Great Basin College
EPY 330
Principles of Educational Psychology
Spring 2012 Syllabus
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
email:
SKYPE:
Office Hours:
Thomas Reagan
EIT 253
753-2214
thomasr@gwmail.gbcnv.edu
thomas.reagan
Tuesdays 2:30-4:00
Thursdays 2:00-4:00 and 5:30-7:00 or by appointment
Course Information
Title:
Number:
Discipline:
Description:
Prerequisites:
Location:
Times:
Credits:
Principles of Educational Psychology
EPY 330
Teacher Education
Introduction to the science of education; application of methods and results of
experimental psychology to the classroom.
ENG 102 and sophomore standing or a minimum of 30 credit hours.
EIT 203
Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00-12:15
3 credits
Textbooks
Required Textbook:
Educational Psychology: Windows on Classrooms, Eggen, P., Kauchak, D. (New Jersey:
Pearson, 8th ed., 2010)
ISBN: 0-13-501668-1
Learning Outcomes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Identify current issues in the changing field of educational psychology.
Demonstrate the fundamentals of behavioral and social-cognitive learning theories and develop successful learning strategies
based on these theories.
Explain the major theories of cognitive, social, and moral development in children and their application for teaching practice.
Develop ideas and strategies for enhancing student motivation.
Investigate issues that affect school and classroom climate, including classroom management, and the impact they have on
learning and teaching.
Measurement of Learning Outcomes
Class Participation (10% of course grade)
Class participation and attendance are an integral part of the learning process. Should you miss a class for a compelling reason it is your
responsibility to inform the instructor and to make up the material missed. Active participation in class discussions is perhaps the most
effective way for students to feel that they are confident with the class material and for the instructor to determine whether the class is
assimilating the information. Students are encouraged to ask questions, seek clarification of issues and to share their own opinions about
the works we shall be examining. Participation will be rewarded, as the contributions of all class members are valued as illuminating the
subject material and providing a rich variety of insights. Common courtesy is expected. Non-participation and rude behavior, such as
personal conversations while others are speaking, texting, persistent arrival 5 or more minutes late - or leaving early, must not occur.
Absences will result in a reduction of participation points since the student cannot participate when absent.
Discussion Postings in WebCampus (10%)
Students will be required to periodically post discussions within WebCampus and respond intelligently to others in the class.
Chapter Reading Quizzes (5%)
Each chapter will have a self -study quiz. Quizzes are delivered via WebCampus and are open book, open note, and are encouraged to be
taken in a cooperative setting with fellow classmates. Each quiz can be taken two (2) times. The highest score will be recorded. There is a
30 minute wait between quiz attempts.
Writing Assignments (20%)
Journal Readings and Reactions: Students are required to summarize at least two (2) articles and critically analyze the implications for
learning from a professional journal, i.e. Journal of Educational Psychology, Journal of Educational Research, Review of Educational
Research, etc. The reference dates for articles must be 2004 to present. Each summary should be at least two pages in length. Papers
should address the following concerns: something you found particularly interesting or provocative, something you disagree with,
something that corroborates or contradicts your prior experiences, or something you wish to discuss in greater detail. Do not simply
summarize the article. The points you make should reflect considerable thought, and should address your reaction, how this article is
relevant to you as a future educator, and how the knowledge gained from this reading possibly will affect your professional life. The
purpose of this assignment is for you to become a critical reader of articles that relate to education. Reading journal articles is one of many
ways to keep up to date in each teaching field. Results will be shared in class.
Final Project: TBA, sort of. Students will be allowed flexibility in designing a final project for the semester.
Journal Presentations (10%)
Each student will select one of their journal articles and teach it to the class. Ten minutes will be allowed.
Summative Assessments (20%)
Two summative assessments will be given (see schedule on last page). They will be multiple choice and essay format. Exam content will
be taken directly from the textbook, lecture material, and other presentations.
Final Exam (25%)
A final exam will be given during finals week. The exam will be the same format and content outline as the midterm exam.
Policy Statements
Late Work:
All assignments are due on the date listed on the syllabus or when assigned in
class by the instructor. Late work is not accepted.
Attendance Policy:
You are expected to attend all class meetings. Exceptions may be discussed with
the instructor with suitable make-up activities agreed upon. All course work is due
on the assigned dates whether or not you are present. The instructor assumes no
responsibility for making sure you receive any course material for which you were
absent. Contact another class participant ahead of time to collect class materials
and take notes. Make arrangements to get such materials before the next class
meeting date. You are expected to return to the next class fully prepared with
assignments ready.
NOTE: GBC’s excessive absences policy (see catalog for description) will be
followed. The instructor reserves the right to drop any student after three
unexcused absences.
Students with Disabilities:
GBC supports providing equal access for students with disabilities. An advisor is
available to discuss appropriate accommodations with students. Please contact the
ADA Officer (Julie Byrnes) in Elko at 775.753.2271 at your earliest convenience
to request timely and appropriate accommodations.
Student Responsibilities

Read and understand the contents of the GBC catalog.

