PED3701/101/0/2024
Tutorial Letter 101/0/2024
Psychology of Education
PED3701
Year Module
Department of Psychology of Education
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please register on myUnisa, activate your myLife e-mail account and
make sure that you have regular access to the myUnisa module
website, PED3701-24-Y, as well as your group website.
Note: This is a fully online module. It is, therefore, only available on myUnisa.
BARCODE
CONTENTS
Page
1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 3
2 MODULE OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................. 4
2.1 Purpose ........................................................................................................................................ 4
2.2 Outcomes ..................................................................................................................................... 4
3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION ........................................................................................... 5
4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS................................................................................... 5
4.1 Lecturer(s) .................................................................................................................................... 5
4.2 Department ................................................................................................................................... 5
4.3 University ...................................................................................................................................... 6
5 RESOURCES ............................................................................................................................... 6
5.1 Prescribed book(s) ........................................................................................................................ 6
5.2 Electronic reserves (e-reserves) ................................................................................................... 6
5.3 Library services and resources ..................................................................................................... 6
6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES ................................................................................................ 8
6.1 First-Year Experience Programme ................................................................................................ 8
7. STUDY PLAN ............................................................................................................................... 9
8 HOW TO STUDY ONLINE ............................................................................................................ 9
9. ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................................... 10
9.1 Assessment criteria..................................................................................................................... 10
9.2 Assessment plan ........................................................................................................................ 10
9.3 Assessment due dates ................................................................................................................ 10
9.4 Submission of assessments ........................................................................................................ 10
9.5 The assessments ........................................................................................................................ 12
9.6 The examination ......................................................................................................................... 12
9.6.1 Invigilation/proctoring .................................................................................................................. 12
10. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY ........................................................................................................ 13
10.1 Plagiarism ................................................................................................................................... 13
10.2 Cheating ..................................................................................................................................... 15
11. STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES .................................................................................. 16
12. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ........................................................................................ 16
13. SOURCES CONSULTED ........................................................................................................... 16
14. IN CLOSING ............................................................................................................................... 18
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1 INTRODUCTION
Dear Student
Unisa is a comprehensive open distance e-learning (CODeL) higher education institution.
The comprehensiveness of our curricula encapsulates a range of offerings, from strictly
vocational to strictly academic certificates, diplomas and degrees. Unisa's "openness" and
its distance eLearning character result in many students registering at Unisa who may
otherwise not have had an opportunity to enrol at a higher education institution. Our
CODeL character implies that our programmes are carefully planned and structured to
ensure success for students ranging from the under-prepared but with potential, to the
sufficiently prepared.
Teaching and learning in a CODeL context involves multiple modes of delivery ranging
from blended learning to fully online learning. As a default position, all postgraduate
programmes are offered fully online with no printed study materials, while undergraduate
programmes are offered in a blended mode of delivery where printed study materials are
augmented with online teaching and learning via the myUnisa learner management
system. In some instances, undergraduate programmes are offered fully online as well.
Furthermore, our programmes are aligned with the vision, mission and values of the
university. Unisa's commitment to serve humanity and shape futures combined with a clear
appreciation of our location on the African continent, afford Unisa's graduates distinctive
graduate qualities which include:
• being independent, resilient, responsible, and caring citizens who are able to fulfil
and serve in multiple roles in their immediate and future local, national and global
communities
• having a critical understanding of their location on the African continent with its
histories, challenges and potential in relation to globally diverse contexts
• having the ability to critically analyse and evaluate the credibility and usefulness of
information and data from multiple sources in a globalised world with its ever-
increasing information and data flows and competing worldviews
• knowing how to apply their discipline-specific knowledges competently, ethically and
creatively to solve real-life problems
• exhibiting an awareness of their own learning and developmental needs and future
potential
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This module is fully online.
Whether a module is offered either as blended (meaning that we use a combination of
printed and online material to engage with you) or online (all information is available via
the internet), we use myUnisa as our virtual campus. This is an online system that is used
to administer, document and deliver educational material to you and support engagement
with you. Look out for information from your lecturer as well as other Unisa platforms to
determine how to access the virtual myUnisa module site. Information on the tools that will
be available to engage with your lecturer and fellow students to support your learning will
also be communicated via various platforms.
You are encouraged to log onto the module site on myUnisa regularly (that is, at least
twice per week).
