Syllabus Addendum

Psychology 203 Human Growth and Development

Tai McMiller, Instructor
tmcmiller@yorktech.edu
Phone: 803-981-7064
Ofce: B11 Ofce #4
Ofce Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 8AM-9AM; 11AM-12:15PM
Student Learning Outcomes:
Students who have completed this course will be expected to:
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the major perspectives
and theories in human growth and development.
Develop an understanding of how human beings change from conception
through late adulthood and death in the physical, cognitive, social, and
personality areas.
Demonstrate how the stages of development are important in learning
how to deal with other people, particularly when employed in one of the
helping professions, as well as applying these concepts to ones own life.
Provide a particular emphasis on recent research to foster the students
abilities to question ideas, to communicate these ideas in written and
oral methods, to evaluate sources, and to be able to see the value in
opposing points of view.
Required Textbook:
Berk (2010). Exploring Lifespan Development. (2
nd
Ed.). Boston: Pearson
Education, Inc. ISBN-10: 0-205-74859-7
Attendance:
There is a direct correlation between attendance and successful completion of
this course. Roll will be taken at the beginning of each class meeting- via
Instructor and via paper that will be distributed in class. Anyone not
answering the roll will be counted absent regardless of the reason for the
absence (e.g., tardiness, sickness, etc.). The classroom door will be closed 5
minutes after the beginning of class. Students who are not present at this time
will not be allowed to enter class as it is a disruption to the learning process.
Students who need to make special arrangements concerning attendance (e.g.,
leaving early) should contact the instructor prior to the beginning of class/
semester. If you enter after roll call, please sign the roster at the
conclusion of class to be marked present. If you enter after the roll, you are
tardy. If you are habitually tardy (3 or more), you will be marked absent and
subject to be withdrawn. If you leave early without making prior
arrangements with me, you will be marked absent. Coming to class on
time is mandatory for student success! If you miss more than 2 consecutive
class periods, you will be withdrawn from the course.
Withdrawal:
The College Handbook states that students who are absent from 10% of the
scheduled classes will be withdrawn from the class. If the allowable limits are
exceeded prior to the midterm grade, a W will be assigned. If the limits are
exceeded after the midterm date, a WF will be assigned, unless a student has
extenuating circumstances. Failure in the course does not qualify as an
extenuating circumstance. Students who wish to withdraw from the course
must obtain a Withdrawal from Class form from the instructor or division
ofce. Do not send an email, but complete the necessary paperwork.
Academic Honesty:
Cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty will not be
tolerated. If a student is caught cheating on an exam, plagiarizing from any
source, or engaging in any other form of academic dishonesty, he/she will
automatically receive a zero (0) for that test, quiz, or assignment and will be
subject to further disciplinary action.
Exams:
There will be four exams in this course. Exams can cover chapter information,
class discussions, flms, and etc. Exams can include or may be a combination
of multiple choice, true/false, fll in the blank, short answer, and discussion
questions. The fnal exam is mandatory and is comprehensive.
Make-ups:
Make-up exams/assignments will be allowed only for those students who have
a death in the family, are ill and can provide written documentation, or have
made prior arrangements with the instructor. Written documentation will be
required before the student is allowed to makeup the exam/assignment.
Make-up exams may or may not be the same format as the original exam and
must be completed in the Assessment Center within one (1) week of the original
test date. With ALL make-up exams there will be an automatic 20 point
deduction. The instructor will NOT contact you in regards to make-up exams.
If you missed an exam- it is your responsibility to contact the instructor within
1 week of the missed exam.
Quizzes/Homework: Quizzes/ Homework will account for 10% of the fnal
grade and may be announced or unannounced. Make-ups on quizzes will not
be allowed regardless of the reason for the absence.
There will be 5 homework assignments that can be found under the homework
tab of D2L. More assignments might be added throughout the semester. Each
homework assignment MUST be submitted to the homework folder of the
dropbox to D2L. Handwritten/ email submissions will NOT be counted as a
submission. Each assignment is worth an amount of calculated points per
assignment. If there are 5 assignments totaled by the end of the semester, each
assignment is worth 20 points. Late homework assignments will NOT be
accepted- regardless of the reason.
Extra Credit: Extra credit will be determined at the end of the semester and is
only for those that are below passing level. Periodically, there MAY be ways to
gain extra points on your exams. This is at the discretion of the instructor.
Project: Students will complete a project which will constitute 10% of their
fnal grade. Specifc written guidelines for this project will be provided. Please
see the written project document.
Grading Scale:
A = 90 - 100 B = 80 - 89 C = 70 - 79 D = 60 - 69 F = 59 or less
Final Grades:
Final grades will be calculated in the following manner:
Exam One 20%
Exam Two 20%
Exam Three 20%
Exam Four (mandatory comprehensive fnal) 20%
Quizzes/Homework 10%
Project 10%
Course Calendar:
Module I: 3,4,5,6
Module II: 8,10,11,12
Module III: 14, 15, 16
Module IV: 17, 18, 19
Classroom Etiquette:
College requires a diferent level of concentration, style of participation, and
standard of conduct than other educational experiences. Because learning is
fostered by courtesy in the classroom, it is my responsibility on behalf of the
class, my department, and the college to maintain a healthy learning
environment. Therefore, the following general guidelines are ofered to outline
what is appropriate in classes I teach.
Each of them is aimed at creating and maintaining a healthy learning
environment in the classroom. Please keep in mind however, that other
instructors may have diferent requirements.
Any behavior which disrupts the learning process will not be tolerated.
If you have personal issues with a peer/ student, please sit these issues
aside during class time.
If at all possible, use the restroom prior to the beginning of class. If you
do leave class temporarily, do so quietly.
When you enter class, turn of your cell phones, pagers, wrist watch
alarms, MP3 players, and any other devices that make noise or serve
as a distraction (this includes laptops, text messaging devices, etc.).
NO LAPTOPS ALLOWED.
Refrain from talking to each other while the instructor is speaking or
lecturing. The same holds true when others in class are speaking.
Snacking is OK in the classroom, but you are expected to clean up after
yourself so as to not leave a mess for others.
Respect the opinions of others in the class even if you disagree with
them.
If you are a disruption in my course, I will initially meet w/ you after
class. If your disruption continues, you will be asked to leave my
classroom and not allowed to return until you meet with me in my ofce.
If after we have met, you are a continued disruption- you will be
withdrawn from my course and will need to meet with my department
chair in regards to new course arrangements.
If you are absent from class, please do not email the instructor to ask if
we did anything while you were out. Your assumption should be that
important material will be covered in class each day. If you miss notes or
other material while you are out, it is your responsibility to get the
information from one of your classmates.
Syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the Instructor