Syllabus Information

1. General information

1.1. Aims of the course

The subject and its expected results respond to the following approaches and objectives to be achieved by students:

• Apply the main theories about human development to the adult life cycle.
• Know the physical changes that occur during adult development and their relationship with cognitive, behavioral and emotional changes.
• Identify and understand social and affective development in adulthood.
• Know the social relationships and the important role of family, work and cultural processes in adult development.
• Being able to establish a sequence of physical, cognitive, linguistic and affective-social development in adulthood.

These approaches and objectives are aligned with the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda (https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/es/), in such a way that the acquisition of the results of Learning the subject provides training and competence to contribute to some extent to its achievement:

Goal 3: Good health and well-being.
Goal 4: Quality education.
Goal 5: Gender equality.

1.2. Context and importance of this course in the degree

The aim of this subject is to lay the foundations for the study of human development, on which later students will delve into other more specialized subjects. It is a subject in the Area of Developmental Psychology and Education that is taught in the first semester of the degree in Psychology.

This is a basic subject, framed in the Developmental Psychology module, which provides a set of general and essential knowledge for specialization in any of the domains of Psychology.

1.3. Recommendations to take this course

On the one hand, it is important to take into account the different paradigms in psychology and the scientific method that students are working in parallel in other subjects and have studied Developmental Psychology I in the first year of the Degree in Psychology. On the other hand, it is recommended that students properly manage the virtual moodle platform, where useful materials are available to develop and prepare the subject and where they can contact the teacher and have direct contact with classmates through chats and forums. Finally, the knowledge of a second language (English) is useful for a comprehensive bibliography management.

2. Learning goals

2.1. Competences

Upon passing the subject, students will be more competent to ... (the competences of the degree most involved in the subject are indicated below)

(1) Know the different theoretical models of Psychology and be able to critically assess their contributions and limitations.

(3) Know the main processes and different stages of development throughout the life cycle in their aspects of normality and abnormality.

(26) Know how to analyze the needs and demands of people with a specific function according to the context.

(27) Acquire the necessary skills to analyze situations, define problems, design elementary investigations, carry them out, statistically analyze data and correctly write a report.

(28) Being able to establish the goals of psychological action in different contexts, proposing and negotiating the goals with the recipients and affected.

2.2. Learning goals

To pass this subject, the student must demonstrate the following results ...

• Knows and understands the main processes and stages of psychological development in the second part of the individual's life cycle, from youth to the end of life.
• Obtains information effectively from relevant documentary sources in Developmental Psychology with the capacity for critical analysis and synthesis.
• They are capable of defining objectives, designing and evaluating intervention programs aimed at improving and facilitating developmental transitions.
• They work as a team and collaborate effectively with other colleagues. They understand and produce written reports and audiovisual presentations.

2.3. Importance of learning goals

With this subject, students will acquire the fundamental knowledge and skills that allow them to describe and explain development from adolescence and young adulthood to the end of life, as well as the inter-individual differences in developmental processes. This will allow, in turn, to lay the foundations that make it possible to predict and intervene in development throughout the life cycle, in order to optimize it, as well as explain the evolutionary processes in reference to the most notable developmental contexts (eg. family, work, social relationships, etc.).

3. Assessment (1st and 2nd call)

3.1. Assessment tasks (description of tasks, marking system and assessment criteria)

Students must demonstrate that they have achieved the expected learning results through the following evaluation activities:

The evaluation will be made from the grade obtained in the following aspects that will be evaluated:

Theoretical part: based on the degree of acquisition of the different competences, especially the cognitive ones (1 and 2). Likewise, active participation in the theoretical sessions will be taken into account.
Practical part: in this case, the control of specific skills (competences 3 to 5) expected for the students who have taken the subject will also be taken into consideration. The qualification will contemplate participation, completion of different activities and tasks and their quality.
The evaluation of both parts (theoretical and practical) will have two modalities to be chosen by the students at the beginning of the subject:

2.1. Continuous evaluation modality. Attendance and participation to the sessions and carrying out the weekly activities established by the teacher (specified below) (100% final grade).

To consider that a student is in the continuous modality, they must attend to the sessions, participate and perform at least 80% of the corresponding activities. If an absence is justified by documentation (check Unizar evaluation standards), students can take part in the missed activities and retrieve it.

