Advanced Reading Comprehension: 2013 Summer DREAM Course Syllabus
Instructor: Mrs. Sandra Rogers
Tuesdays 3:00-5:00 & Thursdays: 1:00-3:00
Location: Lab 2-4, 2nd Floor, College of Medicine,
Dates: June 4 - July18
Office Hours: Mrs. Rogers is available for student-teacher conferences by appointment
generally before or after class depending on the course schedule. You can email the teacher at
sandrarogers@southalabama.edu or call the office of Student Affairs and Educational
Enrichment (460-7313) to set up an appointment.
Required Supplemental Material: Pearson’s MyReadingLab (MRL) is a computerized reading
program. Students access the online study plan at this URL: www.myreadinglab.com. The
MRL course code for Mrs. Rogers’ program will be rogers02441. This program costs $34.70
per person.
Computer Access Requirement: All students enrolled in the DREAM program must bring have
a laptop with Wi-Fi capability. Please bring that to class along with a headset. You can use your
iPod/iPad/iPhone ear buds.
Course Description: This noncredit course provides students with the strategies and skills to
increase their reading rate, reading comprehension, learning (metacognitive) skills, and
knowledge of medical terminology. This is a four-hour noncredit course for students
participating in the DREAM program.
Course Goals:
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Students will increase their reading rates by incorporating speed-reading methods,
identifying their reading obstacles, and setting and charting their reading goals.
Students will increase their reading comprehension by learning specific reading strategies
and skills through the MRL software and teacher-created study guides.
Students will increase their knowledge of medical terminology by creating an electronic
flashcard deck for review of unknown words encountered in reading assignments. Also,
they will study Latin and Greek roots commonly used in medicine.
Students will learn how to magnify their learning by using metacognitive strategies to
transfer information to long-term memory.
Students will analyze, in debate format, a current medical issue, take, and defend a
position with a strong rationale and supporting facts.
Learning Objectives:
1. Reading Rate:
1) The mid-term goal is to increase your current reading rate by 100 words per minute
(WPM). Reading rate growth will vary according to each individual student’s abilities.
2) The end of course goal is to be reading 300 WPM (average adult reader),
3) The long-term goal is to read 450 WPM with 85% accuracy (average college student)
before you enter medical school.
2. Reading Comprehension: Students will demonstrate a grade of 80% or higher on the
MRL reading modules. In addition, students will demonstrate 80% accuracy on teachermade comprehension tests based on scientific research articles.
3. Lexile Level: Students will demonstrate a lexile of 1330 range, which is the readability
level of the MCAT. Your lexile (L) measures your level of comprehension. Lexile
growth will vary according to students’ initial lexile measure, so do not get discouraged.
Your long-term goal is to reach 1700L, which is the reading level of a college graduate.
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Phase I: Your short-term goal is to reach 1400 or better, which is the ageappropriate reading level of a college sophomore.
Phase II: Your short-term goal is to reach 1500L or better, as this is would be the
age-appropriate reading level of a college junior..
4. Medical terminology: Students will take a pretest on medical and research terminology
to determine their ability to decipher Greek and Latin roots. Then they will take an exit
test based on a comprehensive list of students' e-flashcard decks and selected terminology
from the assigned scientific readings to demonstrate 80% mastery.
5. Debate: Students will work in teams to debate a medical issue and achieve a team score
of 80% on the rubric. See rubric for criteria required.
Online Class Activities: It is the responsibility of the student to actively participate in all online
assignments and activities during the class, as well as for homework assignments. The URL for
our online activities is located on a wiki: http://usadream.pbworks.com/.
Assignments: Late assignments will not be accepted. Assignments include:
A) MyReadingLab modules are determined according to your reading comprehension ability;
B) 5 lexile tests (on one or all of these topics---health, medicine, psychology, biology, plus a
diagnostic test);
C) Creation and study of an electronic vocabulary log on Dictionary.com as an individual
assignment; and
D) Two group projects on the wiki 1) with students’ favorite reading strategies, & 2) one formal
debate.
Note: In MyReadingLab, mastery of reading (module) tests is set for 80%. If you do not meet
the mastery level, the teacher will reset the module test for you. However, you need to notify the
teacher to reset it. Other tests include lexile leveled reading tests on MRL, timed reading fluency
tests in class, and teacher-made comprehension tests (possibly on Sakai).
Multiple Measures of Program Effectiveness:
This past summer, students had great success in improving their reading comprehension and
vocabulary levels. Part of the success was in having students chart their reading growth. The
instructor gathers evidence of student performance in the following ways:
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Students reading rates will be measured and charted on a weekly basis. Measurement
used is the 1-minute reading fluency tests of words read per minute (WPM).
Students will be tested on their reading comprehension, academic vocabulary, and critical
reading skills of scientific articles from teacher-made tests. Measurement used are
teacher-made tests.
Pearson's research-based, computerized reading program, MRL, will be used to test
students' reading comprehension skills, as well as their level of comprehension as
determined by their lexile level. Pearson uses the Lexile Reading Framework (TM) to
measure reading levels from 0L-1700L.
