Information about new class
ecl569
welcome_to_new_class.docx
Welcome to PSY-843 (PSY-843-O500) Program Ev aluation with Dr. Pamela Jennings
I hope that everyone has had the opportunity to meet each other at the class wall! If not, please go ahead and introduce yourself and leave a brief bio. You can get to the class wall by clicking on our connect tab and then on the class wall tab. Note that my bio is listed.
Course Tour: I’d like to take you on a brief tour of our LoudCloud classroom so you will know where to find the resources relevant to our course experience. When you signed into our classroom, you were presented with a series of tabs directing you to “Calendar”, “Tasks”, “Resources”, “Connect”, “Reports” and “Announcements”. Please explore each. Take special note of the Resources tab which has links to the syllabus, classroom policies and student success center. If you click on the link to course materials you will find the Add- Ons tabs where I may upload supplementary materials from time to time.
Just to the left of Resources is the Task bar where you can find the link to the Forum. Like the ancient Roman forum days that we learn about in art history, this is a virtual architectural jewel that houses all the happenings for our business as a class. This space is subdivided into the Main Forum (where you get to express your academically informed opinions about the discussion topics), the Questions for the Instructor Forum is to be used when you need to ask me something that you think is relevant to the whole class. It is a public setting and my response is available for everyone to read. Therefore I won’t be able to engage you regarding personal concerns there. In the event that you need my attention for something private, please communicate with me via the Individual Forum link. Neat idea - the forum, right? By way of kind reminder—in all communications we should be considerate and remember our online etiquette.
Finally, to the right of the Resources tab is the Connect bar. Continuing with the art history metaphor, this reminds me of the walls of graffiti of public art in modern times because we get to write on them (Yay!) and basically say the equivalent of that first piece of graffiti ever, “Kilroy was here.” How will you introduce yourself? Whatever you say, I will respond to each of you individually.
(Here might be a good place to take a stretch if you need a bit of a break as we will move into the more serious matter of course objectives, classroom participation rules , assignment submission rules, rubric rules, plagiarism and the late policy.)
In terms of course objectives, we will focus on the creation of chapter one of your dissertations armed with the knowledge that we gather about the sections of the proposal and their content, e.g., the creation of a problem statement, research questions and hypothesis, methodology and design and, how to explain the significance of your research. Please note that we hit the ground running this week with the following course work and assignments:
1. For Module 1 we have two discussion questions and your response to question one is due on Saturday March 18th and your response to question two is due on Monday, the 20th.. There is a link to additional material which has the guidelines for discussion participation, which you may access by clicking on additional materials under the link to the syllabus that appears under the resources tab. Please read the calendar for additional information about upcoming assignments and due dates.
In terms of course expectations it is important for me to underscore the class attendance and participation rules which are accessible via the classroom policy link.
Discussion Participation : Please remember the discussion participation rules and the requirements for posting on time. Only posts in the main forum meet the participation requirement. You will have two discussion posts for each module with the exception of modules three and five. The first discussion question answer is due on Wednesdays and the second one is due on Fridays.
Substantive answers in doctoral level discussions must have a minimum of 150 – 250 words. They should be scholarly in that they are substantiated by the body of knowledge and research evidenced in the literature and therefore, they require citations/references. The strongest posts will go beyond paraphrasing information to reflecting upon and critiquing ideas in such a way as to add meaning and value to our understanding of the dissertation task. They address limitations of ideas as well.
Also, you are required to provide response posts which should integrate course concepts and may include personal experiences and applications to the real world that extend the theme of the post. I will myself participate at least four times a week with the aim of supporting your effort to meet the goals of the course and contribute to your own participation. Please promote our collaboration with one another by checking for/following up on responses from one another and me, even after the deadline for posting.
Rubrics : You are required to review assignment rubrics before completing your work and I will use those rubrics to evaluate your work and give you content and scoring feedback. The rubric icon is in the upper right hand corner of the assignment page and again, you access the assignments under the task link.
Assignment submission occurs via the drop box. Remember GCU’s requirement that all assignments 500 words or greater are to be submitted to turn it in (TII) and please remember to upload your assignment to the classroom and click on the required button to send it to TII before submitting it to the assignment drop box. A grade of 0 will be entered for work not submitted to TII. You can expect feedback within 7 days of the date you submit your assignments.
Plagiarism at GCU is not tolerated so it is very important to understand the plagiarism policy and the requirement to properly cite and reference your research sources. For doctoral level students that information is available at the student success center’s writing resources tab link to the style and guide templates ( http://gcumedia.com/lms-resources/student-success-center/index.html ). Do not cut and paste information from other websites to complete your discussion posts or assignment papers.
The Late Policy includes a 10% penalty for work turned in after the deadline for each day following the deadline (Wow—get your work in on time!). You can’t turn in any work after the course close date (last day of class). Discussion posts and assignments not submitted will receive zero grades. Internet Service Provider (ISP) problems are not good reasons for late work unless GCU servers are at fault. At such times I will readjust deadlines accordingly. Otherwise, please make sure you have a back-up plan and back up files for your work. All assignments/discussion posts are due by midnight of the deadline date Arizona time.
How to Reach Me: My office hours are on Tuesdays, 5PM to 7PM Eastern Standard Time and by appointment. Please email me at [email protected] to arrange to meet by Skype or phone (202.669.7222). I check my email several times a day and this is a very good way to get in touch. Again, you may also contact me by using the Questions to the instructor forum and the individual forum (for private questions or comments). I will check for messages daily and get back to you within 24 hours.
OK—I hope that I have answered enough of your questions to get you off to a relatively smooth start. See you in the classroom.
Dr. Jennings
