Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Course Syllabus
US/101 Introduction to University Studies Course Start Date: 3/04/2013 Course End Date: 5/04/2013
Please print a copy of this syllabus for handy reference. Whenever there is a question about what assignments are due, please remember this syllabus is considered the ruling document .
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Course Description
The essential information, skills, tools, and techniques necessary for academic success and personal effectiveness at University of Phoenix are introduced in this course. The course develops and applies practical knowledge and skills immediately relevant to first-year university students. Course topics include goal setting and working with personal motivation, understanding and using university resources, developing efficient study habits, making the most of personal learning styles, and how best to manage time and reduce personal stress levels.
Facilitator Information
Jerry Knight jknight15@email.phoenix.edu (University of Phoenix) jerry.knight@att.net (Personal) 951-303-7888 (Pacific Standard Time)
Facilitator Availability
I am usually available between the hours of 4 pm 9 pm, California time in your classroom. I do reserve Saturdays for my family so I will not be online during that time. I provide you with these times to make it easier to communicate with me, not to limit our contact. Should you need to contact me outside these time frames, you should not hesitate to do so. If you post a question to your Individual Forum I will respond to you the next time I check into class, with a goal of responding within 24 hours! If you would like to speak by phone, you may certainly call me. To ensure you reach me, please post a request for phone communication in your Individual Forum to set up a time for you to call me. Be sure to include your phone number and the time zone. I am here to help you succeed in any way I can.
For emergencies, when you are not able to gain access to messages on the Online Learning System (OLS), please send a message to my personal email address. In the event a third party needs to contact me, please direct them to my contact information listed under "facilitator information." No third party should use your login credentials to gain access to the classroom.
Facilitator Bio
To introduce myself more fully, I am posting my biography in a separate note to our Chat Room forum. After you have read my bio, please post a bio about yourselfI look forward to getting to know you!
Words of Welcome
Welcome to US/101, Introduction to University Studies. I congratulate you on your decision to complete your Associates degree. I will do everything I can to ensure the next nine weeks will be a stimulating learning experience for all of us. If you ever have questions or need additional guidance, please feel free to contact me. Together, I trust we will have a challenging and rewarding class experience.
Chat-Room: This is a read-and-write access forum. It is designed as a place to discuss issues not related to
the course content. This is the forum to which we will send our bios.
Course-Materials: This is a read-only forum, which means you can read messages here but cannot send
any. This is where I will post the course syllabus and materials.
Individual Forum: You will see one forum with your name on it. This is a private forum, shared only by you
and me, the facilitator. Your classmates will not have access to this forum. This is where you will post your individual assignments, and where I will post your feedback. You can also ask questions here. However, if you have general questions about instructions of assignments, please post those in the Main forum, since other students may benefit by that exchange as well.
Course Materials
The assignment materials and syllabus may vary from those posted on your Materials page for this course. When in doubt, always refer back to this Course Syllabus for exact assignments and instructions. All assignments and additional reading assignments will be posted in the Course Materials forum. You will still need to refer to your Materials page on eCampus to access to the required reading assignments.
Grade Book
All assignments and Check points will be submitted to your assignments link which is directly connected to the grade book. Assignments must be submitted using Microsoft word, excel, or power point. No other file extension will be accepted.
Technical Support
Technical Support is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call 1-877-832-4867, or use the e-mail support form. Answers to the most common issues are found in the Knowledge Base by clicking Help, found at the top of every student Website.
Feedback
Each week, I will provide grades or scores and comments on your assignments. I will send feedback to your Individual forum.
Grading Formula
Points 950+ Grade A
900-949 A870-899 B+ 840-869 B 800-839 B770-799 C+ 740-769 C 700-739 C670-699 D+ 640-669 D 600-639 D<599 F
Details
Objectives 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Describe University of Phoenix classroom expectations. Identify classroom resources required for student success. Describe the University Learning Goals. Describe academic skills and their application to professional development.
Due
Points
Reading Reading
Read Ch. 1 of Your College Experience. Read the following sections in Ch. 15 of Your College Experience: "Confessions of a College Student" "Understanding Diversity and the Source of our Beliefs" "Forms of Diversity" "Discrimination, Prejudice and Insensitivity on College Campuses" "Challenging Yourself to Experience Diversity"
Audio University Goals & Collaborative Learning Tutorial MyFoundationsL ab Tour and Path Builder
Listen to the University Goals and Collaborative Learning audio lecture located on the student website.
Get acquainted with MyFoundationsLab, a website resource youll use throughout the course. Click the MyFoundationsLab link on the student website. Click the Browser Check link to ensure you can access materials. Click the Take a Tour link for an orientation to MyFoundationsLab.
Complete the Writing Path Builder in MyFoundationsLab. Participation Discussion Questions Individual Connecting the Dots Participate in class discussion. Respond to weekly discussion questions. Review your Writing Learning Path in MyFoundationsLab and what youve learned about online education this week. Respond to the following questions in 50 to 100 words each: What were the suggested next steps in your MyFoundationsLab Learning Path? How do the skills apply to your academic life? How do the skills apply to your professional life? Weekly Weekly Day 7 10 10 50
Were you surprised by the results? Why or why not? Submit your work to your instructor.
Due
Points
Reading Reading Reading Tutorial Reasonable (SMART) Goal Setting Video Effective Time Management Participation Discussion Questions Individual Career Goals
Read Ch. 2 of Your College Experience. Read Ch. 6 of Your College Experience. Read Ch. 16 of Your College Experience. Watch the Reasonable (SMART) Goal Setting tutorial on the Pearson website.
Watch the Effective Time Management video on the student website. Participate in class discussion. Respond to weekly discussion questions. By completing the Career Plan activities in this course, you are creating a career plan that can help you focus on your career goals and relate those goals to your work in this course and throughout your academic program. You must complete each activity to proceed with building My Career Plan in the following weeks. For additional information, review the My Career Plan Student Guide on the Career Plan website. Weekly Weekly Day 7 10 10 90
Access My Career Plan in Phoenix Career Services located on the student website. Complete the Career Interest Profiler if you have not done so in a previous course.
Complete the Career Plan Building Activity: Competencies. Obtain a screenshot of your results from the Career Plan Building Activity: Competencies. To obtain a screenshot: 1. Press Alt + Print Screen on your computer keyboard to create a screen shot. 2. Open a blank Microsoft Word document. 3. Press Ctrl + V on your keyboard to paste the screen shot into the document. Complete the University of Phoenix Material: Goal Setting Worksheet located on the student website. Submit both a screen shot of your Career Plan Building Activity: Competencies results and the University of Phoenix Material: Goal Setting Worksheet as directed by your instructor.
Due
Points
Reading Reading Reading Review Tutorial Using Multiple Intelligences Nongraded Activity My Foundations Lab: Study Strategies
Complete the following activities for each unit: Participation Discussion Questions Individual Your Ideal Workplace Overview Interactive Activity Self-Check Weekly Weekly Day 7 10 10 80
Participate in class discussion. Respond to weekly discussion questions. Access My Career Plan in Phoenix Career Services located on the student website. Complete the Career Plan Building Activity: Work Culture Preferences. Obtain a screenshot of your results: 1. Press Alt + Print Screen on your computer keyboard to create a screen shot. 2. Open a blank Microsoft Word document. 3. Press Ctrl + V on your keyboard to paste the screen shot into the document. Complete the Effective Study Habits Worksheet. (The Week Three readings, Career Plan sections completed in Weeks Two and Three, and MyFoundationsLab activities may be helpful resources for completing the worksheet.) Submit the screenshot of your Career Plan Building Activity: Work Culture Preferences results and the University of Phoenix Material: Effective Study Habits Worksheet to your instructor.
Due
Points
10
o o
Concentrating When You Read and Study Getting the Most from Your Reading
Complete the following activities for each unit: Participation Discussion Questions Individual Reading Comprehension Worksheet Overview Interactive Activity Self-Check Weekly Weekly Day 7 10 10 80
Participate in class discussion. Respond to weekly discussion questions. Review the MyFoundationsLab activities from this week and what you have learned about reading comprehension. Complete the Reading Comprehension Worksheet. Submit your worksheet as directed by your instructor.
Due
Points
11
Complete Mastery Test I, Mastery Test II, and Mastery III Review any other sections within Grammar Mechanics where you feel you may need additional practice.
Additional Resources from the Center for Writing Excellence: Grammar Girl Podcasts: Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing located on the student website. Video Academic vs. Casual Written Communication Participation Discussion Questions Individual My Foundations Lab: Sentence Skills Watch Academic vs. Casual Written Communication located on the student website.
Participate in class discussion. Respond to weekly discussion questions. Resource: MyFoundationsLab Student Help Weeks 4 & 5 Complete the Skills Check for Sentence Skills. Access the following components in MyFoundationsLab: Writing: Sentence Skills o o o Sentence Structure Fragments Run-ons
10 10 50
Complete the following activities for each unit: Overview Animation Practice the Skills 1 Post-Test
Note. If you achieved the Mastery Score on the Skills Check, you do not need to complete the activities. Individual My Foundations Lab: Punctuation Resource: MyFoundationsLab Student Help Weeks 4 & 5 Complete the Skills Check for Punctuation, Mechanics, and Spelling. Access the following components in MyFoundationsLab: Writing: Punctuation, Mechanics, and Spelling o o o Commas Final Punctuation Quotation Marks Day 7 50
12
o o o o o
Other Punctuation Apostrophes Abbreviations and Numbers Capitalization Writing: Punctuation, Mechanics, and Spelling
Complete the following activities for each unit: Overview Animation Practice the Skills 1 Post-Test
Note. If you achieved the Mastery Score on the Skills Check, you do not need to complete the activities.
Due
Points
Video Center for Writing Excellence (CWE) Video Center for Mathematics Excellence (CME) Participation Discussion Questions Individual Discovering Your Aptitude
Watch the Center for Mathematics Excellence video located on the student website.
Participate in class discussion. Respond to weekly discussion questions. Access My Career Plan in Phoenix Career Services located on the student website. Complete the Career Plan Building Activity: Reasoning Aptitude. (You will use these results in Week Eight assignment Ethical Lens Reflection and Week Nine assignment Student Course Reflection.) Submit a screenshot of your results to your instructor.
10 10 10
13
1. Press Alt + Print Screen on your computer keyboard to create a screen shot. 2. Open a blank Microsoft Word document. 3. Press Ctrl + V on your keyboard to paste the screen shot into the document. Individual University Library Tutorial Complete the University Library research tutorial. To access the tutorial: In the Library Tab, select University Library In the Library Services menu to the right of the page, select View the Research Tutorial. Day 5 25
Submit a screen shot of the Your Area of Study screen as proof of completion, as directed by your instructor. 1. Press Alt + Print Screen on your computer keyboard to create a screen shot. 2. Open a blank Microsoft Word document. 3. Press Ctrl + V on your keyboard to paste the screen shot into the document. Individual Reliable Sources Worksheet Locate three sources in the University Library on a topic of your choice. Refer to the University Library tutorial for information about finding sources. Complete Reliable Sources Worksheet. Submit your worksheet as directed by your instructor. Day 7 50
Due
Points
Reading Reading
Reading
14
Participate in class discussion. Respond to weekly discussion questions. Complete the Ethical Lens Inventory, located on the student website. Submit a screen shot as directed by your instructor: 1. Press Alt + Print Screen on your computer keyboard to create a screen shot. 2. Open a blank Microsoft Word document. 3. Press Ctrl + V on your keyboard to paste the screen shot into the document. Note: You will use the Ethical Lens Inventory in the Week Eight assignment. You can print a copy of your results for reference or return to the Ethical Lens Inventory site to view your results.
