NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Course title: General Psychology
Course prefix, number, and section number: PSYC 2301-0330
Semester/Year of course: Summer 2025 (10 Weeks)
Semester start and end dates: June 9, 2025 – Aug. 14, 2025
Modality (Face to face/Synchronous or Asynchronous online/Hybrid): Online
Class meeting location, days, and times: Online as desired
Semester credit hours: 3
Course description: General Psychology is a survey of the major psychological topics, theories, and approaches to the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
Course prerequisites: Must be TSI Complete for Reading
Required course materials: McGraw Hill Connect Courseware (Ebook, Assignments, etc.): The Science of Psychology, Laura King (9781266012815). Students are required to register and obtain course materials by the official date of records. Students who fail to do so may be dropped from the course.
** Students gain access to the required courseware once they register and complete the Connect Orientation assignments. The publisher also provides two weeks of complimentary access if needed. Purchasing materials directly from the publisher is less expensive, whereas buying a code from the bookstore will cost more.
Name of instructor: Linda King
Office location: Flower Mound / Faculty Offices
Telephone number: Email preferred
E-mail address: Please send course-related correspondence through Canvas email first. If you are unable to reach me via Canvas, lking@nctc.edu may be used.
Office hours for students: Tuesday – Thursday, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.; other days/times by appointment via web conference.
SYLLABUS CHANGE DISCLAIMER
The faculty member reserves the right to amend 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 person and/or in writing.
SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
List of graded assignments
- SB Assignments: are required per chapter through McGraw-Hill Connect for learning comprehension of the subject matter.
- Class Discussions: Discussion questions will be posted in Canvas. These will require you to reflect on and apply the material from our course. Grades will be determined by meeting length requirements and by expanding on the discussion’s content in a meaningful way.
- Exams: will cover material from our text and material from our online class.
- Quizzes: Quizzes will be posted in Canvas and Connect for the chapters we cover.
- Institutional Assessment: See Canvas modules for details.
Final Grade Scale
Final Numeric Grade Scale: 0-100
Final Alphabetical Scale: A, B, C, D, E, F
Late work policy:
SEE CANVAS FOR THE COMPLETE COURSE CALENDAR, OUTLINE, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF GRADED WORK, AND OTHER RELATED MATERIAL.
Each assignment will have a specific due date. For this reason, late work will not be accepted. Students who fall behind in a busy online course may struggle to catch up and complete the course as successfully as possible. If you experience extenuating circumstances during the semester (i.e., medical crises), please communicate prior to the due date, not after, and I will evaluate a student's situation on an individual basis.
EXAMS:
There are NO EXCEPTIONS for missing an exam deadline. Exams will be available under the 'Home" tab section of this course, so please pay close attention to the closing date and time of each exam. Exams may be taken once over the assigned chapters and will have a specified time limit. Please remember that once an exam is started, it must be completed within the time limit. If the exam you are taking is stopped for any reason, only that score will be recorded when the exam is stopped (because you cannot return to the exam once it has stopped).
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)].”
Instructor-specific Academic Dishonesty Policy:
Students may earn a zero for an assignment or for a course due to academic dishonesty. Recycling previous assignments is considered self-plagiarism and is not allowed. Please come to me for help with any of these topics. You may also visit our library for additional information: http://www.nctc.edu/library/research-help/CitationGuides.html
AI/Natural Language Programs (NLPs)/Large Language Models (LLMs) Usage Policy: This information is used with permission and citation with gratitude to Princeton University: The McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning.
- Intellectual honesty is vital to an academic community and for my fair evaluation of your work. All work submitted in this course must be your own, completed in accordance with the College's academic regulations. You may not engage in unauthorized collaboration or make use of ChatGPT or other AI composition software/NLPs/LLMs.
- Students must obtain permission from me before using AI composition software (like ChatGPT) for any assignments in this course. Using these tools without my permission puts your academic integrity at risk.
- This course does make use of AI/NLPs/LLMs plagiarism checker software for the purpose of detecting the use of AI programs.
- Any violation of this policy will be considered academic dishonesty and will be documented as such
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’s responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval and judgment 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. Students 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:
Students are required to log in online weekly. If students are to incur extended absences due to military leave or medical causation, the instructor must be notified in advance and in writing to ensure that proper arrangements are made for completing assignments.
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: July 21, 2025
Student Code of Conduct
By enrolling in a course at North Central Texas College, students agree to abide by the Student Code of Conduct. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in the removal from the course.
CANVAS & CONNECT ACCESS: All students must have complete access to Canvas and Connect for the entire semester. It is the student’s responsibility to have access to the internet, as well as all needed programs to complete both face-to-face and online courses. Students are not to give any other person access to his/her Canvas or Connect account. Students can be removed from the course immediately for violating this rule. Once a student has given another person access to his/her Canvas account, the credibility of any work completed becomes questionable.
COMPUTER ACCESS: Students must have access to a computer for various assignments in this course. You cannot use a cell phone to perform all the requirements of this course. If you do not have a computer, then you need to make sure that you access a computer at one of the NCTC campuses, a public library, etc.
Student Learning Outcomes: (From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education Course Manual/NCTC Catalog).
At the successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
Identify various research methods and their characteristics used in the scientific study of psychology.
- Describe the historical influences and early schools of thought that shaped the field of psychology.
- Describe some of the prominent perspectives and approaches used in the study of psychology.
- Use terminology unique to the study of psychology.
- Describe accepted approaches and standards in psychological assessment and evaluation.
- Identify factors in physiological and psychological processes involved in human behavior.
Core Objectives: Critical Thinking, Communication, Empirical and Quantitative, Social Responsibility
COLLEGE POLICIES
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.
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 other such 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 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.
STUDENT HANDBOOK
Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the Student Handbook.
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.
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: Donna Smith
Office location: Corinth Campus, Room 208
Telephone number: 940-498-6266
E-mail address: dhooper@nctc.edu
Name of Instructional Dean: Crystal Wright
Office location: FSB Exchange/Denton Campus, Room 204
Telephone number: 940-380-2504
E-mail address: cwright@nctc.edu