Time Requirements:

If this course were offered on campus, you’d be in class 2.5 hours/week plus travel time. The online version is no different in terms of expectations for your involvement. This is an active online course that requires 3 hours of your time each week in addition to the time it takes you to read the required materials, watch the videos, and complete the assignments. That means that you need to plan to spend a minimum of 6 hours every week (up to 9-10 hours a week) on activities related to this course. If you would like to explore how the online Canvas activities work, please consult the Online Course Overview course in Canvas where you can practice posting to a discussion board, take a practice quiz and more. If you are worried about your preparedness, consider taking the Online Readiness Survey to help decide if an online course is right for you.

Technology Requirements:

As a student in an online course, you are expected to have reliable internet access almost every day.  Please reach out to your academic advisor or student success network if you need hardware or access to the Internet. If you have computing problems, it is your responsibility to address these through the ITS Helpdesk (helpdesk@umsl.edu) or to use campus computing labs. Problems with your computer or other technology issues are not an excuse for delays in meeting expectations and missed deadlines for the course.  If you have a problem, get help in solving it immediately.  At a minimum, you will need the following software/hardware to participate in this course:

1. Computer with an updated operating system (e.g. Windows, Mac, Linux)
2. Updated Internet browsers (Google Chrome (required) or Mozilla Firefox)
3. Ability to navigate Canvas (Learning Management System)
4. Minimum Processor Speed of 1 GHz or higher recommended.
5. Reliable and stable internet connection.
6. Adobe Reader or alternative PDF reader (free)
7. A webcam and/or microphone is highly recommended.

Course Plan for the Unexpected

Please stay informed about university policies, instructions and resources as they relate to the COVID-19 pandemic: https://www.umsl.edu/hcdas/coronaupdates.html  It is important to me that you stay on track toward your degree completion. This section presents our course continuity plans for how we will handle situations to avoid disruption to your learning.

Assessment/Grading

Proctored Exams:

Some assessments (such as tests and/or quizzes) in this course require the use of auto proctoring, which is an online, remote proctoring system that uses advanced machine learning and identity-verification technology to ensure test integrity.

You must have a laptop or desktop computer with a webcam and a microphone; you cannot use a smartphone or tablet. You must have a stable internet connection to take the assessment. The University recognizes that not all students may be able meet the minimum requirements. If you do not have access to the minimum technology requirements, or have disabilities that require the use of a screen reader or keyboard navigation shortcuts, please inform your instructor before the quiz or test so that accommodations may be made.

You will have an opportunity to take a practice assessment before you take a graded assessment. You should do this ahead of your first real assessment as required adjustments may take a few minutes and use up valuable assessment time.

Please be aware that:

• You, your computer and your physical test-taking environment may be recorded.
• As you may be recorded, please dress appropriately.
• You may be asked to show a picture ID to the camera.
• You will need a quiet place to take the assessment —- both for your concentration and as interruptions (voices, another person on camera) may be flagged for potential cheating.

See the Keep Learning website for your specific software to learn how to:

• Install any needed extensions.
• Set up your assessment environment.
• Complete the pre-assessment checks.

Grading Criteria and Rubrics:

Online Discussion Rubric EXAMPLE (Two Criteria)

Online Class Netiquette/Behavior

• Be self-reflective before you post an emotional response and reread what you have written to be sure it is positive.  Think of your comments as printed in the newspaper. Your online comments will be seen, heard and remembered by others in the class.

• Use effective communication. 

• Avoid the use of all caps or multiple punctuation elements (!!!, ??? etc).
• Be polite, understate rather than overstate your point, and use positive language.
• If you are using acronyms, jargon or uncommon terms, be sure to explain them so everyone can understand and participate in the discussion.

• Ask for clarification to a point if you feel emotional from a classmate’s post.  It is likely that you misunderstood his/her point.  This strategy will also help you step away from the intensity of the moment to allow for more reflection.

• Sign your name. It is easier to build a classroom community when you know to whom you are responding.

• Foster community.  Share your great ideas and contribute to ongoing discussions.  Consider each comment you make as one that is adding to, or detracting from, a positive learning environment for you and your classmates.
  
• Be constructive.  You can challenge ideas and the course content, but avoid becoming negative online. When you disagree politely, you stimulate and encourage great discussion. You also maintain positive relationships with others with whom you may disagree on a certain point.

• Keep the conversation on topic by responding to questions, adding thoughtful comments about the topics at hand.  Online dialogue is like conversation. If there is a certain dialogue going on, please add to it, but if you have something new to say, please post it in another thread.

• Define your terms. When using acronyms or terms that are particular to your field (or new to our course), please define them for others.

Course Policies

Participation (expectations)

If you are unable to participate in the scheduled class activity or discussions, you must notify the instructor within the week of that class module or discussion. The instructor reserves the right to make judgments to accept and/or make–up assignments missed because of failed participation in the course activities.

• It is vitally important that our classroom environment promotes the respectful exchange of ideas.  This entails being sensitive to the views and beliefs expressed during discussions whether in class or online.  Please speak with me before recording any class activity. It is a violation of University of Missouri policy to distribute such recordings without my authorization and the permission of others who are recorded. 
• I will not respond to each post but will be monitoring each discussion.
• Your success in this course will heavily depend on your ability to communicate, engage and participate in all course activities. Successful completion of this course requires that a student keep up with all assignments, coursework and discussions. Timely participation in online discussions is a very important part of this course and participation in these discussions, and other activities as assigned, is not optional. You are expected to prepare and post to discussions in a timely manner consistent with the requirements contained within the course syllabus and discussion rubric*.

Online Discussion Protocol

• Participation in the course should maintain a positive work and learning environment, as outlined in the UM Collected Rules & Regulations, 330.080
• Postings should be evenly distributed during the discussion week.
• Postings should be a minimum of three sentences, or one short paragraph, and a maximum of two paragraphs.
• Responses should be well written with proper punctuation, spelling, and grammar.
• Avoid short one-word postings, for instance, “I agree,” unless accompanied by supporting statements from the readings or prior knowledge (work and life experience).
• Stay focused on the topic.
• Ask questions; challenge other postings that lack supporting evidence or present incorrect information.
• Encourage further discussion by building on current threads.
• Check your postings for responses from others and respond in kind.
• Use proper “netiquette”.
  

Attendance Policies

• Present in class for online courses is determined by participation in an “academically related activity,” i.e. submission of an assignment, assessment or discussion forum posting. The last day of attendance is the last day a student is academically participating in the online course.
• Documentation that a student has logged into an online class is not sufficient by itself to demonstrate academic attendance.
• Lack of attendance in class activities or submission of work in Canvas could result in an automatic course drop.

Academic Integrity/Plagiarism

We want our learning environment to be honest and fair. The assessments in our course provide you with an opportunity to showcase what you know and learn from what you may not yet have mastered. When you submit work with your name on it, this is a written statement that credit for the work belongs to you alone. If the work was a product of collaboration (such as a group project), each student is expected to clearly acknowledge in writing all persons who contributed to its completion.

Each assignment and exam in our course will include clear guidelines about the rules around each assessment including what materials are appropriate to use. It is always required that the work you submit is your own, uses proper citation, avoids collusion or falsification.

If you have a question about an assignment, do not hesitate to contact me for clarification. You are responsible for being attentive to and observant of University policies about academic honesty as stated in the University’s Campus Policies and Code of Student Conduct found in the UMSL Bulletin.

• Plagiarism, collusion, cheating, and falsification are not acceptable and will result in failure of an assignment and possible administrative sanctions such as dismissal from the university.

• Plagiarism:  representing the ideas or work of another as your own, intentionally or unwittingly, without proper, clear, explicit acknowledgement.
• Facilitation/Collusion:  supporting malpractice by another student, for example, allowing your work to be copied.
• Duplication of Work:  presenting the same work for a different assessment.
• Cheating: using any unauthorized sources of information (such as previous or existing exams for this course) and providing or receiving unauthorized assistance on any form of academic work or engaging in any behavior specifically prohibited by the faculty member (e.g., uploading or using test questions or online homework questions on study sites such as Chegg.com, copying someone else’s answers on tests and quizzes, copying/pasting exam or online homework questions from this semester for your peers or publicly in online forums).
• Falsification: any untruth, either verbal or written, in one’s academic work including presenting fabricated/made up data or presenting someone else’s work as your own. Unless the instructor explicitly states otherwise, it is dishonest to collaborate with others when completing any assignment or test, performing laboratory experiments, writing and/or documenting computer programs, writing papers or reports and completing problem sets.

• Academic dishonesty is a serious offense that may lead to probation, suspension, or dismissal from the University. Academic dishonesty can take a number of forms described above: plagiarism, cheating, unauthorized possession or distribution of academic materials including the unauthorized use, selling or purchasing of examinations or other academic work, using or stealing another student’s work, unauthorized entry or use of material in a computer file, and using information from or possessing exams that an instructor did not authorize for release to students.
• All instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Office of Academic Affairs who will determine whether you will appear before the Student Conduct Committee for possible administrative sanctions such as dismissal from the university.  The instructor will make an academic judgment about the student’s grade on that work in this course.  The campus process regarding academic dishonesty is described in the “Policies” section of the Academic Affairs website

Title IX Policies

In adherence to the policies of Title IX and to promote a safe and secure educational environment, it is strongly recommended statements similar to those below be added to your course syllabus:

• Mandatory Reporting: Under Title IX, all UMSL faculty, staff, and administrators (with limited exception) are obligated to report any incidents of sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, sexual assault, or gender discrimination to the Student Affairs office and/or other University officials. This ensures that all parties are protected from further abuses and that victim(s) are supported by trained counselors and professionals. Note: There are several offices at UMSL (e.g., Counseling Services, Health Services, Community Psychological Service, Center for Trauma Recovery, and Student Social Services) whose staff are exempt from Title IX mandated reporting, when the information is learned in the course of a confidential communication.

Student Resources

Access, Disability and Communication

Your academic success is important to me. We all learn differently and bring different strengths and needs to the class. If there are aspects of the course that prevent you from learning or make you feel excluded, please let me know as soon as possible. Together we’ll develop strategies to meet both your needs and the requirements of the course.

If you have a documented disability that may have an impact upon your work in this class, please contact Disability Access Services (DAS) immediately. Students must provide documentation of their disability to the office of Disability Access Services in order to receive official University services and accommodations. The staff is available to answer questions regarding accommodations or assist you in your pursuit of accommodations. Information about your disability is confidential. Once DAS reviews your medical documentation, they will provide you with the information and steps to inform me about the accommodations to which you are entitled. Your accommodations will begin as soon as we discuss your approved accommodations.

• 144 Millennium Student Center (MSC)
• Phone: (314) 516-6554
• Email: Tara Cramer, cramert@umsl.edu 
• Website: http://www.umsl.edu/services/disability/

Office of International Students and Scholar Services

If you have difficulty communicating in English with the instructor of this course, contact ISS.

• 362 Social Sciences & Business Building (SSB)
• Phone: (314) 516-5229
• Email: iss@umsl.edu 
• Website: http://www.umsl.edu/~intelstu/contact.html 

Student Enrichment and Achievement

SEA provides comprehensive support and intervention strategies that support your road to graduation! 

• 107 Lucas Hall
• Phone: (314) 516-5300
• Email: umslsea@umsl.edu 
• Website: https://www.umsl.edu/services/sea/ 

Office of Multicultural Student Services (MSS) and the University Tutoring Center (UTC)

MSS provides comprehensive student retention services to diverse student populations; through their tutoring center, the MSS offers comprehensive tutoring services free to students at UMSL.

• 225 Millennium Student Center (MSC)
• Phone: (314) 516-6807
• Email: multicultural@umsl.edu
• Website: https://www.umsl.edu/~mcraa/index.html 

Technical Support

UM-System provides students with a variety of technology support on campus and virtually. The information listed below connects you with the most commonly sought supports.

✔️Academic technologies (Canvas, VoiceThread, SmarterProctoring, Zoom, etc.)

🖅 Email: teachingtools@umsystem.edu 

Phone: (855) 675-0755

Location: Express Scripts Hall (ESH) 105

Hours:  currently only working remotely, email to arrange a Zoom meeting time

Website: https://keeplearning.umsystem.edu/students 

✔️Login and network issues (SSOID, email, campus wifi, password changes, etc.)

🖅 Email: helpdesk@umsl.edu 

Phone: (314) 516-6034

Location: Millennium Student Center (MSC) 109

Hours:  M-Th: 7:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. CST;   F: 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. CST

Website: http://www.umsl.edu/technology/tsc 

✔️Electronic textbooks (AutoAccess, Cengage, McGrawHill Connect, etc.)

🖅 Email: autoaccess@umsystem.edu 

Phone: (314) 516-5763

Location: Millennium Student Center (MSC) Bookstore 2nd floor

Hours: varies, check website for current hours

Website: https://missouri.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0eXnXJy1QpRUc7j 

Academic Support

The Writing Center
The Online Writing Center (OWC)
At the OWC Canvas site, students can send their papers to our tutors, who will read them and send them back with suggestions. Students can also access Turnitin, which identifies quoted material in their essays.

• 222 Social Sciences and Business Building (SSB)
• Website: https://www.umsl.edu/~umslenglish/Writing Center/
• Visit the OWC course site on Canvas to submit drafts online. To find the OWC course, click on Courses All Courses. Then click to join this course
• The OWC usually responds within 48 hours. Please allow ample time.

Math Academic Center (Math Lab)
The Math Academic Center offers free individual assistance on a walk-in basis to students needing help with any mathematics from basic math through calculus or any course involving mathematical skills. 

• 222 Social Sciences and Business Building (SSB)
• Website: http://www.umsl.edu/mathcs/math-academic-center/

A final note: this syllabus will be subject to change at the instructor’s discretion.

Revised July 2021