Courses

Learning and Developmental Sciences / Educational Psychology (P)

  • EDUC-P 502 Intermediate Statistics Applied to Education (3 cr.) An extension of correlation techniques, including partial and multiple correlation and exploration of various complex analyses of variance procedures, with emphasis on application to problems commonly faced in research in education.
  • EDUC-P 506 Topical Workshop in Educational Psychology (0-3 cr.) Individual and group study of selected topics in the field of educational and school psychology.
  • EDUC-P 507 Assessment in Schools (3 cr.) Introductory assessment course for teachers and school administrators. Topics include principles of assessment, formal and informal classroom assessment instruments and methods, formative and summative assessment, interpretation and use of standardized test results, social and political issues in assessment, use of student data bases in schools.
  • EDUC-P 510 Psychology in Teaching (2-3 cr.) Basic study of psychological concepts and phenomena in teaching. An analysis of representative problems and of the teacher's assumptions about human behavior and its development. Intended for current and prospective classroom teachers who are working toward a master's degree.
  • EDUC-P 513 Gerontology: Multidisciplinary Perspectives (3 cr.) This course utilizes gerontological and developmental frameworks to examine public health and aging in the areas of biology and health, psychology, sociology, and social policy.  Students consider aging outcomes, both intrinsic and contextual, through critical thinking and empirical research. Students analyze ageist assumptions, stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination.
  • EDUC-P 514 Life Span Development: Birth to Death (3 cr.) A survey course of human development from infancy through old age, emphasizing the life span perspective of development. Classical stage theorists, current popular conceptions, major research findings, and educational implications from all life stages from birth to death.
  • EDUC-P 515 Child Development (3 cr.) Major theories and findings concerning human development from birth through the elementary years as they relate to educational and clinical practice. Topics include: biological development, cognitive development, language acquisition, emotional and social development.
  • EDUC-P 516 Adolescent Development (3 cr.) Examination of major theories and findings concerning biological, cognitive, social, and emotional development during adolescence, emphasizing educational and clinical implications.  Topics may include:  puberty and adolescent health, identity development, decision-making, the role of families, peers and romantic relationships, schools and achievement, and socioemotional problems in adolescence.
  • EDUC-P 517 Adult Development and Aging (3 cr.) Psychological development in early, middle, and late adulthood with a focus on counseling adults. Topics include developmental research methods, diversity, relationships, work, leisure, retirement, coping, and mental health interventions. This online human development course takes an interdisciplinary, process-oriented perspective on the theories and research in adult development and aging.
  • EDUC-P 518 Social Aspects of Aging and Aging Families (3 cr.) Relate social theories and science of aging to understanding heterogeneity, inequality and the social context of aging. Consider the social, financial, familial, and resource needs and issues of older individuals. Critically analyze current social events and the contemporary responses of public health and social systems.
  • EDUC-P 521 Emerging Adulthood (3 cr.) This course examines major theories and findings concerning the developmental period between adolescence and adulthood, emphasizing educational and clinical implications. Research on changing relationships with parents, peers and romantic partners, higher education, transition to work, and socioemotional problems during emerging adulthood will be reviewed.
  • EDUC-P 525 Psychological Issues in Education (3 cr.) P: Graduate standing. Historic, current and emergent issues in psychology and education are explored. Issues are selected that reflect psychological theory and that directly concern or have practical implications for education. While designed for teachers and other educators, students from all disciplines are invited.
  • EDUC-P 526 Theory and Method in Educational Psychology (2-3 cr.) The major conceptual systems and methodologies which shape educational, school, and counseling psychology. For students majoring in educational, school, and counseling psychology.
  • EDUC-P 530 Instructional Psychology (3 cr.) Psychological concepts, research, and methods related to instruction and effective teaching. Instruction is considered in both school and non-school settings, and in both teacher-conducted and instructor-free modes. Topics include relevant theories of instruction as well as knowledge representation, problem solving, cognitive strategies, transfer, and instructional decision making.
  • EDUC-P 540 Learning and Cognition in Education (3 cr.) Survey of theoretical positions in the areas of learning and cognition, with emphasis on their relevance for the design of classroom learning situation.
  • EDUC-P 544 Applied Cognition and Learning Strategies (3 cr.) Survey of applied cognitive psychology including: information processing; schema theory; cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies; reading comprehension; mnemonic devices and other study skills; expert-novice research; technology-related learning supports; process and protocol analysis; problem representation and problem solving in math; and new assessment tools and measures.
