Course Syllabus

QUINCY COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS     Fall 2016                                                             Monday & Wednesday 1:40 am - 2:55 am                                                                                    Room 309
First Year Seminar		IDS 16705
Instructor:	Dr. Savina Bari		Phone number:
Office:	307		Email:	savina.bari@fac.quincycollege.edu
Mailbox	315
Office Hours          Before the class or by appointment

 

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK(s)

Cuseo, J., Thompson, A., Campagna. M, & Sox Fecas, V. Thriving in College and Beyond. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt. 4^th Edition, 2016. ISBN:  978-1-4652-9093-9

Deck, S. Carol (2006). Mindset. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN: 978-0-345-47232-8

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This experimental course welcomes students into the academic learning community of Quincy College. It provides students with the information and strategies they need to be successful in college and beyond. The course focuses on topics such as students’ rights and responsibilities, intellectual integrity, academic policies and procedures, support services, educational planning and transfer information. In addition, students will begin to explore majors and career options and in the process will learn and practice a series of academic skills that are transferable to the workplace and continued education. The course is mandatory for all students who are seeking associate’s degrees and who have fewer than 12 college credits. It is expected that students will take this course in their first semester at Quincy College

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the completion of the course, students should be able to

1. Locate and access all services and resources available at Quincy College.
2. Define and employ the basic language and concepts of higher education.
3. Discern key points and take notes on important information from lectures and texts.
4. Apply information literacy skills to college research.
5. Evaluate and challenge information and evidence from various sources.
6. Study effectively for quizzes and exams.
7. Prepare for active, informed engagement in class discussions.
8. Demonstrate and model effective social and interpersonal communication skills.
9. Understand and work effectively in a dynamic, culturally diverse environment.
10. Identify the major academic fields and career options available to various majors.
11. Develop an academic plan and, working with an advisor, select courses to achieve academic and career goals.
12. Apply practical skills to achieve career and personal goals, including setting goals, managing time and stress, and achieving life balance.
13. Identify and model ethical and moral behavior in academic and career work..

COURSE DELIVERY FORMAT

On ground

This is a ground course. This course meets on campus according to the schedule posted above. The majority of the course content will be delivered through lectures and other activities conducted during class meetings. . The course will also have a portal page which contains the class syllabus, handouts, and important information (particularly in the event of a weather or emergency closing).

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODOLOGIES

ESSAYS:  You will write two major essays. Specific instructions will be distributed for each.  All essays must be typed (12-point type) and double-spaced.  Late papers will lose 1 points for each day they are late.  No papers will be accepted two weeks after the due date.

GROUP PROJECT:  This course will culminate in oral presentations of a group project.  These projects will reflect the First Year Seminar and first year college experience.   Students will decide as groups on the nature of their project (a skit, a commercial, a brochure, etc.), with the intention being to orient future students to successful navigation of Quincy College and the college experience in general.  Students will receive specific instructions for this assignment.

HOMEWORK AND PARTICIPATION:  Homework assignments for this course include required readings, journal entries, scavenger hunts, calculating GPA, tracking habits, etc.  In addition to completing all homework assignments for the class in which they are due, students are also expected to be present and active participants in class.  Students will lose participation points for absences as well as for classes for which they are unprepared.

GRADING POLICY

The final grade will be calculated according to the following:

 

Journal & Homework                                             20%

Exams                                                                     15%

Research Paper                                                      10%

Campus Survey & Discovery Presentation         10%

Group Project                                                         15%

Participation                                                            30%

 

Grade	%	GPA	Grade	%	GPA	Grade	%	GPA
			A	> 93	4.0	A-	90-92	3.7
B+	87-89	3.3	B	83-86	3.0	B-	80-82	2.7
C+	77-79	2.3	C	73-76	2.0	C-	70-72	1.7
D	60-69	1.0	F	< 60	0.0
I	Incomplete	0.0	W	Withdrawal	0.0	AUD	Audit	0.0

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Attendance will not be graded; however, your attendance will affect your academic performance. 

Therefore, students are expected to attend classes consistently.  If you miss a class, you can network with fellow students to inform yourself about what you have missed. Student attendance is recorded and reported to the college administration at the end of the semester. Classroom participation in learning activities, lectures, and discussion is the basis for the linguistic and conceptual development in the class, including the written and oral assignments.  Your participation in class is the basis for your achievement of the course objectives. Thus, I strongly suggest it because the attendance and final grade show a strong positive correlation. Also, class participation grades will be negatively impacted by absences.

