Child and Youth Development in Family and Community Contexts

Purpose: to help other instructors teaching the same course

Common Course ID:  HD 380
CSU Instructor Open Textbook Adoption Portrait

Abstract: This open textbook is being utilized in a Human Development course for undergraduate or graduate students by Dr. Kathy Fuller at CSUSM. The open textbook provides concepts associated with the areas of growth and development of children and youth. The main motivation to adopt an open textbook was to decrease the cost of education for the students and to address current challenges in supporting children and youth most effectively. Most students access the open textbook directly from the associated weekly modules in the CANVAS course shell.

Child and Youth Development in Family and Community Contexts - HD 380
Brief Description of course highlights:  Considers the social cultural, cognitive, emotional, linguistic, and behavioral development of children and youth from interdisciplinary, multicultural, and applied perspectives. Students will apply major theories in the field of human development to their work in evidence-based services and programs for children and youth in a variety of family and community contexts with special attention to identifying multicultural and sociocultural influences on development.

Student population:  This course is designed to assist students in learning about the growth and development of children and youth. As we learn about growth in different areas of development, students apply this information at a community site they select through a service-learning experience. Students are provided with a guided question associated with the weekly topic through which to observe and interact with the clients (children and youth) at their community site. For example, for the weekly topic of communication, the guiding question is: How do children use reading, writing, speaking and listening to communicate?

Learning or student outcomes:  The Department of Human Development has five “Program Student Learning Outcomes” which are supported by the required courses. Please find these outcomes below. HD 380 focuses on the numbers 1, 2, 3 & 5 outcomes:

1. Demonstrate understanding of developmental theories and how biological, psychological, social, historical and cultural dynamics influence developmental processes, and use theory as a framework to address real-world problems related to lifespan development in applied settings such as counseling, health care, and education.
2. Demonstrate understanding of how social categories such as gender, race, ethnicity, class, age, ability, sexuality, and religion – and the intersections of these identities – relate to diverse experiences across the lifespan.
3. Apply skills, knowledge and goal setting toward employment in health and human services, including documenting field experiences in health and human services settings.
4. Demonstrate understanding of research methods that are commonly used in human development scholarship and how to design, conduct and present an original research project.
5. Summarize the delivery of social services, including funding, staffing, assessments, program development and evaluation.

Course Student Learning Outcomes (CSLOs)  By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Describe the main principles of cognitive development, information processing, and sociocultural theory to identify how each is manifested in the lives of children and youth.
2. Use field experience to demonstrate how academic theory contributes to understanding observed differences in socially, culturally, and linguistically diverse children and youth.
3. Understand and then evaluate the ways in which academic theory is applied within the realms of health, human services, and education.
4.   Apply knowledge gained from the field experience when considering influences such as environment, culture, family/sibling/friend relationships on the development of thought and reasoning. 
5.   Create an understanding of what various theoretical constructs actually mean in the “real life” of children and youth.

Key challenges faced and how resolved:  The biggest challenge for teaching this course is ensuring that all students have selected an appropriate service-learning site in which they can observe and interact with children and youth in a supervised environment. To resolve this potential issue, I selected and organized the experiences with specific community sites that students can choose from on the S4 database.

Textbook or OER/Low cost Title: Various free resources from the internet provided

Brief Description: I selected a variety of readings, videos, TED talks and activities to support the concepts discussed in class that were available for no cost on the internet.

Please provide a link to the resource  HD 380 OER Resources.docx

Student access:  Students access the resources directly from each weekly module in the course shell created in CANVAS.

Provide the cost savings from that of a traditional textbook.  A traditional Human Development textbook costs approximately $110.

License: Materials are copyrighted but can be accessed for free online from miscellaneous websites, such as TED and YouTube, listed above.

OER/Low Cost Adoption Process

Provide an explanation or what motivated you to use this textbook or OER/Low Cost option.  I selected free online resources to save students money, ensure up to date information, customize the learning experience for each student and improve learning experiences for all.

How did you find and select the open textbook for this course? Each resource was selected individually. I browsed OER sites; googled academic research; compared and evaluated various resources; shared resources with peers; and consulted students for their interests.

Sharing Best Practices: Definitely use the OER provided through Merlot. Also, I would run a check on the course weekly to maintain links function and check on the dates of publication to ensure the information is up to date and doesn’t require students to purchase a membership to access the resource.

Describe any key challenges you experienced, how they were resolved  and lessons learned. I learned that free resources can be deleted and that a weekly check of resources will ensure that they are accessible to students.

