INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY (PSY 101, Section 730)
Summer 2010
Instructor: Giannina Fehler-Cabral, M.A.
E-mail : cabralgi@msu.edu (Please put Psy101 in the subject line )
Virtual Office Hours:
Welcome to Psychology 101: Introductory Psychology Online, Summer Session A, 2010.
Office hours will be held on ANGEL in the course Chat Room, every Wednesday from 4:00 to
5:00 PM (or by appointment).
Required Text:
Psychology, by David G. Myers, 8th edition, 2007, Worth Publishers, ISBN: 0-7167-6428-8. The
textbook is available at the Student Book Store (http://sbsmsu.com, 417 East Grand River
Avenue, East Lansing, MI 48823, 517-351-4210) and at Amazon.com. You may also want to
shop around at other local bookstores or other websites as this text is pretty popular. It is your
responsibility to get your text before class begins. Because this is an accelerated course, you will
fall behind if you wait to get the book after the first day of class.
Course Objectives
The purpose of this course is to provide a basic understanding of what psychology is all about,
and how psychologists study human behavior. The course provides an overview of topics in all
areas of psychology, including biological, cognitive, social, developmental and personality
psychology. For example, we will consider such topics as genes and behavior, human
intelligence, attitudes, social development and mental disorders. We hope the course will
stimulate your interest in psychology, and that you will pursue this interest in advanced courses.
Course Description
The course begins on May 17, 2010 and ends July 1st, 2010. This course will be held entirely
online through the ANGEL course management system here at MSU. There will be no face-toface classes or tests. Each exam/assignment will include the ANGEL method that will be used
for submission.
Since this course is completely online, you will need to make sure that you will have consistent
access to the Internet throughout the course. Vacations don’t fit in well with accelerated summer
courses, face-to-face or online. If you are taking this course outside of the US or outside of the
Eastern Daylight time zone, it is up to you to make sure you access exams and content during the
Eastern times noted. Remember, each week of an accelerated session is equivalent to two weeks
of a regular semester! If your internet plans fall through during a vacation then you may miss
turning in an assignment or taking a test. This course is NOT self-paced. There ARE due dates
for various assignments.
The course consists of online materials corresponding to the 18 chapters in the textbook,
Psychology, by David Myer. Specifically, for each chapter the following online materials (links)
are available:
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Objectives
Narrative Summary
Overview (PowerPoint Presentation)
Practice Quiz (multiple choice)
Practice Essay Questions
Review
Web Links
In addition, many chapters have additional PowerPoint Presentations that focus on one or more
topics in that Chapter. It is STRONGLY recommended that you use ALL of the online materials,
in addition to reading the chapters in the textbook. By taking the practice quizzes, you will get
feedback about your understanding of course material. Quiz questions are drawn from the same
pool of questions that is used to construct the exams and final exam (although the practice
quizzes do NOT contain the same questions as the exams and final exam).
Using all of the online materials AND reading the textbook chapters carefully (and twice, if
possible) is the best way to prepare for the 4 online Exams and the comprehensive online Final
Exam.
Exams
Important Exam Info: Deciding when to take your exams
In order to get the full number of minutes for an exam you have to count backward from the
closing time. Students sometimes ask, "How does ANGEL handle a situation if you start an
exam shortly before the closing time? Do I still get the number of possible minutes for the exam
or does it close at the time that the exam was set to close?"
Example: The exam ends Thursday at 5:00 pm. You realize at 4:30 on Thursday that you never
took the exam. Unfortunately you will only have 30 minutes to take the test. ANGEL will close
the exam at 5:00 - even if you aren't done and even though you didn't get the full time. When the
time is up in terms of minutes OR in terms of the designated closing time then that exam IS over.
This example is based on the time at MSU. Make sure you convert the time to your own time
zone! For example, if you live in
California during the summer all the times listed in the syllabus are 3 hours earlier on the West
Coast! You still have 24 hours but the time frame will be slightly different depending on your
location.
ANGEL closings are precise! When an exam lists a closing time then after that time it will no
longer be available. The answer to the question, “Do I still get the number of possible minutes
for the exam?” is “No”.
There are 4 Exams and a comprehensive Final
Exam, scheduled (tentative) as follows (times are Eastern Daylight Time Zone (E T):
Exam 1: Prologue and Chapters 1 to 4
To be completed between 5 PM (ET) May 27th and 5 PM (ET) May 28th
Exam 2: Chapters 5 to 8
To be completed between 5 PM (ET) June 7th and 5 PM (ET) June 8th.
Exam 3: Chapters 9 to 13
To be completed between 5 PM (ET) June 16th and 5 PM (ET) June 17th
Exam 4: Chapters 14 to 18
To be completed between 5 PM (ET) June 25th and 5 PM (ET) June 26th
Final Exam: Chapters 1 to 18
To be completed between 5 PM (ET) June 30th and 5 PM (ET) July 1st
Assessment Methods
The exam method used in the Department of Psychology is one that enhances exam security
during online testing. It is called “Single-question, no backtrack”. In this type of exam only one
question is delivered at a time. A student makes a decision about that question, answers the
question and submits it. Then the next question is presented. It is not possible to go back to
previous questions and change answers that you already submitted. Instructors can ask questions
knowing that a question “gives away” the answer to a previous question. Of course, this could
never happen on a regular paper-and-pencil test.
This method requires a different strategy for test taking. You may have learned to answer all the
questions that you know and then go back to the others. This strategy is not possible in a “single
question, no backtrack” testing method. In order to familiarize you with the assessment method
used in this course, I created a “single-question, no backtrack” practice quiz about the course
syllabus. The quiz is available at ANGEL on the UNITS page. If “single-question, no backtrack”
is a method with which you will be comfortable then this online PSY 101 class is probably a
good fit for your assessment style.
IMPORTANT:
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Exams 1, 2, 3 and 4 each contain 50 multiple-choice questions, randomly selected from a
larger pool of questions. Thus, no two students will receive the same exam. The Final
Exam contains 100 questions, randomly selected from a larger pool of questions. Thus,
no two students will receive the same final exam.
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Exam questions are presented one at a time. Once you choose an answer on an exam, you
CANNOT go back to change your answer.
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Upon exam submission, you will receive feedback about your overall score in the exam
but NOT detailed feedback about the correct answers for each of the exam questions.
Such detailed feedback is provided only for practice quizzes (so I encourage you to take
advantage of practice quizzes). Exams, once taken, are NOT available again.
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You will have 60 minutes to complete each of Exams 1 through 4, and 110 minutes to
complete the Final Exam.
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Note that Exams will appear on the UNITS page during the time period scheduled for
taking them (just indicated, above).
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THERE ARE NO MAKE-UP EXAMS. You must take each exam within the dates and
times that it is scheduled.
Course Requirements
There are 2 major course requirements, described below:
1. 4 Exams and a Final Exam, as described in the Assessment Method and Grading Policy.
All exams are CLOSED BOOK and CLOSED LECTURE NOTES. You may NOT visit
other online course sites while taking an exam. Such visits will be recorded by the Angel
courseware system and will result in a penalty grade of zero. You may NOT use your
own lecture notes while taking an exam. Doing so is considered cheating and will result
in a penalty grade of zero.
The following directions will appear on each exam:
“There are 50 multiple-choice questions in this exam and you have 60 minutes to complete the
questions. If you begin the exam shortly before the closing time you may not have all 60 minutes.
The questions will be presented one question at a time. ANGEL automatically submits your exam
when 60 minutes is up or when the designated closing time is reached. The exam questions are
closed book. You may not consult with any other individuals or share the questions with others.
See the syllabus for complete details regarding academic integrity. The quiz questions progress
in a forward manner. When you have answered a question click on NEXT QUESTION. Once you
go to the next question then you cannot return to a previous question. You must close other
browser windows. Choose the best answer for each of the 50 questions. Each question is
worth 2 points. Remember, you have 60 minutes to complete the exam.”
Similar instructions will be displayed for the Final Exam. They will, however, describe an exam
that is 100 questions and that lasts for 110 minutes.
2. Research Participation. You are required to participate in online psychological research
studies through the psychology department’s Human Participation in Research (HPR)
pool. Studies MUST be online studies hosted at the Human Participation in Research
(HPR) pool from the MSU Psychology Department. Students receive one HPR credit for
every 30 minutes spent in research. The research participation requirement for this course
is 15 HPR credits (approximately 7 hours of research participation). Research
participation must be completed no later than 5 pm (Eastern Daylight) on June 29th,
2010.
Instructions for registering as a participating student in the HPR Subject Pool are posted on
ANGEL. If you have questions or problems with the Subject Pool, please contact the HPR
Subject Pool Secretary, Leslie Baldwin at lbaldwin@msu.edu.
Alternative to research participation. If you wish not to participate in research, you may choose
to complete an alternative assignment. The alternative assignment for this course is a 5-page
research review paper (on a topic of your choosing relevant to psychology). Please contact the
instructor with your choice of topic by June1st and for more details. The research review paper
must be in APA style and contain at least 5 relevant citations. It must be submitted no later
than 5 pm (EST) on June 29th, 2009.
Grading Policy
All of the online exams consist of multiple-choice questions. You may enter an exam
ONLY ONCE. Once you have entered an exam you must submit your answers. The course
system will automatically SAVE your answers every 5 minutes.
Course grades will be computed as follows:
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Four Exams, 50 questions/exam, 2 points/question = 400 points
Final Exam, 100 questions, 1 point/question = 100 points.
Research Participation, 15 HPR Credits, 3.33 points/credit = 50 points.(students who
choose not to participate in research may write an 5-page research review article; see
above and contact the instructor for more details.)
Maximum # of course points = 550
Range Percent Grade
Points
495-550
Percentage
90-100 %
Grade
4.0
467-494
85-89%
3.5
440-466
80-84%
3.0
413-439
75-79%
2.5
385-412
70-74%
2.0
357-384
65-69%
1.5
330-356
60-64%
1.0
Less than 330
0
How do I view my grades in ANGEL?
1. Go to the Report Tab.
2. Choose Report under the Category Setting.
3. Pick Grades from the Drop-Down List.
4. Go over to the Right and click on Run.
5. You will see all your points for each graded activity.
6. By adding up these points you will be able to compare them to the percentage scale in the
syllabus to know your current grades at all times.
REMEMBER:
- NO notes, books, or other material may be used while taking an exam.
- Obtaining or sharing exam information from or with other students is considered cheating.
- Collaborating on exams with other students is considered cheating.
Extra Credit:
You can earn up to 20 points of extra credit by participating in online studies (above and beyond
the required 15 HPR credits), but you must participate before 5 PM (EDT) June 29, 2010.
Studies are worth 4 extra credit points for each additional HPR credit – so you can participate in
up to 20 HPR credits total for the course (15 required HPR credits + 5 extra HPR credits).
Studies MUST be online studies hosted at the Human Participation in Research (HPR) pool from
the MSU Psychology Department. Availability of studies, however, cannot be guaranteed.
Instructions for registering as a participating student in the HPR Subject Pool are posted on
ANGEL. If you have questions or problems with the Subject Pool, please contact the HPR
Subject Pool Secretary, Leslie Baldwin at lbaldwin@msu.edu.
Academic Integrity
Article 2.3.3 of the Academic Freedom Report states that "The student shares with the faculty the
responsibility for maintaining the integrity of scholarship, grades, and professional standards." In
addition, the Department of Psychology adheres to the policies on academic honesty as specified
in General Student Regulations 1.0, Protection of Scholarship and Grades; the all-University
Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades; and Ordinance 17.00, Examinations. (See Spartan
Life: Student Handbook and Resource Guide and/or the MSU Web site: http://www.msu.edu.)
Therefore, unless authorized by the instructor, you are expected to complete all course
assignments without assistance from any source other than the course Web site, textbook, and
ancillary materials you may have chosen to purchase from the publisher when you purchased the
textbook (e.g., access to the publishers website).
You MAY NOT use any student-based websites for completing the work in Psych 101 online.
These sites are known to faculty members who are updated about their contents on a regular
basis by honest students and others concerned with academic integrity. Students who violate
MSU rules may receive a penalty grade of ZERO, applied either to a specific assignment/exam
or to the entire course, the decision to be made by the instructor. In addition, a letter describing
the transgression will be sent to the Dean of you college and the Dean of the Social Science
College.
For more information about permitted and forbidden activities see the very useful web
site prepared by the MSU Ombudsman, http://www.msu.edu/unit/ombud/. When in doubt,
contact the course instructor BEFORE engaging in the activity. Every student is held responsible
for knowing the academic integrity policy at MSU. The policy can be found at
https://www.msu.edu/unit/ombud/RegsOrdsPolicies.html.
Here are some examples of academic dishonesty:
• Having another student provide academic assistance or coaching during an online quiz or test.
• Having another person take a quiz or test for you.
• Copying questions or answers from your online quiz or test and sharing them with another
student.
• Copying questions or answers from your online quiz or test and posting them on a website for
others to view.
• Getting questions and/or answers from students who have already taken an exam or quiz you
are scheduled to take.
• Collaborating with other students on projects or assignments without your instructor's
permission.
Please be aware that ANGEL tracks all student login information. For example, it tracks when
you have logged into ANGEL and when you have logged out. It also tracks when you begin your
quiz and when your quiz is submitted. This is helpful for the instructors because it allows us to
resolve issues if there is a problem with the ANGEL system in terms of logging on and/or
gaining access to the various sections of the site. Tracking can also help us resolve disputes
about exams and assignments, particularly those that are timed. ANGEL tracking also can reveal
academic misconduct. Commercialization of any material in this course is not permitted.
ANGEL Recommendations and Requirements:
Please follow the following suggestions to prevent problems during your participation in this
ANGEL course:
1. Use a recommended browser.
2. Clear your cache and cookies before starting an exam.
3. NEVER have ANGEL open in another browser – ANGEL may register you as “YOU” in
one browser and as a “GUEST” in the other. This can cause significant problems for you. Your
exam can end up with blank sections even after you enter data or it can skip questions.
ANGEL Supported Browsers: Especially Important at Exam Times!
When taking the exam it is important to use a Browser that gets along well with ANGEL! Even
if you use Safari or Opera for much of your everyday activity when it comes to a timed situation,
such as an exam, then there are browsers that ANGEL has been tested on and with which it is
highly compatible. Sometimes students think that Safari has been working fine since the first day
of class but then discover that there are problems during the exam! It is best to play it safe and
use a supported browser. You can see a list of these browsers by looking at the Question Mark
over by the Guide at the left of your course. That is where you find answers to other Help
Questions about ANGEL, too.
Overall the best browser to use is Firefox 3.x.
Recommended Browsers
Windows:
Firefox 3.x (Highly Recommended),
Internet Explorer 7.x
Macintosh:
Firefox 3.x (Highly Recommended)
UNIX/Linux:
Firefox 3.x
If you are not sure about what browser you are using or don't understand how to get Firefox
remember that we have a great Help Desk! Just call 355-2345 or 1-800-500-1554. They are just
as happy to help you prevent a problem as they are to help you in the middle of one.
You can download Firefox at http://www.getfirefox.com/
Please let the Help Desk know if you have any questions. Note that if you are accidentally
disconnected before submitting a completed exam you must e-mail (not phone) the course
instructor IMMEDIATELY. The instructor will attempt to respond within 48 hours, informing
you about whether or not you may re-enter the exam to complete it. Note that only in RARE
instances will such permission be granted.
The best way to avoid technical problems while taking the course exams is to use a FAST
Internet connection (e.g., cable modem, DSL) and a reliable computer. Always plan on
completing an exam BEFORE you enter it.
Accommodations for Disabilities
Students with disabilities should contact the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities to
establish reasonable accommodations. Contact RCPD by phone at (517) 353-9642 (voice) or
(517) 355-1293 (TTY). Visit the RCPD website at http://www.rcpd.msu.edu/Home/
or send them an email at rcpd@msu.edu. Send us your VISA document by email on or before
the first day of class if possible.
GETTING H ELP
Questions about course content: Instructor: Giannina Fehler-Cabral cabralgi@msu.edu
Questions about HPR Subject Pool website: HPR Secretary: Leslie Baldwin, lbaldwin@msu.edu
Questions about technical aspects of the course: ANGEL Technical support: 1-800-500-1554.
Local Help Line: (517) 355-2345. Use of this system is governed by MSU's Acceptable Use
Policy
* Online Course Developed by Professor Linda Jackson. However, please refer to instructor for
any questions about this course.