Course Information

Course Description:

Infant, Toddler, Child Development is the study of the physical, social, emotional, cognitive, language and literacy development of young children, birth to age eight. This course is designed to provide a foundation for early childhood professionals and others who are interested in child development. Knowledge of all aspects of child development is the cornerstone for the implementation of best practices in early childhood programs. Child observation and fieldwork are an integral part of this class.

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:

. Explain the major theories of child development.

. Identify the various methods of studying the young child.

. Describe prenatal development, the birth process and the factors that influence development during this period.

. Discuss the basic concepts of physical and motor development for children birth to eight.

. Describe the psychosocial and cognitive development of infants, toddlers, preschoolers and primary age children.

. Explain the language and literacy development from its beginning in the infant through primary school.

. Discuss the role of adults in children's learning and development.

. Define developmentally appropriate practice and its application to the childcare and classroom environment.

. Define the role of child advocate in the development of public policy that supports the child and the family.

Prerequisites and Corequisites:

ECED 1010, 2010 and completion of all DSP requirements for reading, writing, and learning strategies or Department approval.

Course Topics:

. Defining early childhood development

. Key terms

. Child study methods/research

. Current brain research

. Theories in early childhood development

. Pre-natal and newborn development

. Infant development

. Toddler development

. Preschool development

. Primary school age child development

Specific Course Requirements:

1. Complete a six hour child study on one child between the ages of two and five years in a group setting.

2. Complete at least four hours of field experiences and specific, focused observations of infants, toddlers, preschoolers and primary school age children in. These observations should be done in group settings to allow students to observe the wide range of development at every age.

3. Read and report on four journal articles related to different age groups and early childhood topics.

4. Complete study guides on textbook chapters.

5. Reflect on topics and participate in online discussions related to each module and lesson.

6. Complete exams on concepts, terms, etc.

Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements

Required Textbooks:

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course. It is located at http://rodp.bkstr.com.

Supplementary Materials:

None

Hardware Requirements:

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm.

Specific hard ware required for this course includes:

• Access to a computer that is connected to the Internet. (A DSL or cable connection will produce faster loading the full range of multimediation of web sites.)

Software Requirements:

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm.

Software required for this course includes Real Player, Media Player, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Office, etc. Assignments must be typed in Word.

Instructor Information

Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.

Assessment and Grading

Testing Procedures:

All testing will take place within the course materials. You will be allowed to take your tests at a time and place convenient to you.

Grading Procedure:

This information in this course is cumulative and each module builds on the one before. All work is expected to be completed by the assigned date. Grades will be dropped by one letter each day an assignment is submitted late. Please note the assignment due date on the Calendar. On the Assignments page the dates available are the dates during which an assignment may be submitted. Submitting the assignment after the due date on the Calendar will result in a lowered grade.The cut-off date refers to the last day an assignment may be submitted.  No work will be accepted after the last day of class.

This course is a foundation for all early childhood courses and as such it is challenging in content. All assignments should be completed in their entirety and will be graded based on content, understanding of the material and effort. Exemplary work deserves an exemplary grade. Mediocre work deserves a mediocre grade. Grades will be a reflection of the work and time invested.

Grading Scale:

Each module lesson is worth a total of 35 points.

• Study Guide - 20 points
• Discussion Board - 10 points
• Reflection - 5 points

Your grade for the class will come from the following sources:

• Introduction Assignment 30 points
• Study Guide/Discussion/Reflection (13) --455 points
• Child Study Report --260 points
• Field Experience/Observation Reports -- 140 points
• Journal Article Reports at 25 points each -- 100 points
• Five exams at 50 points each (including the final)-- 250 points

Total possible points for the course is 1235. The grading scale is as follows:

1235-1111---A
1110-987---B
986-863---C
862-739--D
Below 739--F

Assignments and Participation

Assignments and Project:

• Child Study Report: This assignment will require at least six hours of focused observation on one child between the ages of two and five in a group setting (Child Care, Head Start, Preschool, etc.) Required observation tools and details on completing this report will be found on the Assignments page.
• Field Experience/Observation Reports: Four hours of observations/interactions will be required in infant, toddler, and preschool settings for these assignments. Required observation tools and details on completing these will be found on the Assignments page. Please see the Calendar for due dates for each of these assignments.
• Journal Article Reports: Four journal article reports will be required. Details on required journal article assignments will be found in each lesson under the Homework Section and Journal Article Assignment.
• Each lesson will include a Study Guide on the textbook chapters, discussion board topics and a reflection.

Class Participation:

You are expected to participate in all interactive aspects of the course. For example, you must communicate with other students via e mails and discussion board exchanges. You are expected to communicate ate with your instructor on a regular basis and check the course bulletin board frequently for announcements. You must actively participate in threaded discussion events. Points will be given for responding to the discussion prompt and again for responding to another student's discussion. This class is designed to support student interaction.

Punctuality:

You are encouraged to work at your own pace, however deadlines are placed on class activities, assignments and exams. You should become familiar with the Calendar to determine when materials are due and adjust your study schedule accordingly. All work must be completed by the assigned date. Each day late any assignment is turned in will drop the grade by one letter. Once a cut off deadline has passed you will be "locked out" of the material. No work will be accepted after the last day of class.

Course Ground Rules

Assignments will be presented as noted in the course Calendar.  You will have until the due date on the calendar to complete each assignment.

You are expected to communicate with other students in the Discussion Boards, learn how to navigate in Web CT, and stay aware of course announcements.

You should use your assigned Web CT e-mail addresses for all communication.

You should address any technical problems immediately.

You should observe course netiquette. Plagiarism, cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited. For further clarification see the "Academic Honesty" statement.

Students with a disability must notify the instructor during the first week of class and  a telephone appointment must be scheduled to discuss any related issues.

Make-Up

Make-up work is not accepted. All work must be completed by the assigned date. Each day late any assignment is turned in will drop the grade by one letter.

Attendance

Students are expected to check their e-mail at least once or twice daily and to work on their assignments regularly. It will be impossible to complete your work if you do not.

Guidelines for Communications

E-mail:

When using e-mail keep the following in mind:

• Always include a subject line with your last name, and the assignment or subject of the communication. Even if you are submitting your work as an attachment WebCT requires that something be written in the message panel. .
• Remember that your reader cannot see you. Without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your e mails. Use of emotions :) might be helpful in some cases.
• Use standard fonts. Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, HTML, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
• Do not send large attachments without permission.
• Respect the privacy of other class members.
• Submit only one assignment per e-mail. Multiple assignments in one Email are difficult for the instructor to manage.

Discussion Groups:

• Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant.
• Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.
• Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other's ideas.
• Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.
• Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
• Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.

Chat:

• Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session.
• Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements.
• Be concise in responding to others in the chat session.
• Be prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time.
• Be constructive in your comments and suggestion

Web Resources:

• Columbia Guide to Online Style by Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor
• Citation Styles Online http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program.Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses.

Students With Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the left to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual e-mail communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Technical Support

Telephone Support:

If you are having problems logging into your course,
timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other technical problems

• click on Help
• contact the Help Desk (if you contact them get a reference number)

by calling

1-866-550-7637 (toll free)

or go to their website at:

http://help.rodp.com