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Online Orientation: Cootz –
PSYC 2315 Summer Session I 2009 Updated 3/24/09 |
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 Summer 2008 six week (Summer
Session I) semester we will be using a new version of online delivery called
eCollege Vista, an internet-based classroom environment. Our entire class will
be conducted within our 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 a SIX week course, we will be covering class material, engaging in
group discussions, completing unit assignments, and taking exams at a quick
pace- roughly three times as fast as a traditional class. Don’t fall behind!
Welcome to the
class. I look forward to the six weeks we will spend together as we explore the
subject of psychology of adjustment.
See you inside the eclassroom!
J. D. Cootz Lone Star
College-Montgomery
Steps 1 through 4 should be completed prior to
the second day of class (the 1st
day of class is June 1st).
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). This
is a 6 week class- you need your books as soon as the class starts. It is your
responsibility to be prepared for the class.
Having the books is a major part of being prepared. The books can be
purchased at three separate places within the district: LSC-North Harris (which
is the DL Bookstore for the district), LSC-Montgomery (which is where I teach)
and across from LSC-Montgomery is a place called In & Out Textbooks. All three
will stock the books, but I do not have knowledge of current supplies, prices,
etc. Also, numerous online retailers carry these books and have fast delivery
options (Barnes and Noble, etc.).
STEP 4:
Troubleshoot any initial problems by visiting the eCollege.
STEP 5: Beginning the first day of class, June 1st, Login
to our eCollege Vista 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 second class day – Tuesday, June 2nd, 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 Lone Star College – eCollege
Distance Learning Website @
http://ecollege.lonestar.edu/.
STEP 8: HAVE A
GREAT SEMESTER!
MONTGOMERYCOLLEGE
A
North Harris Montgomery Community College
COURSE
SYLLABUS SUMMER SESSION I 2009
PSYC 2315: Psychology of Adjustment (6 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.
ADA
Statement
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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 |
A200H Lone Star College-Montgomery |
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Office hours |
Mon/Tue/Wed/Thu
9 am – 11 am.
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 |
J. D. Cootz: PhD Candidate in EHRD @ Texas A&M University;
Master's Degree in Psychology and Sociology; Post-Graduate Certificate in
Gerontology. Former U.S. Army (Military Intelligence Branch). Served in
Central America and in the 101st Airborne Division. Spent several years
working with: gang members, homeless men, substance abusers, and the mentally
ill in Houston and Harris County. |
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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) |
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 Lone Star
College System 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 Thursday. 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
Lone Star College-Montgomery community (including students, faculty, staff,
and other participants) have certain expectations placed on them because of
the association that takes place within this community. These expectations are primarily focused on
issues of behavior: all individuals in the community are expected to act
truthfully, honestly, conscientiously and responsibly. Lone Star
College-Montgomery holds all community members responsible for their
behavior, actions and words.
Consequently, all Lone Star College-Montgomery community members are
expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with valuing and
respecting the rights and opinions of others (even if you disagree with the
opinions). Respect of individual and
College property is also expected. It
is also of the utmost importance that the learning environment remains undisturbed. Therefore, if a student is required to
leave the eclassroom due to behavior that is considered uncivil, the student
will not be permitted to return to class until s/he has met with the
instructor. It is the responsibility
of the student to arrange for the meeting. |
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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. Logging
in on weekends (Friday through Sunday) is not required. Tests are available approximately every week
and a half.
Date
Reading/Assignment
UNIT ONE (Chapters 1-4)
June 1st - June 10th
Chapter 1: Adjusting to
Life/Chapter 2: Personality
Begin
reading, working on unit reaction paper, preparing for test #1.
Intro Quiz available 6/1-6/4
Must
log in to WebCT or be denied access to the class by the second day of class
(6/2).
Discussion
One available 6/3-6/4
Chapter
3: The Self, Identity, and Values/Chapter 4: Stress
Continue
reading, working on unit reaction paper, preparing for test #1.
Test
1 available; Unit 1 Reaction Paper Due 6/9-6/10
UNIT TWO (Chapters 5-8)
June
11th - June 17th Chapter
5: Coping/Chapter 6: Social Thinking, Influence, and Intergroup…
Discussion Two available 6/10-6/11
Continue
reading, working on unit reaction paper, preparing for test #2.
Discussion Three available 6/17-6/18
Chapter
7: Communicating Effectively/Chapter 8: Close Relationships and Love
Test 2 available; Unit 2 Reaction Paper Due
6/16-6/17
UNIT THREE (Chapters 9-12)
June 18th - June 25th 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 6/24-6/25
Chapter
11: Emerging Adulthood, Adult Development…/Chapter 12: Gender
Test #3; Unit 3 Reaction Paper Due 6/24-6/25
UNIT FOUR (Chapters 13-16)
June 26th - July 6th
Chapter 13: Sexuality/Chapter
14: Psychological Disorders
Begin
reading, working on unit reaction paper, preparing for test #4.
Chapter
15: Therapies/Chapter 16: Health
Discussion
Five available 7/1-7/2
Continue reading, working on unit
reaction paper, preparing for test #4.
Design Chart Due 6/29
Extra Credit Due 6/30
Test
#4 available; Unit 4 Reaction Paper Due 7/5-7/6 (Note: This is a
Sunday and Monday!)
Access to eClassroom closes 7/7