bosco
08-29-2006, 09:16 PM
FLORIDA COMMUNITY COLLEGE AT JACKSONVILLE
Online Course Development Project
Syllabus
Revised: 08/25/05
Psy1012 -- General Psychology
3 Credit Hours
Term/Year: Fall 2006 (A8)
Reference Number: 240522
Classroom: Online/Blackboard
Instructor: Teresa Neal
Office Area: Blackboard
Phone Number: 770.365.4823
E-mail: tneal@fccj.edu
Web Page: www1.fccj.edu/tneal
CATALOG DESCRIPTION
This course consists of instruction utilizing the scientific approach that conveys an understanding of the behavior, mental processes, and experience of the individual organism, and the principles that determine and guide individual and group behavior. Three contact hours. (CBE) A.A., A.S., A.A.S.
REQUIRED TEXTS AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
The materials you will need are online and in a CD and book. The book, CD and any other materials you may need can be purchased at your campus bookstore.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
The primary objective of all introductory psychology courses is to explore the subject matter of the field and to become familiar with the vocabulary and concepts of the field.
When you finish this online course, you should:
Be aware of the diversity of psychology as a field of study
Be able to use and define the basic psychological terminology
Be able to identify major principles and theories of psychology
Be able to identify ways that the principles and theories can be used in everyday situations
Demonstrate the ability to use resources to locate and obtain psychological materials
Specific Topic Learning Objectives - Specific learning objectives are found with the lesson assignments. Use the objectives to identify what the lesson will cover and what you should know when you are finished. In a very real sense, this is much like skimming the headlines of a newspaper before you delve into a particular story. The objectives provide you with a basic framework for learning and understanding. But, don't limit your knowledge or interest to the objectives.
ONLINE DELIVERY SYSTEM (COURSE PLATFORM)
This course is delivered in the Blackboard© online course platform.
TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS
§ 486/66-MHz processor or higher and 56kbs minimum Internet connection. The College can provide you with Internet access (no ISP needed). You may choose to use your own ISP; however, the College’s ISP services are free to enrolled students.
§ Please use the following checklist to determine your computer readiness. You should own or have access to:
a. Computer with personal access to the Internet (e.g., computer with a modem or cable modem connection)
b. An FCCJ e-mail account
c. Web-browser software - at least Internet Explorer 4.5 or Netscape 4.7
d. Windows 98 operating system or higher (or MAC OS 9 or higher)
e. Virus-checking software
f. Plug-ins including Acrobat reader and Flash Player
g. Additional hardware including speakers and microphone
ACCESSIBILITY
If you require specific accommodations to complete this course, notify your instructor and contact Services for Students with Disabilities at www.fccj.edu/resources/disabilities/index.html
FIRST WEEK OF CLASS
For the first week of class, in order to be marked as in attendance, you should send to your professor an email, from within Blackboard, introducing yourself. There is also a discussion forum during this first week to indicate your participation in class.
LEARNING COMMUNITIES
People learn through interactions with each other, with the instructor and with written, auditory and visual learning materials. To facilitate interactive learning among learners and between learners and faculty, a major goal of this course is to encourage the development of learning communities—i.e., help learners and faculty get to know and better understand each other. Towards this end, a brief written bio introducing himself/herself; this will be available online as a part of the first day of class. Learners are asked to also introduce themselves by posting a brief bio within the platform—a picture is also recommended. In addition, a Cyber Café (a separate discussion area) will be provided for learners to informally discuss things among themselves without intervention of the faculty member.
DISCUSSION
The business model of today is for persons to work as teams. To prepare for such activities, all learners are asked to self-select a team of three for discussions and to complete the final course project as described below.
One question is scheduled for each topic area. In all formal discussions, you are to first post an answer to the discussion question. Then read the responses of members of your team and post a reply. Learners who participate in discussions are likely to experience a higher level of learning and retention of the information contained in the course. To encourage your active participation in the course, you will receive credit for your contributions to the discussions.
Your grade will be based upon the thoroughness, accuracy and insightfulness of your response. Guidelines for your participation in these discussions are posted in the Psychology Cyber Cafe forum called “Discussion Forum Information”. You will be expected to provide responses to the discussion questions in correct sentence and paragraph format; they should also be checked for correct spelling and grammar. See the Calendar of Activities for examples of Discussion Questions.
ASSESSMENTS
There is a quiz covering material for each lesson. Upon completion of the material and activities in each lesson you should be ready to access and take your on-line quiz. The on-line assessment is found at a link toward the bottom of the materials sequenced in the lesson. The items for each quiz are randomly drawn from large databases. Learners may retake the quiz as many times as they choose without penalty. Learners will not be permitted to take the quiz for the next major unit until they have successfully achieved a score of 90% on the prior major quiz AND the appropriate week of the term has been reached as identified in the Calendar of Activities. Learners must achieve a 90% success rate on all quizes in order to receive the points available in the grading scheme. These quizes are closed book and have a time limit of one hour.
In addition to the quiz assessments, term grades will be based on discussion forum participation and a term project.
TEAM PROJECT
Your team is to select a topic of interest in Psychology and find out what information is available on the Internet. The Team will read and discuss (via the group discussion forum or e-mail) the chosen project. The Team will then write an annotated bibliography on the topic. The annotated bibliography should follow the style suggested by the American Psychological Association. See Land, T. [a.k.a Beads| (1997), May 2). Web Extension to American Psychological Association Style (WEAPAS) (Rev. 1.4) [WWW document|. URL http://www.beadsland.com/weapas/. Guidelines for crafting an annotated bibliography are available at your Blackboard© course site.
The Team will need to meet early at the beginning of the term to discuss and choose a group leader. The Leader will be responsible for organizing the Team and the discussions for reviewing Websites in the gathering of data, and for making sure the written project is reviewed and approved by the Team and submitted online for review by the entire class by the due date. It is possible that the role may be rotated. All members of the group assume a Researcher role. Everyone should research needed materials in the FCCJ library (online databases and/or hardcopy journals) and Internet materials.
You will be given until the end of Week Two to develop your own group. If, at that time, you have not selected (and sent to the instructor) the makeup of your group, the instructor will select a group for you. Your Team’s Topic is due at the end of Week Four (9/24).
GRADING
The discussion forum participation, assessments, and the team project will be used to compute the final grade in the course. Your final letter grade will be determined by totaling the points for all of the above activities as indicated in the chart below.
Lesson Quizzes (14 @ 25 points each) 350 points
Discussion Forum (25 discussions @ 5 points each) 125 points
Team Project 125 points
Total Points 600 Points
A 540-600 points
B 480-539 points
C 420-479 points
D 360-419 points
F 0 - 359 points
IMPORTANT COLLEGE DATES
The following dates are critical for this course. The full College calendar for the current term can be found at: http://www.fccj.edu/current/calendar/index.html.
Date Day of Week
8/28 Monday Class begins
9/4 Monday Labor Day Holiday – College Closed
9/5 Tuesday Drop Deadline (full refund)
10/2 Monday Final date to withdraw with grade of “W”
10/22 Sunday Last day of class
CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES
Week/Date Topic
8/28-9/3
Week 1
Introduction to Online Courses
Discussion Forum, Cyber Café (Personal Bio)
Week 1
Week 1
Lesson 1 - Introduction to Psychology
Discussion Forum, Learning Style: After you discover your learning style, post it on discussion board. Discuss whether you feel the assessment is accurate or not and what this means to you in terms of how you will approach your work. Read and reply to other students.
LessonQuiz.
Learning Activity 2 (Lesson 1) – Psychology Careers
(http://www.psywww.com/careers)
Discussion Forum, Psychology Careers
At the site above, find ten careers of interest to you. Next, identify two “jobs” you might enjoy. For example, if Counseling is a career you have identified, would you prefer a “job” as an addictions counselor or as a marriage and family therapist? Explore the educational requirements and salary requirements of one of these two and post on the Discussion Forum.
The Biology Underlying Behavior
9/5-9/10
Week 2
Lesson 2 - Biological Bases of Behavior
Discussion Forum, Decade of the Brain: The U.S. Congress designated the 1990s as "the Decade of the Brain." By searching the web, your task is to identify five (5) major discoveries about the brain and brain function that occurred in the past decade.
Lesson Quiz
Week 2
Week 2
Lesson 3 - Sensation and Perception
Select topic & partner(s) for Teams & Major Project
Discussion Forum, Color Vision: Before proceeding further think about your experience of the negative afterimage. Go to the Color Vision REFLECT/DISCUSS forum and describe your experience. Are you able to explain the occurrence of negative afterimages based on the Trichromatic Theory of color vision? Read and respond to your fellow group members posts. If you only knew of the Trichromatic Theory of color vision, how would you explain this phenomenon?
Lesson Quiz
Lesson 3 – Sensation and Perception
Discussion Forum, Monocular Cues: Investigate more about the cues for depth or distance perception by visiting John H. Krantz's Psychological Tutorials URL: http://psych.hanover.edu/Krantz/sen_tut.html about the "Use of Visual Information in Art”. Have you noticed the use of visual cues in photographs you have taken? Look at the figure above. Can you identify any monocular cues for distance you have learned about? Go to your group forum and describe your experience with your fellow group members. Be sure to respond to at least two other postings.
9/11-9/17
Week 3
Week 3
Lesson 4 - States of Consciousness
Discussion Forum, Disorders of Sleep:
Read about Sleep Disturbances , then take the Sleep Test (http://nshsleep.com/test.cfm). You should be able to list and describe 5 of the sleep disorders treated at the Northside Hospital. In your small group discussion forum, discuss your experience with the Sleep Test and the disorder you investigated.
Lesson Quiz
Lesson 4 – Consciousness
Discussion Forum, Lark or Owl:
Are You a Lark or an Owl? : Participate in this activity and forum.
Answer questions at the link below and report results to the Discussion Forum.
Were you a Lark or an Owl?
What are the characteristics (physiological and behavioral) associated with "Larks" and "Owls?"
Do you share the characteristics of the category with relatives? Do you share these characteristics with other students?
Report your experience as a post to your group’s Lark or Owl Forum. Respond to other student’s posts. http://www.msnbc.com/modules/quizzes/chronobiology.asp
Lesson Quiz
Week 3
Cognitive Processes: Learning – Memory – Intelligence
Lesson 5 – Learning
Discussion Forum, Pavlovian Conditioning:
Learning Activity 1:- Go to http://nobelprize.org/medicine/educational/pavlov/ and teach the dog to go from US-UR to CS-CR. Once you have succeeded, read the further readings and report back to the discussion board on what you have learned.
Lesson Quiz
Week 3
Week 3
9/18-9/24
Week 4
Week 4
9/24
9/25-10/1
Week 5
Lesson 5 – Learning
Discussion Forum, Reward and Punishment:
Learning Activity 3- Come up with one concrete example of how you have experienced each of the four types of reward and punishment above. Post them and discuss with your classmates the effectiveness of the consequences.
Lesson Quiz
Lesson 5 – Learning
Discussion Forum, Schedules of Reinforcement:
Learning Activity 4- Go to http://www.clickertales.com/clickertimingame.html Teach the bird to peck the buzzer. After you have taught the bird, read the notes below the game and attempt to recreate ratio strain and extinction. Report back to the discussion board with your results.
Lesson Quiz
Lesson 6 – Memory
Discussion Forum: Memory:
Memory Problems are associated "naturally" with old age. Should scientists ignore this age group and devote their major research efforts to children and young adults? Why? Defend your position.
Lesson Quiz
Lesson 7 - Intelligence
Discussion Forum, Measuring Giftedness: A screening tool with the characteristics of gifted adults may be found at: http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/Articles/Characteristics_Scale.htm Do you think that it actually measures giftedness? What is your definition of gifted? Post your answer to the discussion forum.
Lesson Quiz
Group Topic due to the Discussion Board
Lesson 8 – Thinking and Language
Discussion Forum, Thinking and Language:
Are animals capable of learning language? How? What is the evidence?
Helpful webpages:
http://www.pigeon.psy.tufts.edu/psych26/kohler.htm
http://www.santafe.edu/~johnson/articles.chimp.html
http://whyfiles.org/058language/ape_talk.html
http://www.cwu.edu/~cwuchci/
Motivation, Emotion, and Health
Week 5
Week 5 Lesson 9 – Motivation and Emotion
Discussion Forum, Sensation Seeking:
At what level do you perform at your peak? Are you more likely to perform best on a test when (1) you are not really interested in doing well; (2) you want to do well and are not really anxious about the test; or (3) you are convinced that you will just die if you do not pass the text and are so anxious that you cannot see straight? What about other situations? Do you seek out exciting and dangerous experiences?
Try a thrill-seeking questionnaire. Go to the Sensation Seeking Scale at http://www.bbc.co.uk./science/humanbody/mind/surveys/sensation/index.shtml
The questionnaire is designed to test your tendency towards varied, novel and intense sensations. It has 40 questions and should take you about 15 minutes. It is a test designed by Marvin Zuckerman mentioned above and was first published in 1971.
Post your experiences and ideas to your group’s discussion forum. Reply to your group members posts.
Lesson 9 - Motivation and Emotion
Discussion Forum, Facial Feedback: Do facial expressions follow emotional experiences or would smiling cause you to feel good? Would you be able to practice smiling to lift your moods? According to the Facial-Feedback hypothesis, mimicking the facial movements associated with an emotion will induce the corresponding emotional state. Let us try it and see. Hold a pencil between your teeth for a couple of minutes. Notice any change in your mood? Now hold the pencil between your lips. Notice any change in your mood? Is there someone you can get to play along? Why would holding the pencil between your lips or your teeth make a difference?
Describe your experiences to the Group Discussion forum.
Lesson Quiz
10/2-10/8
Week 6
Lesson 10 - Stress & Health Psychology
Discussion Forum, Type A Behavior: Is "Type A behavior" (hurried, demanding, time-oriented, etc.) associated with increased risk of heart disease? The suggestion is often made that a particular component of Type A behavior may be the real culprit. What is this component and what does research suggest regarding its relationship to heart disease? What can be done to reduce the risk? Report your experience to your group discussion forum. Be sure to reply to other group members posts.
Discussion Forum 2, Stress and Coping:
Imagine that you and your group are developing a workshop to teach people to cope with stress. Given what you know about coping strategies, how would you train the people to avoid stress in their daily lives? What specific strategies would you include in your workshop? How would you use this information with a group of individuals suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder because of the events of 11 September 2001 at the Twin Towers in New York? In designing your workshop, search the Internet for sources of information concerning coping strategies and particular coping with traumatic events. You can get started by taking a look at the following sites:
Coping Strategies - tolls for life's stressors http://www.coping.org/911/healing/content.htm
The Traumatic Stress Studies web site http://www.istss.org/
National Center for PTSD http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/
Two site from the American Psychological Association http://www.apahelpcenter.org/articles/topic.php?id=4
http://www.apahelpcenter.org/articles/topic.php?id=3
Working in your group design your group’s workshop plan.
Lesson Quiz
Personality, Psychological Disorders, and Treatment
Week 6
10/9-10/15
Week 7
Lesson 11 – Personality
Discussion Forum, Personality Theories: This lesson discussed four major theories of personality and the pros / cons of each. Which theory appeals to you most at this time? Why? From your favorite television show, who most exhibits the personality traits from this theory? How?
Lesson 12 - Psychological Disorders
Discussion Forum, Mental Disorders - Categories: Identify one disorder that interests you and read the information that accompanies it. Next, identify a person you know or someone famous who exhibits some of the symptoms listed in your reading. Then decide which of the schools bests explains the origins of this disorder in your friend/family member or famous person.
Discussion Forum 2, Movies and Mental Disorders:
Working with your group, come up with a list of 10 movies that illustrate some of the disorders listed above. Write a one sentence description of the movie and another sentence which illustrates the disorder. Then post on the general discussion board. Do not duplicate movies which appear on other groups lists.
