Course syllabus

Kia ora tātou and welcome to EDUC 323. Basic information about the course is provided below, along with clickable links to more detailed information.

Ngā mihi nui,

Kane

Code: EDUC 323

Title: Contemporary Topics in Educational Psychology

Points: 15

Calendar Prescription: A study of the latest topics in Educational Psychology. Supports engagement with contemporary Educational Psychology research and facilitates critical thinking.

Restriction:  EDUC 342

Contact information:

All questions about the course material, including questions about the assignments, must be posted on the discussion boards so that all students have access to the same information. Note that while I will respond to questions posted on the discussion boards as promptly as possible, responses outside of usual working hours cannot be guaranteed, so any questions should be asked well in advance of assessment deadlines.

Office hours: Kane will hold weekly office hours on Mondays from 2-3pm in the Liberal Arts office in HSB level 2, located at 15 Wynyard Street. You need to access the offices from the rear side of HSB (the Fale Pasifika side), as there is no connection from the Symonds Street side. 

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

• Engage and think critically about contemporary research in educational psychology
• Recognise faulty reasoning and fallacious logic
• Evaluate credibility and bias within published research
• Compare and contrast differing points of view within research in educational psychology

Course Schedule

Lectures are held from 4-6pm on Mondays. For information about the proposed content of each lecture, please see the Modules list. Readings and lecture slides will also be added to the Modules list prior to each lecture.

Assessment tasks and requirements

There are three types of assessments in this course: critical analysis activities; peer review of other students' critical analyses; and, an essay. The critical analysis and peer review tasks are relatively short tasks, and an ungraded practice will be conducted during class in week 2. Details of these assessments are available via the Assignment list and will be explained further in class. For forms and general assignment information, and answers to frequently asked questions please visit the Faculty coursework website.

Completion to the satisfaction of the examiners

Students must achieve at least 50% for the course to receive a passing grade in the course. 

Attendance and participation

Attendance in class, as well as engagement with course activities and readings, supports academic success. Due to the structure of EDUC 323 it is particularly important that students make every effort to attend lectures and complete required readings before the lecture.