INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

OFFICE HOURS

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

GRADING CRITERIA

COURSE SUBJECT OUTLINE (Major Assignments, Due Dates, and Grading Criteria-- All due dates will be maintained in the Canvas Course Calendar.  This schedule provides a tentative layout of the course; however, changes can be made at any time to ensure the best learning environment.  As this is a government class, there are always current events that can guide the course.  Students are expected to be in class and to monitor the Canvas Calendar throughout the semester.)

Points                   Letter Grade Equivalent

90% or higher           A

80-89.99%                B

70 -79.99%               C

60 – 69.99%             D

59.99% or less         F

Weekly Quizzes- Quizzes will begin Week1 with the Intro to the Course Quiz, proceed to the weekly Chapter Quizzes, and end with the Course Post Test.  Students will have one week to complete the quizzes.  Quizzes will be timed and students will have two attempts, with the highest score recording.    Students who miss a quiz, FOR ANY REASON, will receive a zero.  There are no make-up quizzes in this course; therefore, it is essential that students plan weekly to complete the quizzes accordingly.

LearnSmart (Connect/McGraw Hill)-  For each chapter, students will be required to access the ebook and complete a series of questions from the reading to show mastering of learning outcomes of each chapter.

Exams:  The exam category will consist of the mid-term, research assignment, and the final exam.  Make-up exams are not given; therefore if a student misses an exam without making prior arrangements to take the exam early, a zero will be given.  Students need to make sure to be in class on schedule exam days.

Late Work – Late assignments will not be accepted.  No assignments, research paper, quizzes, etc. will be re-opened for any student for any reason.  Please manage your time wisely, and leave enough time to deal with any computer problems that might arise and keep you from completing your course work as required.  Submitting early is the best rule of thumb.  Students are free to make unlimited corrections and/or resubmission before the due date; however, after the due date has expired, no resubmissions/corrections will be accepted.

All Assignments must be typed and uploaded as a doc or docx document.  I will not grade assignments that have been handwritten and submitted as pdf.  In Canvas I can only use the grading function if the document is a doc or docx.  If you are using a Mac, it is your responsibility to make sure the document has been submitted correctly.  Canvas will not recognize files uploaded as .pages, which will lead to the student receiving a zero.  I highly recommend that you use Google Chrome as your browser.  Safari should never be used with Canvas.

Announcements:  All course information will be posted as announcements.  I will post several announcements each week to remind you what is coming due and I will also give more details and suggestions on assignments.  It is very important that students read all announcements in full.  Students are encouraged to set the notifications to receive announcements as they are posted.

** I have posted the instructions on setting Notifications.  I strongly suggest you set those up for better success.

CONNECT ACCESS-  The textbook, Learn Smart, Chapter Quizzes, and Connect activities are all maintained within the McGraw Hill Connect System.  Students need to be enrolled immediately in Connect, which can be purchased at the bookstore, or online directly from McGraw Hill through Canvas.  Temporary access can be used directly from Connect McGraw Hill for 12 days from the first day of class.  Students must be enrolled within the first week of class, as assignments are due immediately.  Students who do not properly enroll in Connect will be dropped from the course.  Students will be given a warning by email and then dropped from the Course if the required materials are not purchased.

Availability: While this class is online and available at your convenience 24 hours a day (except when IT maintenance occurs), I am not available 24 hours a day.  Please remember that in a face-to-face class students do not have access to the instructor all day, every day.  You should not expect that in an online class either.  During the work week, Monday through Thursday. I will attempt to check my email several times a day.  However on the weekends I will check emails only during the times that I am available.  Additionally, if it is a holiday or spring break, do not expect that I will be online at all.  Therefore, it is my suggestion that you take a look at all assignments ahead of time to see if you need any clarifications before the weekend begins.  I do not check emails after 9pm in the evening.

CANVAS ACCESS:  All students must have complete access to Canvas for the entire semester.  It is the student’s responsibility to have access to the Internet at all times, as well as having all needed programs to complete an online course.  Students are not to give any other person access to his/her Canvas account.  Students can be removed from the course immediately up violating this rule.  Once a student has given another person access to his/her canvas account, the credibility of any work completed becomes questionable.    

ATTENDANCE POLICY

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 emergencies as determined by the instructor.  It is the student responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval and judgement by the faculty member.  Approved college sponsored activities are the only absences for which a student should not be held liable and only when provided by a college official ahead of the absence.  Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work.  Students will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence unless they have 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.  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)

Additional Instructor-specific Absence Policy:

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is January 2, 2020.

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 provides resource information, disability-related information, and adaptive technology for students who qualify.

For support, please contact the counselors at (940) 498-6207 or (940) 668-4321.  Alternatively, students may stop by Room 170 in Corinth or Room 110 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

X         Government/Political Science

o        Social and Behavioral Sciences

o        Component Area Option

o        American History

X          Critical Thinking

X               Communication

o             Empirical and Quantitative

o             Teamwork

X                Personal Responsibility

X                Social Responsibility