psych

1.  Introductions
 Overview of
expectations
 What is Educational
Psychology?
[Photo is of my
daughter on the first
day of 3rd grade ]

2.  Syllabus & Schedule:
◦ READ the syllabus NOW (updated copy posted May 18) if
you have not already done so.
◦ Don’t be terribly overwhelmed – it is a lot of work, but you
can do it in your PJs, whenever its most convenient .
◦ Let me know if you have any questions ASAP.
 If you are “attending (this) lecture” I hope you have
already done the reading; if not, do the reading
NOW, before you do anything else (except read the
syllabus – do that first).
 After completing the reading and the lectures
(A&B), participate in the discussion (details are in the
Discussion Assignment posted on BB).
◦ First discussion is due Tuesday, May 20 by 11:59 p.m.

3.  You have been assigned to a small group of 3 students:
◦ Group 1: Jaqueline Armour, Kathleen Cantalini, & Maria Haxton
◦ Group 2: Shannon Leclaire, Rebecca Mortensen, & Anna
Romanovsky
◦ Group 3: Sarah Sawnson, Elleson Tinkle, & Rachel Wagner
 You will participate in two discussions per week (each
discussion may have more than one component); and post
twice for each discussion.
 Please plan to complete the discussion for the first set of
material (e.g., chapter 1) by each Tuesday (11:59 pm) and
for the second set (e.g., chapter 2) by each Thursday
(11:59 pm), so that I can provide feedback and clarify any
concepts before you take each weekly quiz.
 Please review the details posted on BB thoroughly and let
me know if you have questions.

4.  MyEducationLab (MEL)
◦ I hope you will find this to be a useful resource – I think
it will add an important component to the course.
◦ To successfully complete the assignments you will need
to have done the reading first. You will also want to use
your textbook while you are completing the assignments
so that you can be very specific about course concepts.
◦ In the MEL folder on BlackBoard you will find general
instructions, registration instructions, and the first
assignment.
◦ Please get started ASAP, so you can let me know if any
problems arise – the first MEL assignment is due
Wednesday, by 11:59 p.m.

5.  Quizzes will be weekly (see syllabus).
◦ They are open-note, open-book but they are also
timed, so you want to be prepared.
◦ Any material (e.g., reading, additional
resources, discussions) is “fair game” for quizzes.
◦ The best 5 out of 6 count. No make-ups.
◦ The final quiz will include some cumulative
material, drawn from the discussion forums.
 The research project is the final course project –
due during the last week.
◦ Get started early – plan to work on this project
throughout the term. Note that the topic and references
are due by the end of this week!
◦ Details are posted on BlackBoard.

6.  OK, so the course will be a fair amount of work:
◦ It should not be more work than a face-face course and remember you
can do it at your convenience and from the comfort of your own
home, dorm-room, wherever;
◦ BUT (and this is true for face-face courses), we are taking a 15-week
semester and fitting it into 6 weeks. Given that most 3-credit semester
classes require about two hours of work outside of class for every hour
spent in class (equaling approximately 9 hours per course per week in the
regular semester), it would not be unreasonable to plan to spend 18-24
hours a week on this course (of course, you don’t have to spend 6 of those
hours in a classroom).
 Please also know that I will be flexible, especially this first
week, as we get going.
 Also, if you know of anyone looking for a summer course to take
(even someone from another University), please let them know
about this one.
 Now, back to the material…

7. Educational Psychology is the psychology of
learning and teaching
 Psychology: scientific study of behavior and mental
processes
Two parts mission: Both “basic” and “applied”
 Basic: Enhance theoretical knowledge about basic
psychological processes related to learning and teaching
◦ So, this is where the research comes in – we need to study things like
cognitive development, in order to understand them.
 Applied: Improve educational practice by using theoretical
knowledge to enhance all aspects of teaching-learning process
◦ This is where we use what we have learned through research. Teachers must
stay informed.
◦ Note that teachers can be researchers too – that is, they can systematically
study what works and what doesn’t in their classrooms (action research – see
p. 11).
 Brief video: Overview of Educational Psychology:
◦ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAvrQAyCzkc