uwloo

PSYCH 211Developmental Psychology

Units
0.50
Faculty
Arts
Subject
Psychology

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 5 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 3 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

A course designed to introduce the student to current research and theory concerning children's social, cognitive, and physical development from infancy through childhood to early adolescence.

Prerequisites

  • Must have completed at least 1 of the following:

Antirequisites

None listed.

Leads to

Fall 2026 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 0014071312 / 357TTh 11:30–12:50

Winter 2027 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 00178830 / 387MW 08:30–09:50
LEC 08184850 / 200Online or by arrangement
LEC 7011192268 / 9999Online or by arrangement

Reviewed on UW Flow

83% liked it73% easy80% useful

From 209 ratings and 50 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • Love this course, theres 2 term tests, also textbook chapter review quizzes which are so easy, and 2 assigments. The final was 120 multiple choice questions!

    Dec 2025 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • I learned about the sources of twenty childhood traumas in that class.

    Dec 2025 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • The course content was very interesting and really touched on all the different types of development, from cognitive development, to social and emotional, to moral development. The first half of the course was a bit easier to follow because it was taught online and very go-your-own-pace style. Fair warning for those who don't like to go to lectures that will have Prof. Dys: there's a quiz every lecture and you have to go to in-person lectures to take them. That was the only downside to this course. Otherwise it was a lot of fun and a lot of interesting psychological concepts and despite the mandatory in-person lectures, Prof. Dys has got to be one of the best profs I've had so far.

    Apr 2022 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Tbh just read and memorize the textbook for exams. The content is easy but it's hard to do well because there is way too much content and it's impossible to remember everything. I found it way easier to do better in courses like microbio than this. There are 5 mini assignments where Pamela brings in kids to class and you have to guess their age and explain why you think they're that age and she gives you a +/- 1 month error for the age. There is also one main assignment due on the last day of class where u have to summarize an article and make it into a parenting magazine. I literally just taught myself everything before the 2 midterms by reading the textbook because the slides have very…

    Nov 2017 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • The course is fairly foundational to help you understand developmental studies in your later courses. This term's structure of breaking down the major paper into many steps was fair and helpful, and the quizzes and final were alright. Make sure you understand all the studies and experiments mentions such that you could analyze or extend them!

    May 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

74 posts and comments in 64 threads mention PSYCH 211, August 2011 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Fall 2024

Psych 211 Textbook 1 point, 0 comments

u/Global-Courage2027: “I'm looking to buy or borrow a copy of \How Children Develop - 7th Canadian Edition\ for my course. If anyone has a copy they're looking to sell, rent out, or lend, please let me know! Feel free to DM me with the price you're asking, and we can work something out. …”

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Winter 2024

Fall 2023

Fun electives 5 points, 16 comments

“What are some of the most fun/ interesting elective courses you’ve taken at uw?”

u/hamstrings10: “if you like writing, ENGL 210C is a fun way to destress and explore different styles of writing. PSYCH 211, while work intensive, is very interesting; you’ll need PSYCH 101 as a prereq.”

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Spring 2023

PSYCH 101 Online 1 point, 2 comments

u/Anal_Iverson: “Psych 101 isn't a bird course, you gotta put time into it, but it's easy enough. But once you take it, you unlock some much easier (imo) courses like Psych 211 (developmental psych), Psych 253 (social psych), and Psych 238 (organizational psych).”

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Fall 2022

Calling PSYCH students at UW 2 points, 11 comments

u/Under-a-Rock99: “I am wondering what you recommend taking out of these three psych courses: PSYCH 257 - Psychopathology PSYCH 238 - Organizational Psych PSYCH 211 - Developmental Psych”

u/cxsiopeia: “theyre all v information heavy and have exams so pick the one you're most interested in. i loved 257 and hated dev psych but organizational psych is kinda easy”

u/MuirgenEmrys: “Psych 211 online doesn’t have exams AFAIK. It’s three term tests each worth 20% + an assignment worth 30%.”

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Psych 211 1 point, 1 comment

u/Midnightabe: “Anyone in this class know if there’s any lecture slides to study off of? He only posts videos but I would like some slides to take notes on. Or if anyone previously took this course and could send me notes/slides that would also be great! Thanks”

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Spring 2022

PSYCH 211 During Co-Op 1 point, 4 comments

u/hamstrings10: “Title says it all. Is it do-able? My job next term is fully remote, 8:30-4:30 with occasional evening work. I've seen mixed reviews about the heaviness of the content, so just wanted some perspective.”

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Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar