College of the Redwoods
CURRICULUM PROPOSAL FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION COURSE
Date:
7 October 2014
1. Division :Arts and Humanities
2. Course ID and Number: Philosophy 1
3. Course Title: Critical Thinking
4. Please select the distance education method that describes how the course content will be delivered:
Online-internet based - Delayed Interaction: Students and instructor interactions are not
simultaneous, but are delayed or distributed over time.
Online-internet based - Simultaneous Interaction: Students and instructor interactions are
simultaneous, with immediate opportunity for exchange among participants.
Hybrid online-internet/classroom based: Students and instructor interactions are both classroom
and internet based, with classroom time reduced and replaced by required online participation.
5. What perceived need will this distance education course address?
This distance education course will address the needs of students throughout the district who are unable to
commute to our campuses. It gives our students, who live in rural areas or who do not have adequate or
timely transportation, the opportunity to complete this transfer level course successfully.
6. Will approval of this course offer a certificate or degree program with 50% or more of its curriculum delivered
by distance education?
The AA degree in Humanities, Language and Communication is pending approval for Substantive Change by
the ACCJC.
a. If yes, has this certificate or degree program been approved by the Curriculum Committee for 50% or
more delivery by distance education?
7. Describe in detail how the course design will ensure Regular Effective Contact (refer to Regular Effective
Contact Policy) and include:
b. Threaded Discussion Forums (or equivalent)
c. Weekly Announcements (or equivalent)
d. Instructor-Prepared Materials (e.g., text-based, video &/or audio files) in addition to publisher-created
materials to create a virtual equivalent of the face-to-face class.
Regular effective contact between instructor and students will be ensured by (1) instructor prepared
materials and assignments that are evaluated and returned to students within one week of submission, (2)
weekly discussion forums with the instructor, (3) virtual office hours, (4) discussion forums specifically
addressing and preparing students for exams, (5) general and individual email messages, (6) weekly
announcements to students through our Learning Management System, and (7) blog posts to be reviewed
by instructor.
8. To illustrate the description in #7, describe what students in this course will do in a typical week of this course.
Curriculum Approval: 03.14.14
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Academic Senate Approval: 04.04.14
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I am currently taking courses with @ONE to be certified as an online instructor. As part of the first course
that I completed successfully," Introduction to Online Teaching and Learning," I used the Critical Thinking
course I hope to teach online at CR as a model for the assignments I was given.
What follows is a weekly assignment I prepared for Philosophy 1, Critical Thinking :
Learning Unit 2: The Role of Values in the Formation of Arguments
Since we have finished the introduction to our course, we will now focus on learning unit two, which will
last for one week and required approximately ten hours of work. In this unit you will analyze the
connection between value assumptions and the foundation of arguments, the difference between real and
ideal values, as well as value prioritization and how it effects the formation of arguments.
By the completion of this unit you will be able to
1. Identify value assumptions within arguments.
2. Explain how ethical standards effect value prioritization.
3. Demonstrate, with examples, the connection between ideal and real values.
Content Item #1
Please read Chapter two of your textbook.
Please read the lecture on Chapter two provided in PDF format.
These items will give you specific tools and terminology for defining and using values in the formation and
evaluation of arguments.
Content Item #2
Go to the following link: http://www.tighsolas.ca/page 530.html.
This exercise is designed to help you identify the value assumptions within an argument. After reading the
selection provided, please complete Learning Activity #1.
Learning Activity #1
Please complete questions 1-10, the Chapter CheckUp, on page 56 of your textbook. These questions will
support all of our learning objectives, for they ask you to address questions related to value assumptions,
ethical standards for value prioritization, and identification of real and ideal values. By using the content
and terminology found in Chapter two, you will demonstrate your mastery of the material in detailed and
thorough responses to the questions. I will evaluate and respond to your answers within one week of
submission.
Learning Activity #2
Please complete Exercise 2.1 on page 57 of your textbook and post your response in a blog. This exercise
asks you to examine various value systems and how they affect decision-making. This exercise corresponds
to learning objective one. To complete this learning activity, respond to two blogs via email, arguing for or
against the position taken by the blog posts you are referencing. Remember to be respectful and convincing
in your responses.
To summarize, students will be asked to read a textbook chapter, as well as instructor prepared lecture on
that chapter. They are then required to answer pertinent questions that will be evaluated by instructor, as
well as complete another exercise and post responses in a blog. Students are also required to respond to
two blogs, via email.