Among all the activities to be carried out, you will find some such as:

• Learning Portfolio 
• Participation, debates, activities, cases and reflections
• Previous visualization of materials (videos, articles): flipped classroom dynamics
• Multiple choice exams at the end of each block

2.2. Final exam modality. Students who cannot participate in at least 80% of the theoretical and practical sessions must inform the teacher at the beginning of the course and their evaluation will consist of a theoretical-practical exam on the dates established by the faculty, which will consist of an exam referred to the contents of the theoretical and practical sessions of the subject that constitute, in essence, an application of the theoretical contents to specific cases.

The following table summarizes the evaluation options, how to do it, the criteria to be used and the weight of each part evaluated on the final grade:

The evaluation criteria are specified in the previous point.

Level of demand: In the final exam modality, it is necessary to pass the exam to include ponderation of the rest of the marks, if there is any.

Recommendations to pass the subject: that the students do not abandon any of the aspects of the evaluation. All the elements to evaluate are summative, so it is always advisable to carry out all the activities.

Recommendations for recovery: in case that the exam is suspended, the scores obtained in group work and individual activities will be kept for the next call within the same academic year.

Note: In the event that for health safety reasons a change in teaching from face-to-face to blended modality is proposed, the following modifications may be made in the evaluation of the subject:

Online theoretical classes in the established hours

Videos and audios within the material for those who, due to personal circumstances, cannot attend to classes at regular schedules.

For those in the final exam modality, it will have the same characteristics that appear in the teaching guide, except that the exam will be carried out through Moodle using the "Questionnaires" and / or "Task" tool.

Students must have the following technological requirements: computer, or mobile device and Internet connection. In case of not having the necessary technological media, the student must inform the degree coordinator and the teaching staff. The student who does not have the necessary technological means will take a global oral test by phone with the teacher.

For more information consult the Regulation of Norms of Evaluation of the Learning of the University of
Zaragoza: http://www.unizar.es/sg/doc/6.1.Evaluaciondefinitivodia24_001.pdf.

4. Methodology, learning tasks, syllabus and resources

4.1. Methodological overview

The learning process that has been designed for this subject is based on the following:

The subject has a basic orientation, so that the proposed activities focus on the understanding and assimilation of the main foundations of Psychology of Human Development in all the stages of life. The designed sequence of activities includes the following modalities:

FThe general vision of the acquired knowledge in the theoretical classes with flipped-classroom methodology and participatory discussions is complemented with audiovisuals and practical activities, where students must analyze adolescent and adult development using the appropriate methods, integrating the acquired knowledge. In addition, special emphasis will be placed on the oral presentation of the different activities.

For better monitoring the learning process, students will be encouraged to use the attention hours through various systems and modalities: conventional tutorships, more specific tutorships, and those related to practical work or virtual sessions.

As support, basic reference material will be posted in the moodle space of the subject, such as the Schedule of the subject, the Teaching Guide itself, presentations of the theoretical content, activities and different complementary materials.

4.2. Learning tasks

The program offered to students to help them achieve the expected results comprises the following activities:

• Academic sessions, directed either by the teacher or by the students and assisted by the teacher.
• Autonomous work: each week there will be individual theoretical and practical group activities that will be directed in person by the teacher but that will also involve independent work outside the classroom by the students.
• Presentations and debate: the different results obtained from the autonomous work periods will be presented to classmates and discussed in class.

4.3. Syllabus

BLOCK I. ADOLESCENCE

1. Physical and cognitive development during adolescence

2. Psychosocial development in adolescence

3. Psychosocial adjustment during adolescence

BLOCK II. EARLY ADULTHOOD

4. Physical and cognitive development in early adulthood

5. Psychosocial development in early adulthood

BLOCK III. MIDDLE ADULTHOOD OR MATURE AGE

6. Physical and cognitive development in middle adulthood

7. Psychosocial development in middle adulthood

BLOCK IV. LATE ADULTHOOD OR OLD AGE

8. Physical and cognitive development in old age

9. Psychosocial development in old age

10. The end of life

4.4. Course planning and calendar

Calendar of class sessions and activities:

This subject has a workload for students that is measured in ECTS credits: Subject of 6 ECTS, 6x25h = 150 hours.

The calendar and program will be presented at the beginning of the course and will be available in the subject's moodle course. It will specify the weeks, sessions, and the contents of each session.

Activities:

• Academic sessions
• Autonomous work
• Oral presentations and debates

Key dates: all activities will be announced in the moodle course calendar for the subject once the course begins.

Schedule: can be consulted on the website of the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences (http://fcsh.unizar.es/).

4.5. Bibliography and recommended resources

http://psfunizar10.unizar.es/br13/egAsignaturas.php?codigo=31211