Because this is a fully online module, you will need to use myUnisa to study and complete
the learning activities for this module. Visit the website for PED3701 on myUnisa
frequently. The website for your module is PED3701-24-Y.
We wish you every success with your studies!
2 MODULE OVERVIEW
2.1 Purpose
The purpose of this module is to explore adolescents in their totality as individuals and
focus on the nature of their development (physical, cognitive, social, emotional, moral and
spiritual) and learning. The module considers learning challenges, the understanding of
learning, learning styles, motivation and learner differences. It focuses on the
understanding that assumptions about the nature of learners (development) and learning
underpin all decisions made by classroom teachers.
2.2 Outcomes
For this module, you will have to master several outcomes:
• Specific outcome 1: Understand the key ideas and debates about psychology of
education with a focus on the adolescent.
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• Specific outcome 2: Discuss and explain developmental milestones during
adolescence.
• Specific outcome 3: Adapt a variety of roles and strategies in response to different
learners’ needs, developmental challenges, and social concerns.
• Specific outcome 4: Justify various strategies for effective classroom practice that
are informed by considerations related to adolescent learning and in ways that are
appropriate for different purposes and contexts.
3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION
Unisa has implemented a transformation charter, in terms of which the university has
placed curriculum transformation high on the teaching and learning agenda. Curriculum
transformation includes student-centred scholarship, the pedagogical renewal of teaching
and assessment practices, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and the infusion of
African epistemologies and philosophies. All of these will be phased in at both programme
and module levels, and as a result of this you will notice a marked change in the teaching
and learning strategy implemented by Unisa, together with the way in which the content is
conceptualised in your modules. We encourage you to embrace these changes during
your studies at Unisa in a responsive way within the framework of transformation.
4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS
4.1 Lecturer(s)
The primary lecturer for this module is Dr CL Weber:
Department: Psychology of Education
Telephone: 012 429 4588
E-mail: webercl1@unisa.ac.za
4.2 Department
You can contact the Department of Psychology of Education as follows:
Telephone number: 012 429 4900
E-mail: DPsyEd@unisa.ac.za
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4.3 University
Contact addresses of the various administrative departments appear on the Unisa website:
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Contact-us/Student-enquiries.
Please include your student number in all correspondence.
5 RESOURCES
5.1 Prescribed book(s)
NONE. Please refer to the module site for the learning units and to e-Reserves for more
study material.
5.2 Electronic reserves (e-reserves)
In this module we make use of e-Reserves as part of the study material.
E-reserves can be downloaded from the library webpage “Find e-reserves”. More
information is available at: http://oasis.unisa.ac.za/search/r
5.3 Library services and resources
The Unisa Library offers a range of information services and resources. The library has
created numerous library guides, available at http://libguides.unisa.ac.za
Recommended guides:
• For brief information on the library, go to https://www.unisa.ac.za/library/libatglance
• For more detailed library information, go to
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library
• Frequently Asked Questions, visit
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Frequently-Asked-Questions
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• For research support and services such as the Personal Librarian service and the
Information Search Librarian's literature search request (on your research topic)
service, visit
• http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Research-
support
• For library training for undergraduate students, visit
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Training
• Lending services
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Lending-
services
• Services for postgraduate students
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-Postgraduates
• Support and services for students with disabilities
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-students-with-
special-needs
• Library technology support https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/techsupport
• Finding and using library resources and tools
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/Research_skills
• A–Z list of library databases https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/az.php
Important contact information:
• Technical problems encountered in accessing library online services:
Lib-help@unisa.ac.za
• General library-related queries: Library-enquiries@unisa.ac.za
• Queries related to library fines and payments: Library-fines@unisa.ac.za
• Interlibrary loan service for postgraduate students: libr-ill@unisa.ac.za
• Literature search service: Lib-search@unisa.ac.za
• Social media channels: Facebook: UnisaLibrary and Twitter: @UnisaLibrary
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6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
The Study @ Unisa brochure is available on myUnisa: www.unisa.ac.za/brochures/studies
This brochure contains important information and guidelines for successful studies through
Unisa.