  • EDUC-P 545 Educational Motivation (3 cr.) This course examines a variety of theories of human motivation in educational settings, focusing on those theories that have practical application for teachers of kindergarten through post-secondary education. The course includes an examination of the development of achievement and intrinsic motivation and focuses specifically on the anxious, apathetic, and/or underachieving student as well as other problem students. Teachers will gain knowledge and skills in understanding how students' needs motivate them to learn or cause problems.
  • EDUC-P 566 Social Psychology in Education (3 cr.) P: P525 or Consent of Instructor. Application of social- psychological concepts and principles in education: role theory, attitude theory and measurement, attitude formation and change, leadership, group dynamics, social perception, communication and interaction, organizations, theory and methodology in social psychology.
  • EDUC-P 571 Proseminar in Learning Science (1 cr.) Presentations by learning science faculty and students as well as invited speakers from throughout the world. Students enroll each semester until they accumulate 5 credit hours. Students will discuss and write critiques of presentations as well as make a presentation. May be repeated.
  • EDUC-P 572 Introduction to the Learning Sciences (3 cr.) The course is a review of the major philosophies, methodologies, and conceptual systems that shape the learning sciences.
  • EDUC-P 573 Learning Science Apprenticeship (1-3 cr.) The course places students into a research apprenticeship within an active research laboratory in each of the first 6 semesters of doctoral work where they will engage in the research practices of the laboratory. All apprentices will meet as a group to reflect, discuss, and collaborate with the apprenticeship coordinator.
  • EDUC-P 574 Topical Seminar in Learning Science (1-3 cr.) Special topic seminars by learning science faculty or visiting scholars. Potential topics include higher education pedagogy, embodied cognition, gaming/simulation in problem solving.
  • EDUC-P 590 Independent Study or Research in Educational Psychology (1-3 cr.) Individual research or study with an Educational Psychology faculty member, arranged in advance of registration. A one or two page written proposal should be submitted to the instructor during the first week of the term specifying the scope of the project, project activities, meeting times, completion date, and student product(s). Ordinarily, P590 should not be used for the study of material taught in a regularly scheduled course.
  • EDUC-P 600 Topical Seminar in Learning, Cognition, and Instruction (3 cr.) P: Previous graduate course work in learning, cognition, or instructional psychology. A seminar involving in intensive analysis of the research and theory on selected current topics in learning, cognition, and instruction as well as implementation issues in an educational environment.
  • EDUC-P 601 Educational and Historical Foundations of Psychology (3 cr.) The course surveys the history and systems of psychology from ancient Greece to the present day. Psychology is modern when it becomes a scientific discipline.  We consider four specialities of this discipline: school, counseling, developmental, and educational psychology.
  • EDUC-P 622 Social Development (3 cr.) P: 12 hours of graduate course work. Social development from birth to young adulthood. Topics include attachment relationships; self-concept and understanding of others; temperament and personality; parent-child relationships; sibling relationships; friends and peer relationships; and the development of aggression. Implications of theory and research for educators and clinical practitioners are emphasized.
  • EDUC-P 623 Child Development (3 cr.) P: P515 or equivalent. Seminar for doctoral students in issues of human development covering infancy, preschool, and elementary school ages. Emphasis is placed on the educational implications of development. Readings include current theory and research articles.
  • EDUC-P 624 The Biology of Behavior: Implications for Educational & Clinical Practice (3 cr.) P: 12 hours of graduate course work. Research in developmental psychobiology applied to educational practice and to clinical practice in school psychology and counseling psychology.  Including the implications of genetics, endocrinology and neuroscience research in the development of attention, memory, self-regulation, language, reading, mathematics, temperament, emotions/depression, attachment, and aggression.
  • EDUC-P 625 Family Processes and Child/Adolescent Development (3 cr.) P: 12 hours of graduate coursework. Areas of family process are examined in relation to child and adolescent development. These include the parenting subsystem (attachment, styles, beliefs, practices, and corporal punishment), the martial subsystem (conflict, divorce, remarriage), and the family system. The effects of child temperament, culture, and poverty will be emphasized. Implications of theory and research for educational and clinical practice will be emphasized.
