Halko, Heather M.

English

University of Montana

University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Syllabi Course Syllabi 1-2015 PSYX 100S.50: Introduction to Psychology - Online Heather M. Halko University of Montana - Missoula, heather.halko@umontana.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi Let us know how access to this document benefits you. Recommended Citation Halko, Heather M., "PSYX 100S.50: Introduction to Psychology - Online" (2015). Syllabi. 2803. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi/2803 This Syllabus is brought to you for free and open access by the Course Syllabi at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Syllabi by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact scholarworks@mso.umt.edu. PSYX 100.50:  Introduction to Psychology Spring 2015 Instructor Information Instructor:   Heather Halko Email:  heather.halko@umontana.edu  Office:  Skaggs 053 Office Hours:   Thursdays 12:40-3:00 p.m. and by appointment   Psychology Department Website Required Text:  Psychology: Themes and Variations by Wayne Weiten, 9th Edition Optional Material: PsykTrek CD-ROM and/or Themes and Variations Study Guide  Course Description: Psychology is the scientific study of human and animal behavior and mental processes. You will learn to understand the nature, structure and historical development of human organizations and relationships, including how these events shaped the field of contemporary psychology.  Utilizing multiple psychological theories (i.e., psychodynamic, behavioral, physiological, social, cognitive), you will be taught how the human mind—the basic building block of all human organizations and relationships—functions.  Further, by being exposed to actual research results throughout the term, and discussing the meaning of those results, you will learn how to interpret and think about psychological research data.  As a survey course, Introduction to Psychology provides an overview of the methods, terms, theories, and findings in the field of psychology. By understanding principles of psychology, you will learn more about yourself, others, non-human animals, and relationships.  Course Assignments & Grading Criteria: Assignments for this class include quizzes, labs, and discussions. Quizzes The week 1 quiz is comprised of 5 multiple-choice questions (1 point each) and 5 essay questions (5 points each) and is worth 30 points total. For the remainder of the weeks, the weekly quiz is comprised of 30 multiple-choice questions and is worth a total of 30 points. These assignments test your knowledge of the reading material for each week. You are only allowed 1 attempt for each quiz, so please read the assigned readings before attempting to complete the quizzes.  Lab Assignments Lab assignments are supplements to the required readings, quizzes, and discussions in class. Each lab assignment will be described in full detail under “Labs.”  There are 5 lab assignments across the semester, and they are worth 40 points each.  Discussions The Discussion Board assignments are the participation and essay portions of the course.  Doing well on these assignments requires consistent and detailed participation each week. Grades are based on (1) attendance and (2) quality of your posts.  Discussion Board assignments do not include any posts made in the “Q & A” or “Welcome” Discussions. Full credit requires high quality and maximum frequency posts. The two charts below explain how your discussion posts are graded.  ATTENDANCE GRADING (30 points possible per week) Students must post (respond) a minimum of 3 separate days per week. You can post more than three days, and post more than three times, but at a minimum, you must post on three separate days.  3 days 30 points 2 days 20 points 1 day 10 points 0 days 0 points Once the number of days is calculated, students are then graded based on their contributions to the discussion. The following points are deducted, not added, from the points earned above, to yield a final weekly “attendance” score. (Students cannot earn negative points. The lowest score is a zero.) Students must make a post to EACH discussion question (DQ) in the weekly discussion forum.   Each week DQ#1 post is due by Monday @ 11:55 p.m., and DQ#2 post is due by Wednesday @ 11:55 p.m.  2 DQ’s 0 pts lost 1 DQ 15 pts lost 0 DQ’s 30 pts lost Each day late 1 pts lost Students must post (respond) to a minimum of 4 of their peers. You can post to more than 4; but at a minimum, you must reply to 4 of your peers.   This promotes student engagement with each other, rather than just responding to the DQ’s posted by the instructor. 4 peers 0 pts lost 3 peers 1 pt lost 2 peers 2 pts lost 1 peer 3 pts lost 0 peers 4 pts lost Once I have calculated your final weekly “attendance” score, then I grade the quality of your posts, as explained below. Again, the following points are deducted, not added, from the final weekly “attendance” score, to yield a final weekly “Discussion” score. (Students cannot earn negative points. The lowest score is a zero.) Students must to make detailed and thoughtful posts that reflect an appropriate application of emerging knowledge and vocabulary in the topic area. Each post must add value to the discussion and be related to the required readings for the week. Below are additional details of how I grade the quality of your posts. Superior 0 pts lost Above Average 3 pts lost Average 6 pts lost Below Average 9 pts lost Unacceptable 12 pts lost Superior:  Your contributions demonstrate a complete mastery of the materials assigned. Your responses might integrate multiple views and/or show strong analysis and reflection on topics and other student’s posts. You provide evidence that you are reading the assigned materials and other student postings and are responding accordingly, bringing out interesting interpretations. You know the facts and are able to analyze them, apply them to real life scenarios and handle conceptual ideas. It is highly unlikely that you could get full credit in less than two paragraphs. Above Average:  Your responses build on the ideas of other participants and dig deeper into assignment questions or issues. When you make intelligent posts during the week, including some good critique of the course material, then you have demonstrated you have an understanding of the material, are reading posts of your colleagues, and are contributing to the class. Your posts demonstrate confidence with the materials, but may be just a bit off target in one area or another.  Average:  You have meaningful interaction with other participants' postings. Posts that state, “I agree” or “I disagree” and include a detailed explanation of what is disagreed or agreed upon and why, or introduce a perspective or concept that adds to the discussion. However, you may have rambling, lengthy posts with no clear point, your writing has a lack of clarity and comprehension, or there are considerable typos and grammatical errors.  Below Average:  You answer questions asked by me or other students but do not expand upon your response or you answer questions based only on your opinion, rather than on research or proper evidence. Your posts are unusually short (one paragraph or less) and you fail to demonstrate a clear working knowledge of the material covered for the week.  Unacceptable:  You will receive little credit in the week's discussion by just showing up and making trivial comments, without adding any new thought to the discussion. At the low end of the spectrum, no participation gets a "0." If you are not in the discussion, you do not earn any points. Comments such as “I agree” or other one-sentence responses will result in zero points. Copying and pasting from a website without providing your own substantial insight is also an unacceptable post- even if you have properly cited your sources. This assignment is an assessment of your understanding of the information covered in this class. Copying and pasting from websites does not demonstrate a working knowledge of the material. Special Note:  I check very carefully for plagiarism in the discussion posts. If you have plagiarized, you will get a zero for the entire assignment. If you plagiarize a second time, you will fail the course. If you engage in flaming behavior in the posts, you will get a zero for the entire assignment. Course Grading:  Your final grade for the course will consist of scores on weekly quizzes, discussion posts, and lab exercises. Your final grade is the percentage of the total points earned divided by total possible points. There is no course curve in this class. The following chart breaks down the points for each assignment type. Quizzes (15 @ 30 points per quiz) 450 points possible Discussion Posts (15 @ 30 points per week) 450 points possible Lab Exercises (5 @ 40 points per lab) 200 points possible Total Points 1,100 points possible  The following chart shows the Grade scale for the Final Course grade.    Final Course Grade # Points Percentage A 984 – 1,100 89.5% - 100% B 874 – 983 79.5% – 89% C 764 – 873 69.5% – 79% D 654 – 763 59.5% – 69% F 0 – 653 < 59.5% Course Schedule  Units Readings Quizzes & Discussions Lab Assignment Week 1 1/26-1/30  *Netiquette Guidelines *Questionnaire-Online Learning Study  *Habits Questionnaire *Time Management Calendar  Week 1 Discussion Week 1 Quiz  Week 2 1/31-2/6 *Chapter 1: The Evolution of Psychology Week 2 Discussion Week 2 Quiz Lab #1 Assigned Week 3 2/7-2/13 *Chapter 2: The Research Enterprise in Psychology Week 3 Discussion Week 3 Quiz Lab #1 due   Week 4 2/14-2/20 *Chapter 3: The Biological Bases of Behavior Week 4 Discussion Week 4 Quiz Lab #2 Assigned Week 5 2/21-2/27 *Chapter 4: Sensation and Perception  Week 5 Discussion Week 5 Quiz  Week 6 2/28-3/6 *Chapter 5: Variations in Consciousness Week 6 Discussion Week 6 Quiz Lab #2 due  Week 7 3/7-3/13 *Chapter 6: Learning  Week 7 Discussion Week 7 Quiz Lab #3 Assigned Week 8 3/14-3/20 *Chapter 7: Human Memory  Week 8 Discussion Week 8 Quiz  Week 9  3/21-3/27 *Chapter 8: Language and Thought  Week 9 Discussion Week 9 Quiz Lab #3 due Spring Break 3/28-4/3 Week 10 4/4-4/10 *Chapter 10: Motivation and Emotion Week 10 Discussion Week 10 Quiz Lab #4 