COURSE SYLLABUS
PSYCHOLOGY OF PLAY—ONLINE
COURSE INFORMATION
Catalog Course Code: DEP 1013
Three-Letter Course Abbreviation: PYP-O
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In the Psychology of Play Course, students explore how
the field of psychology values the concept of play as a
mechanism that allows a person to apply game strategies
to accomplish life goals. Students will be introduced to how
the action of play shapes the brain, develops critical-thinking
skills, and strengthens the ability to collaborate with others in
social and professional settings. By exploring the key works
of historical and current researchers and theorists, students
will learn about the value of play and how to apply techniques
of play in developing cognitive strategies to complete creative, professional, and social tasks. Students will utilize a
psychological perspective of play to examine how this relates
to their life, education, and chosen creative field.
COURSE MATERIALS
yy Computer
yy Internet access
yy Other resources will be provided
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Students will accomplish these course objectives by completing the milestones specified:
yy Compare and contrast the helpful and harmful elements of play
yy Apply play concepts to increase self-awareness and
self-management
yy Identify what constitutes play and describe how play differs from other behaviors
yy Examine interpersonal relationships as they relate to
play
yy Define play, creativity, and innovation to understand
how the concepts differ
yy Describe the connection between play concepts and
future career paths
yy Evaluate the various types of play to recognize their
value
yy Interpret the role of play in brain development
yy Explore play from psychological and evolutionary
perspectives
yy Assess scientific findings by conducting personal exploration on research topics
yy Examine the ways that positive psychology theories impact development
yy Reflect on play and how it can impact lifelong learning
yy Construct a comprehensive plan to apply play material
yy Demonstrate the ability to follow directions
yy Maintain professional conduct in course interactions
and completion of assignments
COURSE OUTCOMES
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
yy Identify positive psychology concepts
yy Articulate the value of play
yy Understand the connection between positive psychology concepts and play and development
yy Explain how play shapes the brain
yy Determine the role of play in creative and critical thinking
yy Describe the ways that play impacts personal and professional goal achievement
yy Explain the role of play in society
yy Apply creative and critical thinking through play
yy Apply class concepts to help solve a challenge
yy Construct a plan for the valued potential use of play in
various settings
yy Recognize boundaries when play distracts from productivity
yy Explore the dark side of play
Psychology of Play—Online  Degree Connection
DEGREE CONNECTION
RESEARCH COMPONENT
Psychology of Play allows students to explore elements of
play within each degree program. Students will begin to
evaluate what drew them to their respective degrees through
the lens of play. The benefits and necessity of play in both
personal and professional development will be explored as
well as the potential challenges that must be addressed. Students will learn to use play to motivate themselves to achieve
success in their respective degree programs by building upon
critical-thinking and interpersonal relationship skills and using research to support their development as professionals.
The concepts and research addressed in this course offer
additional psychological perspectives and insights to supplement the technical and conceptual skills built into the core
curriculum.
Students will conduct research through self-assessment, Full
Sail Library resources, and observation. Participating in selfassessments will allow students to reflect on themselves
and evaluate personal play tendencies, deepening their
level of self-awareness. Conducting research using Library
resources will help students narrow their focus to scholarly,
credible sources. Lastly, engaging in observational analysis will allow students to apply concepts from a real-world
perspective.
INDUSTRY CONNECTION
Psychology of Play is a course designed to challenge students to examine the connection between play and their
respective industries. In order to present their best self to
their industry, students must understand how play helps
to shape the brain, increases productivity at work, and enhances interpersonal relationships. Students are encouraged
to visualize their future paths within their industries and use
this to guide their development, both personally and professionally. Psychology of Play aims to validate the importance
of play in a way that then allows students entering the entertainment industries to be able to reinforce the value of play
in their respective professions. Successful completion of this
course will ensure that students are prepared to create a
lifelong play plan with greater self-awareness and increased
social competence.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Websites
yy www.thehappinessinstitute.org
yy www.instituteofplay.org
yy http://www.aspenideas.org/session/neuroscience
-play-what-play-does-you-and-your-brain-and-what
-happens-you-if-you-dont-play
Texts
yy Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at
Work, Home, and School, John Medina, Pear Press
yy Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness
and Well-Being, Martin E. P. Seligman, Atria Books
yy Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive
Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work,
Shawn Achor, Crown Business
Psychology of Play—Online  Topics Covered
TOPICS COVERED
to content, finding examples from society to apply content to, and/or
applying provided examples to content. Specific instructions will be
provided on FSO.
