This course is a composite of Psychology 231 and 232 in a one semester format. The course provides all individual with important guidelines about how people grow and develop over time, enabling them to better monitor their own growth and development and that of others. Understanding how we have become the people we are today contributes to greater self-awareness and greater appreciation of the forces that shape all people. The course also offers scientific and practical guidance to those who work with, care for or raise children.

You will learn by reading your textbook, watching videos and original footage of research, completing application based assignments and other types of written assignments, taking quizzes, working both in groups and individually, and engaging in critical thinking.

The course targets students of psychology, nursing, child development, childhood education, teacher education, the day care industry, practicing teachers, parents and the general lay public interested in understanding issues related to development

The following are required for entry into this course:  

• Students should have strong reading and writing skills.
• Students should have the ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Students should be comfortable in the virtual classroom setting provided by computer based technologies.
• Students should be self-disciplined, self-motivated, and persistent.

If you do well in this course, you will be able to:

• Understand the basic theories, concepts, principles, approaches and recommended strategies that comprise the body of knowledge about development.
• Be familiar with current research and guidelines about human development that contribute to individual development and growth.
• Understand the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial developmental markers in each period of development across the lifespan.
• Understand the complexities and subtleties of change across the lifespan, the individual differences and cultural variations in development.
• Evaluate the usefulness of norms in understanding human development - “normal” is a relative term and that normalcy can be different for different cultures and ethnic groups, and that what is defined as normal can change over time.
• List the stages of human development through early school years and describe the key changes and their resulting behaviors at each stage

Your course grade is determined by the total number of points you receive for your work on the Discussion board weekly forums, the paper, the quizzes, and the exams according to the following percentages:

Your final grade will be based on the following scale.  Please note that you must also pass at least 2 of the three exams in order to pass the course, regardless of your scores on the other components:

There are 2 exams in this course.

Last Updated: August 9, 2011