History American History I Online Syllabus

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1 Page 1 of 8 History American History I Online Syllabus Textbook Information Alan Brinkley, American History: Connecting with the Past Volume I to 1865 (15th ed.) ISBN (You can purchase this from the MCC Business and Technology College bookstore or you can purchase an E-book from the publisher through the course Blackboard site as well.) Connect Website (Purchased access is required. You cannot conduct or complete the course without access to this website.) This is the McGraw-Hill Website that accompanies the text. You can purchase access with the textbook or you can buy access alone from the bookstore. You can also buy access from the publisher through the Blackboard course site, click the first LearnSmart link within Learning Units to get started, or look under "Connect Support," for instructions. Technical and MCC Support For administrative/educational/technical support, not associated with the class content (i.e. American History) please refer to the student services tab Students are responsible for checking Blackboard everyday. We will be using Bb for class announcements, supplemental reading materials, grade postings, etc. When experiencing Bb issues contact the Blackboard Help Desk Phone Number: You can also contact the MCC Info Line , option 3 for additional technical support. For issues with McGraw Hill Connect, contact or go to

2 Page 2 of 8 Grading Assignments How Many Points Per Total LearnSmart (with McGraw Hill Connect) (final 2 worth 20) 160 Introduction Discussion Boards Unit Discussion Board, 2 Questions Per Unit, (Blackboard Discussion) 8 Questions (2 per Unit) Video Response Discussion (Blackboard Discussion) Inference Assignment ( word submitted paper) Map Assignment (with McGraw Hill Connect) quizzes (with McGraw Hill Connect) Exams (with McGraw Hill Connect) 4 (Points may vary depending on instructor modifications) 3/50-final- 100 Total points Total Point Grade Breakdown: = A = B = C = D 470 or lower = F Participation & Attendance Participation is a crucial part of this course, logging into the course does not count as attending, you must submit assignments and communicate with fellow students as well as the instructor. Attendance The Metropolitan Community Colleges attendance policy states that a student will be withdrawn from a course if they miss two consecutive weeks or onethird of the semester. This policy will be enforced in this course, and your online activity will be monitored. Please let the instructors know, if problems arise that will affect your ability to participate in the class for any extended length of time. Attendance in online classes is determined by successful completion of assigned work. Simply visiting the website does not constitute attending the class.

3 Page 3 of 8 Late Work and Exam Policies Quizzes and Exams must be completed in the week they are assigned. No late quizzes are permitted. Make sure you know all the due dates from the schedule. Assignments and course work will not be accepted via external . All work must be submitted using the tools within the blackboard course, by the due date and time of day posted. Make sure you know where and how to turn in your "discussion board questions and replies," as well as the "four critical reaction written assignments," well in advance. All exams should be completed. If you do not complete them it is an automatic zero for the exam. If you are kicked out of a quiz or exam due to a blackboard glitch you will need to message me ASAP. In addition: If you contact me after the due date of an assignment regarding technical problems you've experienced, the assignment will be considered late and late assignments are not accepted. Do not wait until the last hour to begin working on your assignment and do not wait until the last hour to submit your assignment and/or exam and quiz time management is the key. If you feel as though this is too difficult, I base this off the real life experiences of MCC students; students that are pregnant and give birth and continue with their studies; students serving in the military overseas that may be off line for a week at a time, however complete all assignments by the specified due dates; and students that work and experience life obstacles they use their time management skills and they complete their work. Evaluation: Quizzes All assignments, including quizzes, will be located in the Course Materials section under Learning Units. There will be four (4) unit quizzes taken through the McGraw Hill Connect Website, consisting of True / False Questions. Exams There will be four (4) unit assessments taken through the McGraw Hill Connect Website. Each exam will consist of 50 multiple choice questions. Tests cover the information and generalizations developed in readings, and on-line discussions. Unit IV exam is the final exam 50 questions worth 2 points per question.

4 Page 4 of 8 Learn Smart LearnSmart guides you through the readings and indicates what is significant. The program quizzes you periodically about the reading and directs you to the parts of the reading that may be giving you problems. These assignments are based upon the latest educational research into learning. Unit Discussion Boards, 2 Questions per Unit 1. Choose two (2) questions to answer from the list, found within each Learning Unit - (each question you select should be from a different chapter.) 2. Create a New Thread for each of your answers, in the respective discussion board forums o Write two (2) to three (3) paragraphs for a total of words of a critical analysis, interpret the information, and include what inferences do you draw from the text. o Include the question you chose from the list, at the beginning of the post. 3. You must then reply to two (2) of your fellow student s discussion board posts. (1 per Question) o Your reply to another student, should be 4 to 5 sentences. o Keep in mind these are short answer questions, however a two or three sentence response does not provide an adequate analysis of the other students work. For the Unit Discussion Board Questions, in all, you should have at least four (4) written responses = 2 Answered Questions and 2 Replies to Students. If someone has already used a question, try to use a different question unless you have a different answer. Make sure you complete each part of the discussion board, to avoid losing easy points. Do Not Select Two Questions from Each Chapter, only Two Questions from this Unit. Plagiarism will not be tolerated and will result in an F grade. Do not post as an attachment, post directly in the body of the discussion area. Grading for Discussions is done through a rubric that, can be accessed at the beginning and end of each assignment Hint: You can compose your answer in a word processing program, then copy and paste into Blackboard, to take advantage of spell check and sentence structure features.

