Introduction to Psychology. This course introduces the student to the various ways that the scientific field of psychology has, and continues to, explore questions concerning the human mind and behavior. Lessons are specifically designed to allow the student to connect with the content in such a way that they learn more about themselves and others while deepening their understanding of the complex interactions between the human mind, body, and behavior.
Prerequisites: None
Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to...
- Examine the development of psychology as an empirical science
- Distinguish the major subfields within psychology
- Analyze research methods and measurements used to study behavior and mental processes
- Discuss ethical issues in research with human and non-human
- Evaluate the structure and function of the endocrine system and the nervous system in human and non-human animals
- Assess the processes of sensation and perception and the capabilities and limitations of sensory processes
- Analyze the relationship between conscious and unconscious processes.
- Explain the characteristics of sleep and theories that explain why we sleep and dream.
- Evaluate other states of consciousness.
- Interpret the methods, issues, and theories of lifespan development.
- Examine the stages of lifespan development.
- Explain classical conditioning, operant conditioning, observational, and cognitive learning.
- Evaluate the encoding of memory, storage of memory, retrieval of memory.
- Evaluate perspectives on motivation and emotion.
- Analyze emotional interpretation and expression.
- Analyze the perspectives and assessment of personality.
- Examine social cognition, influence, and relations.
- Evaluate the categories of psychological disorders.
- Determine the perspectives, categories and types, as well as the legal, ethical, and professional issues in the treatment of psychological disorders.
- Evaluate stress and how to cope with it and identify behaviors and attitudes that promote health.
Course Outline:
Unit 1: Understanding Psychology
Unit 2: Biopsychology
Unit 3: Development
Unit 4: Learning and Memory
Unit 5: Motivation and Emotion
Unit 6: Personality
Unit 7: Social Psychology
Unit 8: Psychological Disorders and Mental Health
Resources Included: Online lesson instruction and activities, opportunities to engage with a certified, online instructor and classmates, when appropriate, and online assessments to measure student performance of course objectives and readiness for subsequent academic pursuits.
Additional Costs: None
Scoring System: Michigan Virtual does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue diplomas. A final score out of total points earned will be submitted to your school mentor for conversion to their own letter grading system.
Time Commitment: Semester sessions are 18-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1 or more hours per day in the course to be successful. Summer sessions are 10 weeks long: Students must be able to spend a minimum of 2 or more hours per day, or about 90 hours during the summer, for the student to be successful in any course. Trimester sessions are 12-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1.5 or more hours per day in the course to be successful.
Technology Requirements: Students will require a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube.
Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/
Instructor Support System: For technical issues within your course, contact the Customer Care Center by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Instructor Contact Expectations: Students can use email or the private message system within the Student Learning Portal to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside the learning management system. The Instructor Info area of their course may describe additional communication options.
Academic Support Available: In addition to access to a highly qualified, Michigan certified teacher, students have access to academic videos and outside resources verified by Michigan Virtual. For technical issues within the course, students can contact the Michigan Virtual Customer Care by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Required Assessment: Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, instructor-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building and other forms of authentic assessments.
Technical Skills Needed: Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to:
- Download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
- Download and install software
- Use a messaging service similar to email
- Communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
- Open attachments shared in messages
- Create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
- Edit file share settings in cloud-based applications, such as Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides
- Save a file as a .pdf
- Copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
- Insert images or links into a file or html editor
- Search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
- Work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
- Activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
- Use presentation and graphics programs
- Follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
- Use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
- Create and maintain usernames and passwords
Additional Information: None