University Seminar

GNED 101 Syllabus

Contents

[Instructor | Text | Overview of Course | Grades ]
[Outline and Course Schedule]
[Course Policy | Group Work on Homework | Late Homework |
Proper Use of Discussion Groups | Students with Disabilities ]

Instructor

Texts

Holkeboer, Robert & Walker, Laurie, Right From the Start, Wadsworth, 1999.

Resources on WWW:

Your College Success Center

Course Internet Sites

The syllabus is available at: http://www.uwp.edu/academic/mis/baldwin/Gned101/g101f00.htm

The course also uses discussions, chat rooms, and other materials that are located at: http://www.blackboard.com/courses/GNED0101Sec12/index.html. To use the site, you must enroll (free of charge) by clicking I would like to enroll on this page.

Passport sessions, activities, and schedules

Overview of Course

The purpose of University Seminar is to provide you with an extended orientation to college life, and to UW-Parkside in particular. In other courses you will encounter college through specific bodies of material which constitute an academic discipline: mathematics, history, political science. In University Seminar, the subject matter is college itself: its culture, expectations, demands, and rewards. College can be an exciting and enjoyable time in your life, but success is not guaranteed. In this course you will learn tools, techniques, strategies, and critical thinking skills that will help you throughout college. Additionally, you can view the course as "anticipatory advising". This advising will recommend study habits, make you aware of campus activities, help you choose a major, and a career. 

Course Objectives

Through this course students will:

1. Develop a better understanding of why they are in college.
2. Make progress toward the development of realistic career and life goals, and understand the educational and personal implications of these goals. 
3. Develop or improve certain abilities essential to being successful in college including information literacy, study skills, time management, presentation skills, communication skills, and critical thinking.
4. Become familiar with the University of Wisconsin-Parkside policies, procedures, academic programs, general education requirements, graduation requirements, university resources, and services.

Learning Methods

The course objectives will be met through the use of class discussion, participating in internet discussion groups, participating in the passport program, completion of the university's information literacy requirement, writing exercises and an in-class presentation.  The course uses an "active" style of learning. Students should read the assigned material before class and complete the assigned exercises by  the due date so that they are prepared to discuss the material. In addition, students will have an opportunity to discuss the material and suggest material to discuss through the class internet discussion site.  Within the first few days of the course, the student will complete the College Student Inventory. The results of this survey will be used by the student to select passport sessions or exercises. These sessions or exercises are completed outside of class and include topics such as time management, note taking skills, and diversity. The course culminates with an in-class presentation regarding a controversial topic (of the student's choice).

Learning Assessment

Learning will be assessed through the evaluation of written and oral presentations. Written work involving each of the four objectives sited above will be submitted by email or by participating in the course's internet discussion group. Oral presentations will be made on the last day of class (the 10th class).

Written homework and presentations will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Subject. Did you respond to the assigned problem or topic?
• Argument. Did you gather relevant information, make appropriate assumptions, and use a logically sound argument?
• References. Where appropriate, did you use a citation?
• Organization. Did the paper/presentation flow well from beginning to end?
• Expression. Are your sentences clear in meaning and varied in structure? Did  you use proper grammar and spelling? Did you use charts, graphs, pictures or animation effectively?

Grading

Points will be accumulated throughout the semester. Grades will be determined by summing the points: 93-100 A, 90-92 A-, 87-89 B+, 83-86 B, 80-82 B-, 77-79 C+, 73-76 C, 70-73 C-, 60-69 D, less than 60 F. 

Points will be earned through the following activities:

• 2 pts. per class attended (maximum of 20 points)
• Max. 2 pts. per "pre-class" question that is posted to the class discussion site. A "pre-class" question must be posted at least 24 hours prior to the class. The question(s) should be consistent with the topic for the day. I will do my best to answer the question during the class. (maximum of 2 pts./class period for a total of 18 pts.).
• Max. 2 pts. per class follow up question posted to the class discussion site. A follow up question must be posted within 48 hours after a class and must be consistent with the topic discussed in the prior class (maximum of 2 pts./class period for a total of 20 pts).
• HW pts. (max points per HW is posted below)
• Max. 5 pts./Passport session attended and corresponding reflections on learning completed (max. 15 points). Reflection on learning papers are due by Dec. 8. You can submit no more than two papers between Dec. 1 and Dec. 8.

Outline and Course Schedule

The following outline and schedule may be changed at the discretion of the instructor.

Overview of DBMS

Critical Thinking:

Read the following from the WWW:

1. Basics of Critical Thinking
2. Elements of Critical Thinking
3. Intellectual Traits
4. Universal Intellectual Standards
5. Thinking and Content
6. Grading Standards for Critical Thinking

Optional Readings

• Mission Critical (click Part 1, 2, 3, 4 on the left for a tutorial and sample questions).
• Brief History of Critical Thinking

Group Work on Homework Assignments

Students must complete their own homework. Copying homework is not allowed. If help is needed, the student is encouraged to ask the professor or another student. Note there is a fine line between "help" and completing homework for a student. Students should be careful not to cross this line.

Late Homework

Homework must be turned in by 1:00 pm of the specified due date. There is a 20% per day penalty for late homework.

Discussion Group Postings (proper use)

The discussion group is designed to facilitate discussion of the class material before and after class. You are encouraged to respond to previous postings. As you post your questions and comments, you must obey the following:

• Do not post copyrighted material without the proper references.
• Do not pose as someone else.
• Do not forward the private email of others to the discussion group.
• Do not use vulgar language in the discussion group.
• Harassing other students through the discussion group will not be tolerated.
• Do not post advertisements to the discussion group.

I reserve the right to remove inappropriate postings to the discussion group. Repeat offenders of the above guidelines will lose the right to post to the discussion group.

Disabled Students

Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make necessary accommodations.