NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE

COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Course title: General Psychology 

Course prefix, number, and section number:  PSYC2301.380

Semester/Year of course:  Fall 2025 

Semester start and end dates:  8/25/25 - 10/18/25 

Modality (Face to face/Synchronous or Asynchronous online/Hybrid):  Asynchronous Online 

Class meeting location, days, and times: Online. Students are expected to log into this Canvas course at least 3x per week. 

Semester credit hours: 3

SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

List of graded assignments: 

 1 - SYLLABUS & CLASS POLICIES QUIZ  (20 points total)

• All students are required to submit a 10-question “Syllabus & Class Policies Quiz” in Canvas, worth 10 points. 
• This quiz is due BEFORE 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 27th. (Note: My online deadlines will always be 5:00 p.m. on a due date.)  

1 - DIVISION'S STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES & CONDUCT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM (20 points total)

• All students are also required to submit the "Student Responsibilities & Conduct Acknowledgement Form," created by our division/department and posted in our Canvas course.
• This is formatted as a short, 6-question quiz, and it's also due BEFORE 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 27th. 

5 - "SmartBooks" PRACTICE QUIZZES (100 points total)

• Students are required to complete 5 (out of 7) chapter practice quizzes (20 points each) in the McGraw Hill Connect platform.
• While all seven quizzes are valuable, only five are required--giving students a bit of breathing room in the event of particularly busy week or an occasional missed quiz.
• These publisher-created quizzes reinforce key concepts and help students gauge comprehension prior to major exams. If you are new to the Connect platform, instructions for accessing and navigating it are provided in Canvas under the “Connect Info & Help” module.

3 - EXAMS  (300 points total)

• All students are required to complete three out of four time-restricted online exams. Each exam is worth 100 points, for a total of 300 points.
• Exam 1 covers Module One (Ch. 1, 2, 3). Exam 2 covers Module Two (Ch. 5, 6, 7). Exam 3 covers Module Three (Ch. 12, 15).
• Exam 4/Final Exam is a cumulative final that covers material from the entire course; however, the only students required to take the cumulative final are those who missed a previous exam.
• Read the “Exam Dates, Format, and Policy” page in Canvas for full details.

1 - (TWO-PART) PSYC 2301 INSTITUTIONAL/IE ASSESSMENT  (100 points total)

• To "assess" a college's "institutional effectiveness (IE)," the state requires that each department measure/assess certain course learning objectives and outcomes. As such, this “IE assessment," as I’ll typically refer to it in class to distinguish it from other types of assignments, is required by the psychology department for all students enrolled in PSYC 2301.
• In this class, the assessment consists of two required parts: a 10-question online quiz and a 500-word (minimum) essay on depression. The IE quiz is worth 20 points, and the essay is worth 80 points--for a total of 100 points.
• Read every page in the “2301 Institutional Assessments” module in Canvas as that module provides very detailed instructions for this course component/requirement.

4 - "DIVING DEEPER" CLASS ASSIGNMENTS  (80 points total)

• There will be 4 "diving deeper" required, class assignments, totaling 80 points.
• These assignments will vary in topic and type as we move through the semester. Students will be allowed to use AI on some of these "diving deeper" assignments, but that will be explicitly stated in the instructions.

Final grade scale:   Out of 620 total points  

A =  620 – 555 points

B =  554 – 493 points

C =  492 – 431 points

D =  430 – 369 points

F =  368 – 0 points

Mrs. Stoutmeyer's Late/Missed Work Policy: 

This is an accelerated 8-week section of PSYC 2301. The state requires that 8-week and 16-week courses cover the same material, since both are worth 3 credit hours. As a result, we’ll move at a faster pace—often covering about two chapters each week, with graded work also due each week.

Late work is NOT accepted, even if it is submitted only a "few minutes" past the deadline. Please do not email late assignments after the due date/time in an attempt to bypass this policy—a grade of zero will still be entered.

For full details, including limited exceptions for documented medical emergencies and military service obligations, please review the Late Work & Make-Up Policies page in Canvas.

Mrs. Stoutmeyer's Extra Credit Policy:

I do NOT offer any form of extra credit for the following reasons:

• Several graded aspects of this course are fairly easy points to earn with proper attention to instructions and due dates (e.g., the syllabus quiz, the responsibilities/conduct quiz, the practice quizzes, and a few assignments).
• Leeway is already built in to Smartbooks Practices Quizzes policy. (Seven practice quizzes are provided, but I'll only count the highest 5 practice scores when tabulating your overall grade.)
• Leeway is already built into the Exams policy. (Four major exams are provided, but I'll only count the highest 3 exams in the grade book/when tabulating your overall grade. Students who miss one module exam or score poorly on an exam may take the cumulative Exam 4/final exam to replace a previous exam zero/low exam score.)
• The essay topic is straight-forward, and I've provided detailed instructions the first day of class. Thus, students have plenty of time to ask questions well before the deadline.
• Most of the four "deep dive" assignments allow the use of AI and let you tailor the topics to your personal interests.
• Given the above, please do not email me at any point in the semester seeking additional opportunities for points. Asking for special considerations or privileges over my other students is inappropriate behavior.   

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)]”. 

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

Mrs. Stoutmeyer's (Instructor-specific) Academic Dishonesty Policy:  Plagiarism, cheating, and/or collusion of any type will result in a zero for that assignment, exam, quiz, essay, or any other form of graded work. At times, students fabricate stories of illness, emergencies, computer issues, etc. Presenting false information or fabricating stories of any kind for personal gain or special consideration also constitute scholastic dishonesty and will result in a zero for that assignment, exam, quiz, essay, or any other form of graded work. Read the additional course and class policy pages on academic and conduct issues posted in Canvas (e.g., Student Conduct page, Computer Issues page, Exam Policy page, etc.).

Mrs. Stoutmeyer’s (Instructor-specific) AI Policy:

I incorporate AI into this course to enhance learning and help students prepare for a future in which AI will play an ever-expanding role. You’ll see AI used in some study aids, handouts, and assignments to help you explore both its benefits and limitations.

AI should be used ethically and responsibly—never as a replacement for your own thinking. It is a tool meant to support learning, not to serve as a shortcut. As part of the learning process, AI assistance is permitted on a few designated assignments. These assignments will clearly indicate when and how AI may be used. However, transparency in AI use is always required.

If you haven’t used AI platforms before, I can provide a non-AI alternative for those assignments. You’re also welcome to contact me in advance, and I will walk you through how to use AI appropriately.

Submitting AI-generated work as your own without proper credit is considered scholastic dishonesty and will result in serious consequences. AI use is not permitted on any exams or quizzes, and it may not be used to write your course essay. Violating these rules constitutes scholastic dishonesty.

Please note that this AI policy applies only to my course. AI policies vary across departments, courses, and instructors, so be sure to check and follow the expectations for each of your classes.

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)

Mrs. Stoutmeyer's Additional (Instructor-specific) Absence Policy: 

While there is not a separate "attendance grade" in this 8-week class, students are expected to sign into this Canvas course at least 3 times each week. That doesn't mean there will be assignments due every time you log in. However, frequently logging in allows you to stay on top of all email, class announcements, due dates, etc. 

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. (Information can be found at https://www.nctc.edu/drop-withdraw.)

Last day to withdraw from the course with a “W” is September 29, 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 removal from the course.

CANVAS & CONNECT ACCESS:  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 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.

COMPUTER ACCESS:  Students must have access to a computer for various assignments in this course.  You cannot use a cell phone to perform all 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:

1. Identify various research methods and their characteristics used in the scientific study of psychology.
2. Describe the historical influences and early schools of thought that shaped the field of psychology.
3. Describe some of the prominent perspectives and approaches used in the study of psychology.
4. Use terminology unique to the study of psychology.
5. Describe accepted approaches and standards in psychological assessment and evaluation.
6. Identify factors in physiological and psychological process involved in human behavior.

Core Objectives: Critical Thinking, Communication, Empirical and Quantitative, Social Responsibility

COLLEGE POLICIES