assigned Week 11 4/11-4/17 *Chapter 11: Human Development Across the Life Span Week 11 Discussion Week 11 Quiz  Week 12 4/18-4/24 *Chapter 12: Personality  Week 12 Discussion Week 12 Quiz Lab #4 due  Week 13 4/25-5/1 *Chapter 15: Psychological Disorders  Week 13 Discussion Week 13 Quiz Lab #5 assigned Week 14 5/2-5/8 *Chapter 16: Treatment of Psychological Disorders Week 14 Discussion Week 14 Quiz  Finals Week: 5/9-5/15 *Chapter 13: Social Behavior  Week 15 Discussion Week 15 Quiz Lab #5 due  Course Policies Announcements Students are responsible for all announcements made in class. These may include changes in policy, due dates, or assignment requirements. Announcements will be posted in the announcements section of the course or are directly emailed to the students. Technology Policies  Please contact UM Online if you experience technical difficulties. Though I would love to be able to help, I am not qualified to do so. Critical Note: I do not allow technical issues or not having the proper software as reasons for late or incomplete work. To ensure your own protection, please keep technical support contact information available offline and please do not wait until the last minute to complete your work each week! To access technical support (and save their contact information offline) please click on the "Tech Support" link to the left of the page.   Technical Alternatives  Keep in mind your technical alternatives if you have computer difficulties. If you live near the University, campus computers are an option. Otherwise, consider the public library, an internet café, a computer at work, or a friend or family member’s computer. Have a plan of action in mind so that you can complete the required work each week if an issue arises.   System and Software Requirements  Please refer to the UMOnline web page that lists downloads and plug-ins that you may need to complete your course.  Assignment Due Dates, Late Work, and Make-up Work  Assignments are due every week on Friday by 11:55 pm MST. Please be sure to start your assignments early enough to complete them by the time the week closes.   Students cannot, under any circumstance, make up the discussion posts assignment. Due to the interactive nature of this assignment, students must be engaged in this process throughout the week each week in order to receive credit.   Late assignments (i.e., those submitted after the designated due date) will incur a 10% penalty deducted from the total possible points for an assignment.  An additional 10% will be deducted for each day the assignment is late. To make up missed assignments it is mandatory that you (1) notify your Instructor before the time of the assignment and (2) provide proper documentation verifying the reason for your absence. Examples of proper documentation include a medical note or a death or family emergency. Remember, prior notification and documentation is mandatory! You can provide documentation by (a) scanning and emailing the documents, (2) mailing the documents, or (3) bringing them by my office during office hours. I do not allow students to make up work until I have received the proper documents. Grades of Incomplete  Departmental and university policies regarding incompletes do not allow changing “incomplete” grades after one year has passed since the “I” was granted.   Academic Misconduct  All students must practice academic honesty. Academic misconduct is subject to an academic penalty by the course instructor and/or a disciplinary sanction by the University. All students need to be familiar with the Student Conduct Code.   Plagiarism  The Student Conduct Code discusses plagiarism. However, it is a serious offense worth re-mentioning. This course requires students to adhere to APA format when citing, paraphrasing, or referencing sources. If you have plagiarized, either intentionally or accidentally, you will receive a zero on the entire assignment. If you plagiarize a second time, you will fail the course.   Netiquette  Students must engage in proper “netiquette.”  Netiquette, or “network etiquette,” is a professional and mannerly way of communicating with others in the online medium. Failure to engage in proper netiquette will result in earning a zero for each assignment where an incident has occurred.   Disability modifications The University of Montana assures equal access to instruction through collaboration between students with disabilities, instructors, and Disability Services for Students.  If you think you may have a disability adversely affecting your academic performance, and you have not already registered with Disability Services, please contact Disability Services in Lommasson Center 154 or call 406.243.2243.  I will work with you and Disability Services to provide an appropriate modification. Dropping/Adding/Changing grade option Please refer to the Registrar's website for Add/Drop/Change options   

PSYX 100S.50: Introduction to Psychology - Online

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PSYX 100S.50: Introduction to Psychology - Online

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