COURSE:............. (PSYC2314)  ONLINE CLASS

INSTRUCTOR:...Dr. Karen Hoblit

OFFICE HRS: ....Posted at http://www2.victoriacollege.edu/~khoblit/   (by appointment only during interim, contact via course email)  PH#   361-573-3291

Pre-requisite:     Psychology 2301

TEXT: ...............Development Through the Lifespan, 4th Edition, Laura E. Berk,  Allyn and Bacon,  Needham Heights, MA

This course is offered completely online, there is no orientation or any time on campus required.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

COURSE OBJECTIVES/LEARNING OUTCOMES

Because many topics are covered in this course, the student should be prepared to devote ample time to each assignment. Upon completion of this course the student should have passed the following objectives/learning outcomes:

1. Students will know the major personalities important to the field of human growth and development and the ideas, theories, and schools with which they are associated, and the major terms and major concepts associated with this area.

(these performance objectives will be measured by results on the final exam)

Teaching Strategies: This course will be taught using lecture notes, slideshow presentations and interactive learning aids.

ATTENDANCE:

Please see the Victoria College policy on attendance for both on campus and online courses. The instructor has the ability to monitor the online student's progress through the course software and can tell when the student has logged in, and will print out attendance sheets regularly.

The instructor will take attendance as follows:
Spring and Fall 16 week semester:   Be sure to log in to class at least once per week.
Interim Semester: Be sure to log in to class at least once during each 24hr period  to make sure you get credit.
Summer or 8 week Semester:  Be sure to log in to class at least twice per week  to make sure you get credit.
 

During the semester, announcements of importance will be posted on the announcements section of the class site. Always check the course message board for recent postings as well. Attendance  will be taken into consideration when a student's score is within 2 pts  (not percentage points, only raw score points) of the next letter grade after all work has been completed. If you are more than 2 pts away from the next letter grade there will be no way to do make up work or extra credit to move up to the higher grade!  Do not ask. It is the student's responsibility to learn the course materials and to demonstrate his or her knowledge on exams. If you have not performed as well as you would have liked in the class the instructor will not award a grade that was not earned by demonstration of learned knowledge via tests and the homework. No extra credit assignments will be given.

It is  the student's responsibility to drop from the course if circumstances arise in which he or she may no longer participate in the class.
Important Note: Never just stop work on any course. Always go through the standard drop process.
Failing to do so may lead to a grade of "F" rather than a "W."

The student must protect his or her own academic record by completing the drop procedure in order to avoid a possible failing grade at the semester's end. 

GRADING
 

510 points possible as follows:       12 Chapter Exams (ea 30pts).....360    1 Final......................100    Web Homework Assignment........50    TOTAL .........................................................510

Final Grade Scale:    A=90-100%   459-510    B= 80-89%   408-458    C= 70-79%   357-407    D= 60-69%   307-356    F= 00-59%   000-306

To see what you made just add up your  exam scores then add the final and your web homework assignment points earned.  Then see where your score falls in the final grade scale above to see what letter grade you will receive. Make up exams will not be available. Each chapter exam will open at the beginning of the semester so that you will have ample time to get them done. Each, including the final,  will remain open until Tuesday at 11:55PM of finals week (or the final day of interim), and they will no longer be available after that day and time.  You should take each exam as soon as you have mastered the material for its associated chapter. Work at a good pace so that you do not fall behind. Get started as soon as possible. You should do your best to have at least half of the exams completed by midterm so that the instructor can send an estimate of how you're doing to the registrar.

The final will open early in the semester and will close Tuesday at 11:55 of finals week (or the final day of interim), . While it opens early you do not have to take it until finals week (Monday or Tuesday only or last day of interim) if you prefer to wait.   It can be made up if missed but only due to documented emergency type circumstances. It cannot be made up just because you procrastinated too long or forgot the due date. If it is made up an incomplete will be posted for the current semester. The final will then have to be made up at the beginning of the next regular semester when we come back to campus.  The make up will be closed book, closed note and timed. I have had many students fail because they forgot to log in and finish up their exams before the time they all shut down. Don't let this happen to you.

NO EXTRA CREDIT is available. Being able to take the tests at your own pace and also being able to use the book and your notes is the edge you have instead.

