GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY - PSYC 150 Online

 PROFESSOR:  Dr. Ford

OFFICE:   Lowell Heiny Hall 401                              OFFICE PHONE: 970-248-1597

CONTACTING ME:  I will be checking my WebCT email, MSC email, and office phone messages daily.  If you need to talk with me by phone, leave a message on my office voicemail, and I will return your call as soon as possible.

If you need assistance with computer-related matters, you can contact the Mesa State College IT Help Desk at 970-248-2111.

MY MSC EMAIL ADDRESS:  kford@mesastate.edu

WEBCT WEBPAGE: http://www.mesastate.edu/webct/WebCTatMesa.htm

GENERAL EDUCATION OBJECTIVES ADDRESSED IN THIS COURSE:

This course is required for Psychology majors and minors. If not a psychology major or minor, PSYC 150 will satisfy the Social & Behavioral Science general education requirement in all baccalaureate and A.A.S. degree programs at Mesa State College. This course is a CCHE Statewide Transfer Course and will satisfy the Social & Behavioral Science requirement in AA or AS Core Transfer Curricula.
Please SEE YOUR FACULTY ADVISOR to determine whether this course is appropriate for your degree program.
The following objectives have been chosen from the list of General Education Objectives shown in its entirety on pp. 38-39 of the 2006-2007 MSC catalog:
 Objective 5 – Students will be able to think critically and creatively.

 Objective 7 – Students will have knowledge of the natural world and an understanding of the scientific method.
Student progress toward these objectives may be assessed during the semester.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
This course is an overview of some of the exciting topics within the field of psychology. The course covers how psychologists use the scientific method to study behavior and mental processes and includes the topics of brain and behavior, sensation and perception, states of consciousness, learning and memory, language, sexual behavior and sexual orientation, personality theories and testing, psychological disorders and treatments, and social psychology.

Please NOTE:  You may proceed at your own pace in this course as long as you meet the deadlines specified in the WebCT and Syllabus calendars for the online quizzes and tests.  Do NOT miss the specified quiz or test deadlines!  Since computer problems can happen, plan ahead--do not wait until the last hour to take a quiz or test.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:  If you have or believe you have a physical or learning disability, you need to speak directly with Nancy Conklin, Coordinator of Educational Access Services, whose office is located in the building at 945 North Ave, 970-248-1801.  Appropriate accommodations can then be made available to you.

TEXT:   Hockenbury & Hockenbury. (2006).  Psychology (4^th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers. isbn 0-7167-6446-6
REQUIRED CDs:  Ludwig, T. (2006). PsychInquiry: Student Activities in Research and Critical Thinking for Hockenbury and Hockenbury Psychology 4^th edition. New York: Worth Publishers. isbn 0-7167-6925-5.
Ludwig, T. (2004). PsychSim5: Interactive Graphic Simulation and Demonstration Activities for Psychology. New York: Worth Publishers. isbn 0-7167-5957-8.

The ISBN for all of the above required items bundled together at a lower price is:  0-7167-8293-6

OPTIONAL:  Course Pack for PSYC 150 Online.  This packet contains the PowerPoint slides and my lecture notes for just the cost of photocopying from the MSC Bookstore (970-248-1347). If you have any trouble downloading or printing them from WebCT, order this optional packet from the bookstore.

PUBLISHER'S INTERACTIVE WEB COMPANION SITE:  http://www.worthpublishers.com/hockenbury4ehttp://www.worthpubli shers.com/hockenbury4e
The first time you visit the publisher's website, you'll need to register with your email address and password. Left click the "Sign me up as a student" link on the left side of the page. You can then select a chapter and scroll through the various categories of study aids for each chapter listed at the left of the screen. There is a wealth of information and resources for students on these pages. There are also practice quizzes but I suggest that you save the practice quizzes until after you've already studied for a quiz or test to see how well prepared you are and if you really understand the material.
The assigned PsychQuest interactive exercises are available through this website.

