INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

OFFICE HOURS

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education Course Manual/NCTC Catalog

GRADING CRITERIA

Grading Scale:  90 – 100% = A; 80 – 89% = B; 70 – 79% = C; 60 – 69% = D; Below 60% = F

1000 – 900 Pts = A

899 – 800 Pts = B

799 – 700 Pts = C

699 – 600 Pts = D

599 – 0 Pts = F

• All assignments are released in Canvas on Mondays at 9:00am, and they are due on the following Monday by 11:59pm CST.
• Late work is not accepted in this course.  Journals, quizzes, career exploration exercises, and major papers/projects cannot be made up or turned in late for any reason.  Students are given a generous amount of time to work on all assignments.
• A student may make up the midterm examination if he or she makes prior arrangements with the instructor or provides a doctor’s note.
• Extra credit assignments (rarely offered) cannot be made up or turned in late for any reason.
• No late work of any kind will be accepted during the last week of classes (the week before finals).
• The final examination cannot be made up or turned in late for any reason.

Detailed Overview of Assignments and Grading Procedures

Final grades will be determined by your scores in the following categories:

1. Journal Assignments (200 points of 1,000 total)

Students will be required to write ten journal entries during the semester.  Journal topics will be based on course content.  All journal entries must meet the following requirements:

• 12-point Times New Roman font
• Double-Spaced
• .doc or .docx format (Microsoft Word or Google Docs)
• Follow length requirements listed in the journal assignments
• Be submitted by due date
• Be the student’s own, original work and not someone else’s work (See the rules about plagiarism in the Class Rules section of this syllabus.)

2. Quizzes (140 points of 1,000 total)

There will be seven quizzes throughout the semester.  Each quiz will be worth twenty points.  Quiz questions are given in multiple-choice, true-false, matching, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer formats.  The majority of the quizzes are taken online, but sometimes quizzes are given in the classroom.  The quizzes help students identify their strengths and weaknesses with the classroom material and the textbook material.

3. Career Exploration Exercises (100 points of 1,000 total)

Students will complete three career exploration exercises that help them identify possible career choices.  Students will learn about resume writing, searching for and responding to online job postings, preparing for job interviews, and attending job interviews.  The assignments will mostly be written in the form of short answer or short essay, but they will also include role-playing and conducting an interview with a person in a specific career field.

4. Major Papers/Projects (400 points of 1,000 total)

Students will complete four major assignments during this course.  The assignments will vary individually but cover the scope of the course content.  Included are a journal article review, a presentation on cognition, learning, and motivation, a career research paper, and a final reflection paper.  Other than learning about the respective topics, students will learn more about writing research papers, using the library for academic purposes, recognizing the distinction between acceptable and unacceptable sources for college-level research, and preparing written work in APA format.

5. Midterm Examination (60 points of 1,000 total)

A midterm examination will be given during the middle of the semester.  A scantron is required (lecture classes).

6. Final Examination (100 points of 1,000 total)

A comprehensive final exam will be given at the end of the semester.  A scantron is required (lecture classes).  The date/time for the final exam is posted in the course calendar and in the NCTC final exam schedule.

TENTATIVE COURSE SUBJECT OUTLINE (Major Assignments, Point Values, and Due Dates)

