Syllabus and Course Expectations

Syllabus

Please review the Course Syllabus for complete details and information about this course.

Course Expectations

All Modules will follow a fairly predictable model:

  • Video Videos - These may be lectures, speaker interviews, online links to resources and inspiration or messages from me. 
  • Quiz Assignment work - These may be short assignments or projects. The projects may be due within a week or may need several weeks to complete. Please see the specific instructions.
  • Reading Chapter reading requirements
  • Discussion Discussion requirements
  • Review Quiz or Exam

Tips for Success

The following expectations will help you be successful in this course. Please carefully review these expectations and follow them.

  1. Log in frequently: Log into the course several times each week to check the course content, announcements, conversations, and discussions.
  2. Stay on track: Keep up with the weekly readings and assignments. Students who keep up with the weekly reading and assignments tend to do much better in an online course than those who do not.
  3. Don’t miss assignments: Please do not miss an assignment deadline. Refer to the course schedule/calendar to ensure that you submit assignments on time. You will not be penalized for other students missing their deadlines. 
  4. Maintain Integrity: Remember that academic integrity will be appraised according to the student academic behavior standards outlined in Student Conduct and Academic Integrity.

Notifications

Each semester, review your Notification settings to make sure you receive course information in a timely manner. Use this notification guide to make adjustments.

Instructor Communication

Sheri Croft: Instructor

When you send a message, please expect a general response time of 24-48 hours. You can contact me via sheri.croft@ucf.edu. 

You may also contact:

  • GTA(s): Nathan Stout and Tory Micaletti
  • Email: Nathan.Stout@ucf.edu; Victoria.Micaletti@ucf.edu

If you need immediate attention, please copy all of us.

Generally, you will receive feedback  on your graded assignments 1-2 weeks after the assignment has been submitted. For larger projects, please allow 3-4 weeks for grading.

Conversations

Conversations will be an integral part of this course. Make sure you:

  1. Check your inbox at least twice per week (more often is better).
  2. Be patient. Don’t expect an immediate response when you send a message. Generally, two days is considered a reasonable amount of time to receive a reply.
  3. Be courteous and considerate. Being honest and expressing yourself freely is very important. Being considerate of others online is just as important as in the classroom.
  4. Make every effort to be clear. Online communication lacks the nonverbal cues that fill in much of the meaning in face-to-face communication.
  5. Do not use all caps. This makes the message very hard to read and is considered "shouting." Check spelling, grammar, and punctuation (you may want to compose in a word processor, then cut and paste the message into the discussion or message).
  6. Break up large blocks of text into paragraphs and use a space between paragraphs.

Interaction Guidelines

Many of the "rules of the road" that apply to conversations also apply to the use of interactive tools used in this course. Use the following conventions when interacting with the instructor and fellow students:

  1. This class is asynchronistic, but there will be "live" Zoom office hours. Office hours will be by appointment so please reach out via email to let us know who you would like to meet with (Sheri or GTA(s): Nathan Stout and Tory Micaletti) and what times work for your schedule. Cameras must be on, if at all possible, during office hours. There will be no recording without permission.
  2. If you want to send a personal message to the instructor, teaching assistant or to another student, use conversations rather than discussions (see Conversations).
  3. Be patient. Don’t expect an immediate response when you post to a discussion.
  4. Respect each other’s ideas, feelings, and experiences.
  5. Be courteous and considerate. It is important, to be honest, and to express yourself freely, but being considerate of others is just as important and expected online, as it is in the classroom.
  6. Explore disagreements and support assertions with data and evidence.
  7. Be sure to post discussions on the appropriate discussion topic.
  8. Do not use postings such as "I agree," "I don’t know either," "Who cares," or "ditto." They do not add to the discussion, take up space on the Discussions, and will not be counted for assignment credit.
  9. Avoid posting large blocks of text. If you must, break them into paragraphs and use a space between paragraphs.
  10. During a discussion assignment, deadlines for posting to and replying will be specified with each assignment. It is a good practice to always check the discussion tool multiple times during the week.
  11. Bullet Points: When and How to Use Them in Your Writing - WriterAccess Links to an external site. - You will be asked to write bullet points for some of your Discussions. Please use the above reference for guidelines. The most important aspect is that bullet points are generally shorter and not written in paragraph form.

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