yy Introduction to Play
yy Critical Thinking
yy Play Personalities
yy Value of Play in Society
yy Brain and Development
yy Interpersonal Relationships
Learning Checks
yy Positive Psychology
yy Lifelong Play
Students will complete four weekly learning checks that are designed to give students insight into the basic knowledge acquired to
date. Items covered may relate to knowledge and comprehension
(facts, interpretation of information, and problem solving) or analysis
(understanding relationships between pieces of information).
yy Motivation
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Reading Assignments
Weekly reading will be assigned to provide students with a solid
foundation of psychological principles and theory. In order to be
successful in this course, students will need to apply the theories
learned from the readings to their projects.
Discussions
Each week, students will be given video prompts and/or thoughtfully
constructed questions to push them to consider how weekly course
concepts are relevant to their industry. Students will write an initial
post and a meaningful response post to one or more of their peers.
They will be required to write their initial post by Wednesday of each
week to allow ample time for their peers to review and respond
to the post. The reply must directly address another classmate’s
post and should offer clear and specific feedback about the post(s).
Merely stating agreement or disagreement is not sufficient.
Live Interactive Sessions
Live interactive sessions will provide students with an opportunity
to participate in a video-enabled live presentation with their peers
and the instructor. Students will experience live teaching of course
concepts as they interact with classmates in structured activities and
apply the material to their respective industries.
GRADE WEIGHTS
Weekly Discussions (4 at 7% each)
28%
Weekly Learning Checks (4 at 5% each)
20%
Week 1—Training Level: Library Research
2%
Week 1—Assignment
10%
Week 2—Assignment
10%
Week 3—Assignment
10%
Projects/Assignments
Week 4—Assignment
10%
Students will complete four creative assignments throughout the
month that will directly apply the material learned in the specified
weeks. Weekly assignments may involve applying personal examples
Professionalism (GPS)
Total
10%
100%
Psychology of Play—Online  Strategies for Successful Learning
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL
LEARNING
yy Time management is the biggest challenge for students in this
course. Look through all the activities for the week as early as
possible and plan your time accordingly. Some activities require
quite a bit of preparation and involve multiple steps for successful completion.
yy Networking is critical to your success in this course. Your classmates are some of the best resources you have available to you
in this program. They’re experiencing the same classes as you
and juggling a similar list of other life commitments. Get to know
them. Read their profiles. Correspond with them on discussion boards. Send an email if you’re interested in learning more
about a classmate’s professional experiences. By doing some
networking now, you will enrich your experience in the online
program and magnify your job opportunities after completion of
the program.
yy For many of you, your computer may be another subject you
need to take time learning. To address any technical issues you
may have, please contact FSO Support.
yy Read the fine print. Many of your assignments will have instructions for you to follow and a grading rubric for your work.
To get the most out of an assignment, it is important that you
understand and meet all the requirements for your work. The
more personally you can apply the concepts, the better you will
understand them and retain them. Look for personal applications
of the concepts addressed or evidence of how they may affect
others or the world around you. To ensure the best grade, you
can use the guidelines as stated on the grading rubric. Before
submitting any assignment, it is best practice to proofread for
grammatical and spelling errors.
yy Communicate any concerns or questions to your instructor as
soon as possible. Make note of your instructor’s office hours,
iChat hours, and preferred method of contact to ensure that you
reach the instructor successfully. Your instructors are not typically accessible over the weekends, so please keep that in mind
when planning your time.
yy Above all, make sure you play!