COURSE OUTLINE: See Course Homework and Exam Dates & Final Exam Dates, under the Exams option in the course menu.    

ALL OF THESE EXAMS WILL BE GIVEN ONLINE

Each is 15 questions multiple choice and/or short answer and will count 30 points.

 You will have 30 minutes to complete each exam once you open it. That is an average of  2 minutes per question which is twice as long
per question as what my students in Monday, Weds. and Fri. classes on campus get. 

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Final Exam   will be 50 questions, multiple choice and/or short answer, over all chapters covered this semester.
It is worth 100 points amd you will have 150 minutes to complete it.

This will be given online and details on when it will be available are posted in the online class exams area.
I have no way of knowing how to tell you to pinpoint what to study since the computer will randomly
select a few questions from each of the chapters we have covered during the term.
None of the chapter exam questions will appear again on the final.

No feedback on specific questions will be given online in order to preserve the integrity of the tests. The only way you will be able to go over questions you missed will be to make an appointment to see Dr. Hoblit during office hours (see office hour schedule on Dr. Hoblit's faculty website) except for interim or summer terms when Dr. Hoblit may not be in the Victoria area.  However, you must come in before the last week of the term if you want to go over any tests.  No appointments will be available during the last week.  No questions concerning test material will be answered via email.

If for some reason you experience technical problems during an exam you must try your best to finish the exam even if it says you have gone over the time limit. Then immediately email Dr. Hoblit and describe what happened. Also be sure to call the help desk to see if the webct server happened to be down. If you simply have a poor or undependable internet connection it is best to use the computers at the library or on campus to do your exams or to avoid taking online classes that require tests to be taken online.

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ASSIGNMENTS:

TO BEGIN:
The exams area has an icon which takes you to the web homework assignment. The assignment will consist of a few questions about an outside website which is accessed directly from the question being asked. The questions are listed in the same way as your exam questions but they are not timed. You can save them and re-open them as many times as you wish before the date the assignment is due. They are short answer or essay type questions and you should allow about 15 minutes per question.  Each answer will count 1 point. Be sure to look at the due date in the exams area to see when this assignment will no longer be available. The assignment will open the first day of class. You may save your work each time you go into the homework but do not click "finish" until you have answered all the questions.

Make sure to check the actual date and time the assignment closes by clicking on the icon found in the Exams and Homework link and looking at the schedule. You will not be allowed to access the homework assignment once the due date and time passes, therefore try to get it done early.  If you are in the middle of the homework, working at the closing time it will log you out and only what you have already saved will be submitted for a grade.

DUE DATES:
Fall and Spring Semesters: They are due on or before the Friday of week 9 of the semester. Use this semester's course schedule to find out what month and date that is.

I will have to manually grade each one so allow a few days for your score to appear in the grade book after you complete the entire assignment. Be sure to email me to let me know that you have finished the entire assignment (all 50 questions) so I will know it is ready to grade if you finish it before the deadline. It isn't necessary to email me after the deadline since I go in and grade everyone's assignment at that time anyway.  If you do not then see your grade within a week of submitting your completed homework then please email me again to inquire about it. Since this assignment is open the first day of class you should try to work ahead on it  in order to allow for sickness or emergencies that may arise later in the semester. That way you won't have to worry about getting it done right at the deadline. You do not have to read each chapter to answer the questions pertaining to it. They are all self explanatory.  If you run into a link that doesn't work you must email me immediately so that I can update it for you, otherwise you may also search the topic in google and give an answer based on a similar site if time is of the essence.  Do not procrastinate!

I have set up a question and answer discussion forum in the class where you are may "raise your hand" to ask questions about the materials much the same as you would in the traditional classroom.  I will try to check in twice each week (daily during interim)  if possible to post replies. You do not have to submit a question or send an email as proof that you attended class each week. The instructor takes roll from a login tracking tool inside webct.  Only ask a question if you need course material or instructions clarified. If you have concerns or questions that would be best answered privately through email feel free to contact the instructor via the webct email feature.

TECHNICAL INFO:

If you run into problems getting your  login account please contact our help desk at  361-582-2509.

In order to pass this course you must read, read, read!!! There is a lot of information to learn in just a short amount of time.
*Syllabus may be changed at the instructor's discretion. However, no additional assignments will be added.