Lesson Quiz
Week 7
Lesson 13 -Treatment
Discussion Forum, Medicating Children:
Discuss the pros and cons of medicating children for mental illness. What are some of the moral implications of such a policy? Post your thoughts and ideas to this forum.
Discussion Forum 2, Therapy Perspectives:
What perspective does the popular television therapist, Dr. Phil, represent. Post your thoughts to the discussion board.
Lesson Quiz
10/16-10/22 Social Psychology
Week 8 Lesson 14 – Social Psychology
Discussion Forum, Prejudice:
Go to the Understanding Prejudice web site http://www.understandingprejudice.org/. Click the button for “Slide Tour of Prejudice.” This slide tour consists of 15 print advertisements that cover a range of products and time periods. Some advertisements involve obvious cases of stereotyping and prejudice, other are more subtle. When you are watching the slide tour you will be asked to consider:
1. Whether the advertisement involves prejudice and/or discrimination.
2. If it does, list the groups(s) against which the ad is biased.
3. If it does, to briefly explain your answer.
Once you take the slide tour, you can return within a period of one year, retake the tour, and see how your answers have changed.
In your group discussion forum, consider the following questions:
1. How do you know when something is prejudiced?
2. Does humorous intent make a difference?
3. What if the targets of prejudice don’t see an ad as biased?
4. What if the targeted group itself produces the ad?
Discussion Forum 2, Compliance Techniques:
Tune in to one of the home shopping networks on cable television. Make note of any compliance technique(s) you observe.
Discuss your observations with others on the compliance discussion forum.
Lesson Quiz
Wrap-up Presentation/Discussion of Online Projects
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. How long will I have to wait for a response from the instructor to my e-mail?
Faculty responds to e-mails within 48 hours.
2. What is proper e-mail etiquette?
E-mail to other learners and the instructor needs to be addressed in a manner appropriate to polite interactions.
3. What will help me succeed in this course?
Strong discipline and desire to succeed. You’ll need to login to class often during the typical week, motivating yourself to meet the requirements for success.
Ability to work well independently. You’ll develop the support of fellow learners all taking the same coursework together, but it will be different than a typical classroom environment. If you work well independently, your chance of success is higher.
Computer savvy. If you’re not familiar with the Internet and e-mail communication, we recommend that you take a computer enrichment class prior to enrolling in this course. Faculty assumes you know how to access and send data on the Internet.
4. What are “I” grades and when are they used?
An “I” grade may be assigned at the instructor’s discretion upon request by the student to permit the student time to complete required course work, which he/she was prevented from completing in a timely way due to non-academic reasons. The instructor may require the student to document the request to assist in the decision. The instructor may choose not to grant the request. The “I” grade should be considered only when the student has the potential to earn a passing grade if the missing work is made up.
The instructor shall prescribe in a written agreement with the student the remaining course work required for completion and removal of the “I” grade. A copy of this agreement will be kept on file in the office of the appropriate dean. All work must be completed within the first eight weeks of the subsequent term, unless the instructor agrees to a longer timeframe extension of time (not to exceed one year). When the work is completed, the instructor will submit a grade change form with the grade earned. If the work is not completed within the prescribed timeframe, the “I” will automatically change to an “F” grade. The student will be informed of the final grade assigned.
To be eligible for an “I” grade, the student must be passing the course at the time of the request, and must have completed at least 75 percent of the course work.
5. What is the FCCJ Code of Ethics?
Consistent with The Code of Ethics of the Education Profession in Florida, 6B-1.06, Principles of Professional conduct for the Education Profession in Florida, an obligation to the learner requires that an individual shall not harass or discriminate against any learner on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status, handicapping condition, sexual orientation, or social and family background and shall make reasonable effort to assure that each learner is protected from harassment or discrimination.
6. What about academic dishonesty?
Academic dishonesty, in any form, is expressly prohibited by the rules of the District Board of Trustees of Florida Community College at Jacksonville. Academic dishonesty incorporates the following:
a. Cheating which is defined as the giving or taking of any information or material with the intent of wrongfully aiding oneself or another in academic work considered in the determination of a course grade.
b. Plagiarism which is defined as the act of stealing or passing off as one’s own work the words, ideas, or conclusions of another as if the work submitted were the product of ones own thinking rather than an idea or product derived from another source.
c. Any other form of inappropriate behavior which may include but is not limited to: falsifying records or data; lying; unauthorized copying, tampering, abusing or otherwise unethically using a computer or other stored information; and, any other act of misconduct which may reasonably be deemed to be a part of this heading.
Any student alleged to have committed any act of academic dishonesty as defined herein, shall be entitled to due process as defined in District Board of Trustees’ Rule 6Hx7-2. 18, prior to the administration of disciplinary action, including suspension and dismissal.
7. May I repeat this course?
Learners repeat a course in an attempt to improve a grade previously earned. State Board Rule 6A-14.0301 limits such attempts to courses where a “D,” “F,” or “FN” grade was earned. A learner has only three total attempts in any course, including the original grade, repeat grades and withdrawals. Upon the third attempt in a course, the learner must be given an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F”.
When students repeat a course at Florida Community College, only the last grade earned is calculated in their cumulative grade point average (GPA). However, students with an excessive number of “W” or “FN” grades and students who repeat courses to improve their GPA may jeopardize their admission to programs in the Florida State University System (SUS) or other institutions.
Online Course Development Project
Syllabus
Revised: 08/25/05
Psy1012 -- General Psychology
3 Credit Hours
Term/Year: Fall 2006 (A8)
Reference Number: 240522
Classroom: Online/Blackboard
Instructor: Teresa Neal
Office Area: Blackboard
Phone Number: 770.365.4823
E-mail: tneal@fccj.edu
Web Page: www1.fccj.edu/tneal
CATALOG DESCRIPTION
This course consists of instruction utilizing the scientific approach that conveys an understanding of the behavior, mental processes, and experience of the individual organism, and the principles that determine and guide individual and group behavior. Three contact hours. (CBE) A.A., A.S., A.A.S.
REQUIRED TEXTS AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
The materials you will need are online and in a CD and book. The book, CD and any other materials you may need can be purchased at your campus bookstore.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
The primary objective of all introductory psychology courses is to explore the subject matter of the field and to become familiar with the vocabulary and concepts of the field.
When you finish this online course, you should:
Be aware of the diversity of psychology as a field of study
Be able to use and define the basic psychological terminology
Be able to identify major principles and theories of psychology
Be able to identify ways that the principles and theories can be used in everyday situations
Demonstrate the ability to use resources to locate and obtain psychological materials
Specific Topic Learning Objectives - Specific learning objectives are found with the lesson assignments. Use the objectives to identify what the lesson will cover and what you should know when you are finished. In a very real sense, this is much like skimming the headlines of a newspaper before you delve into a particular story. The objectives provide you with a basic framework for learning and understanding. But, don't limit your knowledge or interest to the objectives.
ONLINE DELIVERY SYSTEM (COURSE PLATFORM)
This course is delivered in the Blackboard© online course platform.
TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS
§ 486/66-MHz processor or higher and 56kbs minimum Internet connection. The College can provide you with Internet access (no ISP needed). You may choose to use your own ISP; however, the College’s ISP services are free to enrolled students.
§ Please use the following checklist to determine your computer readiness. You should own or have access to:
a. Computer with personal access to the Internet (e.g., computer with a modem or cable modem connection)
b. An FCCJ e-mail account
c. Web-browser software - at least Internet Explorer 4.5 or Netscape 4.7
d. Windows 98 operating system or higher (or MAC OS 9 or higher)
e. Virus-checking software
f. Plug-ins including Acrobat reader and Flash Player
g. Additional hardware including speakers and microphone
ACCESSIBILITY
If you require specific accommodations to complete this course, notify your instructor and contact Services for Students with Disabilities at www.fccj.edu/resources/disabilities/index.html
FIRST WEEK OF CLASS
For the first week of class, in order to be marked as in attendance, you should send to your professor an email, from within Blackboard, introducing yourself. There is also a discussion forum during this first week to indicate your participation in class.
LEARNING COMMUNITIES
People learn through interactions with each other, with the instructor and with written, auditory and visual learning materials. To facilitate interactive learning among learners and between learners and faculty, a major goal of this course is to encourage the development of learning communities—i.e., help learners and faculty get to know and better understand each other. Towards this end, a brief written bio introducing himself/herself; this will be available online as a part of the first day of class. Learners are asked to also introduce themselves by posting a brief bio within the platform—a picture is also recommended. In addition, a Cyber Café (a separate discussion area) will be provided for learners to informally discuss things among themselves without intervention of the faculty member.
DISCUSSION
The business model of today is for persons to work as teams. To prepare for such activities, all learners are asked to self-select a team of three for discussions and to complete the final course project as described below.
One question is scheduled for each topic area. In all formal discussions, you are to first post an answer to the discussion question. Then read the responses of members of your team and post a reply. Learners who participate in discussions are likely to experience a higher level of learning and retention of the information contained in the course. To encourage your active participation in the course, you will receive credit for your contributions to the discussions.
Your grade will be based upon the thoroughness, accuracy and insightfulness of your response. Guidelines for your participation in these discussions are posted in the Psychology Cyber Cafe forum called “Discussion Forum Information”. You will be expected to provide responses to the discussion questions in correct sentence and paragraph format; they should also be checked for correct spelling and grammar. See the Calendar of Activities for examples of Discussion Questions.
ASSESSMENTS
There is a quiz covering material for each lesson. Upon completion of the material and activities in each lesson you should be ready to access and take your on-line quiz. The on-line assessment is found at a link toward the bottom of the materials sequenced in the lesson. The items for each quiz are randomly drawn from large databases. Learners may retake the quiz as many times as they choose without penalty. Learners will not be permitted to take the quiz for the next major unit until they have successfully achieved a score of 90% on the prior major quiz AND the appropriate week of the term has been reached as identified in the Calendar of Activities. Learners must achieve a 90% success rate on all quizes in order to receive the points available in the grading scheme. These quizes are closed book and have a time limit of one hour.
In addition to the quiz assessments, term grades will be based on discussion forum participation and a term project.
TEAM PROJECT
Your team is to select a topic of interest in Psychology and find out what information is available on the Internet. The Team will read and discuss (via the group discussion forum or e-mail) the chosen project. The Team will then write an annotated bibliography on the topic. The annotated bibliography should follow the style suggested by the American Psychological Association. See Land, T. [a.k.a Beads| (1997), May 2). Web Extension to American Psychological Association Style (WEAPAS) (Rev. 1.4) [WWW document|. URL http://www.beadsland.com/weapas/. Guidelines for crafting an annotated bibliography are available at your Blackboard© course site.