DEFINITION OF A CREDIT HOUR
Psychology of Play is a 3.0 credit hour course. Full Sail University
breaks down one semester credit hour into 45 units of academic
activities as follows:
One clock hour of Contact with a Lab/Course Director or
Associate Course Director
2.0 units
One hour of Homework and/or preparation for a course
activity
0.5 units
Psychology of Play’s contact and homework hours amount to 135
total units. The number of units for each academic activity in this
course is broken down as follows:
Academic
Activity
Week
1
Week
2
Week
3
Week
4
Total
Hours
Total
Units
Number of
Contact
Hours
11.25
11.25
11.25
11.25
45
90
Number of
Homework
Hours
23.5
22.5
23.5
20.5
90
45
135
135
Total
Psychology of Play—Online  Course-Specific Rubrics
COURSE-SPECIFIC RUBRICS
Assignments
Item
Exceptional
Proficient
Needs Improvement
Not College Level
Level of Completion
All instructions are followed and
completed
Most instructions are followed and
completed
Few instructions are followed and
completed
No or very few instructions are
followed and completed
Follows directions and completes all parts
of the assignment
15 points
Concept Application
Demonstrates an understanding of the
class concepts
13–15 points
Class concepts are clearly and
thoroughly applied in a way that
demonstrates a mastery of the
material
10–12 points
Class concepts are clearly applied
in a way that demonstrates an
understanding of the material
7–9 points
Class concepts are applied in a
way that demonstrates a basic
understanding of the material
0–6 points
Class concepts are referenced in a
way that does not demonstrate an
understanding of the material
or
Class concepts are referenced
incorrectly or not at all
25 points
Connection
Connects the class material to real-world
experience
25 points
Innovation
Uniqueness or originality of idea, format,
expression, and so forth
20 points
Grammar/Mechanics
Demonstrates college-level writing through
complete sentences, correct sentence
structure, capitalization, spelling, subjectverb agreement, comma usage, apostrophe
usage, signal phrases, and general
sentence clarity
23–25 points
20–22 points
Makes a clear connection to the
Makes a connection to the real world
real world (such as a personal life or
(such as a personal life or industry
industry connection) and shows a deep connection)
understanding
23–25 points
Assignment is polished and of
professional quality, making use of
innovative ideas or forms of expression
18–20 points
Demonstrates an exceptional
command of grammar and mechanics
with no errors
20–22 points
Assignment is polished and makes
use of innovative ideas or forms of
expression
15–17 points
Demonstrates a solid awareness of
grammar and mechanics with few
errors
14–19 points
Makes a vague or unclear connection
to the real world (such as a personal
life or industry connection)
14–19 points
Assignment either is polished or
makes use of innovative ideas or forms
of expression
9–14 points
0–13 points
A connection to the real world (such as
a personal file or industry connection)
is not present
0–13 points
Assignment is not polished and does
not make use of innovative ideas or
forms of expression
0–8 points
Demonstrates some awareness of
grammar and mechanics, but several
errors are noticeable
Uses awkward, unclear, rambling, or
incomplete sentence structure that
results in damage to meaning
Message is moderately clear and
contains no “text speak”
Writing contains “text speak,” frequent
informal language and word spellings,
and/or excessive errors in grammar and
mechanics
Writing is free of “text speak” and informal
language or word spellings
15 points
13–15 points
10–12 points
7–9 points
0–6 points
Psychology of Play—Online  Course-Specific Rubrics
Discussion Boards
Points will be earned based on the following point system:
25 POINTS
earned for thoroughly rocking all the questions. Way to follow directions!
30 POINTS
earned for knocking my socks off with the course concept application. Wow—you really know this stuff!
30 POINTS
earned for posting to peers and offering awesome suggestions. Nice feedback! (Minimum of two response posts)
5 POINTS
earned for making zero grammatical errors on this board/level. Great job double-checking and proofreading your work!
10 P O I N T S
arned for being on top of your game and meeting the deadline or being a Chatty Cathy and having an additional response post. Good job being organized!
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(Total of four posts)