ADDITIONAL WORTH PUBLISHER'S WEB RESOURCES:  http://www.worthpublishers.com/psychonline2004   The first time you visit this website, you'll need to register as a student. Instructions are similar to those in the paragraph above. (Note: this site is not specific to your text, but is a good source for additional information on various topics.)

ASSIGNMENTS:  You are expected to read each and every reading assignment in your textbook, PowerPoint presentation and notes, and perform each assigned interactive exercise.  You are responsible for all assigned reading and the content of all assigned interactive exercises on quizzes or tests.  You should also go through any assigned PsychInquiry, PsychSim5 or PsychQuest interactive exercises and take notes on the information related to that lesson's learning objectives.  All of these assignments are designed to help you master the learning objectives for the quizzes and tests in this course.

POWERPOINT SLIDES & NOTES:  I have posted PowerPoint slides and accompanying lecture notes for each course lesson within the Course Lessons (or Learning Modules) section of the WebCT site.  The combination slide and lecture notes files are saved as .doc files (rather than .ppt files). I highly recommend that you save these .doc files to your hard drive or desktop, then open them and read them and their accompanying notes along with the assigned reading material from the text for each lesson.  You can view or print them from within Microsoft Word or the free Microsoft Word viewer (available for download via the Plugins icon on the Course Content Home page).

Please note:  If you have any difficulties at all downloading or printing the PowerPoint slides and lecture notes files (.doc), I have also asked the MSC Bookstore (970-248-1347) to provide them at a reasonable cost upon request.  Just ask for Ford's PSYC 150 Online Coursepack.
I have also provided a link to only the PowerPoint slides without notes (.ppt) for each lesson in the Course Lessons table of contents. I suggest you save these .ppt files to your hard drive and then open in Microsoft PowerPoint or with the free PowerPoint Viewer (available for download via the Plugins icon on the Course Content Home page). You can then view the slide presentation while following along with a hard copy of both the slides and lecture notes.

Please NOTE:  You may proceed at your own pace in this course as long as you meet the deadlines specified in the WebCT and Syllabus calendars for the online quizzes and tests.  Do NOT miss the specified quiz or test deadlines!  Since computer problems can happen, plan ahead--do not wait until the last hour to take a quiz or test.

TESTS:  There will be 3 multiplechoice tests (including the final exam) worth a total of 300 points.  You must take all 3 tests to complete this course.  The final exam will not be comprehensive.  Each test will have 100 questions.

Please NOTE:  You may proceed at your own pace in this course as long as you meet the deadlines specified in the WebCT and Syllabus calendars for the online quizzes and tests.  Do NOT miss the specified quiz or test deadlines!  Since computer problems can happen, plan ahead--do not wait until the last hour to take a quiz or test.

QUIZZES:  There will be 14 multiple-choice quizzes throughout the semester. Most quizzes are worth 15 or 20 points.  You should take all the quizzes. On average, you will need to plan on taking 2 quizzes or a quiz and a test every week in order to complete the course within the time constraints of the summer semester.  To allow you some leeway, and instead of dropping your lowest two quizzes, I will set the total number of quiz points possible in this course to 222 (rather than 259).

Please NOTE:  You may proceed at your own pace in this course as long as you meet the deadlines specified in the WebCT and Syllabus calendars for the online quizzes and tests.  Do NOT miss the specified quiz or test deadlines!  Since computer problems can happen, plan ahead--do not wait until the last hour to take a quiz or test.

GRADES:  The total number of points possible in this course will be 522. Your final course grade will be determined by the number of points that you earn in this course.  Please note that I do NOT GIVE grades; I merely record the grades that you earn.

Course grading scale :
Points Earned:                                                       %                                      Grade Earned:

Test Schedule:                             Dates Available                  # of points

Please NOTE:   You may proceed at your own pace in this course as long as you meet the deadlines for the online quizzes and tests.  Do NOT miss the specified quiz or test deadlines!  Since computer problems can happen, plan ahead--do not wait until the last hour to take a quiz or test.

