This course introduces students to major theories and findings regarding human learning from a psychological perspective. It will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30-5:45pm in Cushing Hall 332 during the fall 2016 semester. The course objectives are for students to learn about key learning theories, cognitive and motivational processes underlying learning, how social and biological factors influence learning, and implications for educational practice. Assessment includes class participation, exams, and a reaction paper connecting a media article on learning/development issues to course concepts.

1. PSY2032-02: PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING
Fall 2016: Tu, Th 4:30-5:45
Location: Cushing Hall 332
Course Website: http://bostoncollege.instructure.com
Course Description
This course will introduce students to what the field of psychology has to say about how humans learn. This
includes comparing and contrasting major theoretical approaches to the study of learning, examining the basic
cognitive and motivational processes involved in learning, and considering how social and biological factors
affect these processes. The course will have an educational focus; that is, it will attempt to foster an
understanding of human learning that can be used to maximize students’ growth and achievement in different
educational contexts.
Course Objectives – Students will learn about…
 key theories of human learning
 the basic cognitive and motivational processes that underlie learning
 how the interaction between social and biological factors influences learning
 the implications of the psychology of learning for educational practice
 individual differences in cognition, motivation, and learning that account for varying levels of student
achievement
 the methods psychologists use to investigate cognitive development and learning
Texts:
Ormrod, J. E. (2016). Human learning (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Willingham, D. T. (2009). Why don’t students like school? A cognitive scientist answersquestionsabout
how the mind works and what it means forthe classroom. San Francisco,CA: Jossey-Bass.
*Additional journal articles or chapters not included in the above books will be disseminated as PDFs via the
course website on Canvas.
*Links to additional online videos will be provided on the course website on Canvas.
Grading:
Participation (15%) Exams (55%) Reaction Paper (30%)
Class discussion / attendance (5%) Quiz (10%) Article Selection & Summary (P/F)
In-class assignments (10%) Midterm(15%) Draft of reaction paper (P/F)
Mandatory meeting (P/F) Final (30%) Final reaction paper (30%)
Instructor
Chen Shen
Email: shenca@bc.edu
Office Hours & location: Tu 2:30-3:30 at Service Building 211 A or by appointment

2. 2
Class Schedule
Week Date: Class Topics Readings and Due Dates
1
Unit 1 – Foundational Concepts and Theories
Tu (8/30) Course overview. Introduction to the
Psychology of Learning
Ormrod, Chapter 1 (pp. 1-13)
Th (9/1) Biological vs.Social Bases of Learning Ormrod, Chapter 2 (pp. 14-34)
Gladwell, Chapter 1
2
Tu (9/6) Behaviorism: Classical Conditioning Ormrod, Chapter 3 (pp. 35-46)
Th (9/8) Behaviorism: Operant Conditioning Ormrod, Chapter 3 (pp. 47-75)
3
Tu (9/13) Applications of Behaviorist Principles Ormrod, Chapter 4 (pp. 76-91)
Th (9/15) Social Cognitive Theory Ormrod, Chapter 5 (pp. 113-134)
4
Tu (9/20) Developmental Theories : Piaget Ormrod, Chapter 10 (pp. 277-291)
Th (9/22) Developmental Theories : Vygotsky Ormrod, Chapter 11 (pp. 302-314)
5
Tu (9/27) Review for Quiz & Article Selection Catch up on reading
Th (9/29) Quiz Covers Weeks 1-4
Unit 2 – An Information Processing Account of Learning
6
Tu (10/4) Working Memory and
Executive Functions
Ormrod, Chapter 6 (pp. 157-161)
Willingham, Chapter 1
Article Selection & 1-page Summary Due
Th (10/6) Long Term Memory-Encoding Ormrod, Chapter 7 (pp. 162-181, 185-188)
7
Tu (10/11) Long Term Memory- Retrieving Ormrod, Chapter 8 (pp. 190-232)
Th (10/13) Strategies for Enhancing Memory Roediger & Pyc (2012)
Willingham, Chapter 2, 3 ,5
8
Tu (10/18) Group activity : selected articles Catch up on reading
Come prepared with an outline
Th (10/20) Problem Solving Anderson,Chapter 8 (pp. 209-217)
Ormrod, Chapter 13 (pp. 393-408)
9
Tu (10/25) Transfer and Heuristics Ormrod, Chapter 13 (pp. 384-393)
Willingham, Chapter 4 (pp. 97-104) & Chapter 6
Th (10/27) Review for Midterm Ormrod, Chapter 13 (pp. 408-416)
First Draft Due

