PSYC&200: Lifespan Psychology (online)
Summer Quarter 2013
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Course Dates:
Monday, June 24th - Sunday, August 18th
Credits:
5 Credits
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Instructor:
Kali Kuwada, Psy.D., LMHC
Contact:
Email: kali.kuwada@seattlecolleges.edu or through Angel
I will respond to messages within 24 hours (weekends & holidays excluded).
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Required Text:
Berger, K.S. (2012). The Developing Person Through the Life Span (8th Edition): Worth
Publishers.
Text Resource:
The Developing Person Through the Life Span Textbook Companion site:
http://bcs.worthpublishers.com/bergerls8e/default.asp#t_658648____
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Course Description
Lifespan Psychology explores human development from conception through death. This course will highlight a
biopsychosocial framework that emphasizes the role of genetic, maturational, societal and self-directed factors
in development throughout the lifespan. One goal of the course is to explore the challenges and opportunities
facing each stage of human development.
Course Purpose & Goals
1)
The purpose of this course is to provide students with a dynamic understanding of human development
in the context of psychological theory, research and practice.
2)
Specific goals for this course are as follows:
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Recognize, compare and contrast the different theoretical perspectives in the field of developmental
psychology.
Demonstrate critical thinking skills by analyzing and evaluating others’ and one’s own view thinking
on complex psychological issues under discussion.
Greater sensitivity to diversity by considering different points of view on controversial issues.
Demonstrate information literacy skills by seeking out high-quality online information relevant to
psychological issues under discussion.
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Method of Instruction
This online course will use a variety of instructional methods including readings from the textbook, online
activities and discussions. My intention is to minimize busy work by assigning tasks that are concise, relevant
and meaningful. Make sure to read all the instructions each week to be clear about what you need to do. The
general weekly structure is as follows:

Read the textbook: Each week you are assigned chapters from the textbook, which should be your first
task for the week.

Review the lecture material: In addition to each week’s reading, some of the chapter material is
covered in a PowerPoint presentation, chapter overview handout and video (if applicable). I recommend
reviewing the material and getting your reading done no later than Wednesday of each week so that you
may focus on discussion assignments and studying for your tests later in the week.
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Participate in the discussion: Discussions with your classmates are an important part of this course
and are worth 40% of your grade (more details below).
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Take the Chapter(s) Test: There are a total of 8 multiple-choice tests offered this quarter (one test is
administered per week). These activities total 60% of your grade (details below).
Each week’s chapter(s) discussion forum and test will be available 12AM on Monday until 11:59PM Sunday of
that week.
This means that you have the flexibility to complete your assigned tasks at any point during that week. If an
assignment or test is not submitted before the deadline, a score of 0 will be entered into the grade book.
Therefore, a ‘broken computer’, ‘power outage’ or ‘lost internet connection’ is not an acceptable excuse for
missing an assignment or test. Plan ahead and take some time to think about a backup plan in case technical
glitches arise.
Weekly Tasks & Extra Credit
Weekly Chapter Tests
There will be a total of 8 weekly chapter tests administered this quarter. These tests are open book, timed and
will include only multiple-choice questions. The points per test vary depending on the difficulty of content and
amount of material covered each week (ranging from 5-15 total points). You can earn a total of 60 points from
these tests. The test questions will be randomly drawn from some of the key concepts in the chapter(s), thus
each test will be unique for each student. You will have between 30-60 minutes to complete each weekly test
(the more test questions you have, the more time you have on the test). Although not all key terms will be
tested, you will need to know all the key terms from each chapter.
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These tests are non-cumulative.
Your test will be automatically submitted once the time runs out.
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These tests will account for up to 60% of your grade.
Each week’s chapter test will be available 12AM on Monday until 11:59PM on Sunday
Since you have a full week to take the test, make-up tests are not offered.
Weekly Discussion Forum Posts
Throughout the quarter you be required to participate in weekly discussion posts. A total of 8 post assignments
will be graded, worth 5 points each. You can earn a total of 40 points from these post assignments.
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Discussion forum posts account for 40% of your final grade.
Each week’s discussion forum will be available 12AM on Monday until 11:59PM on Sunday
Since you have a full week to post your responses, late posts will not be accepted.
Discussion posts are to be written in a scholarly manner (I expect college-level writing). Most weekly post
activities total about a page of writing (they are meant to be thoughtful yet succinct). These posts allow you to
expand upon course concepts and further explore related areas of interest. Have fun with these…I really do
want to know what you think!
Discussion Forum “Netiquette”
Students are expected to be civil and respectful towards one another in the discussion forums. Use of profanity
(i.e., words that show disrespect or debasement of a person) may result in suspension of participation in the
forums and a loss of points towards that course grade. In addition, the discussion forums are not chat rooms.
They are mediums for students to discuss specific psychological questions and concepts. Also, it is expected
that students will express their thoughts in carefully-crafted and carefully-proofread sentences written in a
scholarly style.
Extra Credit
During Week 1 you have the option to do an Introduction Post and take a Syllabus test. I encourage you to do
these tasks as they will help you get to know your classmates and help you understand the format for online
test-taking for this course. The Introduction Post and Syllabus Test will be worth 2.5 points each (totaling 5
extra credit points toward your final grade).
During the last week of the quarter, in addition to the regular weekly assignments, you will also have the option
to take a final extra credit test on the Epilogue: Death & Dying and submit an extra credit discussion board post.
These tasks will be worth 5 points each (totaling 10 extra credit points toward your final grade). This is one of
the most interesting chapters, so I hope you will decide to participate!
If you choose not do to the extra credit, you will not be penalized. Since you have the flexibility to submit each
week’s assignment at any point during the week and you can earn up to 15 extra credits points for this class,
make-up work will not be accepted (with the exception of an emergency, in which I will require
documentation).
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Course Format
The content on the ANGEL website is organized in a number of pages, which can be accessed by clicking on
the tabs at the top of the screen. The name of each tab along with a brief description of its contents is presented
below:

Course: This page serves as the home page and displays course announcements that I have posted. You
are responsible for reading all announcements posted, which may contain important information about
assignments and the course schedule.
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Calendar: This page displays due dates for the weekly discussions and tests.
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Weekly Assignments: This page contains instructions on all the activities that you are required to
complete. The content is organized in folders titled “Week 1”, “Week 2”, etc.
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Grades: On this page, you can keep track of your progress in the course.
Communication with the Instructor
Please send messages to me from within Angel or at kali.kuwada@seattlecolleges.edu. This class is designed to
encourage ongoing dialogue between student and teacher and amongst students as well. I expect that you will
have many questions and comments along the way. One benefit of an online class is that interactions can be
enriched if you make full use of the online tools provided to consult with one another. Communication is built
into the class and I will do my best to reply to any email or phone messages within 24 hours (excluding
weekends and holidays). If you do not get a response from me within 24 hours, you can assume that I did not
get your message. Feel free to ask any and all questions about assignments and text readings throughout the
quarter.
Troubleshooting
If you are having trouble with any of the technical aspects of Angel, please contact NSCC’s Distance Learning
office: (206) 934.3738. Additionally, you may find answers to your questions via the Distance Learning
website: http://www.virtualcollege.org/index.html and/or NSCC’s Angel support website:
http://www.virtualcollege.org/resource/angel_lms/angel_index.htm
Textbook Internet Resource
There is a website provided by the textbook publisher that has activities and other content designed to enhance
the student’s learning experience. The website can be found at:
http://bcs.worthpublishers.com/bergerls8e/default.asp#t_658648____
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Weekly Course Schedule
Dates
Topic
Post & Tests
Due by 11:59pm
Week 1: 6/24- 6/30
Syllabus Review & Your Introduction (Extra credit) 5
6/30
Chapters 1-2: Introduction & Theories of Development
Week 2: 7/1 – 7/7
Chapter 3: Heredity & Environment
7/7
Chapter 4: Prenatal Development & Birth
Week 3: 7/8 – 7/14
Chapters 5-7: The First Two Years
7/14
Week 4: 7/15 – 7/21
Chapters 8-10: Early Childhood
7/21
Week 5: 7/22 – 7/28
Chapters 11-13: Middle Childhood
7/28
Week 6: 7/29 – 8/4
Chapters 14 -16: Adolescence
8/4
Week 7: 8/5 – 8/11
Chapters 17 -19: Emerging Adulthood
8/11
Chapters 20 - 22: Adulthood
Week 8: 8/12 – 8/18
Chapters 23 - 25: Late Adulthood
Epilogue: Death & Dying (Optional/Extra credit)
HAVE A GREAT BREAK!!
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8/18
Course Policies
Academic Problems: It is important to me that you succeed in this class. If you have questions or concerns
about the subject matter or your performance, please contact me as soon as possible. Do not wait until the end
of the quarter to talk with me about academic difficulties. Additionally, there are resources on campus that may
be helpful to you.
 Tutoring: https://northseattle.edu/tutoring?search_standing=8
 Counseling: https://northseattle.edu/counseling?search_standing=1
Student Conduct/Academic Integrity: Cases of cheating, plagiarism or other types of academic dishonesty
are unacceptable in this course. This includes: (1) submitting a quiz, exam or assignment that another person
completed; (2) completing a quiz exam or assignment for another student; (3) copying phrases or sentences
from a book, article or Internet source into an assignment without providing a citation; and (4) copying from
someone else’s work. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to the College’s Student Code of
Conduct and disciplinary processes.
Discrimination: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any
participant in an educational program. Title IX covers discrimination in programs, admissions, activities, and
student-to-student sexual harassment. NSCC’s policy against sexual harassment extends not only to employees
of the College but to students as well.
ADA Accommodations: If you have any disability which may impair your ability to complete this course
successfully, please contact Disability Services, located in CC 2346A (Northwest section of the East
wing of the College Center, 2nd floor) phone: (206) 934-3697 voice, (206) 934-0079 modem (TTY).
Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified documented
disabilities. Services are coordinated through the Disability Services office with the student and
instructor.
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Grading Information
The discussion board posts are worth 40% of your grade and the tests worth 60% of your grade, totaling 100%.
The optional extra credit points will also be calculated as additional points toward your final grade. The total
number of points you earn will be converted to a percentage of the total points possible. Your final grade will
be assigned in accordance the decimal grading scale as shown below.
Points = %
Decimal Grade
Points = %
Decimal Grade
96-100 (A)
4.0
78 (C+)
2.3
94-95 (A)
3.9
77 (C+)
2.2
93 (A-)
3.8
75-76 (C)
2.1
92 (A-)
3.7
73-74 (C)
2.0
91 (A-)
3.6
71-72 (C)
1.9
90 (A-)
3.5
69 -70 (C-)
1.8
89 (B+)
3.4
68 (C-)
1.7
88 (B+)
3.3
67 (C-)
1.6
87 (B+)
3.2
66 (C-)
1.5
86 (B)
3.1
65 (D+)
1.4
85 (B)
3.0
64 (D)
1.3
84 (B)
2.9
63 (D)
1.2
83 (B-)
2.8
62 (D)
1.1
82 (B-)
2.7
60-61 (D-)
1.0
81 (B-)
2.6
59 & below (F)
0
80 (B-)
2.5
79 (C+)
2.4
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