TLC 199: STUDYING SCIENCE CRN 28010—WINTER 2014—303 DEA Tues,Thurs 10:00-­‐10:50am Grant Schoonover grantsch@uoregon.edu, 346-­‐3273, 09 PLC office hours Wednesdays 10am-­‐12noon, Fridays 9:30-­‐10:30am or make an appointment through TLC: 346-­‐3226, 68 PLC COURSE DESCRIPTION: Tackling Science is designed to help students improve their understanding of materials and study strategies for science courses. Students will have the opportunity to practice new strategies in their current courses through weekly application of course materials and two major portfolio course assignments. COURSE OBJECTIVES: The objective of Studying Science is to provide students with an opportunity to practice and improve how they study for science courses. By the end of the course students will be able to • Write clear goals for their science courses and articulate how these goals relate to long-­‐term goals • Listen actively during class and write useable lecture notes that can be used as a study tool • Read actively and take reading notes to improve concentration, comprehension, and retention of reading material • Schedule adequate study time for science courses • Understand their own learning style and strategies to study effectively for that learning style • Create study guides, write practice exam questions, and employ strategies to effectively study for and take exams COURSE MATERIALS: Description of assignments and course materials will be available at our course Blackboard site, which you can access at http://blackboard.uoregon.edu. Use your UO username and password to log into Blackboard. Once you find our course site, click on “Course Documents” to access the syllabus, assignment guidelines, and links to additional readings and videos. Course materials will be uploaded week-­‐to-­‐week, with assigned readings posted at least one week prior to due date. REQUIREMENTS: ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION—Your presence and participation are necessary to make this course successful for you and for the class community. Personal circumstances may prevent you from attending a class meeting, but keep in mind that each class meeting represents a big portion of the overall course. If you have difficulties getting to class, whatever the reason, please let me know as soon as reasonably possible (preferably before class). You are responsible for any missed work and information. Participation is worth up to 60 points. You will lose 5 points for each missed class meeting. PARTICIPATION—is more than sitting as a warm body in the class. You should come to class prepared to participate in self reflection, group work, and class discussions. Participation includes respect for your fellow classmates and instructor by coming to class on time, turning off cell phones, and paying attention during class (i.e. don’t do other homework, text, surf the internet, or read the newspaper). REACTION PAPERS—There will be four reaction papers during the term (25 points each). The topic of the one-­‐page reaction paper will be posted one week prior to being due and will ask you to either react to an assigned reading or in-­‐class actvity. For complete credit, students will need to submit assignment via email prior to the beginning of the class in which the reaction is due (or submit hardcopy during course time). Reaction Papers are worth a total of 100 points. QUIZZES – There will be four quizzes throughout the term that are associated with assigned readings and in-­‐class materials. Quizzes are due 10am on the date listed on the syllabus and will be taken online via Blackboard. Quizzes are worth a total of 40 points (10 points each). PORTFOLIOS—are designed to provide you with opportunities to practice different study strategies in your science courses. The two comprehensive portfolios will include reflections at the beginning and end of the term. Specifics about the portfolios and a grading rubric are available on Blackboard. Dates are listed in the syllabus. Each portfolio is worth up to 100 points. GRADING POLICY: Enrolling in a study skills course will no more make you a better student than standing on a golf course will make you a PGA champion. Your success in this course (in terms of both your goal achievement and your course grade) will require time, energy, and a willingness to engage and experiment. Overall percentage grades will convert to letter grades on the following scale: A+ 97-­‐100% A …………94-­‐96% A-­‐ ………… 90-­‐93% B+ …………87-­‐89% B …………84-­‐86% B-­‐ ………… 80-­‐83% C+ …………77-­‐79% C …………74-­‐76% C-­‐ ………… 70-­‐73% D+ …………67-­‐69% D …………64-­‐66% D-­‐ ………… 60-­‐63% F …………59% and below Assignment Points Course Participation (-­‐5 points each missed course) 60 Reaction Papers (4 x 25 points each) 100 Quizzes (4 x 10 points each) 40 Portfolio 1 100 Portfolio 2 100 Total Possible Points 300 You may also choose to take this course pass/no pass (as long as you elect this option on DuckWeb prior to the posted deadline, 2/23). Students registered pass/no pass must earn at least 70% of the points (280 points). SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS -­‐ all work submitted for the class must be legible, clearly organized, and proofread. Illegible work will not be graded, but can be resubmitted subject to the late penalty outlined below. All work must be submitted to the instructor via email, in-­‐person, or Blackboard by 10am on the date due as listed on the course calendar. The time stamp associated with the submission will be used to determine whether to apply the late penalty. Work submitted should include the author’s last name and title of the assignment both in the subject line (i.e., “Smith Homework 1” NOT “Homework 1”) as well as in the body of submitted document to avoid the late penalty. I should be able to quickly identify a student’s work in both my electronic files and on printed documents. LATE WORK – any work submitted after the posted due date will be penalized with a deduction of -­‐10% per class period. EXTRA CREDIT – in the interest of fairness, there are no opportunities for extra credit assignments or special arrangements for making up for low performance on graded coursework. If you are struggling to keep up or complete course material due to extenuating circumstances, please make arrangements to see me immediately so that we may discuss the best course of action. WITHDRAWAL – the last day to withdraw from this course or change the grading option is February 23. “PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT” We’ll spend time in class discussing new study skills and then you will have the opportunity to practice them outside of class. The more effort you put towards your practice of new study skills the easier it will be to incorporate them into your daily routine. There is no “magic bullet” to learning to study more effectively in the sciences. It requires time and effort in addition to work you will devote to learning the content in your science courses. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY All students are expected to complete assignments in a manner consistent with academic integrity. Students must produce their own work and properly acknowledge and document all sources (ideas, quotations, paraphrases). Students can find more complete information about the University of Oregon’s Policy on Academic Dishonesty in the University of Oregon Student Handbook. Any instance of academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism or copying a student’s work) will minimally result in a score of zero for any assignment for all parties involved. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES The University of Oregon is working to create inclusive learning environments. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that result in barriers to your participation, please notify me as soon as possible. You are also welcome to contact the Accessible Education Center (AEC) in 164 Oregon Hall at 346-­‐1155 or uoaec@uoregon.edu. If you are not a student with a documented disability through AEC, but you would like for me to know about class issues that will impact your ability to learn, I encourage you to come visit with me during my office hours so that we can strategize how you can get the most out of this course. IMPORTANT NOTE I am interested in working with you individually to help you learn in the way that best suits you. Please let me know if you have concerns about particular aspects of the course or your ability to succeed in the class. DIVERSITY Open inquiry, freedom of expression, and respect for difference are fundamental to a comprehensive and dynamic education. The University Teaching and Learning Center is committed to upholding these ideals by encouraging the exploration, engagement, and expression of divergent perspectives and diverse identities. The UO is committed to providing an environment free of all forms of prohibited discrimination and sexual harassment, including sexual assault, domestic and dating violence and gender-­‐based stalking. Any UO employee who becomes aware that such behavior is occurring has a duty to report that information to their supervisor or the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity. The University Health Center and University Counseling and Testing Center can provide assistance and have a greater ability to work confidentially with students. Note: UO employees also have a duty to report child abuse. For those classes and/or processes in which students have historically reported information regarding child abuse, the language can be expanded to provide that notice as well by adding the following statement: All UO employees are required to report to appropriate authorities when they have reasonable cause to believe that any child with whom they come in contact has suffered abuse or any person with whom they come in contact has abused a child. COURSE OUTLINE: (TENTATIVE SCHEDULE – ANY CHANGES WILL BE MADE AT LEAST ONE WEEK IN ADVANCE) Homework Wk Date Topic All assignments can be accessed on Blackboard 1 T 1/7 Introductions, Syllabi, Goals and Study Cycle TH 1/9 Metacognition, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Study Cycle Read: Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits T 1/14 Reading in the Sciences Due: Reaction Paper 1 Bring: Science textbook TH 1/16 Note Taking, Active Listening Read: How to Effectively Read in the Sciences T 1/21 Intense Study Sessions Read: 2 Important Strategies for Effective Studying TH 1/23 Office hours, Attending a Research University T 1/28 Test Preparation, Memorization TH 1/30 Scheduling/Time Management Complete: LSU Time Management workshop T 2/4 Procrastination Due: Reaction Paper 3 Read: Understanding Procrastination TH 2/6 Check-­‐In, Goal Setting T 2/11 Motivation and Mindfulness Due: Portfolio 1 (see Blackboard) TH 2/13 Science Writing Due: Quiz 2 (see Blackboard) Reading: TBD T 2/18 Learning Style Complete: VARK (see Blackboard) TH 2/20 Myers-­‐Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Complete: MBTI (see Blackboard) T 2/25 Strong Interest Inventory (SII) Complete: SII (see Blackboard) TH 2/27 Goal Setting, Career Connections Due: Quiz 3 (see Blackboard) T 3/4 Check-­‐In, Undergraduate Research Due: Reaction Paper 4 TH 3/6 Finals Preparation Read: Selections about Finals Preparation T 3/11 Test Anxiety Due: Quiz 4 (see Blackboard) Read: Test Anxiety TH 3/13 Goals and Wrap up Due: Portfolio 2 on Blackboard 2 3 4 5 6 Due: Quiz 1 (see Blackboard) Read: When it’s Time to Meet your Professor Due: Reaction Paper 2 Read: To Really Learn, Quit Studying and Take a Test 7 8 9 10