3. 3
10
Tu (11/1) Midterm Covers Weeks 6-9
Unit 3 – Individual differences in learning and academic achievement
Th (11/3) Metacognition Dunlosky & Metcalfe
1 1
Tu (11/8) Motivation Ormrod, Chapter 14 (pp. 435-439, 453-459)
Ormrod, Chapter 15 (pp. 460-474)
Th (11/10) Beliefs about Ability Dweck, Chapter 2
12
Tu (11/15) Poverty and SES effects Magnuson &Votruba-Drzal, 2009
Evans, Brooks-Gunn & Klebanov, 2011
Th (11/17) Language Development Hoff Chapter 1
Diamond, 2010
13
Tu (11/22) Reaction Paper Consultation Catch up on reading
One-on-One meeting
Th (11/24) Thanksgiving – No class
14
Tu (11/29) Self-regulated Learning Pintrich & Groot
Reaction Paper Due
Th (12/1) Review Session Come prepared with questions
15 Tu (12/6) Final Exam Covers week 1-12

4. 4
Course Requirements:
Participation
1. Class discussion and attendance. Despite the size of the class,I expect you to be engaged and contribute to
discussion. Constructive contributions consist of questions and comments that connect your understanding
of the assigned readings to your prior knowledge, personal experiences, and educational goals. It is therefore
important that you come to class having completed all of the readings assigned for that day.
The more prepared that you are to participate, the more rewarding the class meetings will be for everyone.
Anyone seen engaging in phone/computer activities that are not relevant to the course (e.g., texting,
facebook, twitter, instagram, etc.) will lose points for the class discussion requirement (5%).
2. In-class assignments. During class,you will occasionally be asked to complete a brief written assignment
pertaining to that day’s reading, lecture, or discussion. The assignments will be scored on a scale of 0 to 10.
Any in-class assignments that are missed due to tardiness or absence will receive a score of 0. If you let me
know at least 24 hours in advance that you will be absent on a particular day and you give a reason that we
deem acceptable, then if you end up missing an in-class assignment that day, you will be allowed to make it
up without having to provide a note. If, however, you don't give advance notice, then you will only be
allowed to make up the assignment after providing a note that we deem acceptable (see the class policies
section). At the end of the semester,your lowest score will be dropped and the average of the remaining
scores will count for 10% for your final grade.
3. Mandatory office meeting. In order to support your individual learning goals and needs, it is important that
I get to know you better and for you to feelcomfortable approaching me with questions and concerns.
Therefore,during the first two weeks of the semester,I will meet with each of you individually for 15
minutes in my office. You can sign up for a meeting time by logging into Canvas,clicking on the
“Calendar”, and then clicking on the “Scheduler”. If you do not meet with me at the beginning of the
semester,points will be deducted from your participation grade.
Exams
1. Quiz and Midterm. There will be two non-cumulative exams: a quiz (9.29) and a midterm (11.1). Each
exam may include multiple choice, short answer,and essay-type questions. Questions will incorporate
information from the assigned readings, as well as the lectures and class discussions. Note that some of the
lectures and class discussions may include material NOT covered in the readings. Students should notify
the teaching assistant by date if they need to reschedule either of the exams (see the class policies section).
2. Final Exam. The final exam (12.6) will be cumulative and may include multiple choice, short answer,and
essay-type questions. Questions will incorporate information from the assigned readings, lectures and class
discussions. Note that some of the lectures and class discussionsmay include material NOT covered in the
readings. The final exam can only be rescheduled in the case of a medical or family emergency.
Reaction paper
One of the goals of this course is to help you to become educated consumers of research in this area. Besides
reading and discussing research in class, you will write a reaction paper. You need to find an article in a
newspaper,magazine, or on a web site discussing child development/learning issues. You will then summarize
the article and critically analyze it in terms of one or more approaches we are studying in class.
Examples: a newspaper report on the findings of a recent large-scale study examining the effect of child care on
children’s development (“Quality day care makes a difference”) or a magazine article discussing the latest
controversial research on children’s early cognitive skills (“Babies can count”).