If you need assistance with regard to the myModules system, you are welcome to use the
following contact details:
• Toll-free landline: 0800 00 1870 (Select option 07 for myModules)
• E-mail: mymodules22@unisa.ac.za or myUnisaHelp@unisa.ac.za
You can access and view short videos on topics such as how to view your calendar, how
to access module content, how to view announcements for modules, how to submit
assessment and how to participate in forum activities via the following link:
https://dtls-qa.unisa.ac.za/course/view.php?id=32130
IMPORTANT
Registered Unisa students get a free myLife e-mail account. Important information,
notices and updates are sent exclusively to this account. Please note that it can take up to
24 hours for your account to be activated after you have claimed it. Please do this
immediately upon registering at Unisa, by following this link: myLifeHelp@unisa.ac.za
Your myLife account is the only e-mail account recognised by Unisa for official
correspondence with the university and will remain the official primary e-mail address on
record at Unisa. You remain responsible for the management of this e-mail account.
6.1 First-Year Experience Programme
Many students find the transition from school education to tertiary education stressful. This
is also true in the case of students enrolling at Unisa for the first time. Unisa is a dedicated
open distance and e-learning institution, and it is very different from face-to-face/contact
institutions. It is a mega university, and all our programmes are offered through either
blended learning or fully online learning. It is for this reason that we thought it necessary to
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offer first-time students additional/extended support to help them seamlessly navigate the
Unisa teaching and learning journey with little difficulty and few barriers. We therefore offer
a specialised student support programme to students enrolling at Unisa for the first time –
this is Unisa’s First-Year Experience (FYE) Programme, designed to provide you with
prompt and helpful information about services that the institution offers and how you can
access information. The following FYE services are currently offered:
FYE Website Email Support
www.unisa.ac.za/FYE fye@unisa.ac.za
FYE1500
Post
myUnisa; Study
Registration Skills; Academic &
Orientation Digital Literacies;
Referrals to other
etc
support services
i.e., Counselling;
Reading & Writing
workshops
To ensure that you do not miss out on important academic and support
communication from the SRU, please check your myLife inbox regularly.
7. STUDY PLAN
Please refer to the module site, and click on START HERE, for more information.
8 HOW TO STUDY ONLINE
Please refer to the module site, and click on START HERE, for more information.
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9. ASSESSMENT
9.1 Assessment criteria
Please refer to the module site (PED3701-24-Y), and click on START HERE, for more
information.
9.2 Assessment plan
• All information about when and where to submit your assessments will be made
available to you via the myModules site for your module.
• Due dates for assessments, as well as the actual assessments are available on the
myModules site for this module.
• You will receive examination information via the myModules sites. Please watch out
for announcements on how examinations for the modules for which you are
registered will be conducted.
9.3 Assessment due dates
• There are no assessment due dates included in this tutorial letter.
• Assessment due dates will be made available to you on the myUnisa landing page
for this module. We envisage that the due dates will be available to you upon
registration.
• Log on to the myUnisa site for this module to obtain more information on the due
dates for the submission of the assessments.
9.4 Submission of assessments
• Unisa, as a comprehensive open distance e-learning institution (CODeL), is moving
towards becoming an online institution. You will therefore see that all your study
material, assessments and engagements with your lecturer and fellow students will
take place online. We use myUnisa as our virtual campus.
• The myUnisa virtual campus will offer students access to the myModules site, where
learning material will be available online and where assessments should be
completed. This is an online system that is used to administer, document and deliver
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educational material to students and support engagement between academics and
students.
• The myUnisa platform can be accessed via https://my.unisa.ac.za. Click on the
myModules 2023 button to access the online sites for the modules for which you are
registered.
• The university undertakes to communicate clearly and as frequently as is necessary
to ensure that you obtain the greatest benefit from the use of the myUnisa learning
management system. Please access the announcements on your myModules site
regularly, as this is where your lecturer will post important information to be shared
with you.
• When you access your myModules site for the module/s you are registered for, you
will see a welcome message posted by your lecturer. Below the welcome message
you will see the assessment shells for the assessments that you need to complete.
Some assessments may be multiple-choice questions, some tests, others written
assessments, some forum discussions, and so on. All assessments must be
completed on the assessment shells available on the respective module platforms.
• To complete quiz assessments, please log on to the module site where you need to
complete the assessment. Click on the relevant assessment shell (Assessment 1,
Assessment 2, etc.). There will be a date on which the assessment will open for you.
When the assessment is open, access the quiz online and complete it within the time
available to you. Quiz assessment questions are not included in this tutorial letter
(Tutorial Letter 101) and are only made available online. You must therefore access
the quiz online and complete it online where the quiz has been created.
