Unit information: Introduction to Psychology in Education in 2024/25

Unit name	Introduction to Psychology in Education
Unit code	EDUC10005
Credit points	20
Level of study	C/4
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Tsapali
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	None
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	None
Units you may not take alongside this one	None
School/department	School of Education
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Unit Information

Why is this important

At the most basic level, psychology can be defined as the science of mind and behaviour and as such, psychologists are interested in understanding why people behave the way they do. They wish to answer some of the fundamental questions associated with human existence, for example; How do we remember and forget? How malleable is the brain? How can learning be reinforced? What is intelligence? Is personality changeable? Is nature or nurture more important? Why do people behaviour differently in groups?

This unit develops students’ skills in the four main content areas of biological, cognitive, developmental and social psychology in the context of their relevance to a wide range of educational contexts and questions. These are the core areas of psychology providing the foundation for students’ degree programmes in psychology as required for accreditation by the professional body, the British Psychological Society. Each of these four areas is covered in turn throughout the unit.

How does this unit fit into your programme of study

The unit provides the foundational knowledge on the main content areas of psychology and helps students become familiar, and actively engaged, with contemporary methods and techniques for studying psychology and apply these to educational problems. The knowledge and skills students gain from this unit are important and link to all other units in the programme.

Your learning on this unit

An overview of content

This unit develops students’ knowledge and skills in the four main content areas of biological, cognitive, developmental and social psychology in the context of their relevance to a wide range of educational contexts and questions.

How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit

• Students will become confident and critical readers of psychological research
• Student will be able to explain how different areas of psychology are applied in educational contexts

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the unit, students will be able to demonstrate that they:

1. have an understanding of what psychology is, as well as the differences between associated sub-disciplines of the field;

1. are able to identify how key theoretical approaches in psychology can be applied to education;
2. are able to debate some of the important contemporary issues dominant in psychology today;
3. have the ability to summarise key materials and present in both oral and written form;
4. have an awareness of different research methods used in psychology and how they offer understanding of psychological phenomena.

How you will learn

This unit will be taught using a mixture of activities including lectures, class discussions, debates and group presentations. Each week, a new core area of psychology will be introduced and activities will focus on the presentation and discussion of papers related to the topic. Students will be expected to engage with readings and participate on a weekly basis.

How you will be assessed

Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):

Draft pamphlet: During the seminar session in Weeks 6 and 8, students will be given an opportunity to get peer feedback on a draft of their summative pamphlet.

Oral presentation: In Weeks 3, 4 and 7, they will discuss the role of different psychological constructs for educational settings, and you will be presenting definitions of such psychological mechanisms (e.g. working memory) and explaining how they can be applied in education. This will serve as preparation for the pamphlet as well as for better understanding the relationship between psychology and education.

Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):

Pamphlet (40%): You will be asked to design and submit an individual pamphlet that introduces psychology to a lay audience (ILO 1,3,4,5)

Multiple Choice Test (60%) (ILO 1,2,5)

When assessment does not go to plan

When a student fails the unit and is eligible to resubmit, failed components will be reassessed on a like-for-like basis.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EDUC10005).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.