Comprehensive Study Notes: Learning and Behavioral Psychology

Paper Feedback and Checkpoints

  • Purpose of Checkpoints: To provide students with an opportunity to make progress on their papers and receive feedback before the final submission. The goal is to facilitate learning and improvement.
  • Numeric Scores: An initial numeric score (e.g., 15 points) on a checkpoint is not meant to be a final judgment but rather an indicator for areas requiring improvement. It's a stepping stone, not a definitive grade.
  • Benefit of Feedback: This system allows students to identify and correct errors early. If it were a final paper, the same errors could lead to significant deductions (e.g., 12 points apiece) without the chance for correction.
  • Importance of Completion: It is crucial for students to complete these assignments as they are designed to be a gradual process, preventing a large, overwhelming task at the end of the semester.
  • Grace Component: Opportunities for feedback and clarification are available every one to two weeks. Students can email or speak with the instructor if they do not understand the feedback.
  • Timeline: Checkpoints are typically finalized by November, while the overall final body of work is due in December, aiming to alleviate pressure on students.

Extra Credit Opportunities

Extra credit opportunities are posted in Canvas and are available until December, offering flexibility for students.

1. Social Media Fast

  • Task: Abstain from social media for 24 hours.
  • System: Based on the honor system.
  • Submission: A formal APA reflective paper answering a series of questions.
  • Reflective Questions:
    • Do you use social media daily?
    • Did you find it difficult not to use social media for the past 24 hours?
    • Did anyone (friends, family, followers) notice your inactivity?
    • Did you find you had more time to do things since you weren't on social media?
    • How likely are you to do it again?
  • Responses: Student responses vary widely, from friends getting upset to discovering more time for chores and studying, or a strong aversion to repeating the fast.
  • Points: This opportunity is worth 5 extra credit points.

2. Random Acts of Kindness (RAK)

  • Task: Complete three different random acts of kindness.
  • Submission: A paper detailing each act, including how it made the student feel and how the recipient might have felt.
  • Nature of Acts: Acts do not have to be monetary. Creativity and thoughtfulness are encouraged.
  • Examples:
    • Leaving a dollar at a vending machine.
    • Painting pebbles with inspirational messages and hiding them across campus.
    • Volunteering to help a neighbor going through chemotherapy with household tasks.
    • Taking a single parent's children to a park or McDonald's to provide the parent with a break.
    • Leaving a single rose on a water fountain (as observed in a previous year).
    • Writing handwritten letters of appreciation to family members (e.g., parent, best friend, grandparent), noting their rarity in the digital age.
    • Acts are not limited to