Instructor Name - Dr. Kathy Fuller
I am a Human Development professor at California State University, San Marcos.  

Please describe the courses you teach
HD 102  - Preparatory Skills for Human Development Majors - Units: 3  Develops competencies that support long-term professional success and provides an early start on the process of career planning and development. Places particular emphasis on exploring career opportunities in health, human services and allied fields; building skills for success in the HD major and after graduation; and applying competencies to address long-term professional development needs. Includes values clarification, goal setting, problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making.
HD 302 - Human Development in Childhood - Units: 3 Explores child development from lifespan, interdisciplinary, and multicultural perspectives useful for working with children. A special focus is on practicing the skills to conduct a community needs assessment for healthy child development based on the Precede-Proceed Model.
HD 380 - Child and Youth Development in Family and Community Contexts Considers the social cultural, cognitive, emotional, linguistic, and behavioral development of children and youth from interdisciplinary, multicultural, and applied perspectives. Students will apply major theories in the field of human development to their work in evidence-based services and programs for children and youth in a variety of family and community contexts with special attention to identifying multicultural and sociocultural influences on development.
HD 490 - Human Development in Perspective - Units: 3 Seminar intended for students in the final year of undergrad study. Drawing from theories and knowledge gained from previous courses, this capstone course helps to experience the application of such knowledge within allied health and human services fields.
HD 495 - Field Experience in Human Development - Units: 3 Supervised experience providing service in health and human services setting. Students will spend approximately eight (8) hours per week, for a minimum of 90 hours during the semester, in a child, adolescent and/or adult human services organization. Students will participate in service delivery, conduct observations, read related material and prepare written reports.
HD 497  - Applied Research in Human Development  -  Units: 4  Reviews the importance of theory, research objectives and various quantitative and qualitative methods. Students will be expected to participate in the development and implementation of an applied research study that they either initiate or is part of an ongoing research study. Students will be involved in data collection, data coding, data analysis and manuscript preparation. Three hours of lecture. Two hours of laboratory.

Describe your teaching philosophy and any research interests related to your discipline or teaching.  As I consider my career of teaching a variety of ages, stages and content area, I realize how I have brought my experiential knowledge, educational exploration and practical applications together as many societal changes have required innovative flexibility and understanding. I have always felt that the foundational core of effectively teaching students is knowing who they are, their strengths and what they need to be successful. In order to address this concept adequately, the following questions need to be answered: Where do students come from and what experiences influence their basic beliefs? What are students’ educational and life goals? How can I create curriculum that will support students in utilizing course learning in real world applications? 

To create a positive class environment whether online or in person, I feel it is important to establish a relationship of trust with your students. This takes time and can only be accomplished by showing students that you really care about them as individuals, as well as their learning experiences in the class by providing the most effective associated learning experiences possible through creating a learning community founded on respect for self and all other participants. In order to discover specific aspects of every student, a teacher needs to provide opportunities for students to share with both the teacher and the rest of the class. By encouraging participation through providing scaffolding and support, students are more open to sharing and learning. I’ve found that the secret to successful online teaching is to respond to every student quickly and in a positive manner. I find it important to start a response with a positive about a portion of the student’s post that is reflectively crafted and then incorporate possible ideas to make the post even better. 

My teaching style focuses on building a learning community which engages students in each classroom. Student engagement is an important aspect of learning. If a student is engaged and actively participating in the learning process, they will benefit much more than being a passive participant. To support all students in feeling comfortable participating in class activities, it is important to establish an environment of understanding and acceptance. Above all, I try very hard to create a classroom in which everyone is respected and enjoys reading and sharing ideas focused on provided topics. 

I always respond to every student for each required assignment and/or online post. These comments provide a teacher “presence” in the online classroom, as well as provides individual support for each student. Through interacting individually with students, I learn more about them and how best to support their growth and development toward their eventual career. Writing is an issue for many students, so I try to model how specific thoughts on topics can be portrayed in a professional written format. 

Another important aspect of engaging students in any class, is for the instructor to incorporate learning styles (sensory preferences) and preferred intelligence areas when creating learning experiences. An online course works well for many students, as we teach students to become visual learners. However, for those students who prefer to learn through other styles or intelligence areas, accommodations need to be met. 

Finally, student feedback on their experiences in the classroom is an important aspect for keeping courses on track to meet student needs. I reflect on comments students provide and make the necessary accommodations in my courses as needed