Life Span Development

About the Textbook

Attachment Through the Life Course

Description:  

This is a single chapter that begins with the learning objectives and a brief history of attachment theory and the core concepts. The purpose of this module is to provide a brief review of attachment theory–a theory designed to explain the significance of the close, emotional bonds that children develop with their caregivers and the implications of those bonds for understanding personality development. The module discusses the origins of the theory, research on individual differences in attachment security in infancy and childhood, and the role of attachment in adult relationships.   

Author:

• R. Chris Fraley - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Formats:  

The chapter is available online for students to read anywhere.  A PDF copy is also available in the class learning system.

Supplemental resources:

No supplemental resources available. 

Cost savings:  

The chapter itself is free, but students would still be required to purchase a textbook for the course, so there is no cost savings. This is a nice supplement to the text, specifically related to the discussions on attachment.

Accessibility and diversity statement:

Information on accessibility and diversity is not available.

License:

This chapter is is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. This means that you are free to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and remix, transform, and build upon the material as long as you give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.

About the Course

CFS 38: Life Span Development 

Description:  A balanced study of basic theories, research, applications, and principles of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development from conception to death, presented in an integrated manner in the context of the family in a diverse society. Includes behavior, sexuality, nutrition, health, stress, environmental relationships, and implications of death and dying. 

Prerequisites: None
Learning outcomes:

• Provide students with an awareness of the different periods of the lifespan, starting at the moment of conception and ending with old age and death. Students will be made aware of the physical, cognitive and psychosocial changes that occur in each of the lifespan periods. 
• Provide students with an in-depth review and analysis of several lifespan development theories. 
• Encourage students to adopt sound lifespan developmental principles and theories in their respective disciplines and personal lives. 
• Promote a critical awareness of the complex interaction of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial variables that contribute to the overall develop of the individual. 

Curricular changes:

I have added a short-answer writing assignment based on the addition of the supplemental chapter.

Teaching and learning impacts:

Collaborate more with other faculty: No 
Student learning improved: Unsure
Student retention improved: Unsure
Any unexpected results: Yes         

Some students were confused about open access materials and how adding a chapter to the class resulted in a cost savings for them. It did not, because it is only one chapter and students still had to purchase the textbook for the course. Currently, a complete, open access child development textbook does not exist.

Sample assignment and syllabus:

Assignment
This is a short quiz (assignment) I added to the course that covers the additional chapter.

Syllabus
This is the syllabus I used for my Fall 2015 class.

Textbook Adoption

OER Adoption Process

I am interested in exploring more affordable textbook options for my students. Affordability is a concern of mine but equally important is finding OER that are high quality, rigorous, and appropriate for college students. Currently, a full textbook on child development or lifespan development is not available. However, as of 12/16/15, there are seven chapters from various authors, covering Aging, Adolescent Development, The Developing Parent, Cognitive Development, Social and Personality Development, Emerging Adulthood, and Attachment through the Life Course. 

Student access:  

Students must make an account through NOBA or instructors can provide a PDF on a learning system for them. 

Amber Hammons, Ph.D. 

 I am an assistant professor at California State University, Fresno in the Child Development department. I teach Lifespan Development, Children-At-Risk, Family Relations, Middle Childhood, and an Internship course.  

I like to use a variety of methods in the classroom to keep students engaged. I use clickers, brief videos, discussions, and regular assignments connecting what is being learned to their personal lives and current real-world issues. Additionally, I think it is important that students play an active role in shaping their learning.

My research focuses on health, specifically childhood obesity and family interventions.