NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Course title: LEARNING FRAMEWORK
Course prefix, number, and section number: EDUC 1300.0380
Semester/Year of course: Spring Term B 8 week course 2026
Semester start and end dates: 3/16/2026-5/7/2026
Modality (Face to face/Synchronous or Asynchronous online/Hybrid): Asynchronous Online
Class meeting location, days, and times: Not applicable
Lab meeting location, days, and times: Not applicable
Semester credit hours: 3
Course description:
A study of the research and theory in the psychology of learning, cognition, and motivation; factors that impact learning, and application of learning strategies. Theoretical models of strategic learning, cognition, and motivation serve as the conceptual basis for the introduction of college-level student academic strategies. Students use assessment instruments (e.g., learning inventories) to help them identify their own strengths and weaknesses as strategic learners. Students are ultimately expected to integrate and apply the learning skills discussed across their own academic programs and become effective and efficient learners. Students developing these skills should be able to continually draw from the theoretical models they have learned.
Course prerequisites: None
Required course materials:
Our textbook for this class is College Success by OpenStax (2020). It is an open educational resource, meaning you can access it for free online using the link below.
Textbook WebsiteLinks to an external site.
Name of instructor: Dr. Pettus-Wakefield
Office location: Online instructor with virtual office hours held in Webex, an app in Canvas
E-mail address: spettus@nctc.edu
Office hours for students: Monday and/or Wednesday 2-4 pm Central Standard Time via appointment. I am also available for a virtual meeting appointment outside of those hours.
SYLLABUS CHANGE DISCLAIMER
The faculty member reserves the right to make changes to this published syllabus if it is in the best interest of the educational development of this class. Any such changes will be announced as soon as possible in writing.
SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
List of graded assignments: Discussion boards, Show What You Learned Activities, Major assignments, and the Final Exam Essay
Final grade scale: A= 90-100%, B= 80-89%, C=70-79%, D=60-69%, F=59% and below
Late work policy: No late work is accepted on assignments without prior approval by the instructor. Assignments are due Friday by midnight 11:59pm CST. They are left open through Saturday midnight as a grace period. Assignments submitted late even with prior approval will be subject to a 20% point deduction.
SEE CANVAS FOR THE COMPLETE COURSE CALENDAR, OUTLINE, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF GRADED WORK, AND OTHER RELATED MATERIAL.
COURSE POLICIES
Academic Integrity Policy:
Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, academic falsification, intellectual property dishonesty, academic dishonesty facilitation and collusion. Faculty members may document and bring charges against a student who is engaged in or is suspected to be engaged in academic dishonesty. See Student Handbook, “Student Rights & Responsibilities: Student Conduct
([FLB(LOCAL)]”.
Consequences for academic dishonesty may include:
1. Receiving an F on a specific assignment or in the course.
2. Being reported to the Chair/Dean for disciplinary action.
AI Writing and Acceptable Use*: Submitting work generated by ChatGPT or any other AI language tool on assignments is considered academic dishonesty, even if cited as a source. NCTC's Education Department uses AI detectors to enforce this policy. The writing assignments in NCTC Education courses require generating new knowledge, rather than just recombining existing information. AI does not generate original research, and the information may contain factual errors.
AI may be used in brainstorming, or developing a research question. Generally speaking, students are not authorized to use artificial intelligence and related products like large language model applications to produce work for this class EXCEPT on assignments that the instructor has identified and for which the student will have received significant guidance on the appropriate use of such technologies. Students should not, however, construe this limited use as permission to use these technologies in any other facet of their coursework. Grammarly (or other grammar tools) can be used to assist in the correction of grammar and/or sentence structure errors. Still, it is not acceptable to use Grammarly or any similar tool to revise/rewrite student writing. Students who submit AI-generated content as original work will be subject to the same disciplinary actions listed above in the college's academic integrity policy.
*This policy was adapted by permission from the English department in order to provide consistency.
Attendance Policy: Attendance in an online course is counted based on work submitted not time logged into the course. You must submit your weekly assignments in order to be considered present in the course. Each week you will have an assignment due on Monday. The Monday assignment submission or lack thereof will count as your attendance for the week. If you miss more than 2 weeks (does not have to be consecutive) in the semester you will be withdrawn from the course for excessive absences. Excessive absences will result in being dropped from the course.
Withdrawal Policy:
A student may withdraw from a course on or after the official date of record. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and complete a Withdrawal Request Form.
Last day to withdraw from the course with a “W” is: 4/20/2026
Student Learning Outcomes:
- Strengthen academic performance by identifying key components of the successful student.
- Develop self-awareness and career goals within an academic atmosphere.
- Evaluate the quality and conclusions of the research to which they are exposed, which can simultaneously influence human thought, emotion and behavior.
- Analyze and gain an understanding of historical, biological, psychological, and socio-cultural dimensions of learning and developmental psychology, dimensions that can simultaneously influence human thought, emotion, and behavior.
- Describe the research and theory in the psychology of learning, cognition, and motivation.
- Compose writing assignment(s) using standard American English and basic computer skills.
Core Objectives:
Critical Thinking
Communication
Personal Responsibility
COLLEGE POLICIES
STUDENT HANDBOOK
Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the Student Handbook.
ADA STATEMENT
NCTC will adhere to all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office for Students with Disabilities to arrange appropriate accommodations. See the OSD Syllabus Addendum.
STUDENT SERVICES
NCTC provides a multitude of services and resources to support students. See the Student Services Syllabus Addendum for a listing of those departments and links to their sites.
AI STATEMENT
Absent a clear statement from a course instructor, use of or consultation with generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or other similar technologies shall be treated analogously to assistance from another person, agency, or entity. In particular, using generative AI tools to substantially complete an assignment or exam is not permitted. Students should acknowledge the use of generative AI (other than incidental use) and default to disclosing such assistance when in doubt.
When students use generative AI to replace the rigorous demands of personal engagement with their coursework, it runs counter to the educational mission of the college and undermines the heart of education itself. Artificial Intelligence, large language models, and technologies hold promise for deploying knowledge in service to others and accelerating the discovery of new knowledge. However, such technology poses new challenges to pedagogy and to integrity. Within the context of the teaching mission of the college and consistent with the Student Code of Conduct, the authority to define the appropriate use, study, and deployment of these technologies rests with the faculty.
Individual course instructors, in coordination with their divisions, set policies regulating the use of generative AI tools in their courses, including allowing or disallowing some or all uses of such tools. Course instructors will set such policies in their course syllabi and clearly communicate such policies to students. Students who are unsure of policies regarding generative AI tools are encouraged to ask their instructors for clarification.
QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS
The student should contact the instructor to deal with any questions, concerns, or complaints specific to the class. If the student and faculty are not able to resolve the issue, the student may contact the chair or coordinator of the division. If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may proceed to contact the instructional dean.
Name of Chair/Coordinator: Danelle Wolf
Office location: Gainesville Campus, 1300 Building, Room 1306B
Telephone number: 940-668-7731 Ext. 4423
E-mail address: dwolf@nctc.edu
Name of Instructional Dean: Debbie Huffman
Office location: Gainesville Campus, 2100 Building, Room 2106
Telephone number: 940-668-3357
E-mail address: dhuffman@nctc.edu
Student Services Syllabus Addendum 2023-2024.pdf
addendum_OSD.docx
LIBRARY addendum (3).docx