EDUF3040: Semester 1, 2026

Units EDUF3040 Semester 1 2026 [Normal day]

Unit outline_

EDUF3040: Psychological Perspectives in Education

Semester 1, 2026 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

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

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

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Paul Ginns, paul.ginns@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 31 March 2026

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length	Use of AI
Written exam	Final exam 2-hour written exam	40%	Formal exam period	2 hours	AI prohibited
Outcomes assessed:
Out-of-class quiz	Online Quiz 1 Online quiz	10%	Week 02 Due date: 06 Mar 2026 at 23:59 Closing date: 06 Mar 2026	450wd/equivalent	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Written work	Written task 1 Critical reflection on student motivation	40%	Week 04 Due date: 22 Mar 2026 at 23:59 Closing date: 22 Mar 2026	1800wd	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Out-of-class quiz	Online quiz 2 Online quiz	10%	Week 12 Due date: 22 May 2026 at 23:59 Closing date: 22 May 2026	450wd/equivalent	AI allowed
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.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

You can use generative AI tools for open assessments. Restrictions on AI use apply to secure, supervised assessments used to confirm if students have met specific learning outcomes.

Refer to the assessment table above to see if AI is allowed, for assessments in this unit and check Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks and AI use.

If you use AI, you must always acknowledge it. Misusing AI may lead to a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

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 University expects students to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

Our website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. This includes advice on how to avoid common breaches of academic integrity. Ensure that you have completed the Academic Honesty Education Module (AHEM) which is mandatory for all commencing coursework students

Penalties for serious breaches can significantly impact your studies and your career after graduation. It is important that you speak with your unit coordinator if you need help with completing assessments.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

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 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. 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	Students tend to enjoy learning and perform better when they are more intrinsically than extrinsically motivated to achieve.	Lecture (1 hr)
	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)
	Achievement goal theory and the TARGET model	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 03	Teachers’ expectations about their students affect students’ opportunities to learn, their motivation, and their learning outcomes.	Lecture (1 hr)
	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)
	In this tutorial we'll give guidance on the first written assignment.	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 04	Learning is situated within multiple social contexts.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Interpersonal relationships and communication are critical to both the teaching–learning process and the social-emotional development of students.	Lecture (1 hr)
	In this tutorial, we learn about the powerful effects on learning of well-structured questions.	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 05	Emotional well-being influences educational performance, learning, and development.	Lecture (1 hr)
	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)
	Tutorial on emotions and emotional regulation	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 06	Effective classroom management: high expectations, positive relationships, and high support.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Learning and human cognitive architecture 1.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Prior knowledge and learning	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 07	Learning and human cognitive architecture 2 – an introduction to working memory	Lecture (1 hr)
	Learning and human cognitive architecture 3 – development of working memory and executive functions	Lecture (1 hr)
	Working memory and learning	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 08	Learning and human cognitive architecture 4 – supporting development of executive functions	Lecture (1 hr)
	Cognitive load, teaching and learning 1 – Introducing cognitive load	Lecture (1 hr)
	Cognitive load and Load Reduction Instruction	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 09	Cognitive load, teaching and learning 2 – from novice to expert	Lecture (1 hr)
	Cognitive load, teaching and learning 3 – teaching with worked examples	Lecture (1 hr)
	Design of worked examples	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 10	Acquiring long-term knowledge and skill is largely dependent on practice.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Clear, explanatory, and timely feedback to students is important for learning.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Improving practice by testing and spacing.	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 11	Students’ self-regulation assists learning, and self-regulatory skills can be taught.	Lecture (1 hr)
	Supporting critical and creative thinking	Lecture (1 hr)
	In this tutorial, we explore the surprising role constraints can play in creative work.	Tutorial (1 hr)
	Formative and summative assessments are both important and useful but require different approaches and interpretations.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 12	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)
Week 12	Wrap-up tutorial, including exam advice	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 ran for the first time in 2024, and feedback was generally very positive (83% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they were satisfied with the quality of teaching by the teachers.) We'll be fine-tuning the lecture and tutorial series this year. Please feel free to provide constructive feedback to the unit coordinator (Paul Ginns) or your tutor throughout the semester.

Disclaimer

Important: the University of Sydney regularly reviews units of study and reserves the right to change the units of study available annually. To stay up to date on available study options, including unit of study details and availability, refer to the relevant handbook.

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

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

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