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Online Orientation: Cootz – PSYC 2315 Spring 09 Updated 1/2/2009 |
Welcome eClass PSYC 2315 Students!
This online orientation is intended to guide you through the process of getting up and running for class. For the Fall 2008 eight week semester we will be using eCollege Vista, an internet-based classroom environment. Our entire class will be conducted within the eCollege Vista eclassroom, including class discussions, unit assignments, and unit exams. Due to the shortened duration of our course, it is essential that everyone quickly familiarize themselves with the main online class tools used in our eCollege Vista eclassroom (unit modules, mail, discussions, and assessments). Once you've mastered the basics of our eCollege Vista eclassroom environment, you will find it much easier to focus on this semester's course content.
You will need to
complete each of the following steps to get started with your class this
semester. They contain links to other important online resources. (You can also
retrieve the official syllabus inside the eclassroom once it opens.) Make sure to carefully go through each
section, and contact me if you have any questions. Given that this is an EIGHT
week course, we will be covering class material, engaging in group discussions,
completing unit assignments, and taking exams at a quick pace- roughly twice as
fast as a traditional class. Don’t fall behind!
Welcome to the
class. I look forward to the eight weeks we will spend together as we explore
the subject of Psychology of Adjustment.
See you inside the eclassroom!
Steps 1 through 4 should be completed prior to
the second day of class (the 1st day of class is January 12th).
STEP 1: Carefully Read over the syllabus (provided below) to familiarize yourself with course requirements, including: semester grading criteria, purchase of mandatory class text, reading assignment schedule and exam dates
STEP 2: Obtain the required course textbooks (see the "Textbooks" section in the syllabus for details).
STEP 4: Review the Student Tutorials link in order to familiarize yourself with the essential tools and class components used this semester.
STEP
5: Beginning the first day of class, January 12th,
Login** to our online elassroom!
**If you need to obtain your User Name and Initial Password, click here.
You can login to the eclassroom here.
STEP 6: By the end of our first class day – January 12th, you should have completed the following tasks to avoid being dropped from class! (Note: Don’t get behind.)
From within our eCollege Vista Classroom:
STEP 7: Be sure to check your class email on a regular basis and keep up with your readings, discussion topic postings, assignments, and exam dates. Contact me (via eclassroom mail message) if you have ANY questions during the semester! You may also want to explore the additional resources available to students through the eCollege Distance Learning Website @ http://ecollege.lonestar.edu/.
STEP
8: HAVE A GREAT SEMESTER!
MONTGOMERYCOLLEGE
A
COURSE
SYLLABUS SPRING 09
PSYC 2315: Psychology of Adjustment (8
Week)
An examination of
psychological issues common to everyday life.
Topics include issues of personal growth and development, relationship
factors, stress and behavioral control, and behavioral change.
3 credit hours PSYC
2301; ENGL 0305 or ENGL 0316 AND ENGL 0307 or 0326, OR higher level course
(ENGL 1301), OR placement by testing.
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Students with disabilities who believe that they
need accommodations in this course are encouraged to contact the Disability
Services Office at 936-273-7239; located in Building E, Office 103H; as soon
as possible to better ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a
timely fashion. If you require
reasonable accommodations because of a physical, mental or learning disability,
please notify the instructor of this course within the first couple of days
of the term. |
The topics and readings were
selected in order to get you to think about your own life in new ways. The course is designed to: (1) introduce you to some of the concepts in
the field of psychology as they pertain to everyday life and (2) enhance your
ability to think critically about what psychology of adjustment means.
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Instructor Information |
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Name |
J. D. Cootz, MA
Webpage: http://faculty.lonestar.edu/jcootz/
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Email |
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Office location
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A200H Lone Star
College-Montgomery |
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Office hours |
Tue/Wed/Thu 10 am – 1 pm. I am on campus
more than this, but these are times I have designated specifically to be
available for students. Occasionally
meetings and other campus business may interrupt office hours. |
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Phone |
936.273.7048 |
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Brief Biography
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J. D. Cootz: PhD
Candidate in EHRD @ |
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Course Information |
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Course title |
Psychology of
Adjustment |
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Course number |
2315 |
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Course
discipline |
Psychology |
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Course
description |
An examination
of psychological issues common to everyday life. Topics include issues of personal growth
and development, relationship factors, stress and behavioral control, and
behavioral change. |
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Location |
ECLASSROOM |
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Meeting day(s) |
open |
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Meeting time(s)
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open |
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Prerequisite(s) Other
Information |
None Primary method of contacting the instructor: mail message inside the
eclassroom. Once the start date
passes, all contact should take place inside the eclassroom. |
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Course Goals and Outcomes |
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Course Outcomes (NHMCCD) Course Goals (Instructor) |
1. Understand the range and
application of psychological research relevant to the problems of adjustment
in the real world. 2. Encourage critical
analysis of research finding through application of the scientific
methodology. 3. Explore the various
psychological paradigms and theories to increase awareness of the social and
personal "self." 4. Increase understanding
and tolerance of the behaviors of others. 5. Promote awareness that
effective adjustments requires "taking charge" of one's own life. 6. Explore the practical
and concrete ways to promote effective (active) coping strategies. 7. Explore ways in which
humans create realities which deviate from acceptable mainstream behaviors. Upon
completion of this course, the student will: 1. Understand
the basic perspectives within the field of psychology. 2. Be familiar
with the information psychologists have discovered and work with. 3. Possess
knowledge regarding the procedures used in the discovering, testing, and
interpreting of psychological information. 4. Possess a
more objective understanding of human adjustment. 5. Have a more
realistic understanding of your own behavior in relation to personal
adjustment. 6. Gain insight
into issues dealing with stress, gender, coping, and sexuality among others. 7. Have the
ability to explain key terms and concepts in psychology. 8. Leave this
course prepared for more advanced courses in psychology. |
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Policies and Civility Statement |
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Introduction |
1.
Obtain a copy of the course textbooks. 2.
Attend (log-in to) class regularly- four to five times a week at a minimum. You also need to log on and complete the
activities at the prescribed time. If
you don’t log on within the first two days of this course you can be
dropped. The same goes for completion
of work. If you are not turning a
significant percentage (at least 2/3) of your work in, you can be
dropped. However, it is the students’
responsibility to ensure that they have been dropped before the drop
date. The drop date is listed in the
NHMCCD Course Catalog. 3.
Read all assignments under tentative outline and teacher assigned before
class assignment. 4. Academic honesty is necessary and expected. Cheating and
plagiarism lead to failing grades and possible loss of credit for the
course. This includes unauthorized
collaboration on assignments (such as the unit questions or tests). Cheating in all its forms has become a
blight on education and will not be tolerated in this class. Do not copy other students’ work or submit
another student’s work as your own. 5.
Your legal name must be on all assignments. No nicknames, please. 6.
All assignments must be turned in on time for full credit. 7.
Follow directions- it’s the easiest way to maintain your grades. 8.
STUDY!!! 9. Appropriate behavior/language
is expected inside the eclassroom.
This includes being polite during discussions. Disciplinary action can be taken if this
standard is not maintained. |
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Additional
information |
Instructor
Information Your
instructor checks into the eclassroom frequently. Generally, this means the instructor is
checking into the eclassroom most often from around 7 am to 4 pm Monday
through Friday. These can be thought
of as the main business hours for the class.
The instructor also checks in less frequently at night and to a lesser
degree during weekends. Occasionally,
there are events that may preclude the instructor’s ability to check into the
eclassroom. These are generally
rare. If I am aware of an upcoming conflict,
I will let you know ahead of time (if possible). Emergency If
we have an emergency (the server goes down during a test), please don’t
panic. I will be made aware of the
situation and we will take steps to remedy the problem. Often, if the WebCT server goes down, the
Outlook server will do so as well.
This means that if you panic because you can’t get into the eclassroom
to take a test and then send me notification via traditional email, I
probably won’t receive the email until the servers are restored. Civility
Statement The various individuals that make up the |
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Textbook (This is a reader- a collection of articles) |
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Required
reading |
Human
Adjustment with In-Psych CD-ROM, 1st Edition, John W. Santrock McGraw-Hill, 2006, ISBN: 9780073111919 or
0073111910
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Course Requirements and Assignments |
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Introduction |
The following
requirements will not be modified. |
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Requirements |
1. TESTS- Four exams are given. #1 is
over Chapters 1-4, #2 is over Chapters 5-8, #3 is over Chapters 9-12, and the
final exam is from Chapters 13-16. Test material does not come from the Annual Editions
textbook. Test material
comes from the supplied notes and the readings from the main text. Exams
will be multiple-choice, short answer (one or two words) and matching. All tests are given online. Exams are also available for a specific
period of time. The maximum time
allowed for exams is 45 minutes. Each
exam may be taken twice while it is available. The two scores are then averaged
together. You must wait one hour
between attempts. You may receive
different questions the second time you take a test. Exams will be automatically graded after you
submit them. Failure
to take the final exam causes a “0” to be used for grade calculations. You must take the final to
pass the class.
Do not wait until the last minute to
take a test. 2. UNIT REACTION PAPERS-
Each student will be required to write four short reaction papers
(2 to 3 pages typed, 1” margin, double spaced, Times New Roman, 12) based on
the readings from the Annual Editions textbook. These reaction papers are due by the
deadline. Each reaction paper will correspond with the current
readings in the Annual Editions: Social Problems text. For example, the first reaction paper will
be based on the readings that correspond with Unit 1. The articles that you need to read are
provided for you in the corresponding Unit Content Module (Unit 1 Content
Module has the readings for the Unit 1 Reaction Paper; Unit 2 Content Module
has the readings for the Unit 2 Reaction Paper…). The student will write the
reaction paper based on the info in the readings- pick and choose which
articles you wish to write about but include examples from at least
four articles. Students should keep
these questions in mind when writing reaction papers: “What did I know?”
“What didn’t I know?” “What did I learn?” “What questions did this raise?”
“How do I agree with the author?” “How has the author missed the point?”
“What was the basic theme of the article?”
Avoid opinion and focus on application of the information. Reaction Papers must be typed and
submitted by the deadline. Each
reaction paper is worth a maximum of 100 pts. 3. DESIGN CHART- This assignment is not
a traditional paper. Instead it is an
application and can be completed in a number of different ways. Use your creativity! Your
design chart assignment is to: plan, design, develop, and create a graphic
representation linking the info from this course to the movie that you select
for review. You have flexibility in
how you complete this assignment.
Possible methods include: separating or grouping concepts from your
textbook as they appear in the film or illustrating concepts from the notes
as they appear in the film. You may do
this: in a table format, as a graphical representation, as a timeline-style
format, in a flow-chart style, etc. Evidence
of college level writing is required.
However, this is not a paper.
Do NOT submit a paper. Software
that may be appropriate to create this: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Inspiration,
etc. Part of your grade will be based
on originality and creativity. This
assignment is weighted at 100 points. The
list of approved movies will be made available inside the eclassroom shortly
after the semester begins. 4. DISCUSSIONS- Online classes have 5
discussion questions they must respond to. Your response should be fairly lengthy (2 to
3 paragraphs w/ 4 sentences per paragraph) minimum. Make sure you proofread.
These are posted by the instructor on selected days. The responses must be completed by the
posted deadline. Each assignment
counts for a maximum of 20 points. You need to check the discussion postings
as early as possible as some postings take more than one step to complete. SO
DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. ***There are no make-ups for
missed discussion questions. This is true if you miss the deadline for
posting for ANY REASON.
5. EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT- There is one
extra credit assignment that can be completed for a maximum of 50 points.
However, it is graded as a normal assignment (in terms of quality) and most
grades fall into the 30-point range. This
will be made available after test #2.
