Course Syllabus

Course Introduction

This course provides an in-depth study of a child from conception to three years of age. Students will become familiar with various theoretical perspectives in each of the developmental domains of infancy and toddlerhood. We’ll explore the typical development of infants and toddlers including physical, cognitive, social, and emotional domains of development. We will closely investigate the role infant/toddler temperament, personality, and social/emotional development has on relationships. Finally, we will explore the influence of mothers and fathers, and the parenting/teaching techniques that are most appropriate for infants and toddlers.

The approach to these topics is scientific, with an emphasis on recent research findings in developmental psychology. The following themes guide the integration of the material: (1) the interaction between biology and the environment throughout development, (2) the ways in which children affect their own development, (3) the continuity and discontinuity of development, (4) the impact of the sociocultural context of development, (5) individual differences in development, and (6) the use of research findings to promote children's welfare.

The lectures, text, readings, and handouts given will support current knowledge and understanding in the field of human development. The assignments are designed to give you a "hands-on" experience that will reinforce the concepts taught in the lessons and text. Assignments are also designed to help you apply your knowledge of child development in a practical setting, including various research tools like assessment, observation, and interviewing.

To implement principles in the Learning Model, learners and teachers at BYU-I will do the following:

  1. Exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as a principle of action and power.
  2. Understand that true teaching is done by and with the Holy Ghost.
  3. Lay hold upon the word of God (i.e., holy scriptures and words of the prophets) in all disciplines.
  4. Act for themselves and accept responsibility for learning and teaching.
  5. Love, serve, and teach one another.

“At BYU-I we foster faith-building and life-changing learning. Our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the gifts of the Holy Ghost, our commitment to the restored gospel, and our effort the build a Zion learning community motivate us to learn and teach by study and by faith” (Vision Statement, Learning Model).

Course Objectives

The primary objective of CHILD 300 is to provide students' the opportunity to increase their understanding of the needs, development, and important variation of in development during the first two-three years of life by a process of reality-based assignments and instruction.

Students will have the opportunity to develop skills for critical evaluation in research, assessment tools, and theory in the area of infant development. While attention will be given to broad developmental themes pertaining to infant development, primary emphasis will be given to furthering students’ understanding of underlying developmental processes associated with the dramatic changes that occur during infancy with the family as an important backdrop.

Objective Met by
Students will be able to discuss how child developmental theories have influenced thinking, research, and practices among professional educators and caregivers. (KNOW) Discussion, textbook reading, reading quizzes, weekly assignments, HOME and PICCOLO papers
Students can explain how genetic and environmental factors affect the embryo and fetus during the different periods of prenatal development. (KNOW) Discussion, textbook reading, weekly assignment
Students will be able to discuss how knowledge of infants physical, perceptual, and cognitive development can be used to encourage appropriate holistic development. (KNOW) Discussion, textbook reading, weekly assignments, HOME and PICCOLO paper
Students can describe the biological and environmental influences on the process of social and emotional development of the infant from birth to age three. (KNOW) Discussions, weekly assignments, HOME and PICCOLO paper
Students will develop proficiency and experience at implementing assessments with infants and toddlers. (DO)

HOME and PICCOLO paper

Students will gain a general willingness to further understanding of child development by talking with parents and caregivers in such a way as to encourage them to become more comfortable and confident in their interactions with children. (BECOME) Discussions, textbook reading, weekly assignments, and HOME paper

Note: Because of the nature of the subject matter of this course, you will be exposed to issues that deal with reproduction openly and sometimes graphically. It is important that discussions and class interactions be conducted in a positive and professional manner as we address important, but sometimes sensitive, subjects.

Student Responsibilities: Respect to Others

  1. If you have questions and/or concerns about the course, work, or assignments please contact your instructor. Students must initiate the process to guarantee learning opportunities.
  2. When preparing to write posts on the discussion boards, you are encouraged to take different perspectives and approaches with the materials. Looking at information through multiple lens helps foster growth.

Textbooks and Materials

Siegler, DeLoache, Eisenberg, Saffran, (2017). How Children Develop (5th ed.). Worth Publishers. Your eBook is delivered through VitalSource and is accessible the first day of the term. Your student financial account will be charged automatically on the first day of class.

Access the eBook by using the "Course Materials" link in the course menu.

Infant/Toddler Assessment Form. This form is used in the HOME Infant/Toddler Assessment assignment. The cost is $1, and every student enrolled in this class will be assessed that fee by the BYU-I Bookstore on their BYU-I account.

Class Format

The materials for the course are organized by week. Each week you will complete assigned readings, listen to lectures, watch videos to extend your learning, complete a discussion board post and response, choose a weekly assignment, and take a quiz. [Anything that is in the Weekly Study section (meaning the textbook, other readings, video, and audio) might be found on the quizzes.] Look for a similar pattern each week. There are a few times when this pattern is different. For example, the Week 03 assignment is given in Week 02 for adequate time to prepare and complete the work.

Due dates for specific activities are indicated on the activity page, modules page, calendar and other places in the course. It is very important that you update your Canvas Profile and be sure that the time zone is set to your local time zone. This will ensure that the due dates in the course display for you in your local time zone.

Regularly check the Calendar and the To Do list to see when your assignments are due. Use the calendar to plan for upcoming assignments.

