your text does). This is the (Author, date) you see in your text. It gives credit to original author’s research and are alphabetized by the author’s last name.
Your research will be your own research and writing. No copying or pasting information!!!
Late papers will not be accepted.
The research paper will account for 20% of your grade.

Please, you can refer to the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) located at the school library. These are some of the suggested topics to be used to develop your Research Paper
Disorder Usually First Diagnosed in Infancy, Childhood, or Adolescence.
Neurodevelopmental Disorders:
Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders
Bipolar and Related Disorders
Depressive Disorders
Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
Trauma-and- Stressor-Related Disorders
Dissociative Disorders
Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders
Feeding and Eating Disorders
Personality Disorders (7)
Elimination Disorders
Sleep-Wake Disorders
Sexual Dysfunctions
Gender Dsyphoria
Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders
Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders

d) DISCUSSION FORUMS: There will be Discussion Forums regarding the lesson’s topic according to the syllabus. These discussions are interpreted as your participation and they replace “live class” discussions. All students are expected to participate and will be graded for their comments.
Discussion Forum participation is required from all students and it is mandatory for all students to respond minimum to two (2) of your peers in every assignment. When responding to your peers, you must respond with a minimum of 5 to 6 lines or one complete paragraph (6-9 lines) to be graded with the maximum score.
When responding to your peers, you must type the student’s name you are currently responding to and make reference to his/her comments about the topic in a very meaningful way. By doing so, your assignment will be graded with the maximum grade.
This is a mandatory assignment for all the students in class and you need to respond minimum to two (2) of your classmates every time you post your comments on the Discussion Board session.
Please, remember to type your classmates’ First and Last name at the beginning of the comment, and your First and Last name at the end of the post.
There will be a total of five (5) class discussion which will account for 100 points each representing 10% of your grade. The grading rubric (criteria) will be available on the discussion section.

e) MIDTERM EXAM: A midterm examination will be administered to evaluate the knowledge acquired from Parts: I – IV.
The evaluation will be On Campus online and it is worth 100 points of your grade representing 20% of your grade. Failure to submit and complete the Midterm exam by its due date, you will be automatically dropped from the class with a WP: dropped from class with financial responsibility.
NO MAKE-UPS. You will have three (3) hours to complete the test.
You may only take the test one time and you must complete the test in one sitting.

f) FINAL EXAM: A final examination will be administered to evaluate the knowledge acquired from Part: V – VII.
The evaluation will be On Campus and it’s worth 100 points of your grade representing 20% of your grade.
Failure to submit and complete the Final exam by its due date, you will be given a WF: you will get an F in the class with financial and academic responsibility. Therefore, you will get a WF as your final grade.
If you failed to submit the Midterm after is due, you will be automatically dropped from the class since you won’t have enough grade to pass the class.
NO MAKE-UPS. You will have four (4) hours to complete the test. You may only take the test one time and you must complete the test in one sitting.
Final exam must be taken before the due date. If you miss the exam deadline, there will be no makeup time available. NO MAKE-UPS. You will have three (3) hours to complete the test.
You may only take the test one time and you must complete the test in one sitting.

Class Schedule and Reading Assignments.
Week #
Date:
Topic:
Required Reading
Assignment Due:

1

10/27

10/29
Introduction to the course. History, Theory, and Research strategy.

Major Theories and Issues.
Part I: Major Theories and Issues

Chapters 1-10
Complete the Course Syllabus Agreement.
Course Syllabus quiz.

Discussion Board #1.

Quiz #1.Part I:
Chapters 1 – 10

2

11/03

11/05

Prenatal Development, Birth, and the Newborn Baby.
Conception to birth, and influences on Prenatal development
Part II: Prenatal Development

Chapters 11- 20
Watch video: “In the Womb.” Write a two-paragraph summary about the video.

Quiz #2.Part II:
Chapters 11 – 20

3
11/10

11/12
Wednesday
Quiz #3 On Campus!!!

Infancy growth and development.

Brain, cognitive and language development.

Part III: Infancy

Chapters 21-30

Discussion Board #2

Quiz #3 Part III
Chapters 21-30
Quiz will be administered in the classroom Only!!!

4

11/17
Monday
Midterm Exam

11/19
Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood.

Language development, homeless children, daycare, gender development and Play behavior.
Parts: I - IV

Part IV: Early Childhood
Chapters 31- 43

Midterm Exam Due Date: 11/17 in the classroom Only!!!

Discussion Board #3

5

11/24

11/26
Naturalistic Observation is due!!!
Physical growth and cognitive development.
Intelligence, moral and language development. Resilience in childhood.

Part V: Middle Childhood
Chapters 44 - 54

Quiz #4
Part V:
Chapters 44 – 54

Discussion Board #4
Naturalistic Observation is due on 11/26/2014.

6
12/01

12/03
Physical and Cognitive Development in Adolescence.
Puberty, Healthy and Risky Behaviors.

Part VI: Adolescence
Chapters 55 - 64

Research Paper is due.
Due Date: 12/01/2014

Discussion Board #4

7
12/08
Monday
Quiz #5 On Campus!!!

12/10

Early, Middle, and Late Adulthood: Physical health, Cognitive and Psychosocial Development.

Part VII: Adulthood
Chapters 65 - 74

Quiz #5
Part VI:
Chapters 55 – 64
Due Date: 12/08
On Campus

Discussion Board #5

8

12/15

12/17

Final Exam

Course Wrap up & Evaluation.
Parts: Chapters V-VII

Final grade for this class!!!
Final Exam Due Date: 6/23

Course Wrap Up & Evaluation.

g) The above schedule and procedures in this course are subject to changes in the event of extenuating circumstances or at the instructor’s discretion.

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