10 10 50
Complete the CWE Plagiarism Mastery Test located on the student website. OR Navigate to the Plagiarism Mastery Test in the Center for Writing Excellence. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Click the Library tab. Click Center for Writing Excellence. Click Tutorials & Guides. Scroll down to Plagiarism Tutorial. Click Plagiarism Guide. Click Avoiding Plagiarism Mastery Test at the bottom of the page.
Day 7
20
Copy your results to a Microsoft Word document and post the assignment as a Word attachment by Week Seven Day 7 (Sunday). When you finish the test, click Copy to Clipboard. Paste the results by opening a blank Word document and pressing Ctrl + V.
Due
Points
15
Read Ch. 5 of Your College Experience. Participate in class discussion. Respond to weekly discussion questions. Resource: MyFoundationsLab Student Help Week 8 Complete the Skills Check for The Craft of Writing. Access the following components in MyFoundationsLab: Writing: The Craft of Writing o o o Getting Started The Writing Process Prewriting Weekly Weekly Day 5 10 10 25
Complete the following activities for each unit: Overview Animation Practice the Skills 1 Post-Test
Note. If you achieved the Mastery Score on the Skills Check, you do not need to complete the activities. Individual My Foundations Lab: Writing Paragraphs Resource: MyFoundationsLab Student Help Week 8 Access the following components in MyFoundationsLab: Writing: The Craft of Writing o o Recognizing a Paragraph The Topic Sentence Day 5 25
Complete the following activities for each unit: Overview Animation Practice the Skills 1 Post-Test
Note. If you achieved the Mastery Score on the Skills Check, you do not need to complete the activities. Individual Ethical Lens Inventory Review the results of your Ethical Lens Inventory and Career Plan Building Activity: Reasoning Aptitude. Day 7 75
16
Reflection
You may also wish to review the University of Phoenix Writing & Style Guidelines and Grammar and Writing Guides: Guidelines for Writing Academic essays located on your student website. Write a 350- to 700-word paper reflecting on the results of the Ethical Lens Inventory. Answer the following in your paper: Describe the results of your Ethical Lens Inventory How might your personal ethical lens direct your academic behavior? How does your ethical lens influence critical thinking? What were the results of your Career Plan Building Activity: Aptitude? How might you use your My Career Plan aptitude results and competencies and your personal ethical lens to help you in the classroom and the workplace? Submit your paper as directed by your instructor.
Due
Points
17
What do you believe to be the long-term results and the value of completing a degree in higher education? How can you use the tools and assessments in this course to help you in your future courses and your career plans? Reflect on at least three of the topics covered in this class. For example: o o o o o o o o o Collaborative learning environments Goal setting Time and stress management Effective study habits and personal learning styles Academic writing University resources Career planning Integrity and ethics Critical thinking
Discussion Questions - The question you need to respond to will be picked by me and presented in the Main forum each week. Do not create your own thread. Week One Discussion Questions Collaboration is an important aspect of this learning environment. How do the Main forum discussions foster collaborative learning? Describe in your own words the value of receiving feedback from your peers and faculty. In your own words, explain how diversity among classmates enriches the learning experience. Why are the University Learning Goals important to your educational experience? How do they relate to your own educational goals? Which University Learning Goal do you feel is most challenging for you to accomplish and why? Compare and contrast online and traditional education. What are the positives of each? What are the challenges?
Week Two Discussion Questions Review the Reasonable SMART Goal Setting tutorial and answer the following questions: How do you prioritize equally important goals? How do you maintain flexibility and focus in reaching these goals? Consider goals you have achieved in the past and compare them to goals that you have set but not achieved. What factors contributed to success? What lessons did you learn that you could apply for future achievements?