  • EDUC-P 631 Theorizing Learning in Context (3 cr.) P: P572. The course examines and analyzes the fundamental ideas about learning and knowing that engage the field. Specifically, this course will consider four aspects of knowing and learning: epistemological perspectives, cognitive development, motivation, and learning theory.
  • EDUC-P 632 Designing for Learning in Context (3 cr.) P: P572. Course examines current design frameworks based on contemporary learning theory, experiencing exemplary learning environments, and understanding the resulting research. The goal of this course is the ability to design learning environments that have a local impact on the learners as well as a scholarly impact.
  • EDUC-P 633 Capturing Learning in Context (3 cr.) P: P572. The course examines theories and methods for capturing, supporting, and assessing knowing and learning as it occurs in context, in order to build theory while refining practice.  Each student will carry out and document knowing and learning in at least one context using at least two different methods to capture learning.
  • EDUC-P 640 Thinking and Learning in Social Contexts (3 cr.) P: P525, P530, P540, P550, or equivalent of any of these. Examines social contexts literature relevant to creating effective learning environments and guiding learner psychological development. Emphasis on sociocultural theories of mind and learner centered psychology. Topics may include social interaction and classroom discourse, cooperative learning, scaffolded instruction, cognitive apprenticeships, inter-subjectivity and problem-based learning.
  • EDUC-P 645 Single Case Research Methodology in Education and the Behavioral Sciences (3 cr.) Course will teach students how to design and implement single case research. Course covers various types of designs used in single case research. The course will teach students how to identify and control for threats to internal validity, and to establish experimental control by minimizing the effects of extraneous variables.
  • EDUC-P 650 Topical Seminar in Educational Psychology (1-3 cr.) An intensive advanced study of research and theory on selected topics.
  • EDUC-P 652 Family Transitions (3 cr.) This course examines major theories and findings regarding normative and non-normative family transitions from a developmental life course perspective. Research on relationship formation, cohabitation and marriage, parenthood, work and family, divorce and remarriage, and transitions related to aging will be reviewed.
  • EDUC-P 671 Advanced Proseminar in Learning Sciences (1 cr.) Faculty and students from Learning Sciences, Cognitive Science, and Informatics participate in public presentations and critical debates of research. Course activities include developing, presenting, and critiquing student research studies. Intended for second-year Learning Sciences students.
  • EDUC-P 674 Advanced Topical Seminar in Learning Sciences (1-3 cr.) P: P574 or 12 hours of graduate course work. Topical seminar for doctoral students in Learning Sciences. Possible topics include higher education, pedagogy, embodied cognition, gaming/simulation, and problem solving.
  • EDUC-P 681 Psychology of Cultural Diversity: Equity and Opportunity in Public Education (3 cr.) P: 12 hours of graduate course work in psychology or permission of instructor. Addresses the history and context of racial and socioeconomic disparities in public education and methods for addressing these inequities. Data on racial test score gap and minority overrepresentation in special education are studied. Several education subsystems are considered as possible sources of educational inequity, including curriculum, discipline practices, and teacher expectations. The course includes examination of the history and influence of race and racism in the U.S., the concept of white privilege, and an exploration of role-specific strategies for improving equity in public education.
  • EDUC-P 682 Developmental Psychopathology of Childhood and Adolescence (3 cr.) Emphasis on a developmental approach to understanding psychopathology of childhood and adolescence. Students will learn about emotional, behavioral, developmental, and educational problems of children and adolescents over time, their stability and change, and risk and protective factors. Discussion of current research and practical applications are included.
  • EDUC-P 683 Developmental Epidemiology (3 cr.) Developmental epidemiology integrates developmental and psychiatric epidemiological approaches to better understand and prevent psychopathology. In this course, major concepts and findings in developmental epidemiology will be reviewed, including research on prevalence and changing prevalence, age at onset or timing, comorbidity and developmental ordering, as well as risk and protective factors.
  • EDUC-P 690 Independent Study in Educational Psychology (1-3 cr.) Reading and/or research directed by an educational psychology faculty member.
  • EDUC-P 795 Dissertation Proposal Preperation (1-3 cr.) This course is for the development of a dissertation proposal in Educational Psychology. Students must have the consent of a dissertation director or prospective dissertation director. Students should be finished or nearly finished with program course work.
  • EDUC-P 799 Doctoral Thesis in Educational Psychology (1-15 cr.) Credit may be earned over a period of several semesters. The thesis may be an organized scientific contribution or a comprehensive analysis of theory and practice in a specific area.

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