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INSTRUCTOR: Jen Lund

EMAIL: jenbsu@cwidaho.cc PHONE: 208-794-9407 (call or text)

OFFICE HOURS: by appointment

Business, Education, and Exercise and Health Science (BEEHS) STUS 101: College Study Methods

~ Fall 2015 ~

Students and Instructors are accountable for all information on the Course Syllabus, as well as the Institutional Syllabus Addendum, which is located on the students’ Blackboard Site for this course. For further information regarding Library resources, academic honesty, accommodations, and more, please refer to the addendum on Bb.

Course Description This course is designed to develop the study methods of college students. Emphasis is placed on learning organized study techniques, examination skills, note-taking procedures, and comprehension of reading material. Also, students will learn basic research and computer skills. This is a two credit course.

Course Schedule This course is an on campus/online course with instruction provided through lecture, Blackboard and Pearson’s MyStudentSuccessLab. ● This section meets online ● Weeks in Bb begin on Sunday at midnight and end at 11:59 PM on the next Sunday ● Regular 16-week session beginning Aug. 24 and ending at 6 PM on Friday, Dec. 11

Course Focus This course is designed to help you become a better student. Weekly work is assigned to help you develop habits rather than just expose you to good study ideas you never have to put into practice. If you take this course seriously, you will not only earn an A, but you will also have much stronger skills in Blackboard, priority management, and learning strategies that fit your style.

Textbooks and Required Materials

Study Skills: Do I Really Need This Stuff 3rd Edition, Steve Piscitelli ISBN: 978-0-13-286459-6 Or ISBN: 978-1-256-69541-7

(it is the only study skills book/bundle that the CWI bookstore sells) MyStudentSuccessLab (MySSL) Access Code

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Course Objectives and Outcomes Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:

▪ Examine, assess and reflect on one’s own learning style(s) ▪ Analyze use of time and space, and identify ways to create balance between school and outside

responsibilities ▪ Explain how to use levels of reading, reading goals, and essential reading strategies ▪ Identify important parts of an essay. Use a detailed outline and construct a 5 paragraph essay ▪ Identify study skills strategies that strengthen working memory. ▪ Identify and explain effective strategies for performing well on tests and quizzes. ▪ Examine Cornell Note-taking system ▪ Identify effective listening strategies ▪ Explain and use strategies to make learning an active process

Outcomes Assessment This course will utilize exams, assignments, MySSL, in-class activities, reflective writing, and projects to determine student success in achieving the outcomes of the course. Exams There will be two exams in this course, a mid-term and a final exam. Exams will be taken through Blackboard and MySSL. Students may use their notes and textbook, but not each other, when completing the timed exam. Students will be given 90 seconds per question on each exam. One opportunity will be allowed per exam. Exams are available as detailed in the course calendar. As such, there are very few excuses that would justify missing an exam. In extreme circumstances with proper documentation, exceptions may be considered (see Late Work Policy below). Make-up exams will be coordinated through the CWI testing centers on campus if approved by the instructor. MySSL Learning Path Module Post-tests There will be 2 MySSL Learning Path Modules completed during the semester. 10 points are available in each one which will be calculated based on the percentage score of each post-test, i.e. a score of 85% will be awarded 8.5 of 10 points. To complete the post-test, students must first complete the pre-test, the overview, and the practice activities in each module. The post-test may be taken up to three times with the highest score counting toward the final grade. Students who wish to improve their post-test scores are invited to do the additional work of each module. This work will not be graded by the instructor unless you specifically request a review. Verify due dates on the supplemental course calendar. Assignments/Discussion Boards Throughout the semester there will be assignments and discussion boards given related to the course objectives. Assignments are worth ten or 20 points. All assignments will be submitted through Blackboard. Verify due dates on the supplemental course calendar.

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Student Contributions

Course Work: All assignments are due on the date assigned. Late work is not accepted. After the first week of the semester, if the student does not attend class, submit assignments/communicate with the instructor, I will withdraw the student for lack of attendance. Participation Verification for Financial Aid

All CWI Instructors are required to report attendance and course participation during the first two weeks to One Stop Student Services for financial aid purposes. Attendance is defined below. If you do not meet attendance standards, you can be dropped from the course. Week 1: Login to Blackboard and complete module 1 assignments, depending upon your registration date for

the course. If you register for the course after a class meeting, logging into our Bb will meet the attendance requirement for the first week.

Week 2: Log in and complete assignments due in second week of course. See Course Calendar.

During the rest of the semester: Attend class regularly online, participate and complete assignments

You are expected to arrive in class having read the current material (see course schedule). Not every aspect of each chapter will be covered in lecture. If you have specific questions about the reading, it is your responsibility to courteously ask them in class.

Assignments are completed using information from the textbook, lectures, linked resources, handouts & group assignments. To see assignment due dates, check your course calendar or ‘My Grades’ on Bb. All assignments will be submitted via Bb. If you do not see the assignment link in Bb, the assignment is late and cannot be submitted. I will not accept late assignments or those that are emailed.

Please do not ask me to open links of past assignments to submit late work. Once a link is closed, I will not reopen it to accept late work.

As a two-credit, 16 week course, students should schedule 4-6 hours per week of studying outside of class time.

Late Work/Make-Up Work Policy: Graded work in this class cannot be made up. If you miss an assignment, activity, a lecture, an exam, or the paper (anything that will carry a grade), it will not be accepted late for any reason unless you follow the steps below. The good news is that we will have a lot of assignments and assessments this semester so should something come up and you do miss something, it won’t kill your GPA as long as you have been keeping up with your other assignments and assessments. In other words, most assignments and assessments are weighted equally so missing one or two assignments or assessments won’t cause you to fail this course.

Have An Exceptional Reason For Missing Work? Should there be an exceptional reason for missing graded work; students are welcome to follow the steps listed below. Please note that exceptions are extremely rare and will only be considered after the following criteria are met:

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Step 1. Student has an exceptional reason (Exceptional in the opinion of the instructor) for missing an

assignment and/or assessment. Step 2. The student can provide DETAILED and COMPREHENSIVE support documentation supporting their reason. This documentation should be SCANNED, ATTACHED THEN EMAILED to the instructor with the initial emailed request. If you have not included this detailed and comprehensive supporting documentation with your request, it will not be considered. Step 3. Student must schedule a live meeting with the instructor after the instructor has confirmed by

email that the valid reason for missing class and/or work is accepted. Please note - this meeting/conversation will only be scheduled by the instructor after you have completed steps 1 and 2 above. The bottom line here is that if you are taking this class, you are an adult – and more importantly, a future teacher. Act accordingly by budgeting your time and being proactive as a student. Grading Policy (800 total points) A 90-100% 720 to 800 points B 80-89% 640 to 719 points C 70-79% 560 to 639 points D 60-69% 480 to 559 points F 0-59% Less than 480 points

Instructor Availability ● Email is my preferred communication tool: jenlund@cwidaho.cc ● Email will be returned within 24-48 hours during the week ● Questions or comments of a general nature that may helpful for other students should be

brought to class when possible.

Feedback: Students will receive grades and feedback via Blackboard. Students can see their grades by clicking on Course Tools and then My Grades. Clicking on the grade for a specific assignment will allow students to see feedback. Unless provided in writing otherwise, students can expect feedback from the instructor within one week of the due date. Students should check their grades in the course often to keep track of progress in the course. Grades not disputed within two weeks of the posting of the grade will be considered final.

Course Calendar The course calendar is a separate document. Please refer to the STUS 101 Calendar provided in Blackboard. The calendar outlines when assignments and other assessments will be made available as well as when those same assignments and assessments are due. Please note that the chapters are not dealt with in the same order as they were provided in the text book and supplemental materials are required and provided on Blackboard.

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Course Expectations Attendance:

▪ The college recognizes punctual and regular attendance is the student’s responsibility.

▪ As a two credit, sixteen week course, students should schedule between 4-6 hours per week for this class.

▪ In the event a last date of attendance is required upon grading this course, I will use the date you last logged into Blackboard

▪ Students who do not meet the participation requirements for the first two weeks of the semester will be dropped for nonattendance.

It’s good practice to always check your CWI email account before heading off to campus Assignments:

▪ All assignments are due at 11:59 PM on the Sunday following the week they were assigned

unless otherwise noted. More specific information is provided in the course calendar. ▪ Late work will not be accepted. See Late Policy above for extenuating circumstances. ▪ Read your book and actively participate in all aspects of the course (class, Bb & MySSL). ▪ It is the student’s responsibility to follow the course calendar and to meet the deadlines for all

assignments. ▪ Students who are unable to meet a deadline due to required participation in a verified school

activity must make arrangements with the instructor for acceptable times to turn in assignments.

End of Course Electronic Evaluation: To help instructors continually improve courses, students will complete anonymous online evaluations for each course.

● Instructors do not see the evals until after final grades have been submitted to CWI. ● The administrators who supervise faculty review these evaluations. Evaluations are your strongest voice

directly to people who determine who teaches. Use it wisely!

● If 80 percent of the class completes the evaluation, everyone in the class gets extra credit. (I can see the numbers who’ve completed it, just not the data or comments.)

Assessments

▪ Exams will be taken through Blackboard and MySSL. They will be open book, open note, timed assessments.

▪ Students who cannot take an exam when the exam is scheduled due to required participation in a verified school activity must make arrangements at least one week prior to the exam. Should an emergency occur, the student should contact the instructor immediately, and it will be at the discretion of the instructor as to what actions need to be taken.

Behavioral Expectations: Every student has the right to a respectful learning environment. In order to provide this right to all students, students must take individual responsibility to conduct themselves in a mature and appropriate manner and will be held accountable for their behavior. Students who disrupt the class or behave inappropriately or disrespectfully, as determined by the instructor, may be asked to leave the classroom. Instructors or Student Services has the right to create a written behavioral contract with students; if a student violates a behavioral contract, they may be released from the course.

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Academic Dishonesty: All work submitted by a student must represent his/her own ideas, concepts, and current understanding. All material found during research must be correctly documented to avoid plagiarism. Cheating or plagiarism in any form is unacceptable and violations may result in disciplinary action ranging from failure of the assignment to failure of the course. Repeated acts of academic dishonesty may have more severe institutional ramifications.

Emergency Procedures In the event classes are canceled for any reason, a notice will be posted to Blackboard. Emergency situations will also be announced through the college text and email alert system.

Suggestions for Success You are responsible for your education. Please be encouraged to ask questions and seek clarification when needed. Be mindful of the course calendar and make sure you know when assignments are due. You can earn an A in this class!