Course Syllabus

Syllabus – Spring 2025– PSYC 3325 – Learning and Conditioning ONLINE/Asynchronous 

 

Instructor Information: Kristie Allen, M.A.   

Hello! My name is Kristie Allen. I serve as a lecturer for the Department of Psychology and Counseling. I graduated from Grand Valley State University (Allendale, MI) with my Bachelors in Psychology and later from UT Tyler with my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. I am passionate about working with college students to find meaning in their coursework and a greater purpose in their educational journey. This course provides an introduction to the psychology of learning and is concerned with the conditions, principles, and theories behind learning and motivation. Students will learn about research methods, theories, and findings associated with traditional and contemporary learning research. A variety of learning theories, highlighting behavioristic approaches (such as Pavlovian and operant conditioning) will be emphasized. Additional topics to be explored include complex phenomena such as self-control, social-cognitive processes related to learning and motivation, and how learning physically changes the brain’s structure and function through neuroplasticity. Students will apply their theoretical learning by critically analyzing everyday learning problems (e.g., ‘how should I study’, ‘how can I improve’, etc.) in light of existing empirical research.    

The best way to contact me is to send a message through CANVAS. I usually respond to messages within one business day, Monday through Friday. Weekend availability will vary. You can also e- mail me directly at kallen@uttyler.edu or call me at (903) 566-7208.   

Each Monday, I will be available from 12:30pm-2:00pm via ZOOM for Office Hours. Link below: 

Join Zoom Meeting  
https://uttyler.zoom.us/j/83820323697?pwd=PeDHKDkUBrecMHQULaelqiP5lTUSbK.1  

Meeting ID: 838 2032 3697  
Passcode: 902654 

I am committed to facilitating an online learning environment that is equitable, inclusive and welcoming and that fosters a climate of mutual respect and full participation. I expect you all to demonstrate that same level of respect to one another. Please be kind, open-minded, and receptive to feedback as that is the best way to ensure you get the most you can out of this class.   

Personal Applications & Impact   

It is impossible to study Psychology without thinking about our own lived experiences – that would take all the fun out of it! However, some topics we study may not be relevant to your own experiences, and your own experiences may not be consistent with the material presented. This does not mean that the research I present is inaccurate or that your experiences are “wrong”. No psychological study will account for every person’s experiences. In addition, some of the material in this class may provoke strong feelings about your past experiences or current life. It is a specific goal of this course to make sure you become good consumers of psychological information and sometimes that will mean challenging your own prior beliefs, values, and experiences.   

   

Course Catalog Description:   

A survey of historical and contemporary associative and cognitive learning theories, and related conditioning principles, as applied to human and nonhuman animals. Laboratory exercises and demonstrations illustrating learning and conditioning in animals and humans   

   

Student Learning Outcomes:   

• Be able to analyze behaviors from the perspective of each school of behaviorism.   

• List the major historical figures in the history of the psychology of learning and describe their contributions.   

• Distinguish among different forms of learning.   

• Describe the classical conditioning paradigm and the procedures for acquisition and extinction.   

• Explain how the principles of Pavlovian conditioning can be applied in clinical and other settings.   

• Describe operant conditioning procedures and the effects of various schedules of reinforcement.   

• Discuss the effects on behavior of positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive and negative punishment.   

• Explain how the principles of operant conditioning can be applied to practical settings.   

• Define generalization and discrimination and describe the major paradigms and phenomena associated with these processes.   

• Explain the major biological constraints on the generality of the laws of learning.   

• Critically analyze learning strategies based on scientific research on learning.   

   

Textbook:   

Baughman, K. (2018). The Psychology of Learning: Everyday Life Applications (1st Edition).    

ISBN - 9781634874229   

AND   

Brown, P. C., Roediger, H. L., III., McDaniel, M. A., & Marshall, Q. (2014). Make it stick: the science of successful learning. Holland, OH, Dreamscape Media, LLC.   

ISBN – 9781629239743   

GUYS! This one is free via the library! - https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uttyler/detail.action?docID=3301452Links to an external site.Links to an external site.  