Curriculum Approval: 03.14.14
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Academic Senate Approval: 04.04.14
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9. What is the course “statement of expectations” to be included in the syllabus for instructor frequency and
timeliness of instructor-initiated contact and student feedback? (refer to Regular Effective Contact Policy)
I dedicate as much or more time to this class compared to a traditional class. I will access the class website
regularly and respond to posted questions and messages within 48 hours. Additionally, I read every
discussion forum post and occasionally participate. There is also regular instructor-based communication
with weekly announcements, lectures, evaluative feedback to your discussion posts, and emails/messages
to students who fall behind. All of your assignments (e.g., discussion posts, essay exams, papers) will be
scored within one week of the due date and receive feedback in the form of a scored rubric.
10. How is this course designed to address Student Authenticity? Preventive measures may include: multiple
assessment techniques, written assignments, threaded discussions, exams based on randomly drawn test
bank items, timed exams, and raising student awareness of the College’s Code of Conduct.
Student authenticity will be addressed by written assignments, discussions and randomly drawn test bank
items.
11. This course will have proctored exams. (refer to College Proctoring Policy)
No
Yes
Optional
12. Describe how assessments are used in this course to ensure that the student work is evaluated effectively,
accurately, and in a timely manner.
To insure that student work is evaluated effectively, accurately and in a timely manner, I will use an
assessment strategy design, including a list of learning outcomes, alignment of learning outcomes with
assessment techniques, and specification of appropriate assessment techniques for each outcome .
13. Describe the contingency plan for this course if there is an unexpected instructor absence (refer to Regular
Effective Contact Policy).
If there is an unexpected instructor absence for this course, the instructor will inform students via the
Learning Management System, indicating when regular effective contact will resume.
14. Both state and federal law require community colleges to design courses to ensure access for students with
disabilities, including compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Please indicate the steps taken to
ensure accessibility by checking the Yes, No, or NA boxes below. For further assistance with accessibility and
assistive technology, please contact DSP&S.
Yes No NA Requirement and Purpose
1. The course delivery provides a text equivalent for all non-text elements such as
images, animations, applets, audio/video files and art. This will enable a screen reader
to read the text equivalent to a blind student.
2. The course delivery provides descriptions for important graphics if they are not fully
described through alternative text or in a document’s content. The description would
inform a blind student of what a picture represented.
3. The course delivery ensures that information conveyed by the use of color is also
understandable without color. For example, so a blind or color-blind student could
understand a color-coded representation of DNA.
4. The course delivery provides textual equivalents to audio information (captioning).
The text will enable deaf students to know what others are hearing.
5. The course delivery provides an alternative audio description for multimedia
presentations. The sound will enable blind students to know what others are seeing.
6. The course delivery ensures that moving, blinking, scrolling, or auto-updating objects
or pages may be paused or frozen. The movement can be distracting for students with
certain disabilities.
Curriculum Approval: 03.14.14
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Academic Senate Approval: 04.04.14
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Yes No NA Requirement and Purpose
7. If using faculty web site vs. college provided course management system, the web
site identifies, by labeling or other appropriate means, row and column headers. The
identification will enable screen readers to discern the headers, which disclose the
purpose of the data in the rows and columns.
8. If using faculty web site vs. college provided course management system, the web
site provides title frames and includes sufficient information as to their purpose and
relationship to each other. This will help blind students understand the organizational
purpose of the frame.
9. If using faculty web site vs. college provided course management system, the
instructor has ensured, through HiSoftware’s “Cynthia Says”
http://www.cynthiasays.com/ or other appropriate verification, the usability of
pages, and will attach to this proposal evaluation printouts of Section 508 and
WCAG—Priority 1 compliance.
10. If interactive software for homework/instruction is used, the company has provided a
current 508 statement of compliance ensuring accessibility to students needing the
use of a screen reader. This ensures that publisher provided programs to supplement
or augment textbooks are as accessible as the class website.
11. My course syllabus recommends that students who require accommodations for a
disability, such as accessible formatting of course materials, contact me immediately.
Example: “In compliance with equal access laws, I am available to discuss appropriate
academic accommodations that you may require as a student with a disability.
Students are encouraged to contact Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSP&S)
for disability verification and for determination of reasonable academic
accommodations.”
Submitted by: Sam Savage
Tel. Ext: 497-8766
Approvals:
Distance Education Faculty Appointee Mark Winter
Division Dean or Director: Erin Wall
Date: 7 October 2014
Review Date: 10/10/14
Review Date: 10/23/14
CURRICULUM COMMITTEE USE ONLY
Approved by Curriculum Committee: No
Academic Senate Approval Date: 11.21.14
Curriculum Approval: 03.14.14
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Academic Senate Approval: 04.04.14
Yes
Date: 11.14.14
Board of Trustees Approval Date: 12.9.14
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