Tulsa Community College Academic Strategies Online Course Syllabus (ENGL 1003) Section # 490, CRN/Call # 12811 Fall 2012 Instructor Sue Attalla Office Office Hours E-Mail Division Office Division Chair Division Phone Academic and Campus Services ACS Director West Campus, I-106 Please e-mail for appointment susan_attalla@mail.tulsacc.edu Liberal Arts, L-144 Karen Harmon (918) 595-8079 (918) 595-8060 DiAnne Cunningham IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR INTERNET STUDENTS This online Academic Strategies class requires an on-campus midterm and final exam at the West Campus Testing Center. Day and evening options will be available. One Writing Center appointment will also be required. It may be completed on campus at any campus or online with the West Campus writing consultants at wcrwc@tulsacc.edu. In addition to regular assignments, all TCC Academic Strategies students will also complete assignments through MyStudentSuccess Lab. You will receive a MyStudentSuccessLab access code packaged with your text if you buy your text from TCC. That code will allow you access through Blackboard. Please follow course instructions to access MyStudentSuccessLab rather than any instructions that may come packaged with your text. If you do not buy your text from TCC, you will need to purchase the code separately. Although online students should contact their instructor(s) for help with questions related to the subject matter and assignments in Internet courses, students should contact the TCC technical help desk for assistance with technical questions ENGL 1003 (Academic Strategies) Course Syllabus, Section 490, CRN/Call # 12811, Fall 2012 2 concerning Blackboard and MyTCC log-in problems, Blackboard and MyTCC system problems, or Microsoft Office software problems. Contact technical help desk staff by phone: 918-595-2000. Help Desk hours: 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8:00-noon Saturday. Before taking an online course, students must have basic computer skills. For example, online students must know how to create and save files using Microsoft Word and how to use TCC e-mail and send attachments. Microsoft Office, which includes Word, is available to all students free of charge if downloaded through Blackboard or can be purchased on CD at the TCC bookstore for approximately $12. The TCC software license allows you to load MS Office 2010 on one home computer. Internet courses are rarely self-paced. Consequently, students in online courses must keep up with the due dates of assignments. This course has definite due dates. See "Late Assignments" section for details of this course's policy. All assignments will be available at least one week before due, and all due dates will be clearly posted in Blackboard Assignments folder. You are responsible for scheduling your time to meet the due dates. By TCC policy, students who do not participate in the class during the first two weeks of a 16-week class or first week of an 8-week class will be dropped from the class. In addition, students who do not participate in discussions, do not submit assignments, or do not communicate with the instructor during any consecutive two-week period later in the semester may be administratively withdrawn from the course at the individual instructor’s discretion. Students who remain enrolled but do not submit work should expect the consequences of unfinished assignments. It is crucial for all students to play active parts in their courses throughout the semester, whether those courses are traditional or online sections. E-MAIL COMMUNICATION BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR INSTRUCTOR Always feel free to contact me with questions. I typically reply to e-mails twice a day, including weekends. You will find my email address near the top of page 1. I will send all communication to your MyTCC e-mail, and you should check your MyTCC inbox daily. This is the official e-mail program for all TCC studentfaculty-staff communication and, therefore, the e-mail that you must use. Because of the frequent spam received, I do not open and reply to e-mail coming from anonymous username e-mail addresses. If you forward your MyTCC e-mail to another address, you are still expected to communicate from your MyTCC account. You may, however, contact me directly through Blackboard e-mail. Messages sent through Blackboard will come to me with your MyTCC email address as the sender, and my replies will automatically go to your MyTCC email inbox. Blackboard email is a convenient means of contact while you are working inside Blackboard. You will find a link to Blackboard e-mail on our course menu. ENGL 1003 (Academic Strategies) Course Syllabus, Section 490, CRN/Call # 12811, Fall 2012 3 To check your TCC e-mail, go to http://mail.tulsacc.edu or click on the MyTCC link on Blackboard or on the TCC homepage. ASSIGNMENT GRADING You can expect assignments, quizzes, and exams to be graded within a week of the posted deadline. Often they will be graded earlier, but depending on the deadlines in my other classes, please allow up to a week. COURSE PREREQUISITE AND TRANSFERABILITY This course has no prerequisite, and is typically transferable to other colleges and universities offering similar academic success courses. Transferability is determined by the institution to which a student transfers. CATALOG DESCRIPTION ENG 1003 is designed to improve academic performance and enhance skills in time management, reading, concentration and memory, test-taking, note-taking, and critical thinking. Special emphasis will be placed on discussion and writing. College orientation materials will be included. NEXT COURSE IN SEQUENCE None REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND OTHER MATERIALS Kathleen