 

 

 

Evaluation and Grading: 

Quizzes	There will be six quizzes completed via Canvas. Each quiz will be worth 20 points. I will drop the lowest grade! This is already built in.	100
Discussion Board Assignments	There will be 4 Discussion Board Assignments (15 points each).	60
Check for Understanding Points		13
Classical Conditioning Practice		10
Operant Conditioning Practice		10
Growth Mindset Article Analysis	See Canvas for Instructions. Completed Via Discussion Board.	27
Make It Stick Reflection	See Canvas for Instructions	40
Total Points		260
Extra Credit: I will give extra credit questions on each exam and quiz. You will also have the opportunity to complete an “Article Analysis” Assignment for 20 extra credit points.

 

234-260 points: A 

208-233 points: B 

182-207 points: C 

156-181 points: D 

<156 points: F  

 

Course Flow – What Can You Expect? 

It is important to begin with the expectation that this course will require a similar amount of time and effort from you as a face-to-face course, but that you will have more flexibility as to when you complete the work.  

In this class, you will have something to complete each week. Sometimes it will be a Video Lecture with Check for Understanding Points, sometimes a Discussion Board, sometimes a Quiz, and sometimes a combination of these. There are PowerPoint slides to correspond with each video, professor-made and supplemental video clips, and other learning materials such as journal article to support you in your learning journey. Due dates are ALWAYS Sundays by 11:59pm with the exception of your Make It Stick Paper which is due on a Monday. 

You will want to make sure that you have read and taken notes over each chapter and viewed the additional module content before taking each quiz. 

 

Checking for Understanding Points - “Attendance”   

A 2010 meta-analysis of the relationship between class attendance in college and college grades found that class attendance is a better predictor of college grades than any other known predictor of academic performance (Crede et al., 2010). In an online environment, attendance is almost impossible to monitor. Because this is a three-credit hour upper division course and we would be meeting 3 times a week if this were in-person, I feel strongly about incentivizing watching lecture videos by attaching some points to them. Almost every week you will have at least ONE video to watch. Each video will have a handful of questions embedded in the “assignment”, totaling 1 point per vidoeo (total of 13 points for the semester). This only equates to 5% of your overall grade, so missing some questions will not make or break you, but it is a way for me to gauge who is conscientiously consuming the educational materials I have prepared and who is just running through the quizzes and assignments.  

 Credé, M., Roch, S. G., & Kieszczynka, U. M. (2010). Class attendance in college: A meta-analytic review of the relationship of class attendance with grades and  student characteristics. Review of Educational Research, 80(2), 272-295.  

 

Quizzes and Exams: 

• You may use the textbooks, Power Points, notes, but NOT another person. Do not rely on these items exclusively because of the time constraints. You really need to KNOW the material. 

• Each quiz is a mixture of 20 questions, true/false and multiple choice. The quizzes are timed at 60 minutes. 

• Please study as if this was an in-person quiz! 

• Please read the section on academic dishonesty. It is not tolerated AT ALL. If cheating is suspected, you will be reported to the Office of Student Affairs  

Course Schedule: 

Week 1 – January 13 – January 19

Video Lecture – Baughman 1 & 2

Week 2 – January 20 – January 26

Video Lecture – Baughman 3   Quiz 1

Week 3 – January 27 – February 2

Video Lecture – Baughman 4   Classical Conditioning Practice (can complete as many times as you’d like!)  Discussion Board 1

Week 4 – February 3 – February 9

Video Lecture – Baughman 5   Quiz 2

Week 5 – February 10 – February 16

Video Lecture – Baughman 6   Operant Conditioning Practice (can complete as many times as you’d like!)  Discussion Board 2

Week 6 – February 17 – February 23

Video Lecture – Baughman 7   Quiz 3

Week 7 – February 24 – March 2

Video Lecture – Baughman 9 & 11

Week 8 – March 3 – March 9

Video Lecture – Baughman 12-14   Discussion Board 3

Week 9 – March 10 – March 16

Video Lecture – Motivation and Emotion   Quiz 4

Week 10 – March 17 – March 23 - SPRING BREAK

Week 11 – March 24 – March 30

Video Lecture – MIS Part 1   Discussion Board 4

Week 12 – March 31 – April 6

Video Lecture – MIS Part 2   Quiz 5

Week 13 – April 7 – April 13

Video Lecture – MIS Part 3

Week 14 - April 14 – April 20

Growth Mindset Article Analysis

Week 15 – April 21 – April 27

Video Lecture – MIS Part 4   Quiz 6

Final Exam Week April 28 – May 2; Make it Stick Reflection AND optional Extra Credit Assignment Due Monday, April 28 by 11:59pm