5. 5
Reaction Paper Guidelines and Grading Rubric
1. Article selection & 1-page summary (Main part 1) (Due on October 4)
2. First draft (Due on October 27)
3. Final draft (5-8pages, Due on November 29)
The main question that I will address when grading papers is:
How well did you integrate and use class materials when discussing psychological issues reported in
the media?
Introduction : General importance of the chosen topic (5/30)
• Make a clear a logical argument for the importance of the chosen topic, as well as its relation to
learning theory/ cognitive psychology/ education
• Discuss whether the topic has implications for real-life experiences (e.g., learning outcomes,
mental health, parenting, etc.)
• If possible, indicate what recent cultural/social changes increased the importance of this topic
(e.g., for bilingual education, you can point out a dramatic increase in the number of non-native
speakers in American classrooms)
Main part, I: Clear summary of the article (5/30)
• Clearly describe the issue raised from the article
• Provide in-text citation of the source article using APA style
• Present an unbiased discussion of the authors’ position(s) on the central issues in the article
Main part, II: Relation to material discussed in class (8/30)
• Describe the theoretical context for the chosen topic and a specifics link to particular theories.
When appropriate, indicate different theoretical positions on the key issues presented in the
article, for example Piaget’s versus Vygotsky’s view of optimal learning environments.
• Integrate material across lectures rather than relying on a single lecture
• Cite examples/evidence from peer-reviewed articles/published books/ (not course slides)
Conclusion (3/30):
• Summarize in a few sentences the ideas that you have discussed in the Main part
• If applicable, point out the weaknesses in the arguments or methods used
• Discuss possibilities for future research in this area
Use of APA style (important) (5/30)
• APA Style (6th edition) need to be used throughout the paper (e.g. headings, citing
dereferences in the body of the paper, in listing sources in the reference list)
• Organize the paper into sub-sections (Introduction, Summary of Article, etc.)
Quality of writing (4/30)
• The paper is well-written in academic language with no typographical, spelling errors and only
minor grammatical errors. Each paragraph contributes new information and is void of
redundancy.
• Use academic style, but feel free to use first-person pronoun when referring to your personal
opinion

