Dr. Roger D. Ray
Faculty Page: Roger D. Ray
Personal Web Site: www.rdray.net
E-mail Contact: rdray@rollins.edu
Syllabus
Most Recent Offering:
Fall Term, 2010
Class Schedule: Tue and Thurs 2:00-3:15 PM, Bush 160
NOTE: Please contact me either in class or by e-mail for appointments. Phone calls rarely find me and I check voice mail far less than e-mail!
Unique to my particular offering of Media-Based Psy 101 is my very heavy reliance on electronic
text and digital video, computerized and adaptive tutoring, and computerized testing as mastery certification instead of a traditional textbook and classroom lectures.
I do offer opportunities for collective review of video quiz responses and class discussion through once-per-week class meetings, and we also will have in-class testing of your longer-term retention
of what you are learning.
Thus one major difference
in my offering of the course is my use of out-of-class annotated video presentations and integrated active student
responding to questions derived from these videos. These annotated video presentations and student
responding will substitute for at least one traditional lecture per week, but we will also meet once per week for informal class discussions. Complete sources
for the sampled video clips that make up the tutorials are available at:
Be aware that viewing these videos alone does not substitute for coming to class and participating!
The grading system is clearly laid out in this syllabus. Please review it carefully.
35% of your final
grade for the course will be determined by the composite (average) grades
established through electronic certification of chapter readings for ALL of the 15
chapters of text assigned.
Any missed certification tests count in this average as a zero for each
skipped chapter. Certification
testing on any and all TEXTBOOK chapters takes place as follows: 1.
You may take any chapter certification test as many times as you wish, with only the
maximum obtained score counting towards your eventual course grade. Maximum scores are maintained on an
internet server, and you must have an active connection with that server at the
time of submission of your test results for the grade to be recorded. Only a score greater than your previous
score for that chapter will be recorded to the server. 2. You
may take any chapter certification at any time UP TO MIDNIGHT of the
published Certification Due Date for that chapter. Thus a test due on, say, Nov 20, 2009,
will have to be completed before 11:59 PM of NOV 20, 2009. When midnight starts Nov 21, your test
scores will no longer be accepted by the server. Attempts to start a chapter test after this date will also
give you a message that the due date for that chapter has expired and the test
is no longer available. 3. At
some point during the semester you may be required to use
tutoring services in the electronic text system if your first two certification
scores are sufficiently low to suggest that tutoring would be helpful in
teaching you the text materials.
If you certify twice on any chapter with a score of less than 80% then
you will be required to use the electronic adaptive tutoring services for that
chapter until you have mastered the material. 4. At
any time any student may be asked to come to a laboratory setting to take/retake
a certification test under supervised administration. In the case of a retake, if the existing maximum score for
that chapter certification test is not matched or exceeded, the maximum score
obtained under supervised administration may,
at the instructor's discretion, apply as the maximum score and in such cases
the test will be administratively 'timed out' to block further administrations
of the test for that student. IMPORTANT NOTE: You may observe from the schedule that
tests are typically timed-out on Monday prior to viewing videos on subsequent days.
There is a reason for this.
All readings should be accomplished prior to the presentation and
discussion of video materials covering that same topic. All
students are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to anticipate due dates in advance
and both read and certify well before deadlines. In fact, waiting until the last few hours of the deadline
date will almost always create sufficient traffic on the server as to make it less
than 100% reliable. If you wait
until the last minute it is quite likely that you may miss submitting your test
score successfully. DO
NOT PROCRASTINATE; instead, certify often and certify early!
R. A. Kasschau's
Psychology: Exploring Behavior. Winter Park, FL: (AI)2, Inc. (Purchase
on-line at http://www.ai2inc.com/Store/Store/expbeh_purchase.html as per pdf Purchase Instructions posted on BlackBoard)
Instead of traditional "hit-and-miss" class participation, where some individuals always
respond and others always stay silent, this class incorporates personalized student answering
of questions posed during video "virtual lectures, lab visits, and personal interviews" as a systematic way to assure that all students
participate and at least minimally interact with processes defining the course. This also takes the place
of "pop quizzes," in that every virtual lecture incorporates a distributed set of quiz questions
throughout the video presentation. Subsequent in-class discussions will review and correct given answers that should be counted as correct, but weren't recognized by the electronic evaluation system.
Based on the class' collective
understanding of each segment, I will clarify, elaborate, or review the material "as needed"
based on class performance data in THURS class meetings. These VIDEO quiz activities will collectively account for another
25% of the total course grade via an averaging of performances for each individual student
across all classes where formalized in-class responding is used.
40% of your final
grade for the course will be determined by the composite (average) grades
established through in-class exams and your final exam. Exams will cover the video,
lecture/commentary material, and any discussion material, as well as assigned
text/tutorial materials. NOTE:
this means you will be tested on text and video assignments both electronically and
in-class. There will be four in-class
exams and a final exam that is equivalent to two normal in-class tests. In-class exams cover all material
covered up until that point of class but will focus on material covered since
the last exam. The final is
cumulative. All exams consist of multiple
choice and association questions with the final having twice as many questions
as an in-class test. However, the final counts only as one of the four tests in unweighted grading.
Psychology is all around you at Rollins. There are talks and activities outside of class that are related
to a myriad of the issues that we will be covering as a part of this
course. You are being asked to
participate in psychology-related events outside of class and write a short
reaction paper about your experience.
Reaction papers will be worth a BONUS value of 1% point (.5 for each of 2 possible) in your final grade. A list of approved
events is below. You are
responsible for making sure that you attend at least two events and turn in
two reaction papers before the last day of class to get your bonus. I will not grade more than two reaction papers. Each reaction paper will be graded on
your understanding of how the event relates to a psychology topic from class or
the book. It is important to
me that you see Psychology in the real-world and that you become active in the
extra-curricular events on campus.
Life, especially life at Rollins, is more than just the classroom.
Psychology is a science and the Psychology Department at Rollins is research active.
This means that there is a need for you to participate in the studies that professors,
other classes, and more advanced psychology students are undertaking. You are being
asked to participate in at least two experiments or surveys during the semester.
This is the easiest way to add up to 2% additional bonus points to your grade. You just have to show up and participate. You
are not graded on performance, only participation. You are simply awarded 2% toward your final grade when you
complete your participation. Sign-up sheets will be passed out in class and you are responsible
for making sure that you participate in two out-of-class projects before the last day of class.
The purpose of research participation is two-fold. First, the individuals doing the
research need data and you are one of those data contributors.
Most psychology research is done with pools of introductory psychology
students. Second, it is important
to me that you see the research that is going on in your department and that
you experience some of the different methodologies used in the psychological
sciences. NOTE: If you are under the age of 18, then you legally cannot
participate in these studies. If
you have an ethical objection, then you are not required to participate in any
study. If either of these are the
case, then you need to contact me before September 1 and we will devise an
alternative assignment for you to earn these points.
To summarize, the percentages that each source applies to the total grades are:
Textbook Chapter Certifications 35%
Video Viewing Quizzes 25%
In-Class Exams (4 with final) 40%
Community Participation BONUS 1%
Research Participation BONUS 2%
Total 100% plus up to 3 BONUS % points
A range
with < 92.5 = A-
B range
with < 82.5 = B- and > 87.5 = B+
C range
with < 72.5 = C- and > 77.5 = C+
D range
with < 62.5 = D- and > 67.5 = D+
F
Rollins College is committed to equal access and does not discriminate unlawfully against persons with disabilities in its policies, procedures, programs or employment processes. The College recognizes its obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to provide an environment that does not discriminate against persons with disabilities.
If you are a person with a disability on this campus and anticipate needing any type of academic accommodations in order to participate in your classes, please make timely arrangements by disclosing this disability in writing to the Disability Services Office at (box 2613) - Thomas P. Johnson Student Resource Center, 1000 Holt Ave., Winter Park, FL, 37289.Appointments can be scheduled by calling 407-646-2354 or email: gridgeway@rollins.edu
Honest (adj) – 1.
Marked by or displaying integrity; upright 2. Not deceptive or fraudulent; genuine 3. Equitable; fair 4.
a) Characterized by truth; not false / b) Sincere; frank 5. a) Of good repute; respectable / b) Without
affectation; plain 6. Virtuous; chaste Honor (n) – Principled uprightness of character;
personal integrity Integrity (n) – Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or
ethical code Virtue (n) – Moral excellence and righteousness;
goodness Responsible
(adj) – 1.
Involving personal accountability or ability to act without guidance or
superior authority 2.
Able to make moral or rational decisions on one's own and therefore answerable
for one's behavior 3.
Able to be trusted or depended upon; reliable. Definitions
Quoted Directly from The American Heritage¬ Dictionary of the English Language,
Fourth Edition Copyright
© 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published
by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Downloaded
from www.dictionary.com on 8/17/06
As a student at Rollins
College, you belong to a community where the members (i.e., students, faculty,
and administration) have agreed to abide by an Academic Honor Code. Although
this code includes rules, judicial processes, and sanctions for dishonesty, its
primary purpose is not as a system of enforcement and punishment. At its base, the Rollins College
Academic Honor Code recognizes that you are a responsible individual embodying the characteristics of honesty,
honor, integrity, and virtue.
