COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Course title: Lifespan Growth & Development
Course prefix, number, and section number: PSYC 2314 0310
Semester/Year of course: Fall 2023
Semester start and end dates: August 28 – December 16, 2023
Modality: Asynchronous Online
Class meeting location, days, and times: Online as desired
Semester credit hours: 3
Course description: Life-Span Growth and Development is a study of social, emotional, cognitive and physical factors and influences of a developing human from conception to death.
Course prerequisites: None
Required course materials: Registration in the course gives you access to the e-book needed
for PSYC 2314. You do not need to purchase a separate textbook.
Inclusive Access is a partnership between NCTC and McGraw-Hill Education, to provide the best learning resources on the first day of class. Students can gain access to McGraw-Hill’s adaptive online platforms with the latest version of the eBook at a discount. If students would like to purchase a physical copy of the textbook, they can order a discounted loose-leaf version through the bookstore.
Students who drop before the add/drop date will have their book fees credited back to their
student account, and students who remain in the course will be charged a materials fee by the school to have continued access of the online platforms. If you remain enrolled in the course but wish to opt-out of access to the book please email the NCTC Bookstore with your name and student number to 1263mgr@follett.com.
Name of instructor: Jennifer Doran
Office location: Corinth Room 337
Telephone number: (940) 498-6424
E-mail address: jdoran@nctc.edu (Please communicate via Canvas messenger at all times.)
Office hours for students: Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:00 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; other days/times by appointment both in person and via web conference.
SYLLABUS CHANGE DISCLAIMER
The faculty member reserves the right to make changes to this published syllabus if it is in the best interest of the educational development of this class. Any such changes will be announced as soon as possible in person and/or writing.
SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
List of graded assignments:
- Exams (300 points): We will have two exams that are each worth 15% of your final grade. Exams will cover material from our text and material from our online class. Exams are timed so it is important to understand the material prior to testing.
- Online Activities (250 points): We will have activities posted in Canvas to complete each week. These should be submitted in Word.
- Class Discussions (150 points): Discussion questions will be posted in Canvas. These
will require you to reflect on and apply the material from our course. Grades will be
determined by meeting length requirements and by expanding on the discussion's
content in a meaningful way.
- Text Activities (100 points): SmartBook and Connect Activities /Quizzes from the text will be required for the chapters that we cover.
- Interview Assignment (100 points): This assignment will be due in Week 13. Please submit as a Word document, and see the description in Canvas for additional details.
- Institutional Assessment (100 points): This assignment will be due in Week 15. Please see the information in Canvas (Modules>Assignments>Institutional Assessment) for additional details.
TOTAL: 1,000 possible points
Final grade scale:
900 to 1,000 points = A
800 to 899 points = B
700 to 799 points = C
600 to 699 points = D
0 to 599 points = F
Late work policy:
Students who fall behind in a busy online course may struggle to catch up, and they may not complete the course as successfully as possible. For this reason, late work is not typically accepted. If you experience extenuating circumstances during the semester, please communicate with me and I can evaluate your situation on an individual basis.
SEE CANVAS FOR THE COMPLETE COURSE CALENDAR, OUTLINE, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF GRADED WORK, AND OTHER RELATED MATERIAL.
COURSE POLICIES
Academic Integrity Policy: Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, academic falsification, intellectual property dishonesty, academic dishonesty facilitation and collusion. Faculty members may document and bring charges against a student who is engaged in or is suspected to be engaged in academic dishonesty. See Student Handbook, “Student Rights & Responsibilities: Student Conduct ([FLB(LOCAL)]”.
Students may earn a zero for an assignment or for a course due to academic dishonesty. Recycling previous assignments is considered self-plagiarism and is not allowed. Please come to me for help with any of these topics. You may also visit our library for additional information: http://www.nctc.edu/library/research-help/CitationGuides.html
AI/Natural Language Programs (NLPs)/Large Language Models (LLMs) Usage Policy: This information is used with permission and citation with gratitude to Princeton University: The McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning.
- Intellectual honesty is vital to an academic community and for my fair evaluation of your work. All work submitted in this course must be your own, completed in accordance with the College's academic regulations. You may not engage in unauthorized collaboration or make use of ChatGPT or other AI composition software/NLPs/LLMs.
- This course does make use of AI/NLPs/LLMs plagiarism checker software as such as “Turnitin” developed for the purpose of detecting the use of AI programs.
- Any violation of this policy will be considered academic dishonesty and will be documented and filed as such. See Student Handbook, “Student Rights and Responsibilities: Student Conduct ([FLB(LOCAL])”.
Attendance Policy: Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered. All absences are considered to be unauthorized unless the student is absent due to illness or emergencies as determined by the instructor. It is the student responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval and judgement by the faculty member. Approved college sponsored activities are the only absences for which a student should not be held liable and only when provided by a college official ahead of the absence. Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work. Students will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence unless they have reasons acceptable to the instructor. A student who is compelled to be absent when a test is given should petition the instructor, in advance if possible, for permission to postpone the exam. The student will be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives. Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered sufficient cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL)
Withdrawal Policy
A student may withdraw from a course on or after the official date of record. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and complete a Withdrawal Request Form.
Last day to withdraw from the course with a “W” is: November 6, 2023
Student Learning Outcomes: (From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education Course Manual/NCTC Catalog)
At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
- Describe the stages of the developing person at different periods of the life span from birth to death.
- Discuss the social, political, economic, and cultural forces that affect the development process of the individual.
- Identify factors of responsible personal behavior with regard to issues such as sexual activity, substance abuse, marriage and parenting.
- Explain the biosocial, cognitive and psychological influences throughout the lifespan as an ongoing set of processes, involving both continuity and change.
- Describe the different developmental perspectives of the major theories of development (i.e. cognitive, learning, humanistic and psychodynamic).
- Identify examples of some of the cultural and ethnic differences that influence development throughout the lifespan.
- Discuss the various causes or reasons for disturbances in the developmental process.
Core Objectives: Critical Thinking, Communication, Empirical and Quantitative, personal Responsibility, Social Responsibility
COLLEGE POLICIES
STUDENT HANDBOOK
Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the Student Handbook.
ADA STATEMENT
NCTC will adhere to all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office for Students with Disabilities to arrange appropriate accommodations. See the OSD Syllabus Addendum.
STUDENT SERVICES
NCTC provides a multitude of services and resources to support students. See the Student Services Syllabus Addendum for a listing of those departments and links to their sites.
QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS
The student should contact the instructor to deal with any questions, concerns, or complaints specific to the class. If the student and faculty are not able to resolve the issue, the student may contact the chair or coordinator of the division. If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may proceed to contact the instructional dean.
Name of Chair/Coordinator: Donna Smith
Office location: Corinth Campus, Room 209
Telephone number: 940-498-6266
E-mail address: dhooper@nctc.edu
Name of Instructional Dean: Crystal Wright
Office location: FSB Exchange/Denton Campus, Room 204
Telephone number: 940-380-2504
E-mail address: cwright@nctc.edu