• It is not advisable to use a cellphone to complete the quiz. Please use a desktop
computer, tablet or laptop when completing the quiz. Students who use a cellphone
find it difficult to navigate the Online Assessment tool on the small screen and often
struggle to navigate between questions and successfully complete the quizzes. In
addition, cellphones are more vulnerable to dropped internet connections than other
devices. If at all possible, please do not use a cellphone for this assessment
type.
• For written assessments, please note the due date by which the assessment must be
submitted. Ensure that you follow the guidelines given by your lecturer to complete
the assessment. Click on the submission button on the relevant assessment shell on
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myModules. You will then be able to upload your written assessment on the
myModules site of the modules that you are registered for. Before you finalise the
upload, double check that you have selected the correct file for upload. Remember,
no marks can be allocated for incorrectly submitted assessments.
9.5 The assessments
Details on the assessments can be found on the module site (START HERE).
There are no assessments included in this tutorial letter. Assessments and due dates
will be made available to you on myModules for this module. We envisage that the due
dates will be available to you upon registration.
9.6 The examination
Examination information and details on the format of the examination will be made
available to you online via the myUnisa site. Look out for information that will be shared
with you by your lecturer and e-tutors (where relevant) and for communication from the
university.
9.6.1 Invigilation/Proctoring
Since 2020 Unisa conducts all its assessments online. Given stringent requirements from
professional bodies and increased solicitations of Unisa’s students by third parties to
unlawfully assist them with the completion of assessments and examinations, the
university is obliged to assure its assessment integrity through the utilisation of various
proctoring tools: Turnitin, Moodle Proctoring, the Invigilator App and IRIS. These tools will
authenticate the student’s identity and flag suspicious behaviour to assure credibility of
students’ responses during assessments. The description below is for your benefit as you
may encounter any or all of these in your registered modules:
Turnitin is a plagiarism software that facilitates checks for originality in students’
submissions against internal and external sources. Turnitin assists in identifying academic
fraud and ghost writing. Students are expected to submit typed responses for utilisation of
the Turnitin software.
The Moodle Proctoring tool is a facial recognition software that authenticates students’
identity during their quiz assessments. This tool requires access to a student’s mobile or
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laptop camera. Students must ensure their camera is activated in their browser settings
prior to their assessments.
The Invigilator “mobile application-based service” does verification of the identity of an
assessment participant. The Invigilator Mobile Application detects student dishonesty-by-
proxy and ensures that the assessment participant is the registered student. This
invigilation tool requires students to download the app from their Play Store (Google,
Huawei and Apple) on their mobile devices (camera enabled) prior to their assessment.
IRIS Invigilation software verifies the identity of a student during assessment and
provides for both manual and automated facial verification. It has the ability to record and
review a student’s assessment session. It flags suspicious behaviour by students for
review by an academic administrator. IRIS software requires installation on students’
laptop devices that are enabled with a webcam.
Students who are identified and flagged for suspicious dishonest behaviour arising from
the invigilation and proctoring reports are referred to the disciplinary office for formal
proceeding.
Please note:
Students must refer to their module assessment information on their myModule sites to
determine which proctoring or invigilation tool will be utilised for their formative and
summative assessments.
10. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
10.1 Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas and thoughts of others and presenting
them as your own. It is a form of theft. Plagiarism includes the following forms of academic
dishonesty:
• Copying and pasting from any source without acknowledging the source.
• Not including references or deliberately inserting incorrect bibliographic information.
• Paraphrasing without acknowledging the original source of the information.
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STUDENT DECLARATION OF ACADEMIC HONESTY FORM
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY OF EDUCATION
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
You need to include a completed and signed copy of this form when you submit all your
assessments for this module. Assessments without the form will be cancelled and
returned unmarked
The Department of Psychology of Education places specific emphasis on integrity and
ethical behaviour with regard to the preparation of all written work submitted for academic
assessment.
Although your lecturers can provide you with information about reference techniques and
guidelines to avoid plagiarism, you also have a responsibility to fulfil in this regard. Should
you at any time feel unsure about the requirements, you must consult your lecturers before
you submit any assessment.
You are guilty of plagiarism when you extract information from a book, article, web page or
fellow student without acknowledging the source and submit it as your own work. In truth,
you are stealing someone else’s property. You may not use another student’s work. You
may not allow anyone to copy or use your work with the intention to submit it as his/her
own.