McWhorter. Study and Critical Thinking Skills in College, Custom edition for TCC. Pearson-Prentice Hall, 2011. A MyStudentSuccess Lab access code will be packaged with your text. Save this code in a safe place where you will not lose it. DO NOT try to log in to MyStudentSuccess Lab until assigned to do so. You will need my instructions to access your assignments. Loss of the code bundled with your text will mean purchasing an additional stand-alone code. Buying from any other source (including a past student) will mean that you may be missing important pages of the text previously submitted for assignments and that you will not have the required MyStudentSuccess Lab access code. You cannot use a code previously used by another student. Each code works only for one website registration. I strongly encourage you to purchase your textbook in person at Northeast Campus (Harvard and Apache). Northeast is the campus that handles Internet ENGL 1003 (Academic Strategies) Course Syllabus, Section 490, CRN/Call # 12811, Fall 2012 4 course texts. Write down or print out the names of the authors and texts; doing so will enable you to avoid possible wrong purchases. Do not purchase any text without verifying that you are buying the text for the precise course that you have enrolled in. A wrong edition will not work for this class. Also, if you buy from any other source, you will not have the custom TCC pages. In addition to the text and the MYSTUDENTSUCCESS Lab access code, you will need the following supplies: 3x5 index cards (lined or unlined) for course terms A 1-inch flexible plastic 3-ring binder for your portfolio. Please do not buy the larger, heavier stiff-cover binders. The light-weight flexible ones are easy for me to carry from campus to home and back and are very inexpensive for you to buy (approximately $1) for the least expensive style. Chapter dividers for your portfolio. The simple old-fashioned inexpensive Manila ones are fine. Dividers must have tabs that you can label with chapter numbers and other specified labels. (A Week 1 assignment will provide portfolio set-up instructions.) COURSE OBJECTIVES Students should be able to: 1. Use personal and social strategies to succeed in and enjoy the college experience; 2. Identify and apply college and academic terminology; 3. Construct short-term and long-term goals, balancing personal skills, interests, personality, and values; 4. Construct and monitor weekly/monthly time plans to balance work, school, family, and social activities; 5. Locate and apply college resources and support systems and incorporate these into the learning process (MyTCC Email, Blackboard, Career/Advisement Centers, Financial Aid, Learning Resources Center, computer labs, and support labs (writing, reading, and math labs) 6. Analyze and modify study techniques and behavior patterns to successfully complete homework, reading assignments, exams, and special projects; Demonstrate effective note taking techniques across the disciplines; Demonstrate effective test taking strategies for objective and essay exams; Use techniques for improving memory and concentration; 7. Apply critical and creative thinking skills to identify and solve academic and social problems (including math and science strategies, collaborative learning, and conflict resolution; 8. Apply writing process skills to written work; Demonstrate application of basic paragraph and essay organizational techniques; Use mechanics of English correctly (i.e. grammar, punctuation, and spelling); ENGL 1003 (Academic Strategies) Course Syllabus, Section 490, CRN/Call # 12811, Fall 2012 5 9. Demonstrate transference of skills learned to other coursework during the semester. GENERAL EDUCATION GOAL STATEMENT General Education Goals are designed to ensure that graduates of Tulsa Community College have skills, knowledge, and attitudes to carry them successful through their work and their personal lives. General Education goals most applicable to this course include Critical Thinking, Effective Communication, and Technological Proficiency. INSTITUTIONAL STATEMENT Each student is responsible for being aware of information contained in the TCC catalog, TCC Student Handbook, TCC Code of Conduct Policy Handbook, and semester information in the Class Schedule. EVALUATION PROCEDURES The number of points that you earn will determine your grade in this class. Assignments Points Possible Internet Orientation points “Homework”: MyStudentSuccessLab and Blackboard portfolio assignments (midterm check 85; final check 70) 9 online discussions (15 pts. each) 15 chapter quizzes (15 points each) Thesis-outline-introduction assignment Writing Project (includes required tutoring session, 10 pts.) ON-CAMPUS Midterm Exam ON-CAMPUS Final Exam TOTAL POINTS 10 155 135 225 25 100 175 175 1000 GRADING SCALE You will earn your grade based on the points you accumulate. Any assignment not submitted by the deadline will earn a score of 0. A standard college grading scale will apply to this course: 90-100% = A, 80-89% = B, 7079% = C, 60-69% = D, 0- 59% = F. Translated into points, with 1000 possible, grades will be based on this point scale: A = 900-1000 B = 800-899 C = 700-799 D = 600-699 F = 0 - 599 ENGL 1003 (Academic Strategies) Course Syllabus, Section 490, CRN/Call # 12811, Fall 2012 6 LATE ASSIGNMENTS Some Academic Strategies assignments completed within Blackboard, such as quizzes and writing assignments, will automatically disappear after the due date. Therefore, if you log on to complete an assignment after a deadline, you will find the work unavailable. Some assignments, such as discussions, will not disappear but will earn credit only when submitted before the deadline. You will have until the end of the due day (11:59 p.m.) to submit an