  

Academic Dishonesty: 

Canvas has tools that shows when/if a student has plagiarized information. It will generate a report once you submit your work and any information matching other sources will be highlighted in a document. I am sure you know that this would be considered to violate our Academic Dishonesty Policy and you will be turned into the Student Affairs office for review. Your work must be original and in your own words. I cannot stress enough; make sure ALL of your work is ORIGINAL. If you aren't sure if the work you are about to submit abides by the academic dishonesty policy of the university) don't submit it. You know if the work you are submitting is completely original. Make sure that you always include in-text citations as well as a Works Cited page in APA format with all of your work. For assistance with APA formatting, you may visit the writing center on campus and find this site to be helpful: 

 https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/. 

  

University Policies 

UT Tyler Honor Code 

Every member of the UT Tyler community joins together to embrace: Honor and integrity that will not allow me to lie, cheat, or steal, nor to accept the actions of those who do. 

  

Student Rights and Responsibilities 

To know and understand the policies that affect your rights and responsibilities as a student at UT Tyler, please follow this link: http://www.uttyler.edu/wellness/rightsresponsibilities.php (Links to an external site.) 

  

Campus Carry 

We respect the right and privacy of students 21 and over who are duly licensed to carry concealed weapons in this class. License holders are expected to behave responsibly and keep a handgun secure and concealed. More information is available at http://www.uttyler.edu/about/campus- (Links to an external site.) 

 carry/index.php 

  

UT Tyler a Tobacco-Free University 

All forms of tobacco will not be permitted on the UT Tyler main campus, branch campuses, and any property owned by UT Tyler. This applies to all members of the University community, including students, faculty, staff, University affiliates, contractors, and visitors. 

Forms of tobacco not permitted include cigarettes, cigars, pipes, water pipes (hookah), bidis, kreteks, electronic cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, snuff, chewing tobacco, and all other tobacco products. 

There are several cessation programs available to students looking to quit smoking, including counseling, quitlines, and group support. For more information on cessation programs please visit 

 www.uttyler.edu/tobacco-free. (Links to an external site.) 

  

Grade Replacement/Forgiveness and Census Date Policies 

Spring 2025 Census Date – January 27 

Students repeating a course for grade forgiveness (grade replacement) must file a Grade Replacement Contract with the Enrollment Services Center (ADM 230) on or before the 

Census Date of the semester in which the course will be repeated. Grade Replacement Contracts are available in the Enrollment Services Center or at http://www.uttyler.edu/registrar.  (Links to an external site.)Each semester's Census Date can be found on the Contract itself, on the Academic Calendar, or in the information pamphlets published each semester by the Office of the Registrar. 

Failure to file a Grade Replacement Contract will result in both the original and repeated grade being used to calculate your overall grade point average. Undergraduates are eligible to exercise grade replacement for only three course repeats during their career at UT Tyler; graduates are eligible for two grade replacements. Full policy details are printed on each Grade Replacement Contract. 

The Census Date is the deadline for many forms and enrollment actions that students need to be aware. These include: 

• Submitting Grade Replacement Contracts, Transient Forms, requests to withhold directory information, approvals for taking courses as Audit, Pass/Fail or Credit/No 

• Receiving 100% refunds for partial withdrawals. (There is no refund for these after the Census Date) 

• Schedule adjustments (section changes, adding a new class, dropping without a "W, grade) 

• Being reinstated or re-enrolled in classes after being dropped for non-payment 

• Completing the process for tuition exemptions or waivers through Financial Aid 

  

State-Mandated Course Drop Policy 

Texas law prohibits a student who began college for the first time in Fall 2007 or thereafter from dropping more than six courses during their entire undergraduate career. This includes courses dropped at another 2-year or 4-year Texas public college or university. For purposes of this rule, a dropped course is any course that is dropped after the census date (See Academic Calendar for the specific date). 

Exceptions to the 6-drop rule may be found in the catalog. Petitions for exemptions must be submitted to the Enrollment Services Center and must be accompanied by documentation of the extenuating circumstance. Please contact the Enrollment Services Center if you have any questions. 