Students who are guilty of plagiarism will forfeit all credit for the work concerned.
Plagiarism is a serious violation of the University’s regulations and may lead to expulsion.
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The under-mentioned declaration must accompany written assessments. Your
assessment will be cancelled and returned unmarked if you do not include a fully
completed and signed declaration form.
I (full names): …………………………………………………………………………………
Student number: …………………… Module code: …………………
Declare that…
1. I understand what plagiarism entails and am aware of the University’s policy in this
regard.
2. I declare that this assessment is my own, original work. Where I used someone
else’s work, whether a printed source, the internet or any other source, I give the
proper acknowledgement and include a complete reference list.
3. I did not use another current or previous student’s work, submitting it as my own.
4. I did not allow and will not allow anyone to copy my work with the intention of
submitting it as his or her own work.
Signature ………………………… Date: ………………………….
10.2 Cheating
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the following:
• Completing assessments on behalf of another student, copying the work of another
student during an assessment, or allowing another student to copy your work.
• Using social media (e.g., WhatsApp, Telegram) or other platforms to disseminate
assessment information.
• Submitting corrupt or irrelevant files; this forms part of examination guidelines.
• Buying completed answers from so-called “tutors” or internet sites (contract
cheating).
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For more information about plagiarism, follow the link below:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/Study-@-Unisa/Student-values-and-rules
11. STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES
The Advocacy and Resource Centre for Students with Disabilities (ARCSWiD) provides an
opportunity for staff to interact with first-time and returning students with disabilities.
If you are a student with a disability and would like additional support or need additional
time for assessments, you are invited to contact your lecturers to discuss the assistance
that you need.
12. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Please refer to the module site for Frequently Asked Questions.
13. SOURCES CONSULTED
When you use sources in an assessment, you have to acknowledge them by means of
referencing. If you do not, you plagiarise the work of the author. In academia, there are a
number of reference methods, but we use the Harvard method. It is important for you to
show by means of reference to literature, that you have, in fact, used the sources that you
have listed. An easy and economic method for acknowledging sources in the text of your
assessments and for the compilation of the bibliography, which is also used in tutorial
letters, is a variation of the Harvard method. You are advised to use the augmented
Harvard method for references in the text and for the bibliography of your assessments.
References in the text
Each reference, irrespective of whether it is a direct or indirect quotation, must be
acknowledged according to its source.
Examples
One author: Give the author, date of publication and page number(s): (Laswell 1935:85)
Two authors: (Smith & Jones 1981:10–12)
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When the name of the author(s) constitutes part of the sentence: “Jones and Carter
(1980:10) maintain that ...”
More than one author with the same surname: (Morrow & Morrow 1979:1)
Three or more authors: Give the name of the first author and substitute “et al” for the
others: (Smith et al 1982:11)
Bibliography
In the bibliography, all the authors must be mentioned in full.
Anonymous works: (Epochs 1980:8)
Newspaper reports: (Argus, 9 January 1972:5)
Works universally known by their titles: A dictionary such as the Concise Oxford
Dictionary: (Concise 1988, sv “child”)
If the date of publication is unknown: (De Mause [sa]:12) ([sa] stands for Latin sine
anno “without year”).
Different works by the same author(s) in the same year: (Smith 1981a:12); (Smith
1981b:18)
If works by different authors are used to support the same fact: (Piaget 1980:74;
Smith & Jones 1981:10)
Contributions to collective works and authors quoted by other authors:
In the bibliography, the author of a contribution in a composite work is listed under his/her
own name (see the Bibliography for examples). References in the text should contain only
the name of the author of the contribution, the date and the page number(s):
“Krotor (1979:10) reports ...”
Unisa readers
Refer to the author of a contribution under his/her own name: “McCabe (1984:162) is of
the opinion that ...”
It is unethical (and unacceptable) to hand in assessments that are not your own work.
Whenever the university becomes aware of such malpractices, it takes strict measures
against the student concerned. Although students may work together when they prepare
assessments, each student must write and submit their own individual assessment.
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14. IN CLOSING
Do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail if you are experiencing problems with the content of
this tutorial letter or with any academic aspect of the module.
We wish you a fascinating and satisfying journey through the learning material, and trust
that you will complete the module successfully.
Enjoy the journey!
Unisa 2024
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