18
How do your academic goals support your professional goals? How do your professional goals influence your academic goals? What is the value of managing your physical and mental health and stress levels? How could these skills relate to educational and professional stress? What are the consequences, in terms of success, of not managing your physical and mental health? Define personal accountability in your own words. How does personal accountability apply to your academic goals? How do you use personal accountability to achieve professional success?
Week Three Discussion Questions What is the value of understanding your personal learning style? How do other learning styles affect the learning environment? Consider your early education. Was there a specific class or teacher that made a difference in your education? Why? What learning strategies are most effective in an online learning environment? How can other learning strategies contribute to the success of an online learner? How does learning in a collaborative environment increase your effectiveness at retaining information? What did you find most interesting about the Using Multiple Intelligences tutorial? What surprises you about how multiple intelligences can enhance studying and learning?
Week Four Discussion Questions What do you think is your biggest challenge to improving your reading habits? Why? According to Ch. 7 in Your College Experience, there are four steps to effective reading. Which of these steps do you feel will benefit you the most? Why? According to Ch. 7 in Your College Experience, what is the purpose of using primary sources? How does identifying and reading primary-source information increase your reading comprehension? What distinguishes primary sources from other resources (including online)? For example, why are Wikipedia and other similar sources not considered academic? An important aspect of reading comprehension is vocabulary. Ch. 7 discusses strategies that assist you in developing your vocabulary. Which do you feel would be most effective for you and why?
Week Five Discussion Questions There are many styles of writing that we use: professional, casual, formal and informal. Do you find it difficult to change styles based on the situation? What determines the writing style that you use? What influence does the increased usage of digital communication have on your ability to write formally? In Ch. 10 the authors differentiate between exploratory writing and explanatory writing and discuss the relationship. Does this approach to writing work for you? Why or why not?
19
What do you feel is the connection between academic and professional writing? How does increasing your ability to write academically influence your professional and personal communication? There are three steps in the writing process. Which do you feel is the most important step for increasing your academic writing skills? How could MyFoundationsLab help you achieve better overall writing?
Week Six Discussion Questions Why would a student choose not to use the library, CWE, and CME? How would they successfully complete their studies without them? What are the benefits and pitfalls of using the Internet to complete academic research? How do you tell the difference? How does conducting academic research differ from general research? Provide an example of each type of research for the same topic. Is knowing how to use the library resources appropriately an important component of academic writing? Why or why not? What criteria do you use to determine the credibility (reliability and relevance) of information? How can the effectiveness of your research impact the credibility of your assignments? What resources are available in the University Library, CWE, and CME? Why would students choose not to use them? How would they successfully complete their studies without them?
Week Seven Discussion Questions Describe your moral compass. What influences your moral decision making? Why is the Student Code of Academic Integrity important for a learning community? What did you learn from the Ethical Lens Inventory? Reflect on your results and what they mean to you. What are the short-term and long-term consequences of academic cheating? What are the consequences of getting caught and not getting caught? Who is responsible for reporting incidents of academic dishonesty? How do students cheat? Provide an example.
Week Eight Discussion Questions What actions or behaviors are indicative of a critical thinker? Provide an example of a time when you used critical thinking. Analyze how critical thinking influenced the outcome. How do you increase your critical-thinking skills? Discuss how writing and critical thinking work together. How is academic writing a reflection of critical thinking? Can bias and emotion be removed from thinking? Why or why not?
20
What is the value of critical thinking in your chosen profession? Provide an example.
Week Nine Discussion Questions Identify a concept from this class that you want to know more about. Why? Where would you begin your search to find it? In an information-overloaded world, how do you distinguish fact from fiction? What is the value of having accurate and credible information? What did you find most beneficial about the classroom discussions with your classmates? How could you be more active in future classes? What is the long-term value of earning your degree? Why is higher education important to you personally and professionally? What is the value of education on society? How will earning a degree from University of Phoenix aid you in achieving your career goals?