Course Information

Course Number, Section, and Name: Learning Framework (PSYC-1300-SW1--WEB, 2018-SU)

Dates and Times: June 4 - July 4, online 

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

You can print this syllabus by going to the Settings block and selecting Print Book.

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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.

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.

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.

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

The breakdown of the course requirements is as follows:

Your grades and attendance will ALWAYS be posted in myTC. They will not appear in TConline.

Student Assessment

Grade
A	90-100
B	80-89
C	70-79
D	60-69
F	59-below

You have the following possibilities for earning points:

DAILY GRADES

Forums

Each unit will have one or more Discussion Forums. Each student is required to respond with an original post by the end of the day on each 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 one (1) or two (2) other students’ postings in order to facilitate learning and discussion unless otherwise instructed. These posts will be due by the end of the day on Sunday with your unit work (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.

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.

You will notice small empty boxes beside many of the assignments in this course. This is called course or activity completion.

Each unit overview document will include directions for each assignment. Once you have completed the assignment per the directions, you will see a check mark appear in the box. 

This will indicate that you have completed the assignment.

Instructor Expectations

Students can expect the following from the instructor.

Response Time/Email

The instructor will respond to all questions sent via email, phone within 24 hours.

Please use appropriate grammar and include your course section number and course name in the email subject line. All email regarding information about the course should be  emailed using your TC issued email address.

Important Course Announcements

Announcements from the professor will be located in the Professor's Corner and will come directly to your email.

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.

Attention! Dropping this class may affect your funding in a negative way! You could owe money to the college and/or federal government. Please check with the Financial Aid office before making a decision.

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.

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.

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.

Disability Act Statement: 

Texarkana College complies with all provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and makes reasonable accommodations upon request. Please contact Larry Andrews at 903.823.3283, or go by the Recruitment, Advisement, and Retention Department located in the Administration building for personal assistance.

If you have an accommodation letter from their office indicating that you have a disability which requires academic accommodations, please present it to me so we can discuss the accommodations that you might need for this class. It is best to request these changes at the beginning if not before the start of class so there is ample time to make the accommodations..

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 are required to complete all work independently unless otherwise instructed. Plagiarism, cheating, or any related offenses will result in an AUTOMATIC ZERO- no excuses or exceptions. 

Course Format and Schedule

CLICK HERE for Summer 2 Course Schedule.

All assignments open on Sunday by 8 am and close the following Saturday at midnight. 

Late work will result in a penalty.