Important Course Information

Please NOTE:   You may proceed at your own pace in this course as long as you meet the deadlines specified in the WebCT and Syllabus calendars for the online quizzes and tests.  Do NOT miss the specified quiz or test deadlines!  Since computer problems can happen, plan ahead--do not wait until the last hour to take a quiz or test.

Step 1:  Please begin the course by emailing me with your contact information to kford@mesastate.edu.  Include your first name (or nickname) and last name, your phone number, and your email address.  That way if the need arises this semester, I can contact you directly.

Step 2:  Next, please introduce yourself to me and the class.*  To do this, click on the Discussions icon on the Course Content Home page and then click on the Introductions folder.  Please type your full name in the Subject line of your introduction.  Write a paragraph telling us what city, state you live in, and anything else you would like us to know about you. Attach a picture of yourself or an image that represents you, if you would like.  This assignment is worth 3 bonus points.

After introducing yourself, you will notice in the Discussions list, the Questions and Answers folder.  That is where you can post questions throughout the semester related to the course or the course content.  If you know the answer to another student's question, I invite you to answer by posting a reply in the Questions and Answers message list.  I will edit answers and post replies as needed. 

You will also notice in the Discussions list, the For Students Only folder.  That is where you can post messages for your fellow students that are not related to this course.  I have included this as an opportunity for you to get to know each other, if you wish.  Although I may glance at messages in the For Students Only folder occasionally, I do not plan on posting to or replying to posts on that message board.

* Before introducing yourself to me and your classmates, scroll to the end of this document and read carefully the set of Protocols for Online Discussion Forums.

Step 3:   After introducing yourself to the class, take the Psychology IQ Quiz by clicking on the icon on the Course Content Home page.  Be sure to read the instructions on how to take the quiz before you click on the Begin Quiz button.  After submitting an answer for each question, you will need to click on Save Answer and then click Next Question.  When you have answered all the questions and saved all your answers, then click on the Finish button. 

Taking the Psychology IQ Quiz will not only familiarize you with the process of taking online quizzes through WebCT, it will also show you how much you already know (or don't know) about Psychology.  Don't worry--your score on this quiz will not count towards or against your grade.

Step 4:  Once you've taken and submitted your responses to the Psychology IQ Quiz you will then be able to view and click on the link associated with the Course Lessons (or Learning Modules) icon on the Course Content Home page.  (Note: the Course Lessons icon will not even show up on the Course Content Home page until you complete and submit the Psychology IQ quiz.).

Be sure to print out a copy of the Course Calendar and Course Syllabus.  Keep this copy readily available throughout the course.  The Course Syllabus contains important information about this course along with a course calendar in table format.  The Course Calendar contains all the assignments for all of the Course Lessons, including the online quiz and test deadlines.  Refer to it daily.

Please Note:  You should always read and study the assigned text pages, perform any assigned interactive exercises (PsychInquiry, PsychSim5, or PsychQuest) and take notes on the content in addition to studying the notes and content of the PowerPoint slides before you attempt to take a quiz (e.g., Lessons 1-3 Quiz) or a major exam (e.g., Test 1). All of the online quizzes and tests are timed.   You have only one opportunity to take a quiz or a test.  Make sure you have effectively studied and remember the content of all of the relevant learning objectives before you attempt to take a quiz or test.  Since the quizzes and tests are timed, you will not have time to consult your text or your notes while taking an online quiz or test.

PowerPoint Slide Presentations
You will find a link to my set of PowerPoint slides and notes for each lesson in the Course Lessons table of contents. I have converted each PowerPoint slide file along with my lecture notes to .doc files that can be viewed in Microsoft Word or the free Microsoft Word Viewer (available via the Plugins link on the Course Content Home page).  I suggest that you save each of the .doc files to your hard drive and then open the file in Microsoft Word or the free viewer. Again, rather than opening the slide presentations within WebCT, I strongly suggest you save the .doc files to your hard drive (or other storage disk with plenty of free space) and then open the file with MS Word or the free viewer. You can then print a hard copy of the slides and the accompanying notes, if you wish.