*See Detailed Course Calendar in Canvas

1. Be courteous and respectful to everyone in the classroom at all times.  Maintain a positive and professional attitude.  All students are expected to remain respectfully engaged with the instructor and the learning materials throughout each class period.  Students who break this rule will receive disciplinary action, which may include expulsion from the course.
2. Turn off and put away (e.g., in your pocket, backpack, or purse) all electronic devices when class begins.  Students are not allowed to have any electronic devices on their desks or in view.  Students are not allowed to read or send text messages or check their cell phones during class.  Students who break this rule will be asked to leave the classroom, will be counted absent for the class period, and will receive further disciplinary action, which may include expulsion from the course.
3. Store your coat, purse, backpack, and other carrying bags or materials on the back of your chair or on the floor beside or beneath your desk.  Students are expected to keep only their course materials (textbooks, papers, and pens/pencils) on their desktops.  Students who break this rule will receive disciplinary action, which may include expulsion from the course.
4. Students are required to submit their writing assignments through the assigned drop boxes to receive credit/grades.  Students who plagiarize any writing assignments will be required to sign the NCTC academic dishonesty form, will receive a grade of zero (0) for the plagiarized assignment, and will be ineligible to receive a final grade of A in this course.  Further disciplinary action, including expulsion, may follow.
5. Students are required to use appropriate "netiquette" when interacting online with others in the class.  Students are expected to show professionalism and emotional maturity when communicating with others.  Comments that are rude, aggressive, or dismissive will not be tolerated.  Students who break this rule will receive a grade of zero (0) for the offending assignment.  Further disciplinary action, including expulsion from the course, may follow.
6. Students are not permitted to use or to appear to be using earbuds or earphones/headphones of any type while in class.  Students who break this rule will be dismissed from class, will be counted absent for the class period, and will receive further disciplinary action, which may include expulsion from the course.
7. Students will sit in the classroom according to a seating chart provided by the instructor.  Students are required to sit where they are assigned according to the seating chart.  The seating chart may change during the semester.  Students who do not sit in assigned seats as directed by the instructor will receive disciplinary action, which may include expulsion from the course.
8. Students are expected to arrive on time for the start of each class period.  Students who consistently arrive after class begins will be counted tardy and will receive disciplinary action, which may include expulsion from the course.
9. Students are expected to remain seated in class for the duration of each class period.  Students are expected to use the restroom, make or receive telephone calls, and take care of any personal matters before or after class.  Students who consistently leave the classroom (more than two times during the semester) during the class period will receive disciplinary action, which may include expulsion from the course.
10. Students are not permitted to sleep in class.  Sleeping students will be dismissed from class, will be counted absent for the class period, and will receive further disciplinary action, which may include expulsion from the course.
11. Students are not permitted to use laptop computers during class without permission from the instructor.  Students who break this rule will receive disciplinary action, which may include expulsion from the course.
12. Students are required to conduct themselves in a courteous and respectful manner while visiting the NCTC writing lab.  Misconduct toward staff members or fellow students in the NCTC writing lab will result in disciplinary action, which may include expulsion.
13. Students are not permitted to disrupt the class with food or drinks.  Eating or drinking that draws attention and disrupts classroom focus is not permitted.  Examples of things that are not permitted include the slurping of drinks, rattling of ice, tearing of wrappers, loud chewing, licking and smacking of fingers, making a mess, and exposing others to strong odors.  The professor will determine which foods and drinks are appropriate for the classroom.  If you do not dispose of inappropriate foods or drinks immediately at the request of the professor, you will be dismissed from class, will be counted absent for the class period, and will receive further disciplinary action, which may include expulsion from the course.

Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered.  All absences are considered to be unauthorized unless the student is absent due to illness or emergency.  It is the student’s responsibility to provide documentation as to an emergency for approval by the faculty member.  Approved college-sponsored activities are also excused absences.  The instructor is responsible for judging the validity of any reason given for an absence.  Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work.  A student will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence unless he or she has reasons acceptable to the instructor.  A student who is compelled to be absent when a test is given should petition the instructor, in advance if possible, for permission to postpone the exam.  A student will be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives.    Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered sufficient cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL)

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is NOVEMBER 8.

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides support services for students with disabilities, students enrolled in technical areas of study, and students who are classified as special populations (i.e. single parents).

Support services for students with disabilities might include appropriate and reasonable accommodations, or they may be in the form of personal counseling, academic counseling, career counseling, etc.  Furthermore, OSD Counselors work with students to encourage self-advocacy and promote empowerment. The Counselors also provide resource information, disability-related information, and adaptive technology for students who qualify.

If you feel you have needs for services that the institution provides, please reach out to either Wayne Smith (940) 498-6207 or Yvonne Sandman (940) 668-3300.  Alternative students may stop by Room 170 in Corinth or Room 111 in Gainesville.

CORE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREA (For classes in the Core)______________

o Communication

o Mathematics             

o Life and Physical Science

o Language, Philosophy & Culture

o Creative Arts

o American History

o Government/Political Science

o Social and Behavioral Sciences

✓ Component Area Option

✓                Critical Thinking

✓                 Communication

o                 Empirical and Quantitative

o                 Teamwork

o                 Personal Responsibility

o                 Social Responsibility

COURSE TYPE

STUDENT HANDBOOK

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY