Course Syllabus
- To develop comfort with online learning/tools and NCSSM's academic expectations. We want you to learn it now, not during the fall semester
- To understand research principles behind how you learn. Understanding the 'research' behind learning is one way to potentially overcome future challenges.
How Long Should This Course Take?
Topics We Will Cover
- Self awareness of limitations (family, technology, community school, personal life)
- Key research/case studies on cognition and perseverance on high school and early undergraduates
- Key research/case studies on the attributes of success on high school and early undergraduates
- Tools for metacognition and self-awareness
- Identification of strengths and goals, reflection on perseverance
- Collaboration and academic honesty skills and expectations
- Information literacy and retrieval (within context of other topics)
- Basic data analysis and reflection (within context of other topics)
- Critical analysis and reflection expectations (within context of other topics)
- Apply basic tools of Canvas and Google Apps (within context of other topics).
Tech Requirements
While some course materials can be viewed or completed through the Canvas Mobile App, the course requires a tablet or laptop and a high speed internet connection.
Assignments
The key assignments are:
- 3-4 projects (at least one done in small teams) requiring 2-3 hours work each.
- 3 quizzes on videos/content requiring 3 hours to watch and study
- 2-3 small assignments requiring 60-90 minutes of work each.
Quizzes
Most quizzes are designed for ensuring proficiency, and give you the opportunity to retake.
Assignments (Postings/Projects)
Most assignments are open-ended and by following all the prompts/directions students will receive a 100%. Most major assignments are graded on a rubric, while some are graded incomplete/complete.
Longer 'major' assignments that require more time to complete are tagged with an '*M' before the title of the assignment. Be sure to leave enough time for these assignments.
Webinar
You are also required to attend one Zoom webinar session. You can find dates to choose from, as well as information on how to login at the Webinar link at the top of this page.
Grading Policy
Passing/Failing
Students must receive a 70% on graded course assignments, complete all graded assignments, and read all assigned pages in the course to pass the course. Anyone who does not submit one major assignment or two minor assignments cannot pass, even if other graded work is a passing grade (A, B).
Latework
After one day past a due date, the instructor may give you a zero on the assignment or mark it for less credit. Most assignments allow you to work ahead. All work must be turned in by the last day of the course, or it will receive a zero, unless the instructor or administration approved an extension in advance.
End of Course Notation
At the end of the course, we note both your grade and any issues of late work, missed assignments, or poor work to share with program administration.
Course Credit
If you pass this course and attend and complete all activities at the NCSSM Online Orientation, you receive 0.5 credit on your NCSSM transcript for the course and a passing grade. Otherwise, you receive passing credit for completing a program academic requirement.
Academic Integrity and Netiquette
All work turned in by you should be the result of your own efforts unless otherwise instructed. All tests and quizzes should be done individually with no help from others. Specific instructions on how to collaborate are given for any assignments that are completed with a partner or a group. Tutorials may be available to you, but only if your teacher allows you to get help on an assignment. It is always to your advantage to make a serious attempt at an assignment before seeking help.
For essays and research assignments, students must cite all sources for ideas that are not their own. For a guide to citing sources and avoiding plagiarism, a student should confer with the course instructor and the library's citation guides.
The following are considered a breach of academic honesty:
- Giving or receiving help during a test or quiz;
- Discussing the contents of a test or quiz;
- Programming unauthorized information into electronic devices to be used during a test or quiz;
- Completing graded assignments for other students - violation for both the giver and recipient of the work;
- Collaborating on assignments that have clearly been designated as individual work;
- Not citing correct sources for ideas and evidence in written and, in some cases, oral work;
- Taking credit for more work on an assigned group project than was actually contributed;
- Submitting work previously done for another class at NCSSM or elsewhere without acknowledgement.
Also, please review the core rules of netiquette for some guidelines and expectations on how to behave in an online learning environment.
An instructor who suspects that a student has violated academic honesty expectations should discuss the situation with the student and, on the basis of that discussion, decide whether the perception is accurate or inaccurate. If the instructor believes that a violation did occur, the procedures stated in the Code of Student Conduct should be followed. In accordance with school-wide policies and the list above, the instructor sets the standard for what does or does not constitute academic dishonesty in a specific class.
Enrollment Change Policy
Full enrollment change policy is described in the Student Handbook.
- Courses can be added through the 5th day of class.
- Courses can be dropped through the 10th day of class. Courses dropped within the first 10 days of class do not appear on a student’s NCSSM transcript.
- A withdrawal “W” is noted on the NCSSM transcript for classes dropped after the 10th day of class, and before the last 3 weeks (15 days) of class. A “W” does not impact your NCSSM GPA.
- No withdrawals are permitted the last 15 days of a class. Students will be issued the grade they earned in the course if they remain in the course past the last 15 days.
It is your responsibility to notify the Online Learning Specialist if you choose to withdraw from a course. Simply choosing not to participate in a course is not equivalent to withdrawing.
If you dual enroll in a course, you must also follow any guidelines or penalties (drop or withdrawal) of your local school, which may be different than NCSSM’s procedures.
Accessibility
Canvas support a number of screen-readers, and can be operated through keyboard shortcuts for students who may have special needs.
More information can be found at this Guide to Accessibility within Canvas as well as Canvas' Voluntary Product Accessibility Template.
Zoom webinars and videoconferencing also features accessibility features, as outlined in this Zoom Accessibility Guide.
If you have any difficulty accessing materials in Canvas, including a need for closed-captioned videos or transcripts to videos, please contact NCSSM's Instructional & Information Designer, Rob Caldwell.
Prerequisites
Before taking this course, you should ensure you meet the following requirements or can demonstrate the following competencies.
- There are no prerequisites to the class
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
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