Become familiar with all GBC policies and procedures.

Be aware of all GBC deadlines, including dates for registration, change of registration and fee payment.

Contribute to the maintenance of a campus environment conducive to intellectual curiosity, civility, and diversity.

Keep GBC informed of changes in address, phone number, enrollment changes which might affect financial aid awards
and/or any other circumstances which could affect satisfactory progress toward a degree.
Policy of Academic Integrity: Academic honesty is expected in this course. All student work must be original and authentic. Any acts of
cheating, copying, and/or plagiarizing are violations of the UCCSN code of conduct and will be taken seriously. Students who cheat, copy
another’s work, or plagiarize from the Internet or other sources will fail the course regardless of other course work and are subject to
dismissal from the academic institution. The definition of plagiarism as adopted by the GBC Faculty Senate is:
“Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s word, ideas or data as one’s own. When a student submits work that includes the words,
ideas, or data of others, the source of that information must be acknowledged through complete, accurate, and specific references;
and if verbatim statements are included, through quotation marks as well. In academically honest writing or speaking, the
students will acknowledge the source whenever:


Another person’s actual words are quoted
Another person’s idea, opinion or theory is used, even if it is completely paraphrased in the student’s own
words

Facts, statistics, or other illustrative materials are borrowed, unless the information is common
knowledge.”
Recycling one’s own work from another class or a previous version of this class is considered plagiarism.
Grading Policy and Grading Scale
**Please be aware that this is an upper-division education course and students must earn at least a B- to advance to student teaching
A
AB+
B
BC+
94-100
90-93
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
C
CD+
D
DF
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
BELOW 60
Course Schedule – Instructor reserves right to modify during semester
Date
1/24
1/26
1/31
2/2
2/7
2/9
2/14
CHAPTER/TOPIC
Introductions, Expectations, Course Syllabus, Ch1Professional Knowledge
Ch1 – The Role of research
Ch2 – Piaget’s Theory
Ch2 – Lev Vygotsky /Language Development
Ch3– Erickson
Ch3 – Erikson/Piaget Moral Development
Ch3 – Kohlberg Moral Development
2/16
2/21
2/23
2/28
3/1
3/6
3/8
3/13
3/15
Summative #1
Ch4 - Diversity
Ch4 - Diversity
Ch6 – Behaviorist views of learning
Ch6 – Social Cognitive
Ch6 – Social Cognitive
Ch7 – Cognitive perspectives on learning
Ch7 – Memory stores
Ch7 – cognitive processes and metacognition
3/20
3/22
4/3
Presentations
*
*
*
*
*
*
4/5
4/10
*
4/12
4/17
4/19
4/24
4/26
5/1
5/3
5/8
5/10
5/15
*
*
*
Ch8 – Constructivist learning theory
Ch8 - Misconceptions
Ch8 – Constructivist learning in the classrooms
Assignment Due
Ch1 Reading Quiz
Ch2 Reading Quiz
Discussion Post #1: Erikson’s views
Discussion Replies #1: Erikson’s views
Ch3 Reading Quiz
Journal Reaction #1
Ch4 Reading Quiz
Ch6 Reading Quiz
Discussion Post #2
Discussion Replies #2
Ch7 Reading Quiz
Ch8 Reading Quiz
Final Project Outline
Summative #2
Ch9 – Concept Learning
Ch9 – Problem solving
Ch10 – Influence of beliefs on motivation
Ch10 – Influence of beliefs on motivation
Ch11 – Motivation in the classroom
Ch11 – Motivation in the classroom
Final Project Presentations
Final Project Presentations
Final Project Presentations
Final Project Presentations
Final Exam
Ch9 Reading Quiz
Journal Reaction #2
Ch10 Reading Quiz
Discussion Post #3
Discussion Replies #3
Ch11 Reading Quiz