Please note:  If you have any difficulties at all downloading or printing the PowerPoint slides and lecture notes files (.doc), you can purchase them for just the cost of photocopying from the MSC Bookstore (970-248-1347).  Just ask for Ford's PSYC 150 Online Coursepack.

I have also provided a link to just the PowerPoint slides without notes (.ppt) for each lesson in the Course Lessons table of contents. I suggest you save these .ppt files to your hard drive and then open in Microsoft PowerPoint or with the free PowerPoint Viewer (available for download through the Plugins icon on the Course Content Home page). This way you can view the slide presentation while following along with a hard copy of the slides and lecture notes.

Web Resources
I think you will also find the publisher's companion website that accompanies your textbook by Hockenbury and Hockenbury, (http://bcs.worthpublishers.com/hockenbury4e/ ), helpful to you in mastering the material of each lesson and chapter of this course. The link to the Hockenbury companion website is on the Course Content Home page. This website contains excellent resources to aid you in mastering the course material. You may also find Worth's PSYCHONLINE website (http://bcs.worthpublishers.com/psychonline2004) helpful in understanding the course material. The first time you access any one of Worth Publisher's websites, you will need to register as a student.  Be sure to remember your login and password for future access to the sites.

Plug-Ins for your Web Browser
If you have difficulty loading the webpages of any of the publisher's websites, you probably just need a plug in for your web browser. You should be able to access any needed plugins from the WebCT Course Content Home page and then click on the Plugins icon.

Interactive Web or CD Exercises
Occasionally, I will assign an interactive exercise along with pages from the textbook for a lesson. You will be able to access the PsychInquiry and PsychSim5 exercises from the CDs you should have received (PsychInquiry CD and the PsychSim5 CD and booklet) when you purchased your textbook from the bookstore. If you chose not to purchase the PsychSim5 product, you can access many of those exercises from the Hockenbury text companion website.  I have also placed a copy of the PsychSim5 CD and booklet on reserve in the Mesa State College library.  I have placed a weblink on the Course Content Home page for you to use to access the few PsychQuest interactive exercises assigned in this course. You should be able to use your 4th edition Hockenbury text companion website registration login and password to access this website also.  The PsychQuest exercises are included in the Student Resources sections of the website for each chapter. 

* PROTOCOLS FOR ONLINE DISCUSSION FORUMS: 

The Discussion forums are used to engage in informative, asynchronous discussions with other students and in building community in the online environment.

 There are only three discussion forums in this course available for you to participate in: (1) Introductions (this is for introducing ourselves to one another at the beginning of the course). (2) Questions and Answers (where you can post questions for me and one another related to the course or the course content.)  If you know the answer to another student's question, I would like to invite you to answer by posting a reply in the Questions and Answers message list.  I will edit answers and post replies as needed. (3) For Students Only (where you can post questions and comments for your fellow students that are not related to this course.)  This forum is included as an opportunity for you to get to know each other, if you wish.

 Please review the subject matter of the discussion board before posting a reply or making a comment.

 Feel free to post your questions related to the course in the Question and Answer forum. Please make sure that your replies are relevant to the subject  in the Subject/Topic line.  You can always pose a new question or topic, if necessary.

 Always, create a brief title/subject to reflect the content of your discussion posting (unless you're replying).

 Be concise. If you need more than three paragraphs, perhaps an attachment would be appropriate.

 Word your message with civility. When responding to an existing message, address the issue of the message constructively. Do not go "off-topic" or use another member's message to air your views.

 Use appropriate language. Messages containing inflammatory remarks, personal insults and/or obscenities will be removed.

 Do not write using all capital letters as this is considered SHOUTING.

 URLs to helpful applicable websites are welcomed, but please include the proper name and a brief description.

 If you copy information from the text, other source or even from Internet websites, please include quotation marks, exact page numbers, and complete source citation (so anyone else can access the same source if desired).

 Feel free to offer helpful appropriate resources when replying to a message. Please note, though, messages which are blatant promotions, advertisements or solicitations will be deleted.

 The instructor/administrators reserve the right to remove any messages deemed off-topic or inappropriate for the board.

 Assume all communications you write belong in the public domain.