assignment; you may, of course, submit assignments any time before the deadline. This includes submitting assignments on earlier days. Missed assignments mean lost points. To avoid missed points when unforeseen conflicts arise at the last minute, I suggest working at least one day ahead of the deadline. EXAM POLICY You must complete the on-campus midterm and on-campus final exam at West Campus by the scheduled dates. These dates are listed on your course agenda and will also be posted on the course’s Announcements page approximately two weeks before each exam. Flexibility will be built into the schedule to allow for varying personal schedules, but you must complete each exam before the exam deadline. E-MAILS AND DISCUSSION BOARD POSTINGS You should regard e-mail and discussion board postings as you would a professional business letter or memo written in the workplace. These messages should use correct capitalization, grammar, sentence structure, and spelling. You should write out full words rather than using shortcuts and abbreviations that you might use with e-mails or text messages to friends. Your e-mails and discussion postings should come to the point while also developing your points with pertinent supporting detail. Remember, too, that e-mail and discussion board postings are not entirely private. Do not write anything that you would not want to have circulated among several other people. Again, this policy follows standard business practice. Employees are sometimes fired for inappropriate e-mail messages. You may e-mail me with any class-related question. However, please do not send me "junk" e-mails. While I love to laugh, I can't spare the time for all the funny jokes or inspirational messages that regularly circulate on the Internet. See netiquette rules posted on our Blackboard site for other email requirements. ENGL 1003 (Academic Strategies) Course Syllabus, Section 490, CRN/Call # 12811, Fall 2012 7 WITHDRAWAL FROM CLASS The deadline for withdrawal from a course shall not exceed ¾ the duration of any class. Check the TCC Academic Calendar for the deadline that applies to the course(s) you are taking. Begin the process with a discussion with the faculty member assigned to the course. Contact the Advisement Office at any TCC campus to initiate withdrawal from a course (“W” grade) or to change from Credit to Audit. Withdrawal and/or change to an audit from a course after the drop/add period can alter the financial aid award for the current and future semesters. Students may receive an outstanding bill from TCC if the recalculation leaves a balance due to TCC. Students who stop participating in the course and fail to withdraw may receive a course grade of “F,” which may have financial aid consequences for the student. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Deliberate plagiarism is claiming, indicating, or implying that the ideas, sentences, or words of another writer or student are your own. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, having another writer/student do work claimed to be your own, copying the work of another and presenting it as your own, copying answers from an answer key and submitting them as your own, or following the work of another as a guide to ideas and expressions that are then presented as your own. Suspected plagiarism in this course will result in grade reduction on the assignment. Proven plagiarism will result in a zero on the assignment. At times, close friends or family members enroll in the same traditional or online course. In all cases, each student must complete his or her own work. Any other forms of academic dishonesty--for example, cheating on a homework assignment, exam, or quiz-- will result in a zero on the assignment and possible failure of the course. This includes submitting matching Blackboard assignments. For more detail, see the posted TCC Academic Integrity Statement. You will find it in the Course Information area of our Blackboard site. READING AND WRITING ADVICE Metro Campus Communications/Writing Lab, 918-595-7240 Northeast Campus FACET Center, 918-595-7592 Southeast Campus Communications/Writing Lab, 918-595-7749 West Campus Reading and Writing Center, 918-595-8063; West Campus Reading Writing Center e-mail: wcrwc@tulsacc.edu The West Campus Reading and Writing Center, located in the Technology Learning Center (TLC), provides free reading and writing support to all TCC classes. Writing consultants can help you build strong analytic reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Additionally, you can receive help with source ENGL 1003 (Academic Strategies) Course Syllabus, Section 490, CRN/Call # 12811, Fall 2012 8 documentation and Internet research strategies for any class for which you might need that assistance. You are welcome and encouraged to seek assistance from the writing consultants on the nearest campus. However, our required tutoring appointment demands that the writing consultant send me proof of your consultation. If you seek advice for that assignment at any campus other than West, you must have the writing consultant contact me through his or her official TCC e-mail account. You will not receive credit for the appointment unless the writing consultant contacts me and provides information about the session. ADA POLICY/ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS DISABILITY RESOURCES: It is the policy and practice of Tulsa Community College to create inclusive learning environments. Accommodations for qualifying students in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act are available. To request accommodations, contact the Education Access Center (EAC) at eac@tulsacc.edu or call (918) 595-7115 (Voice). Deaf and hard of hearing students may text (918) 809-1864.