The due date will be on the assignment. It is due by the specified date/time deadline. NO
LATE EXTRA CREDIT WILL BE ACCEPTED. NO EXCEPTIONS. If you do not meet the minimum requirements
for the assignment, it will not be graded. 6.
The notes and power point presentations supplied by your instructor are part
of the course. The other part is your text. You are responsible for the
material in the book. In other words: read your book. 7. Discussion
postings will take place in the Discussion area of the eclassroom. |
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Letter Grade Assignment |
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Letter Grade
Assignment |
1.
4 Tests: 100 pts X 4 = 400 pts. 2.
4 Unit Reaction Papers: 100 pts X 4 =
400 pts. 3.
1 Design Chart: 100 pts X 1 = 100 pts. 4.
5 Discussion Postings: 20 pts X 5
= 100 pts. 5.
This is a total of 1000 pts. Grade
assignment: A = 1000-895; B = 894-795; C = 794-695; D = 694-595; F = 594-000 Your
grades will be posted in the eclassroom.
If you wish, you may print out the syllabus and record your grades
here. Test
1 _____ Unit One Reaction Paper ______ Discussion 1 _____ Discussion 5 _____ Test
2 _____ Unit Two Reaction Paper ______ Discussion 2 _____ Design Chart ______ Test
3 _____ Unit Three Reaction Paper ______ Discussion 3 _____ Extra Credit
______ Test 4 _____ Unit Four Reaction Paper
______ Discussion 4 _____ Intro Quiz ______ I
do not keep a running total of each students’ point total and corresponding
letter grade. If you wish to see where
you stand, add up the total number of points you have earned so far and
divide it by the maximum possible points to date. This will give you an average. |
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Tentative Schedule of Course Outline |
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This
schedule refers to weeks. The days included
are M, T, W, T, & F. Logging in on
weekends is not required. Tests are
available approximately every two weeks.
Date
Reading/Assignment
UNIT ONE (Chapters 1-4)
Weeks One & Two Chapter 1: Adjusting to Life/Chapter
2: Personality
Begin
reading, working on unit reaction paper, preparing for test #1.
Intro Quiz available 1/12-1/16
Must
log in to WebCT or be denied access to the class by the second day of class
(1/14).
Discussion
One available 1/17-1/20
Chapter
3: The Self, Identity, and Values/Chapter 4: Stress
Continue
reading, working on unit reaction paper, preparing for test #1.
MLK, Jr. Holiday – Colleges
Closed (1/19); Instructor out of the office/eclassroom
Test
1 available; Unit 1 Reaction Paper Due 1/20-1/21
UNIT TWO (Chapters 5-8)
Weeks
Three & Four Chapter 5:
Coping/Chapter 6: Social Thinking, Influence, and Intergroup…
Discussion Two available 1/24-1/27
Continue
reading, working on unit reaction paper, preparing for test #2.
Discussion Three available 1/31-2/3
Chapter
7: Communicating Effectively/Chapter 8: Close Relationships and Love
Test 2 available; Unit 2 Reaction Paper Due
2/3-2/5
UNIT THREE (Chapters 9-12)
Weeks Five & Six Chapter 9: Adult Life
Styles/Chapter 10: Achievement, Careers, and Work
Begin reading, working on unit reaction
paper, preparing for test #3.
Discussion
Four available 2/7-2/10
Chapter 11:
Emerging Adulthood, Adult Development…/Chapter 12: Gender
Test #3; Unit 3 Reaction Paper Due 2/17-2/18
UNIT FOUR (Chapters 13-16)
Weeks Seven & Eight Chapter 13: Sexuality/Chapter 14:
Psychological Disorders
Begin
reading, working on unit reaction paper, preparing for test #4.
Chapter
15: Therapies/Chapter 16: Health
College
System Conference Day 2/19
Discussion
Five available 2/21-2/24
Continue reading, working on unit
reaction paper, preparing for test #4.
Design Chart Due 2/25
Extra Credit Due 2/26
Test
#4 available; Unit 4 Reaction Paper Due 3/2-3/3
Access
to eClassroom closes 3/6