6. 6
Class Policies
 Late papers: Electronic copies of all paper assignments must be submitted via Canvas by the beginning of
class on the day they are due. NO hard copy submissions will be accepted.Assignments handed in after
the start of class will be counted as one day late. Assignments will automatically be marked down a third of
a letter grade for each day they are late (e.g.,from an A- to a B+). I do not accept any version, variety, or
derivation of computer/printer/flash drive/hard drive/software or other technology-related problems as
acceptable explanations for late submission of assignments.
 Missed in-class assignments: Any in-class assignments that are missed due to tardiness or absence will
receive a score of 0. If you let me know at least 24 hours in advance that you will be absent on a particular
day and you give a reason that we deem acceptable, then if you end up missing an in-class assignment that
day, you will be allowed to make it up without having to provide a note. If, however,you don't give advance
notice, then you will only be allowed to make up the assignment after providing a note that we deem
acceptable (such as a note from a medical professional). At the end of the semester,your lowest score will
be dropped and the average of the remaining scores will count for 10% for your final grade. Thus, it is
recommended that you save your low score for an unforeseen circumstance that might lead you to miss an
in-class assignment.
 Make-up exams: Make-up exams will be administered at the discretion of the instructor. If a make-up is
needed because of a foreseeable absence (e.g.,a religious holiday), it must be requested in advance of the
exam date (preferably by 9/13). In the case of illness or some other unforeseen circumstance, the student
may be asked to provide documentation from a medical professional.
 Religious observances:Any student who is unable, because of his or her religious beliefs, to attend classes
or to participate in any examination, study, or work requirement on a particular day shall be excused from
any such examination, or study or work requirement, and shall be provided with an opportunity to makeup
such examination, study or work requirement that may have been missed because of such absence on any
particular day. However, students should notify the instructor at the end of the first class meeting or at least
two weeks in advance of any such planned observances,and such makeup examination or work shall not
create an unreasonable burden upon the University. No fees will be charged and no adverse or prejudicial
effects shall result to any student who is absent for religious reasons.
 Electronics: Phones must be put away in a bag (not on your person) and must be set on SILENT. Anyone
seen texting during class or engaging in computer activities that are not relevant to the course (e.g.,
facebook, twitter, instagram, email, news,shopping, etc.) will lose points for the class discussion
requirement (5%). This will also cause the whole class to lose the privilege to use computer-related
technologies for the whole semester.
 Students with disabilities: It is a Boston College policy that no qualified student with a disability shall be
denied the benefits of, excluded from participation in, or otherwise subjected to discrimination under any
University program or activity. In response to a request made by a qualified student with an appropriately
documented disability, the University will arrange for the provision of reasonable accommodations
determined by the University to be necessary to afford the student the opportunity to participate in University
programs. Procedure for documenting student disability and development of reasonable accommodation can
be found at the BC website http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/libraries/help/tutoring/specialservices.html
Students will be notified by the Director of Student Services when each request for accommodation is
approved or denied in writing via a designated form. It is the student’s responsibility to present the form (at
his or her discretion) to the instructor in order to receive the requested accommodation in class. In an effort
to protect student privacy, Student Services will not discuss the accommodation needs of any student with
instructors.
If you have a disability and will be requesting accommodations for this course, please register with either
Kathy Duggan (Kathleen.duggan@bc.edu), Associate Director, Academic Support Services, the Connors
Family Learning Center (learning disabilities and ADHD) or Paulette Durret (Paulette.Durrett@bc.edu),

7. 7
Assistant Dean for Students with Disabilities (all other disabilities). Advance notice and appropriate
documentation are required for accommodations.
 Academic honesty: The pursuit of knowledge can proceed only when scholars take responsibility and
receive credit for their work. Recognition of individual contributions to knowledge and of the intellectual
property of others builds trust within the University and encourages the sharing of ideas that is essential to
scholarship. Similarly, the educational process requires that individuals present their own ideas and insights
for evaluation, critique, and eventual reformulation. Presentation of others' work as one's own is not only
intellectual dishonesty, but also undermines the educational process.
The University seeks to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity. Any work submitted by a student must
represent original work produced by that student. Any source used by a student must be documented
through normal scholarly references and citations, and the extent to which any sources have been used must
be apparent to the reader. The University further considers resubmission of a work produced for one course
in a subsequent course or the submission of work done partially or entirely by another to be academic
dishonesty. It is the student’s responsibility to seek clarification from the course instructor about how much
help may be received in completing an assignment or exam or project and what sources may be used.
Students found guilty of academic dishonesty or plagiarism shall be subject to disciplinary action up to and
including dismissal from the University.
See http://www.bc.edu/offices/stserv/academic/integrity.html
 Academic grievances: Any student who believes he or she has been treated unfairly in academic matters
should consult with the chairperson of the undergraduate or graduate department or his or her associate dean
to discuss the situation and to obtain information about relevant grievance procedures.