The teacher conferences with each student individually regarding their growth. Students
set their own goals and chart their performance.
Make-Up Policy: Make-up tests are not offered. However, approved exceptions may be made
if extenuating circumstances arise. Prior notification must be given to the instructor before
approval can be granted.
Final Grade is based on a group debate project, individual vocabulary log, teacher-made reading
comprehension tests, medical vocabulary tests, class participation, and MyReadingLab modules.
You will not be graded on your reading rates (Words Per Minute) or MRL lexile level.
Beepers, Cell Phones, and iPods must be turned off when you enter the classroom.
Food and Drinks are not allowed in the classroom.
Special Needs Policy: In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, students with
bona fide disabilities will be afforded reasonable accommodation. The Office of Student
Disability Services will certify a disability and advise faculty members of reasonable
accommodations. If you have a specific disability that qualifies you for academic
accommodations, please notify the instructor and provide certification from the Office of Student
Disability Services.
Course Change Policy: Since not all students progress at the same rate, the instructor may wish
to modify the above requirements or their timing as circumstances dictate. For example, the
instructor may wish to change the number and frequency of exams, or the number and sequence
of assignments. However, the student must be given adequate notification. Moreover, there may
be non-typical classes for which these requirements are not strictly applicable in each instance
and may need modification. If such modification is needed, it must be in writing and conform to
the spirit of this policy statement
Academic Conduct Policy: The University policy on academic conduct is located in The
Student Lowdown on pages 138-139 (revised January 1, 2010). “As a community of students
and scholars, the University strives to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. All
members of the community are expected to exhibit honesty and competence in academic work.
This responsibility can be met only through earnest and continuing effort on the part of all
students and faculty. Any dishonesty related to academic work or records constitutes academic
misconduct including, but not limited to, activities such as giving or receiving unauthorized aid
in tests and examinations, improperly obtaining a copy of an examination, plagiarism,
misrepresentation of information, or altering transcripts or university records. Academic
misconduct is incompatible with the standards of the academic community. Such acts are
viewed as moral and intellectual offenses and are subject to investigation and disciplinary action
through appropriate university procedures. Penalties may range from the loss of credit for a
particular assignment to dismissal from the University. Degree revocation may be warranted in
cases involving academic misconduct by former students while they were students at USA. Note
that dismissal from any USA college or school for reasons of academic misconduct will also
result in permanent dismissal from the University. Faculty, students, and staff are responsible
for acquainting themselves with, adhering to, and promoting policies governing academic
conduct.”
Plagiarism: Academic honesty is expected of all students at USA. Your responsibilities as a
student include being familiar with the honor code and plagiarism policy of the university with
regard to exams, class assignments, and papers. All sources for your papers must be clearly
documented, and the extent of your indebtedness to them must be adequately represented by the
appropriate quotation marks and citations. Keep copies of your paper drafts and sources; you
should be able produce these to me upon request. You should never present another person’s
ideas or direct words as your own.
USA is committed to the fundamental value of academic honesty. The student handbook, The
Lowdown, defines plagiarism as one form of academic misconduct, which is “subject to
investigation and disciplinary action through appropriate university procedures.” Plagiarism is
using somebody else's ideas and/or words in your writing without correctly identifying the
sources. As one resource for helping you avoid plagiarism, your written work in this class may
be submitted to Turnitin.com, or a similar detection method, for an evaluation of the originality
of your ideas and proper use and attribution of sources. Assignments submitted to Turnitin.com
will be included as source documents in a restricted access database solely for detecting possible
plagiarism of such documents. As part of this process, you may be required to submit electronic,
as well as, hard copies of your writing. By taking this course, you agree that all assignments
may be subject to some form of originality review. A paper not submitted according to
procedures and format set by the instructor may be penalized or may not be accepted at all.
Emergency Response Information: To report an emergency call the USA Police at 460-6312 or
511 and then 911. Remember to update emergency contact numbers on Jag accounts so that the
University can access current emergency contacts. In the event of an alarm, all persons are to
immediately vacate the building by walking quickly to the nearest marked exit and alert others to
do the same. The evaluation route is posted at every exit of the building where your class is
located. Assist persons with disabilities in exiting the building. If necessary, move those
individuals to stairwell landings and request another building occupant stay with them until
emergency responders can be notified of their location to provide rescue assistance. Do not use
elevators. Once outside the building, move to a safe clear area at least 150 feet from the affected
building.
Shelter in Place (events such as tornadoes or explosions): In the event of an emergency such
as a tornado or explosion, shelter in place may be a better option than evacuation. In such
events, reduce the air exchange rate of the building before a hazardous plume could arrive by
closing all windows and doors. Turn off all fans and air conditioners. Secondly, increase the air
exchange rate of the building after a hazardous plume has passed, by opening all windows and
doors. Turn on fans to aerate the building. Do not leave the building until official notification
has passed.