If you are in the Mountain Time Zone, your assignments are due as follows:

  • Assignments are due Fridays by 11:59 PM.
  • Discussions. Your initial post is due Wednesday by 11:59 PM and response posts are due Saturdays by 11:59 PM.
  • Quizzes are due Mondays of the following week by 11:59 PM.

If you are not in the Mountain Time Zone, these due dates will be adjusted to your time zone if you have updated your Canvas Profile and set your time zone. Once this is done, you may use the Calendar and your To-Do list to see the exact due dates and times for your location.

CAUTION be aware of daylight savings (DST) and how that could affect the times that assignments are due--as they may change throughout the semester. For instance, if you lived in Sau Paulo Brazil during Winter semester, your time would be five hours ahead in January, and then four hours ahead in February when Brazil DST ends, and only three hours ahead beginning in March when U.S. Mountain Time DST begins. 

Personal Experience

Classroom etiquette is part of your learning experience. You are expected to contribute AND allow your classmates to contribute. It is distracting to continually share long personal experiences. Please be respectful and thoughtful about sharing personal experiences—make sure they add to the discussion instead of distract from it.

Grades

Grades will be based upon percentage of points earned, of points possible using the following scale.

Grade Percentage Range
A 100 - 94
A- 93.99 - 90
B+ 89.99 – 87
B 86.99 – 84
B- 83.99 – 80
C+ 79.99 – 77
C 76.99 – 74
C- 73.99 – 70
D+ 69.99 – 67
D 66.99 – 64
D- 63.99 - 60
F <60

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism

As a university student, you are expected to develop your own ideas and distinguish between your own and someone else’s intellectual property. When you copy the words or ideas of anyone else and pass them off as your own, you are engaged in plagiarism, a serious academic and moral offense. Plagiarism is considered to be extremely unethical and is taken very seriously in academics. It also compromises your integrity and is a violation of the BYUI Honor Code.

Plagiarism includes copying and pasting text, pictures, or other content from books, websites, or other media into class assignments and passing them off as your own. If an assignment asks you for your own work (for example, opinion or understanding) and you copy someone else’s material—even just a paragraph, even if you replace some of the words with your own synonyms—without properly giving credit to the original source, you are plagiarizing.

Anyone caught plagiarizing will be penalized, usually with a failing grade. Other consequences can be as severe as being expelled from the university. Take a few minutes to read through the university’s website concerning plagiarism (Academic Honesty Policy) to make sure you do not sabotage any work you do for this course by plagiarizing.

Turnitin

Some of your papers will be checked by Turnitin. 

Turnitin is an electronic text matching system which compares a student assignment against a database of sources and generates an originality report. The report highlights any matched text, calculates a Turnitin Similarity score for the matched text, and provides links for the matched text to the original source document, or a similar document on its database.

Proctored Exams and Assessments

This course will use an online proctoring software called Proctorio. This makes it possible for students to take assessments and exams without a human proctor present. Proctored exams can be accessed like any other exam, once the software has been installed. Exams will be recorded by Proctorio and reviewed by the BYU-Idaho Testing Center. Any questionable exams will be forwarded to the instructor for further review.

For step-by-step instructions on Proctorio installation, please refer to this help guide article.

Department Policy Regarding Intellectual Property and Course Materials

All of the materials in this course are covered by fair use and copyright law and are proprietary (intellectual property). Students are not permitted to sell, post, trade, share, distribute, or send any information contained in this course (including outlines, handouts, syllabi, exams, quizzes, PowerPoint presentations, lectures, audio and video recordings, or images of the same, etc. including your own work for this course) to any parties outside of this course (ie Course Hero, Quizlet, Google Docs, etc.) by any means (e.g., posting, uploading, attachments, etc.) without the express written permission from the creator of these works and the Department Chair. Any of these actions violate the Academic Honesty policies of Brigham Young University-Idaho (please see Academic Honesty) and will be dealt with as such. The materials in this course are also intellectual property and taking any materials from the course and posting them outside of this course in any manner will be construed as theft and distribution of intellectual property. If you engage in any of these actions, or use any of these materials without authorization, the instructor has the right to impose an appropriate academic sanction (e.g., give you a failing grade for the assignment and/or fail you from the course). Additionally, the respective Course Lead, Program Lead, and/or Department Chair also reserve the right to impose appropriate academic sanctions regardless of any imposed by the instructor.

University Policies

Students with Disabilities

Brigham Young University-Idaho is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have a disability and require accommodations, please contact the Disability Services Office at (208) 496-9210 or visit their website and follow the Steps for Receiving Accommodations. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified documented disabilities. Services are coordinated with students and instructors by the Disability Services Office.

This course may require synchronous meetings. If you are currently registered with the Disability Services Office and need an interpreter or transcriber for these meetings, please contact the deaf and hard of hearing coordinator at (208) 496-9219.

Other University Policies

Student Honor and Other Policies

Please read through the document called University Policies. It gives important information about the following topics:

  • Student Honor
    • Academic Honesty
    • Student Conduct
      • Sexual Harassment
    • Student with Disabilities
    • Complaints and Grievances
    • Copyright Notice

Go to the Student Resources module to review further resources and information.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due