The Team will need to meet early at the beginning of the term to discuss and choose a group leader. The Leader will be responsible for organizing the Team and the discussions for reviewing Websites in the gathering of data, and for making sure the written project is reviewed and approved by the Team and submitted online for review by the entire class by the due date. It is possible that the role may be rotated. All members of the group assume a Researcher role. Everyone should research needed materials in the FCCJ library (online databases and/or hardcopy journals) and Internet materials.
You will be given until the end of Week Two to develop your own group. If, at that time, you have not selected (and sent to the instructor) the makeup of your group, the instructor will select a group for you. Your Team’s Topic is due at the end of Week Four (9/24).
GRADING
The discussion forum participation, assessments, and the team project will be used to compute the final grade in the course. Your final letter grade will be determined by totaling the points for all of the above activities as indicated in the chart below.
Lesson Quizzes (14 @ 25 points each) 350 points
Discussion Forum (25 discussions @ 5 points each) 125 points
Team Project 125 points
Total Points 600 Points
A 540-600 points
B 480-539 points
C 420-479 points
D 360-419 points
F 0 - 359 points
IMPORTANT COLLEGE DATES
The following dates are critical for this course. The full College calendar for the current term can be found at: http://www.fccj.edu/current/calendar/index.html.
Date Day of Week
8/28 Monday Class begins
9/4 Monday Labor Day Holiday – College Closed
9/5 Tuesday Drop Deadline (full refund)
10/2 Monday Final date to withdraw with grade of “W”
10/22 Sunday Last day of class
CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES
Week/Date Topic
8/28-9/3
Week 1
Introduction to Online Courses
Discussion Forum, Cyber Café (Personal Bio)
Week 1
Week 1
Lesson 1 - Introduction to Psychology
Discussion Forum, Learning Style: After you discover your learning style, post it on discussion board. Discuss whether you feel the assessment is accurate or not and what this means to you in terms of how you will approach your work. Read and reply to other students.
LessonQuiz.
Learning Activity 2 (Lesson 1) – Psychology Careers
(http://www.psywww.com/careers)
Discussion Forum, Psychology Careers
At the site above, find ten careers of interest to you. Next, identify two “jobs” you might enjoy. For example, if Counseling is a career you have identified, would you prefer a “job” as an addictions counselor or as a marriage and family therapist? Explore the educational requirements and salary requirements of one of these two and post on the Discussion Forum.
The Biology Underlying Behavior
9/5-9/10
Week 2
Lesson 2 - Biological Bases of Behavior
Discussion Forum, Decade of the Brain: The U.S. Congress designated the 1990s as "the Decade of the Brain." By searching the web, your task is to identify five (5) major discoveries about the brain and brain function that occurred in the past decade.
Lesson Quiz
Week 2
Week 2
Lesson 3 - Sensation and Perception
Select topic & partner(s) for Teams & Major Project
Discussion Forum, Color Vision: Before proceeding further think about your experience of the negative afterimage. Go to the Color Vision REFLECT/DISCUSS forum and describe your experience. Are you able to explain the occurrence of negative afterimages based on the Trichromatic Theory of color vision? Read and respond to your fellow group members posts. If you only knew of the Trichromatic Theory of color vision, how would you explain this phenomenon?
Lesson Quiz
Lesson 3 – Sensation and Perception
Discussion Forum, Monocular Cues: Investigate more about the cues for depth or distance perception by visiting John H. Krantz's Psychological Tutorials URL: http://psych.hanover.edu/Krantz/sen_tut.html about the "Use of Visual Information in Art”. Have you noticed the use of visual cues in photographs you have taken? Look at the figure above. Can you identify any monocular cues for distance you have learned about? Go to your group forum and describe your experience with your fellow group members. Be sure to respond to at least two other postings.
9/11-9/17
Week 3
Week 3
Lesson 4 - States of Consciousness
Discussion Forum, Disorders of Sleep:
Read about Sleep Disturbances , then take the Sleep Test (http://nshsleep.com/test.cfm). You should be able to list and describe 5 of the sleep disorders treated at the Northside Hospital. In your small group discussion forum, discuss your experience with the Sleep Test and the disorder you investigated.
Lesson Quiz
Lesson 4 – Consciousness
Discussion Forum, Lark or Owl:
Are You a Lark or an Owl? : Participate in this activity and forum.
Answer questions at the link below and report results to the Discussion Forum.
Were you a Lark or an Owl?
What are the characteristics (physiological and behavioral) associated with "Larks" and "Owls?"
Do you share the characteristics of the category with relatives? Do you share these characteristics with other students?
Report your experience as a post to your group’s Lark or Owl Forum. Respond to other student’s posts. http://www.msnbc.com/modules/quizzes/chronobiology.asp
Lesson Quiz
Week 3
Cognitive Processes: Learning – Memory – Intelligence
Lesson 5 – Learning
Discussion Forum, Pavlovian Conditioning:
Learning Activity 1:- Go to http://nobelprize.org/medicine/educational/pavlov/ and teach the dog to go from US-UR to CS-CR. Once you have succeeded, read the further readings and report back to the discussion board on what you have learned.