 

 

 

 

Disability Services 

In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) the University of Texas at Tyler offers accommodations to students with learning, physical and/or psychological disabilities. If you have a disability, including a non-visible diagnosis such as a learning disorder, chronic illness, TBI, PTSD, ADHD, or you have a history of modifications or accommodations in a previous educational environment, you are encouraged to visit 

 https://hood.accessiblelearning.com/UTTyler and fill out the New Student application. The Student Accessibility and Resources (SAR) office will contact you when your application has been submitted and an appointment with Cynthia Lowery, Assistant Director of Student Services/ADA Coordinator. For more information, including filling out an application for services, please visit the SAR webpage at http://www.uttyler.edu/disabilityservices,  (Links to an external site.)the SAR office located in the University Center #3150 or call 903.566.7079. 

  

Student Absence due to Religious Observance 

Students who anticipate being absent from class due to a religious observance are requested to inform the instructor of such absences by the second class meeting of the semester. 

  

Student Absence for University-Sponsored Events and Activities 

If you intend to be absent for a university-sponsored event or activity, you (or the event sponsor) must notify the instructor at least two weeks prior to the date of the planned absence. At that time the instructor will set a date and time when make-up assignments will be completed. 

  

Social Security and FERPA Statement 

It is the policy of The University of Texas at Tyler to protect the confidential nature of social security numbers. The University has changed its computer programming so that all students have an identification number. The electronic transmission of grades (e.g., via e-mail) risks violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act; grades will not be transmitted electronically. 

Emergency Exits and Evacuation 

Everyone is required to exit the building when a fire alarm goes off. Follow your instructor's directions regarding the appropriate exit. If you require assistance during an evacuation, inform your instructor in the first week of class. Do not re-enter the building unless given permission by University Police, Fire department, or Fire Prevention Services. 

  

Student Standards of Academic Conduct 

Disciplinary proceedings may be initiated against any student who engages in scholastic dishonesty, including, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts. 

• "Cheating, includes, but is not limited to: 

• copying from another student's test paper; 

• using during a test, materials not authorized by the person giving the test; 

• failure to comply with instructions given by the person administering the test; 

• possession during a test of materials which are not authorized by the person giving the test, such as class notes or specifically designed "crib notes,. The presence of textbooks constitutes a violation if they have been specifically prohibited by the person administering the test; 

• using, buying, stealing, transporting, or soliciting in whole or part the contents of an unadministered test, test key, homework solution, or computer program; 

• collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test or other assignment without authority; 

• discussing the contents of an examination with another student who will take the examination; 

• divulging the contents of an examination, for the purpose of preserving questions for use by another, when the instructor has designated that the examination is not to be removed from the examination room or not to be returned or to be kept by the student; 

• substituting for another person, or permitting another person to substitute for oneself to take a course, a test, or any course-related assignment; 

• paying or offering money or other valuable thing to, or coercing another person to obtain an unadministered test, test key, homework solution, or computer program, or information about an unadministered test, test key, homework solution or computer program; 

• falsifying research data, laboratory reports, and/or other academic work offered for credit; 

• taking, keeping, misplacing, or damaging the property of U. T. Tyler, or of another, if the student knows or reasonably should know that an unfair academic advantage would be gained by such conduct; and, 

• misrepresenting facts, including providing false grades or resumes, for the purpose of obtaining an academic or financial benefit or injuring another student academically or financially. 

• "Plagiarism, includes, but is not limited to, the appropriation, buying, receiving as agift, or obtaining by any means another's work and the submission of it as one's own academic work offered for 

• "Collusion, includes, but is not limited to, the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing academic assignments offered for credit or collaboration with another person to commit a violation of any section of the rules on scholastic 

• All written work that is submitted will be subject to review by plagiarism 

  

CEP Vision and Mission and Program Standards 

CEP Vision   

The CEP will be a global leader in responding to needs in the fields of education, psychology, and counseling, with a focus on the East Texas region, by creating innovative academic and scholarly pathways and partnerships.     

CEP Mission    

The mission of the CEP is to prepare competent and passionate professionals in the fields of education, psychology, and counseling; to advance knowledge and expertise; and to impact these fields locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.