Course Syllabus

For a PDF version of the syllabus, go to the Files section

 

Summer A 2021

Instructor Information

• Instructor: Dr. Nichole Lighthall (Assistant Professor of Psychology)
  
• Instructor Office: PSY 330
• Instructor Office Hours: Mondays 12:30pm-2:00pm via Zoom or by appointment
  • Join Zoom Meeting
    https://ucf.zoom.us/j/92709573024?pwd=dTZYY04xZlErK2RKY3pERThYL2Z3dz09
    Meeting ID: 927 0957 3024
    Passcode: 386770
• Instructor Office Hours: By email request (implemented via Zoom)
• Instructor Email: Canvas email
• Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA): Alejandro Arca
• GTA Office Hours: By email request (implemented via Zoom)
  
• GTA email: Canvas email

Course Information

• Course Name: Motivation & Emotion
  
• Course ID & Section: EXP 3304-AW60
  
• Credit Hours: 3
  
• Semester/Year: Summer A 2020
  
• Location: Online (W)

Course Description

Psychological and physiological aspects of human motivation and emotion.

Prerequisites: PSY 2012 (General Psychology)

Course Objectives

• Learn how motivation is defined and measured, and how it is related to evolution.
• Learn the primary biological mechanisms of motivation and how they relate to human behavior.
• Learn the primary external drivers of motivation.
• Learn the about the main cognitive approaches to motivation.
• Learn about how emotion relates to motivation.

Required Text

Course Requirements

Student grades are based on performance on exams, quizzes, and discussion posts (which involve participation in additional activities, e.g., watching videos online, reading articles, etc.).

Basis for Final Grade

• Exams - 40% (2 exams, equal weighting): Each exam will cover the most recent 5-6 main course topics and will consist of 10 questions about content from each module with (80% multiple-choice and 20% short essay questions). Exam questions will focus on content that is covered in both the course powerpoint lectures and the textbook (i.e., not one or the other). Each exam is timed (2 hour limit each), they are open notes/book, and may be taken only once.
• Quizzes - 20% (12 quizzes, equal weighting): There is ample evidence that spaced studying and testing (retrieval) lead to better retention of newly learned material. To optimize learning, students will be quizzed weekly on material learned that week’s module(s). In addition, quiz questions will be in a format similar to exams so that students gain practice with the exam format. Quizzes will test content learned from weekly powerpoints (with instructor voiceover) and textbook chapters. Quizzes will not be timed, but they may only be completed once. **Your 2 lowest quiz scores will be dropped and will not count in your final grade (not including Exams).
  
• Discussion Posts - 40% (11 discussions, equal weighting): Additional active learning will come from participation in discussion activities. These will be conducted to give students first-hand experience with concepts in motivation and methods being discussed in class. Students submit discussion posts within their assigned small groups to receive credit. Students should review the discussion rubric (consistent throughout the semester) to ensure they receive full credit on these assignments. **Your 2 lowest discussion scores will be dropped and will not count in your final grade.

Missed Assignments/Make-Ups

There are NO make-ups for any assigned work. All assigned work will receive a zero if submitted late. Note, that your 2 lowest quiz and discussion scores from Modules 0-12 will be dropped and will not count in your final grade. Therefore, you may miss up to 2 quizzes and 2 discussion posts and still receive a 100% in the class. Both exams will count toward your final grade and there will be NO make-ups unless you have an emergency and a documented excused absence for your missed exam (see excused absence policy for exams below).

Excused Absence Policy for Exams

Students will have one week to complete all assignments in the course including exams. Thus, it is expected that students will plan their schedules such that course assignments can be completed on time. If a student knows in advance they must miss an exam due to their religious faith, university activities, or extenuating circumstances (e.g., medical condition), they must tell the instructor no later than one week before the start of the exam period. If a student has an emergency that prohibits them from completing an exam any time during exam week, they must contact the instructor as soon as possible and provide official documentation within the week following the exam period. An example of an emergency is a non-scheduled hospitalization and examples of non-emergencies are scheduled medical appointments, colds/flu, or the death of a pet. An example of official documentation is a note from your physician detailing the medical excuse during the exam period. Students involved in UCF authorized events must provide a Program Verification Form to the instructor prior to the exam where they will be absent.

Incomplete Grades

Grades of "incomplete": The current university policy concerning incomplete grades will be followed in this course. Incomplete grades are given only in situations where unexpected emergencies prevent a student from completing the course and the remaining work can be completed the next semester. Your instructor is the final authority on whether you qualify for an incomplete. Incomplete work must be finished by the end of the subsequent semester or the “I” will automatically be recorded as an “F” on your transcript.

Grade "Adjustments" and Special Assignments

No upward-grade adjustments (free points), additional point rounding, or special assignment opportunities will be granted to individual students in this course. Instead, students are encouraged to take advantage of the many opportunities they have to earn points in this course. This policy will be strictly upheld so that students have equal opportunities to earn their desired grade in this course.

Grade Dissemination

You can access your scores using "myUCF Grades" in the portal. Please note that scores returned mid-semester are unofficial grades. If you need help accessing myUCF Grades, see the online tutorial: https://myucfgrades.ucf.edu/help/.

Evaluation and Grading

Letter Grade	Points
A	94 – 100+ points
A-	90 – 93.99 points
B+	87 – 89.99 points
B	84 – 86.99 points
B-	80 – 83.99 points
C+	77 – 79.99 points
C	74 – 76.99 points
C-	70 – 73.99 points
D+	67 – 69.99 points
D	64 – 66.99 points
D-	60 – 63.99 points
F	0 - 59.99 points

 

Assignment	Percentage of Grade
Exams	40%
Quizzes	20%
Discussion Posts	40%
Total Possible	100%

 

Attendance Policy

A formal "attendance" check is not included this course. Your participation in the course will be evidenced by your submission of weekly assignments and exams.

Academic Conduct

Plagiarism and cheating of any kind on an examination, quiz, or assignment will result at least in an "F" for that assignment (and may, depending on the severity of the case, lead to an "F" for the entire course) and may be subject to appropriate referral to the Office of Student Conduct for further action. See the UCF Golden Rule for further information. For your reference, under the UCF Rules of conduct, plagiarism is defined as follows: "Plagiarism: Whereby another’s work is used or appropriated without any indication of the source, thereby attempting to convey the impression that such work is the student’s own." I will assume for this course that you will adhere to the academic creed of this University and will maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. In other words, don’t cheat by giving answers to others, taking content from another student, or including unquoted and cited text from an outside source (e.g., webpage, etc.). I adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity, so if you violate this policy, I cannot change your grade or bend these rules for you.

Course Accessibility

The University of Central Florida is committed to providing access and inclusion for all persons with disabilities. This syllabus is available in alternate formats upon request. Students with disabilities who need specific access in this course, such as accommodations, should contact the professor as soon as possible to discuss various access options. Students should also connect with Student Accessibility Services (Ferrell Commons, 7F, Room 185, sas@ucf.edu, phone (407) 823-2371). Through Student Accessibility Services, a Course Accessibility Letter may be created and sent to professors, which informs faculty of potential access and accommodations that might be reasonable.

Title IX Policy

The university has the responsibility to address information it receives about any student having been subject to sexual violence. UCF instructors and teaching assistants are responsible employees who have the duty to report all relevant details about an incident of sex/gender-based discrimination or harassment, sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, relationship violence, and/or stalking that involves any student as a survivor, alleged perpetrator or witness. For that reason, one-on-one communications between students and instructors/teaching assistants regarding these matters cannot be confidential. However due to the nature of this course, a student may disclose that they have experienced or know someone who experienced such incidents in the past during class discussions or class coursework. Because this disclosure is within the educational dialogue instructors/teaching assistants are not required to report this to the university. PLEASE BE AWARE if such disclosure is made during class discussion or coursework, members of the class are expected to respect the privacy of that individual’s contribution and not disseminate this information outside of the class setting. If you or someone you know needs confidential services here at UCF, please contact your instructor for guidance on access to those services.

Copyright

This course may contain copyright protected materials such as audio or video clips, images, text materials, etc. These items are being used with regard to the Fair Use doctrine in order to enhance the learning environment. Please do not copy, duplicate, download or distribute these items. The use of these materials is strictly reserved for this online classroom environment and your use only. All copyright materials are credited to the copyright holder.

Third-Party Software and FERPA

During this course, you might have the opportunity to use public online services and/or software applications sometimes called third-party software such as a blog or wiki. While some of these could be required assignments, you need not make any personally identifying information on a public site. Do not post or provide any private information about yourself or your classmates. Where appropriate you may use a pseudonym or nickname. Some written assignments posted publicly may require personal reflection/comments, but the assignments will not require you to disclose any personally identity-sensitive information. If you have any concerns about this, please contact your instructor.