Lesson Quiz
Week 3
Week 3
9/18-9/24
Week 4
Week 4
9/24
9/25-10/1
Week 5
Lesson 5 – Learning
Discussion Forum, Reward and Punishment:
Learning Activity 3- Come up with one concrete example of how you have experienced each of the four types of reward and punishment above. Post them and discuss with your classmates the effectiveness of the consequences.
Lesson Quiz
Lesson 5 – Learning
Discussion Forum, Schedules of Reinforcement:
Learning Activity 4- Go to http://www.clickertales.com/clickertimingame.html Teach the bird to peck the buzzer. After you have taught the bird, read the notes below the game and attempt to recreate ratio strain and extinction. Report back to the discussion board with your results.
Lesson Quiz
Lesson 6 – Memory
Discussion Forum: Memory:
Memory Problems are associated "naturally" with old age. Should scientists ignore this age group and devote their major research efforts to children and young adults? Why? Defend your position.
Lesson Quiz
Lesson 7 - Intelligence
Discussion Forum, Measuring Giftedness: A screening tool with the characteristics of gifted adults may be found at: http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/Articles/Characteristics_Scale.htm Do you think that it actually measures giftedness? What is your definition of gifted? Post your answer to the discussion forum.
Lesson Quiz
Group Topic due to the Discussion Board
Lesson 8 – Thinking and Language
Discussion Forum, Thinking and Language:
Are animals capable of learning language? How? What is the evidence?
Helpful webpages:
http://www.pigeon.psy.tufts.edu/psych26/kohler.htm
http://www.santafe.edu/~johnson/articles.chimp.html
http://whyfiles.org/058language/ape_talk.html
http://www.cwu.edu/~cwuchci/
Motivation, Emotion, and Health
Week 5
Week 5 Lesson 9 – Motivation and Emotion
Discussion Forum, Sensation Seeking:
At what level do you perform at your peak? Are you more likely to perform best on a test when (1) you are not really interested in doing well; (2) you want to do well and are not really anxious about the test; or (3) you are convinced that you will just die if you do not pass the text and are so anxious that you cannot see straight? What about other situations? Do you seek out exciting and dangerous experiences?
Try a thrill-seeking questionnaire. Go to the Sensation Seeking Scale at http://www.bbc.co.uk./science/humanbody/mind/surveys/sensation/index.shtml
The questionnaire is designed to test your tendency towards varied, novel and intense sensations. It has 40 questions and should take you about 15 minutes. It is a test designed by Marvin Zuckerman mentioned above and was first published in 1971.
Post your experiences and ideas to your group’s discussion forum. Reply to your group members posts.
Lesson 9 - Motivation and Emotion
Discussion Forum, Facial Feedback: Do facial expressions follow emotional experiences or would smiling cause you to feel good? Would you be able to practice smiling to lift your moods? According to the Facial-Feedback hypothesis, mimicking the facial movements associated with an emotion will induce the corresponding emotional state. Let us try it and see. Hold a pencil between your teeth for a couple of minutes. Notice any change in your mood? Now hold the pencil between your lips. Notice any change in your mood? Is there someone you can get to play along? Why would holding the pencil between your lips or your teeth make a difference?
Describe your experiences to the Group Discussion forum.
Lesson Quiz
10/2-10/8
Week 6
Lesson 10 - Stress & Health Psychology
Discussion Forum, Type A Behavior: Is "Type A behavior" (hurried, demanding, time-oriented, etc.) associated with increased risk of heart disease? The suggestion is often made that a particular component of Type A behavior may be the real culprit. What is this component and what does research suggest regarding its relationship to heart disease? What can be done to reduce the risk? Report your experience to your group discussion forum. Be sure to reply to other group members posts.
Discussion Forum 2, Stress and Coping:
Imagine that you and your group are developing a workshop to teach people to cope with stress. Given what you know about coping strategies, how would you train the people to avoid stress in their daily lives? What specific strategies would you include in your workshop? How would you use this information with a group of individuals suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder because of the events of 11 September 2001 at the Twin Towers in New York? In designing your workshop, search the Internet for sources of information concerning coping strategies and particular coping with traumatic events. You can get started by taking a look at the following sites:
Coping Strategies - tolls for life's stressors http://www.coping.org/911/healing/content.htm
The Traumatic Stress Studies web site http://www.istss.org/
National Center for PTSD http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/
Two site from the American Psychological Association http://www.apahelpcenter.org/articles/topic.php?id=4
http://www.apahelpcenter.org/articles/topic.php?id=3
Working in your group design your group’s workshop plan.
Lesson Quiz
Personality, Psychological Disorders, and Treatment
Week 6
10/9-10/15
Week 7
Lesson 11 – Personality
Discussion Forum, Personality Theories: This lesson discussed four major theories of personality and the pros / cons of each. Which theory appeals to you most at this time? Why? From your favorite television show, who most exhibits the personality traits from this theory? How?
Lesson 12 - Psychological Disorders
Discussion Forum, Mental Disorders - Categories: Identify one disorder that interests you and read the information that accompanies it. Next, identify a person you know or someone famous who exhibits some of the symptoms listed in your reading. Then decide which of the schools bests explains the origins of this disorder in your friend/family member or famous person.
Discussion Forum 2, Movies and Mental Disorders:
Working with your group, come up with a list of 10 movies that illustrate some of the disorders listed above. Write a one sentence description of the movie and another sentence which illustrates the disorder. Then post on the general discussion board. Do not duplicate movies which appear on other groups lists.
