PSYCH 722 : Human Learning and Development
Science
2020 Semester One (1203) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
This course will give students a deeper understanding of how developmental psychology research and theory has tried to help us understand the developing child. The course interrogates some of the assumptions and practices surrounding child development, critically examines the impact that the field has had on society over time, and considers its continued relevance to current day issues and problems. The course is likely to be particularly relevant to those interested in working with children and young people across varied disciplines (e.g., research, in applied settings and in policy related roles). Please note this course is a little different to the current course prescription due to a changes in lecturing staff and their different research interests. This course overview and the learning objectives and topics should be used as a guide as to the course content and what to expect.
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 1: | Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 2: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 3: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 4: | Communication and Engagement |
| Capability 5: | Independence and Integrity |
| Capability 6: | Social and Environmental Responsibilities |
Learning Outcomes
- Understand how people’s own stories and narratives about developmental issues are shaped by their context, including culture, media and policy (Capability 4, 5 and 6)
- Understand what is meant by social justice research and what it can add to current research methodologies and approaches. (Capability 1, 2, 4 and 6)
- Understand how different views /interpretations/images of human development have changed over time and their potential implications for policy and practice. (Capability 1, 2, 3 and 6)
- Understand how our notions of a child and childhood have changed over time and the impact that these changes have had with respect to parental and state responsibility. (Capability 1, 2, 3 and 6)
- Understand NZ’s current report card with respect poverty, education, health and wellbeing and what our obligations are with respect to international human rights, child rights, and the sustainable development goals. (Capability 1, 2, 3 and 6)
- Evaluate the concept of wellbeing and resilience and the discourses around developing it. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)
- Understand what is meant by social mobility, equality and equity and the role they play in current political discourse. (Capability 1, 2, 3 and 6)
- Understand how failures can be opportunities for growth and the importance of creating environments where we can learn from our mistakes (Capability 1, 2 and 3)
- Develop an opinion piece that is of interest to a lay audience about an important developmental issues related to this course. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)
- Apply the developmental ideas and concepts raised in this course to current day topics (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Project | 35% | Individual Coursework |
| Assignments | 10% | Individual Coursework |
| Presentation | 5% | Group Coursework |
| Final Exam | 40% | Individual Examination |
| Discussions | 10% | Individual Coursework |
| 5 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| Project | ||||||||||
| Assignments | ||||||||||
| Presentation | ||||||||||
| Final Exam | ||||||||||
| Discussions | ||||||||||
Special Requirements
Students will be required to take conduct interviews as part of this course. There are no other special requirements.
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.
For this course, you can expect 2 hours of lectures 4-6 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 2-4 hours of work on assignments and/or exam preparation.
Other Information
Digital Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
Lecture recordings will not be made available on canvas for this class. If you wish to record the lecture for any reason please contact me to discuss. I appreciate that there are some situations where recordings are necessary or required.
Copyright
The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license.
You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website at http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
If there is anything I can do to provide additional support to assist with your learning please let me know. I am happy to help.
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Student Feedback
During the course Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the staff responsible for the course and staff-student consultative committees.
At the end of the course students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback.
Your feedback helps to improve the course and its delivery for all students.
The contact details of the class representatives will be made available on Canvas, but please note you are also welcome to give feedback directly to me or just pop in for a chat.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter (https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html).
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.