MAKE-UP POLICY

Students should keep up with reading if a class is missed and obtain notes from a classmate. Also, see under “ESSAYS” and “HOMEWORK” above.

 

CLASS CANCELLATION POLICY

If there is a need to cancel a class, you will be informed as far in advance as possible, via email, the portal announcement, telephone, etc. The College will also post a cancellation notice at the classroom door.

Weather or other emergency closings of the College are announced on local media. 

COMMUNICATION WITH INSTRUCTOR

The best means of communication is by email. Use your college-issued email.  If you do not have a working Quincy College email account, please contact Information Technology at: support.quincycollege.edu.

COURSE CONTENT

Course content may be modified by the instructor. See the information below for specific assignments and due dates.

 

 

This syllabus is subject to change.

 

WEEKS		CONCEPT/TOPIC	REQUIRED LEARNING ACTIVITIES	EVALUATION METHOD
9/7, 9/12,		Benefits of Higher Education Transition successfully into college Adjust to the rhythm of the college experience Overview of Colleges Expectation & Class Success Calendars and the Academic Calendar Using Planner, Touching All the Bases Be Proactive and Interactive Use of Campus Resources Interpersonal Interaction and Collaboration Personal Reflection and Self-Awareness	Introduction Chapters 1 in Thriving	Class Participation Pre-assessment Syllabus Quiz – 9/12 Journal  Entries # 1
9/14, 9/19		Liberal Arts and General Education What it means to be a well-educated person in the 21st Century	Chapter 2 in Thriving Chapter 1  in Mindset	Class Participation Discussions
9/21, 9/26,		Goal Setting and Motivation Internal vs. External Loci of Control Grit Growth Mindset	Read Chapter 3 in Thriving Chapters 2 in Mindset	Class Participation Assignment Handed out in Class Discussions
9/28, 10/3,		Time Management Where does my time go? Financial Literacy Where does my money go?	Read Chapter 4 & 13 in Thriving	Class Participation   Journal  Entries # 2
10/5, 10/12,	Three Key Academic Success and Lifelong Learning Skills Information Literacy, Writing, and Speaking Session Library		Chapter 7 in Thriving		Class Participation   Discussions
10/17, 10/19, 10/24, 10/26,	Campus Survey & Discovery Higher Lever Thinking  Facts and Opinion Think for yourself College level research and academic integrity.		Chapter 8 in Thriving		Presentation (10/17) Exam # 1: 10/19 ( Chapters 1-4) Class Participation Journal # 3 Discussions
10/10	Columbus Day                                                              NO CLASSES
10/31, 11/2	Deep Learning		Chapter 5 in Thriving Chapters 3 & 4 in Mindset		Class Participation Discussions
11/7	Test-Taking Skills and Strategies Successful test-taking is a skill that can be learned		Chapter in 6 Thriving		Class Participation Journal # 4
11/9, 11/14	Mid-Semester Check-in Time to make Adjustments for semester success				Class Participation
11/16, 11/21, 11/23, 11/28	Educational planning and decision making) Career Exploration, Preparation, and Development		Chapter 11 & 12 in Thriving Chapter 8 in Mindset		Class Participation Exam # 2: 11/16  (Chapters  5-8) Discussions Journal # 5 Assignment Handed out in Class
11/18	Last Day for a student to be able to withdraw & get a ‘W’ for a grade– Student must go to Enrollment & fill out a form  in order to properly withdraw.
11/24 -11/27	THANKS GIVING
11/28	Diversity		Chapter 10 in Thriving		Class Participation Reserach Papeer  Due   Assignment Handed out in Class
11/30	Social and Emotional Intelligence Working with others expands my horizons and contributes to a creative, dynamic community Discussing on group project		Chapter 9 in Thriving		Class Participation
12/5, 12/7	Health and Wellness Healthy food and exercise are key to college success		Chapters 11 Chapter 6 in Mindset		Class Participation Discussions Project Due
12/12, 12/14,					Group Presentations
12/19	Post-Assessment Wrap-up				Discussions