EPSY 634: Educational Neuroscience

Course Description

Neuroscience is taking the field of psychology by storm and education is next. This course is meant for educational professionals, clinicians, and anyone interested in the psychology of learning who wishes to be prepared for an age where neuroscience will become an increasingly important factor in explaining our thoughts, motivations, and behavior. This course may also be useful for neuroscientists who wish to bridge the translational gap between biological mechanism and behavior.

In the course, we will look at human learning from a biological perspective. We will cover the fundamentals of neuroscience, evolution, and genetics before we discuss how we can use these principles to better understand under what conditions our brains develop and function most optimally. Next to biological phenomena such as sleep, nutrition, and exercise, we will also look at the biological substrates of emotions and motivation as well as executive functions (e.g., working memory, attentional control), and skills related to language and mathematics. We will also discuss what we can learn from neuroscience that can be applied to atypical learners, such as those struggling with emotional, learning, and other disorders that make learning and succeeding in educational contexts more challenging (e.g., dyslexia, ADHD, disruptive behavior disorders).

Course Information

Offerings: Fall 2020 (face-to-face)

Difficulty: Easy, but can be moderately challenging if students have no basic biological background.

Instructor: Dr. Steven Woltering