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)

LEARNSMART Assignments (10 x 2% each = 20%): 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, such that there is no reason for not completing several of these assignments in the first two weeks. Also, please note that purchasing an access code will provide you access to an e-book for the duration of the course, which is required. 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 day of the week the assignment is due. Please note that these assignments are worth 20% of your overall grade, and without completing them you will receive a C or lower in this course.

Exams (20% each = 60% total): The dates for the exams are specified on the calendar above and will be administered in class. You will have 50 minutes to complete exams 1, 2, & 3, and 2 hours to complete exam #4. Questions will be taken directly from class lectures and your assigned readings, so take good notes and read your text. The tests will consist of approximately 40-50 multiple choice type questions, except the final exam, which will be approximately 60-70 questions. You must bring a scantron to the exam. You will not be allowed to take any of these tests without one. There will be no make-up exams. If you miss one of the exams, you will receive a 0 on that exam, which may be dropped, if you take the other three exams. Please note that each exam is worth 20% of your overall grade, and missing two exams means that you will receive a C or lower in this course.

Article Presentation/Discussion (20%): With your research partner(s), you will complete 2 article presentation/discussions in class, involving the summarization of 2 or more articles. You must have the following: a minimum of 5-7 minutes of presenting/summarizing for each article assigned, followed by a minimum of 15 minutes of organized and led discussion. PowerPoint slides need not be included, but an overview of the articles should be included. You are required to present your research with your research partners on the day specified on the calendar below. Each group member must present an article for a minimum of 5 minutes to receive a grade. Failing to meet the minimum requirements of at least 30 total minutes will result in a significant grade reduction. Failing to present on the day assigned for your presentation will result in a grade of 0.  Each group is responsible for bringing a hardcopy handout summarizing their presentation for each member of the class, including the instructor. This summary should include an overview of each section of the article, discussion questions to be used with the class, and should have all group members’ names clearly on the handout, as well as specifying each individual’s contribution clearly. Be sure in your handout (and throughout your presentation) to cite any additional reference materials used, but you need not cite the article you’re discussing unless you quote directly from the article, in which case you should include the page number!!! See APA formatting on Owl Purdue’s APA formatting website for examples of how to do this. Please note that this assignment is worth 20% of your overall grade, and failing to complete it will result in receiving a grade of C or lower in this course.

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: You are expected to keep within the on-going discussion typically the nature of a psychology class by coming to class and completing your assignments each day, and perhaps most importantly, by maintaining ongoing communication with your professor and fellow classmates over the course of the entire semester. Failing to do so regularly will result in failure to finish assignments on time. All assignments have strict deadlines and cannot be made up late. Therefore, failing to come to class, will likely result in a low or failing grade. If you choose to drop this class, it is your responsibility to do so.

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is Thursday, November 9^th.

DISABILITY SERVICES (Office for Students with Disabilities)

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

o         Government/Political Science

X         Social and Behavioral Sciences

o         Component Area Option

o         American History

REQUIRED CORE OBJECTIVES (For classes in the Core)

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 and published online.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

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)]”. 

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS