Course Information

Course Number, Section, and Name: PSYC-1300-W1---WEB, Learning Framework

Instructor's Name: Kirby Fowler

Instructor's E-mail: Kirby.Fowler@texarkanacollege.edu

Instructor's Phone #: (903) 823-3392

Office Hours: Available via E-mail

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Instructor Biography

Hello! 

My name is Kirby Fowler. This course is the only course that I teach at Texarkana College. I am also the Coordinator of Distance Education and Coordinator of Innovative Teaching and Learning. I am a graduate of Southern Arkansas University with a Bachelors Degree in History and Texas A&M Texarkana with a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Instructional Technology. As a high school student I took advantage of dual credit courses offered through Texarkana College!

In my spare time I love spending time with my family. I am married to my high school sweetheart, Zach Fowler. Together we have two precious boys, Daxton, 5 and Gavin, 3. They keep us busy and entertained!

Course Description

EDUC/PSYC 1300:  A study of the: research and theory in the psychology of learning, cognition, and motivation; factors that impact learning, and application of learning strategies. Theoretical models of strategic learning, cognition, and motivation serve as the conceptual basis for the introduction of college-level student academic strategies. Students use assessment instruments (e.g., learning inventories) to help them identify their own strengths and weaknesses as strategic learners. Students are ultimately expected to integrate and apply the learning skills discussed across their own academic programs and become effective and efficient learners. Students developing these skills should be able to continually draw from the theoretical models they have learned. (Cross-listed as PSYC 1300) This course is 100% online. Assignments and readings should be done in a timely manner. Regular communication with other students is a very important part of this course.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have demonstrated: 

1. Knowledge of and targeted use of Texarkana College academic services and resources.
   
2. Knowledge and application of learning theory inclusive of information processing, strategic learning, and critical thought.
   
3. Application of college level skills and techniques for computer literacy, effective reading, listening, note taking, studying, exam preparation, and research methods needed for academic success.
   
4. Knowledge of wellness factors, the impact of stress, and related coping strategies.
   
5. Development of college level oral and written communication skills.
   
6. Utilization of self-management skills inclusive of emotional regulation, time management, financial intelligence, and self-discipline.
7. Development and use of interdependence as a means to goal attainment.
8. Realization and exploration of attitudes, values, and relevance regarding college and career goals.

Required Texts

The following texts must be purchased for this course:

Covey, Sean (2014). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective College Students. USA: FranklinCovey

You are required to read all assigned material. The reading load is not designed to be heavy. As with any lecture or discussion material, reading material is fair game for exams, quizzes, and assignments.

Books can be purchased from the Online Bookstore.

Any other required readings that you do not need to own a copy of (such as online journal articles) can be accessed via hyperlink in the weekly Required Resources areas of this course.

The breakdown of the course requirements is as follows:
 

Semester grades will be earned as follows:

Graded Activities

Assignments (25% of semester grade)

The biggest single percentage of points for this course comes from completing regular assignments and quizzes. These assignments will vary—they include, for example, reflections, time management plans, exam debriefs, and goal-setting outlines—and they will offer many opportunities for you to apply what we are studying in class immediately. Completing these assignments on time and thoroughly will earn you full credit.

Participation (15% of your final semester grade)

Your participation grade will be based on your informed contributions to forum and VoiceThread discussions and exercises. You will participate in graded activities in every lesson. Some of these might take place outside of the designated classroom (e.g., in the computer lab or the library).

Participation grades will be based on the following:

•  Level of engagement/listening skills: You (almost always, sometimes, rarely, almost never, OR never or very, very rarely) engage with VoiceThread lectures, discussion board forum, and activities and makes thoughtful contributions.
  
• Behavior: You (almost always, sometimes, rarely, almost never, OR never or very, very rarely) behave appropriately in the online environment.
  
•    Preparation: You (almost always, sometimes, rarely, almost never, OR never or very, very rarely) participate in forum/VoiceThread discussions, communicate with group members for group projects or discussions and read necessary information to provide informed comments to course discussions and activities.
• Collaboration: You (almost always, sometimes, rarely, almost never, OR never or  very, very rarely) collaborate (or work in groups) in appropriate and fair ways.
  
•  There will be a total of 150 participation points during the semester that will be awarded in 50 point increments along with notes explaining any points deducted.

A special note about attendance:

Attendance is mandatory. You are expected to attend every class, to arrive on time, and to remain the entire period. You need to be here in order to participate in in-class activities! It is your responsibility to find out what you missed in the case of an absence. In college there is no such thing as an “excused absence.” For classes meeting two times per week, five points will be deducted for each absence. For classes meeting one time per week, ten points will be deducted for each absence. For online classes, attendance will be checked weekly on Monday mornings. To be counted present, the student must have logged in to the course and turned in an assignment each week.

Absentee Policy

Texarkana College’s absentee policy allows instructors to withdraw a student from a course due to excessive absences. For online classes, you may be dropped after you exceed one week of absence.

Faculty members are not obligated to provide opportunities for students to make-up missed assignments and tests as a result of a student’s absence from class. The institution is not required to take attendance with the exception of workforce/vocational areas, where certification requirements require taking attendance. However, experience demonstrates that regular attendance enhances academic success. As such, students are expected to attend each meeting of their registered courses.

A student should not stop attending a class without formally withdrawing from the course by the Institution’s published Last Day for Students to Drop. If a student stops attending class after the published Last Day for Students to Drop, the student may receive a grade of “F” in the class. The instructor will submit the last date of attendance for students receiving a grade of “F” or “W”.

Withdrawal from a course(s) may affect a student’s current or future financial aid eligibility. Students should consult the Financial Aid Office to learn both short and long term consequences of a withdrawal.

Attendance is so crucial for success that if you miss no more than one class, you will receive an extra 5% on your final grade. This means that if your final course average is 85% (B), your final grade could be increased to 90% (A).

Projects (both projects combined are worth 30% of your final semester grade)

You will complete two projects this semester: an individual career project and a group presentation project. More details about each project will be given in class at the appropriate time.

Exams (each exam is worth 15% of your final semester grade)

You will complete two exams this semester, a midterm and a final exam. More details will be given in class at the appropriate time, including how to prepare to ace these exams.

Forums

Each unit will have one or more Disscussion Forums. Each student is required to respond with an original post by the end of the day on Sunday (11:59 p.m.) of that week. This post can include the student’s personal opinion, as well as researched and documented information. At least one full paragraph should be included in the response, and the question should be investigated thoroughly. If outside sources are used, they should be properly cited at the end of the response. Each student is then required to respond to two (2) other students’ postings in order to facilitate learning and discussion. These posts will be due by the end of the day on Sunday (11:59 p.m. in your time zone).  Make sure to proofread all of your posts. It is recommended that you type your post in a word processor such as Microsoft Word and after proofreading it paste it into Moodle.

Forum Grading Rubric:

Guidelines for written work

Written assignments must have one-inch margins on all four sides, be double spaced, and be done in the Times New Roman font, size 12. Please note that correct spelling and grammar and a clear, easy-to-read writing style all count toward your grade. Use professional, formal, college English (i.e., no text-message language, contractions, clichés, or slang, for example).  More details about each assignment will be given in class at the appropriate time.

 Grading Rubric for Written Assignments:

Late work policy

Since a core focus of this course is to prepare you for experiences in higher education and/or your future in the workplace, completing work on time, in accordance with the good time- management skills you will learn in this course, is considered highly desirable and an important habit to develop. For this reason, points can be deducted for late work. If you are having trouble completing an assignment on time, please contact me as soon as possible. If possible, I want to work with you so you can submit the assignment without losing points.

Academic honesty

This college assumes that students eligible to perform on the college level are familiar with the ordinary rules governing proper conduct, including academic honesty. The principle of academic honesty is that all work presented by you is yours alone. Academic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating, plagiarism, and collusion, shall be treated appropriately. Please refer to the Texarkana College 2016-2017 Catalog and Student Handbook for more information. Texarkana College will utilize as necessary, technology programs/software to ensure academic honesty.

You must complete all work independently unless otherwise instructed. Plagiarism, cheating, or any related offensives will result in an automatic zero for that assignment—no exceptions, no excuses!

Withdrawals

If for any reason you need to drop the course, it is your responsibility to inform me officially either in person or in writing, in a timely manner. If you are considering dropping, please try to meet with me to discuss your options. I may be able to help you find solutions to some of the challenges that may be affecting your progress in class. If I can help, I would like to! Ultimately the decision is yours; therefore, I will not drop students for any reason. All students who remain in the course will receive a grade based on their performance.

Student Expectations

Performance and Participation

Regular and active participation is required. The student must notify the instructor immediately if s/he is experiencing any obstacles in maintaining optimal performance. All performance will be monitored and swift action is taken to remedy any problems. Student behavior in the course is to be respectful at all times to instructor and peers. Students are expected to actively participate in the course. Each week of the course is designed to be completed over 7 days, not just in one sitting.  Active participation includes posting to and responding to discussion forums, completing assigned activities, and other actions as requested by the instructor.

Technical Skills

Students must poses the following technical skills in order to succeed in this course:

1. Using Moodle, the learning management system.
2. Using email. 

• CLICK HERE for directions to put your email on your Andriod device.

• CLICK HERE for directions to put your email on your iOs device (iPhone, iPad).
  

3. Using the Microsoft Office Suite, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint.
• Microsoft Office is available to the students for free. The installation instructions can be found under the Links section of the Student tab in myTC – Free Office 365 for Students! This is NOT required but could be useful to you. CLICK HERE for information about downloading this program. Note: this program is designed for laptops and pcs not for mobile devices.

Minimum Hardware and Software Requirements

In order to view your online course your computer equipment should meet the following requirements: 

 Windows XP, Vista, 7, or later; MacOS X or later

  A minimum of 1 GB of RAM  Cable modem, DSL high speed internet connection (preferred). Some video content may not display well over a telephone modem. 

 An internet connection through an Internet Service Provider (ISP) 

 The latest version of the Firefox web browser (for both Mac or PC) Currently we are using Moodle as our Learning Management System (LMS) and there have been some issues of students not being able to view PowerPoints and videos with Internet Explorer, Safari, and some of the other web browsers. The following items may be required in some courses in order for you to view course materials. 

Browser Settings

Some items in this course may require you to have your pop-up blocker disabled. To disable your pop-up blocker, click on the browser you are using for more information:

Firefox - http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/pop-blocker-settings-exceptions-troubleshooting#w_pop-up-blocker-settings

Chrome - http://support.google.com/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=95472

Internet Explorer - http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/internet-explorer-pop-up-blocker-frequently-asked-questions

Safari (these directions are for blocking, do the opposite to stop blocking) - http://support.apple.com/kb/PH5040

Instructor Expectations

Students can expect the following from the instructor.

Response Time

The instructor will respond to all questions sent via email, phone, or the Course Q & A Forum within 48 hours.

Support

Please view the Support drop down menu at the top of the page.

For issues within your course, please contact your instructor via the Course Q & A Forum.

Policies

School-wide policies are listed in the Catalog and Student Handbook located at the top of the page in the Policies drop down menu. 

You can also access the Student Handbook by clicking HERE.

Texarkana College complies with all provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and makes reasonable accommodations upon request. Please contact Tonja Blase at 903.823.3349, or go by the Academic Learning Commons for personal assistance.

Please click HERE for more information.