Outline

Overview

This unit of study provides a general introduction to educational psychology, surveying a range of research-based psychological principles of teaching, learning, and motivation. Students will explore the use and usefulness of psychological research for educators, and investigate learning, teaching and assessment activities in terms of their psychological efficacy, especially as it relates to young people. The unit trains students in two government policies, Good Discipline and Effective Learning, and Student Welfare.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	EDUF3040
Academic unit	Education
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	EDUF2006
Prerequisites ?	12 credit points at 2000 level in Education Studies
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Paul Ginns, paul.ginns@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Paul Ginns, paul.ginns@sydney.edu.au
	Kathryn Bartimote, kathryn.bartimote@sydney.edu.au
	Helen Watt, helen.watt@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Online Quiz 1 Online quiz	10%	Week 02 Due date: 03 Mar 2024 at 23:59 Closing date: 03 Mar 2024	450wd/equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Written task 1 Critical reflection on student motivation	40%	Week 07 Due date: 10 Apr 2024 at 23:59 Closing date: 15 Apr 2024	1800wd
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Online quiz 2 Online quiz	10%	Week 12 Due date: 19 May 2024 at 23:59 Closing date: 19 May 2024	450wd/equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Written task 2 Linking theory and practice	40%	Week 13 Due date: 24 May 2024 at 23:59 Closing date: 29 May 2024	1800wd
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Using self-determination theory and research: a) describe a time when you weren’t “intrinsically motivated” at school. From an SDT perspective, what might the reasons have been for feeling this way? (~1300 words). b) Reflecting on the time when you were not “intrinsically motivated”: if you were now teaching your younger self, what changes would you make in curriculum and/or pedagogy to help your younger self become more self-determined? (~700 words). Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

See Canvas for the rubric.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

There will be a 5% deduction per day (up to 24 hours) late. If an assignment is more than 5 calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy 2023 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy 2023. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Foundations of educational psychology	Lecture (1 hr)
	Research methods in educational psychology	Lecture (1 hr)
	Research methods in educational psychology	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 02	Principle 1: Students’ beliefs or perceptions about intelligence and ability affect their cognitive functioning and learning.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 2: What students already know affects their learning.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 2: What students already know affects their learning.	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 03	Principle 3: Working memory is a “bottleneck” for learning.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 4: Students’ cognitive development and learning are not limited by general stages of development.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 3: Working memory is a “bottleneck” for learning.	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 04	Principle 5: Learning is based on context, so generalizing learning to new contexts is not spontaneous but instead needs to be facilitated.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 6: Acquiring long-term knowledge and skill is largely dependent on practice.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 6: Acquiring long-term knowledge and skill is largely dependent on practice.	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 05	Principle 7: Clear, explanatory, and timely feedback to students is important for learning.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 8: Students’ self-regulation assists learning, and self-regulatory skills can be taught.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 8: Students’ self-regulation assists learning, and self-regulatory skills can be taught.	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 06	Principle 9: Student creativity can be fostered.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 10: Students tend to enjoy learning and perform better when they are more intrinsically than extrinsically motivated to achieve.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 9: Student creativity can be fostered.	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 07	Principle 11: Students persist in the face of challenging tasks and process information more deeply when they adopt mastery goals rather than performance goals.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 12: Teachers’ expectations about their students affect students’ opportunities to learn, their motivation, and their learning outcomes.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 11: Students persist in the face of challenging tasks and process information more deeply when they adopt mastery goals rather than performance goals.	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 08	Principle 13: Setting goals that are short term (proximal), specific, and moderately challenging enhances motivation more than establishing goals that are long term (distal), general, and overly challenging.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 14: Students’ personalities exhibit both stability and the potential for change.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 14: Students’ personalities exhibit both stability and the potential for change.	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 09	Principle 15: Learning is situated within multiple social contexts.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 16: Interpersonal relationships and communication are critical to both the teaching–learning process and the social-emotional development of students.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 16: Interpersonal relationships and communication are critical to both the teaching–learning process and the social-emotional development of students.	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 10	Principle 17: Emotional well-being influences educational performance, learning, and development.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 18: Expectations for classroom conduct and social interaction are learned and can be taught using proven principles of behavior and effective classroom instruction.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 18: Expectations for classroom conduct and social interaction are learned and can be taught using proven principles of behavior and effective classroom instruction.	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 11	Principle 19: Effective classroom management is based on (a) setting and communicating high expectations, (b) consistently nurturing positive relationships, and (c) providing a high level of student support.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 20: Formative and summative assessments are both important and useful but require different approaches and interpretations.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Week 11: focus on final assessment tasks	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 12	Principle 21: Students’ skills, knowledge, and abilities are best measured with assessment processes grounded in psychological science with well-defined standards for quality and fairness.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principle 22: Making sense of assessment data depends on clear, appropriate, and fair interpretation.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Wrap-up tutorial	Tutorial (1 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

EDUF3040 has a 90% in-person attendance requirement across lectures and tutorials.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

See Readings on the EDUF3040 Canvas site.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Identify and describe a range of principles of teaching and learning based on theory and research
LO2. Relate these principles to a range of educational activities (e.g., teaching practices, assessment methods)
LO3. Apply these principles to understand potentials and limits of a range of educational practices
LO4. Reflect on these principles to suggest changes in practice
LO5. Relate these principles to student welfare and classroom management issues

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

EDUF3040 runs for the first time in 2024; feedback will be very welcome!

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

EDUF3040: Psychological Perspectives in Education

Semester 1, 2024 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect