INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

GRADING CRITERIA

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

ATTENDANCE POLICY

You are expected to keep within the on-going discussion typically the nature of a psychology class by attending every class, and logging in to complete your assignments in canvas weekly, and perhaps most importantly, by maintaining ongoing communication with me and your fellow classmates over the course of the entire semester. Failing to attend class and log in regularly will result in failure to finish assignments on time. All assignments have strict deadlines and cannot be made up late. Therefore, failing to log in, will likely result in a low or failing grade. If you choose to drop this class, it is your responsibility to drop the class.  Remember that the last day to drop is April 6^th, 2017.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is Thursday, April 6, 2017.

LEARNSMART Assignments (10 x 3 points each = 30 points): This assignment requires access to McGraw-Hill Connect, which you can purchase in the bookstore, or directly from the Connect link on Canvas. Please note that everyone will receive a free trial for 2 weeks, in case you cannot immediately purchase the access code for Connect. Also, please note that purchasing an access code, will provide you access to an e-book for the duration of the course. For this assignment, you must complete the 10 LEARNSMART activities assigned for this class (see calendar above). To do so, you must access the LEARNSMART links on the modules page, which correspond to the topics you will be studying each week, and continue working on the assignment until you have completed it. Please note that there is a link for Connect support if you experience difficulties with this software. Each LEARNSMART activity may take 30 minutes to an hour or more to complete, depending on how well you know the material. As with other assignments, this assignment will be available for 12 days, beginning the Monday of the week prior to the due date, and ending at 11:59pm on the Friday of the week the assignment is due.

Quizzes (4 X 5 points each = 20 points): You will have 5 quizzes over the course of the semester, which will be administered in class on days which will be unannounced. Each quiz will have approximately 5-10 multiple choice questions, on any topic from the reading/lecture materials for the current week or a previous week. Your grade for this assignment will be based on a total of 4 quizzes. Five points (5 percent) of your overall grade in the class will be deducted for every quiz which is not taken. Quizzes cannot be retaken as the answers will be reviewed in class, immediately after the quiz is taken. If you come into class late you can only take the quiz during the 5 minutes allotted for each quiz, or until the last person hands in their exam, whichever occurs first. The lowest five quiz grades will be dropped.

Exams (10 points each = 30 points total): You will have three exams, which will consist of approximately 30-50 multiple choice/matching/true-false questions each. Additionally, you will have a cumulative final exam consisting of approximately 60-70 multiple choice/matching/true-false questions. Your lowest grade on these four tests will be dropped. So, if you study well and are satisfied with your grades on the first three exams, you may choose not to take the cumulative final exam. You will have 50 minutes to complete the first three exams, and 120 minutes to complete the cumulative final exam. See calendar below for specific exam dates. Your overall exam grade will be based on your three highest exam grades. Questions will be taken directly from PowerPoint slides, lectures, and other assigned materials, as well as your assigned readings, so take good notes and read your text thoroughly. Late exam submissions will not be accepted, so be sure to allow yourself enough time to complete the exam. There will be no make-up exams. If you fail to complete an exam, that exam will count as your dropped grade, and the other three will make up your overall exam grade. If you miss an exam, that exam will count as your dropped grade, and the other three will make up your overall exam grade. If you miss more than one exam, you will have a 0 as an exam grade, which will lower your grade by one full letter grade for each additional exam missed.

Literature Review Paper (20 points): SHOULD BE RESEARCH-BASED! Not opinion-based! You will write 1 literature review paper, which will thoroughly describe research from at least 3 provided articles, involving a major issue in psychology, as well as any additional articles you would like to include. You will choose at least 4 of the provided articles from one topic among a list of several topics, reviewing those articles in a 4-5 page, double-spaced paper with 12pt., Times New Roman font, and 1-inch margins. All 4 articles must belong to the same topic. This literature review should be written in APA format, and should include a cover page and a reference page, not included in the 4-5 page limit, i.e., you should have 6-7 total pages including the cover page and reference page. Please do NOT provide an abstract for this assignment. You may use additional resources, but must at least provide a coherent and thorough review of at least 4 of the provided articles. You should be sure to integrate content you have learned from the course. Also, be sure to cite (throughout your paper) any reference materials used, including the articles you are reviewing. This review will be submitted through Canvas, and will be evaluated with turnitin software for plagiarism. Any significant issues with plagiarism will result in a grade of 0, and will be reported to NCTC, which could potentially result in further academic consequences. These literature reviews are expected to be formal papers, and should be written as such! This assignment aims at demonstrating that you can clearly communicate the topics you have learned in the class to a general audience, and your work will be reviewed by your fellow classmates. Your Literature Review Paper will be due no later than 11:59pm on Friday, April 14^th, and will be worth 15 of the overall 20 points for this assignment, which therefore makes up 15% of your overall grade for the course.  Please be sure to upload your paper as a WORD document. 

Failing to meet the minimum requirements of 4 written pages and to use 4 of the provided articles, or failing to adequately demonstrate a thorough attempt to come to a clear and thorough understanding of the various perspectives of the topic, will result in a significant grade reduction. Be sure to cite (throughout your presentation) all reference materials used!!! Failing to do so, will result in plagiarism and an automatic failing grade. For more info on how to cite in APA format, google the following: OWL Purdue APA formatting. Also, all references cited throughout your paper should appear in a reference list, which should appear at the bottom of your paper. PLEASE DO NOT USE LONG QUOTES FOR THIS PROJECT! I am assessing your understanding of the research, which requires that you put the information into your own words. Be sure to back-up your research. You will be required to complete the paper a second time, if you “lose” your research, but will only be able to do so before the deadline.

Literature Review Paper Peer Reviews: Peer reviews can be accessed from the course Home page or the Literature Review Paper Instructions and Final Submission Link. On the day following the completion of your Literature Review Paper, you will write a 100-word review for 5 other students’ projects, for a total of 500 words. This part of the assignment will count for 5 of the overall 20 points of the Literature Review Paper grade, which makes up 5% of your overall grade for the course. The Literature Review Paper Peer Reviews will be accessible after the due date for the literature review paper has expired, and these peer reviews will be due no later than 11:59pm on Friday, April 21st.

DISABILITY SERVICES (OSD)

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides accommodations for students who have a documented disability. On the Corinth Campus, go to room 170 or call 940-498-6207. On the Gainesville Campus, go to room 110 or call 940-668-4209.  Students on the Bowie, Graham, Flower Mound, and online campuses should call 940-668-4209.

North Central Texas College is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, ADA Amendments Act of 2009, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112).   http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/SupportServices/Disabilityservices.aspx

CORE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREA______________________________

o         Communication

o         Mathematics              

o         Life and Physical Science

o         Language, Philosophy & Culture

o         Creative Arts

o         American History

o         Government/Political Science

x        Social and Behavioral Sciences

o         Component Area Option

REQUIRED CORE OBJECTIVES

x           Critical Thinking

x          Communication

x         Empirical and Quantitative

o           Teamwork

o           Personal Responsibility

x          Social Responsibility

COURSE TYPE

o           Academic General Education Course (from ACGM but not in NCTC Core)

x        Academic NCTC Core Curriculum Course

o        WECM Course

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the student handbook. http://nctc.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2014-2015/Catalog/North-Central-Texas-College-Student-Handbook

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR DEPARTMENT CHAIR & INSTRUCTIONAL DEAN

If you have a concern that we are not able to resolve, you may contact the department chair for further assistance. Please note that if you contact the department chair prior to discussing the issue with me, then the department chair will simply ask you to discuss the matter with me first, before he becomes involved. If you do not feel comfortable discussing the issue with me, you are free at any time to contact the department chair.