Because you are this type of individual, we are proud to have you as a member
of our community. The Honor Code is not about being a good student, it is about
being a good person. We trust that you are a good person and hope that you will
never violate this trust. As an individual of honesty, honor, integrity and virtue,
we acknowledge that you would never engage in acts of plagiarism, cheating,
unauthorized collaboration, fabrication, or lying,
nor would you submit work prepared for another course for a current assignment without the professor's
permission, facilitate academic dishonesty, or violate testing conditions (see definitions below). We also acknowledge that, as a responsible
member of your community, you would feel obligated to
report an honor code violation if
you had knowledge of one occurring. If you do not think that you
can live up to these expectations, if you are not fully committed to the
principles of the honor code, or if you simply believe that this whole policy
is unrealistic and nonsensical, you do not belong at Rollins College – we
wish you well, but please find another school that is better suited to your
world view. Definitions from the Rollins College Academic Honor Code: 1. PLAGIARISM. Offering the words, facts, or ideas of
another person as your own in any academic exercise. 2. CHEATING. Using or attempting to use unauthorized
materials, information, or study aids in an academic exercise. This includes sharing knowledge of
previously administered or current tests.
The keeping of tests, papers, and other assignments belonging to former
students is prohibited. Use of
external assistance (e.g., books, notes, calculators, conversations with
others) in completing an "in class" or "take home" examination,
unless specifically authorized by the instructor, is prohibited. 3. UNAUTHORIZED
COLLABORATION. Collaboration,
without specific authorization by the instructor, on homework assignments, lab
reports, exam preparations, research projects, take home exams, essays, or
other work for which you will receive academic credit. 4. SUBMISSION
OF WORK PREPARED FOR ANOTHER COURSE.
Turning in the same work, in whole or in part, to two or more
instructors, without the consent of the instructors in both courses. 5. FABRICATION. Misrepresenting, mishandling, or
falsifying information in an academic exercise. For example, creating false information for a bibliography,
inventing data for a laboratory assignment, or representing a quotation from a
secondary source (such as a book review or a textbook) as if it were a primary
source. 6. FACILITATING
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY. Helping
another student commit an act of academic dishonesty. 7. VIOLATION
OF TESTING CONDITIONS. Looking at
other students' answers, allowing other students to look at your test, and
working past allotted time are just a few examples where test conditions may be
considered to be violated. 8. LYING. Lying is the making of a statement that
one knows to be false with the intent to deceive. It includes
actions such as (a) lying to faculty, administrators, or staff; (b) falsifying
any college document or record by mutilation, addition, deletion, or forgery;
or (c) lying to a member of the Honor Council or judicial affairs officer. 9. FAILURE
TO REPORT AN HONOR CODE VIOLATION.
Failure to report occurs when a student has knowledge of or is witness
to an act in violation of the Academic Honor Code and does not report it within
five class days. Honor Code Statement Membership in the student body
of Rollins College carries with it an obligation, and requires a commitment, to
act with honor in all things. Because academic integrity is fundamental to the
pursuit of knowledge and truth and is the heart of the academic life of Rollins
College, it is the responsibility of all members of the College community to
practice it and to report apparent violations. The following pledge is a
binding commitment by the students of Rollins College: The development of the
virtues of Honor and Integrity are integral to a Rollins College education and
to membership in the Rollins College community. Therefore, I, a student of Rollins College, pledge to show
my commitment to these virtues by abstaining from any lying, cheating, or
plagiarism in my academic endeavors and by behaving responsibly, respectfully
and honorably in my social life and in my relationships with others.
This pledge is reinforced
every time a student submits work for academic credit as his/her own. Students shall add to all papers,
quizzes, tests, lab reports, etc., the following handwritten abbreviated pledge
followed by their signature: "On
my honor, I have not given, nor received, nor
witnessed any unauthorized assistance on this work." Material submitted
electronically should contain the pledge; submission implies signing the
pledge.
Electronic
Certification of Text Mastery
Required
Textbook:
Out-of-Class Responding to Questions from Video Viewing
In-Class
Testing of All Materials Covered.
Reaction Papers to Community Participation<
Research Participation.
Grading
89.5-100
79.5-89.59
69.5-79.49
59.5-69.49
<59.5
Our
Commitment to Students with Disabilities
The
Honor Code and You
The Honor Code is About a Culture of Integrity, Not About
Rules