Lesson Quiz
Week 7
Lesson 13 -Treatment
Discussion Forum, Medicating Children:
Discuss the pros and cons of medicating children for mental illness. What are some of the moral implications of such a policy? Post your thoughts and ideas to this forum.
Discussion Forum 2, Therapy Perspectives:
What perspective does the popular television therapist, Dr. Phil, represent. Post your thoughts to the discussion board.
Lesson Quiz
10/16-10/22 Social Psychology
Week 8 Lesson 14 – Social Psychology
Discussion Forum, Prejudice:
Go to the Understanding Prejudice web site http://www.understandingprejudice.org/. Click the button for “Slide Tour of Prejudice.” This slide tour consists of 15 print advertisements that cover a range of products and time periods. Some advertisements involve obvious cases of stereotyping and prejudice, other are more subtle. When you are watching the slide tour you will be asked to consider:
1. Whether the advertisement involves prejudice and/or discrimination.
2. If it does, list the groups(s) against which the ad is biased.
3. If it does, to briefly explain your answer.
Once you take the slide tour, you can return within a period of one year, retake the tour, and see how your answers have changed.
In your group discussion forum, consider the following questions:
1. How do you know when something is prejudiced?
2. Does humorous intent make a difference?
3. What if the targets of prejudice don’t see an ad as biased?
4. What if the targeted group itself produces the ad?
Discussion Forum 2, Compliance Techniques:
Tune in to one of the home shopping networks on cable television. Make note of any compliance technique(s) you observe.
Discuss your observations with others on the compliance discussion forum.
Lesson Quiz
Wrap-up Presentation/Discussion of Online Projects
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. How long will I have to wait for a response from the instructor to my e-mail?
Faculty responds to e-mails within 48 hours.
2. What is proper e-mail etiquette?
E-mail to other learners and the instructor needs to be addressed in a manner appropriate to polite interactions.
3. What will help me succeed in this course?
Strong discipline and desire to succeed. You’ll need to login to class often during the typical week, motivating yourself to meet the requirements for success.
Ability to work well independently. You’ll develop the support of fellow learners all taking the same coursework together, but it will be different than a typical classroom environment. If you work well independently, your chance of success is higher.
Computer savvy. If you’re not familiar with the Internet and e-mail communication, we recommend that you take a computer enrichment class prior to enrolling in this course. Faculty assumes you know how to access and send data on the Internet.
4. What are “I” grades and when are they used?
An “I” grade may be assigned at the instructor’s discretion upon request by the student to permit the student time to complete required course work, which he/she was prevented from completing in a timely way due to non-academic reasons. The instructor may require the student to document the request to assist in the decision. The instructor may choose not to grant the request. The “I” grade should be considered only when the student has the potential to earn a passing grade if the missing work is made up.
The instructor shall prescribe in a written agreement with the student the remaining course work required for completion and removal of the “I” grade. A copy of this agreement will be kept on file in the office of the appropriate dean. All work must be completed within the first eight weeks of the subsequent term, unless the instructor agrees to a longer timeframe extension of time (not to exceed one year). When the work is completed, the instructor will submit a grade change form with the grade earned. If the work is not completed within the prescribed timeframe, the “I” will automatically change to an “F” grade. The student will be informed of the final grade assigned.
To be eligible for an “I” grade, the student must be passing the course at the time of the request, and must have completed at least 75 percent of the course work.
5. What is the FCCJ Code of Ethics?
Consistent with The Code of Ethics of the Education Profession in Florida, 6B-1.06, Principles of Professional conduct for the Education Profession in Florida, an obligation to the learner requires that an individual shall not harass or discriminate against any learner on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status, handicapping condition, sexual orientation, or social and family background and shall make reasonable effort to assure that each learner is protected from harassment or discrimination.
6. What about academic dishonesty?
Academic dishonesty, in any form, is expressly prohibited by the rules of the District Board of Trustees of Florida Community College at Jacksonville. Academic dishonesty incorporates the following:
a. Cheating which is defined as the giving or taking of any information or material with the intent of wrongfully aiding oneself or another in academic work considered in the determination of a course grade.
b. Plagiarism which is defined as the act of stealing or passing off as one’s own work the words, ideas, or conclusions of another as if the work submitted were the product of ones own thinking rather than an idea or product derived from another source.
c. Any other form of inappropriate behavior which may include but is not limited to: falsifying records or data; lying; unauthorized copying, tampering, abusing or otherwise unethically using a computer or other stored information; and, any other act of misconduct which may reasonably be deemed to be a part of this heading.
Any student alleged to have committed any act of academic dishonesty as defined herein, shall be entitled to due process as defined in District Board of Trustees’ Rule 6Hx7-2. 18, prior to the administration of disciplinary action, including suspension and dismissal.
7. May I repeat this course?
Learners repeat a course in an attempt to improve a grade previously earned. State Board Rule 6A-14.0301 limits such attempts to courses where a “D,” “F,” or “FN” grade was earned. A learner has only three total attempts in any course, including the original grade, repeat grades and withdrawals. Upon the third attempt in a course, the learner must be given an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F”.
When students repeat a course at Florida Community College, only the last grade earned is calculated in their cumulative grade point average (GPA). However, students with an excessive number of “W” or “FN” grades and students who repeat courses to improve their GPA may jeopardize their admission to programs in the Florida State University System (SUS) or other institutions.