5 Page 5 of 8 Video Analysis Discussions Similar to the Unit Discussions, You will select one (1) video to view and post a 2-3 paragraph analysis/constructive critique of the video in the appropriate Unit Video Discussion forum. Be sure to respond to one another students post as a part of the grade. See the rubric for grading details. A full transcript of the video is also available for those that prefer to read it. Grading for Video Analysis Discussions is done through a rubric, that can be accessed at the beginning and end of each assignment Inference Paper 1. View/watch the video #10, The Coming of the Civil War. Be sure to take notes while viewing the video. 2. Next, read the Confederate States of America - Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of South Carolina from the Federal Union and Constitution of the Confederate States; March 11, 1861, the selected articles. In your essay, you will provide an analysis and your inference regarding the causes of the war from the northern and southern perspective. [Inference: the act of reasoning from factual knowledge]. 3. Your response should be 400 to 600 words. 4. Grading for the Inference Assignment is done through a rubric, that can be accessed at the beginning and end of each assignment 5. Formatting Requirements: o Type your essay response; o 1 inch margins; o 12 point type; double-spaced; o type your name in the top left corner and use page numbers; o Use proper citation (endnotes; footnotes--no need for a works cited or bibliography page). o Upload or copy and paste this assignment to the Unit IV assignment link within this module. 6. Submit the assignment through the Assignment Submission area provided at the end of this Learning Module. (You will be able to view the rubric from this area)

6 Page 6 of 8 Course Policies Academic Integrity Students assume full responsibility for the content and integrity of the coursework they submit. The following are guidelines to assist students in observing academic integrity: 1. Students must do their own work and submit only their own work on examinations, reports, and projects, unless otherwise permitted by the instructor. Students are encouraged to contact their instructor about appropriate citation guidelines or any other issues of academic integrity. 2. Students may benefit from working in groups. They may collaborate or cooperate with other students on graded assignments or examinations ONLY AS directed by the instructor. 3. Students must follow all written and/or verbal instructions given by instructors or designated college representatives prior to taking examinations, placement assessments, test, quizzes, and evaluations. 4. Students are responsible for adhering to course requirements as specified by the instructor in the course syllabus. Course Expectations Time required for this Class: This course has been designed for delivery in as flexible a manner as possible, but this does not mean that you will be able to leave it alone for more than a week. This is a 3 credit hour class that would meet for 5 hours a week and have approximately 10 hours of outside work and study. While this course will not meet in the traditional sense, you should plan on spending that much time each week on this course. If you should "miss" a week of course time, recognize that you will need to schedule appropriately to make up the material. Required Student Skills: Just as you must have certain equipment and skills to succeed in a regular class, on-line courses are created with the expectation that you possess the technology and skills to function in the internet environment. In this class you will need the following: Access to the internet (the faster and more reliable that access, the better.) The ability to conduct internet searches. The ability to use the following Blackboard software tools Announcements - Always read the Announcements when you log-on to Blackboard. They will let you know any news about the course. Messages (send and receive) The Message function is our site for the course. Please do not send messages to my college address. Discussion Forums - post comments on the Discussion Board, read the comments of other students, and respond to them. Assignments - submit written work using the assignment function

7 Page 7 of 8 Timed Tests - multiple choice tests View Grades Word Processing software (preferably Microsoft Word) and the ability to work efficiently with it. Classroom Decorum: Students will exhibit proper classroom decorum, particularly; respect for the opinions of others, failure to do so will provide grounds for a grade reduction. Communication The primary form of communication for the course will be through "Course Messages" on the course menu. I check the class every day and try to respond to all communications within twenty four hours between Monday and Friday. (I usually check class on weekends as well.) Also feel free to contact me at my office either personally or by telephone. My office hours and phone number are posted under faculty information. Unless there is a problem with Blackboard, please do not send to my college address. Grading Time-frame: It is my policy to return all written work within one week of the due date. However, grading long essays may take a little longer than that. Course Syllabus The course syllabus is tentative only. It may be changed during the semester to reflect the needs of the students or instructor. Such changes will be announced in class at the earliest possible time. Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct: Plagiarism is never acceptable under any circumstances. However, to judge the severity of the offense, the English department recognizes a distinction between intentional and unintentional plagiarism. Intentional plagiarism. Intentional plagiarism occurs when a student uses the ideas, information, or language from any source--book, essay, letter, web site, another student's paper, and the like--and passes the work off as his or her own. The rule of thumb is that any information that is not "common knowledge" must be cited according to citation guidelines appropriate to the discipline. If you are not sure ask your instructor and err on the side of providing extra citations rather than insufficient citations. Unintentional plagiarism. Unintentional plagiarism occurs only when a student quotes, paraphrases, or summarizes from sources but improperly cites those sources. The citation guidelines are designed to prevent this accidental plagiarism. However, students sometimes want to use sources before they learn how to document properly those sources, or they struggle to learn the exact rules. Accidental plagiarism always involves some attempt to document sources. In other words, poor documentation might call for leniency, but the absence of documentation will result in a judgment of intentional plagiarism. Penalties for Plagiarism. If plagiarism is clearly demonstrated on any assignment or more than one assignment, the

8 Page 8 of 8 student may fail the assignment, fail the course, or be subject to even more severe consequences up to and including expulsion from the College. MCC Policy: ADA Compliance: Assistance through the American Disabilities Act If any student is in need of any assistance for this class due to a disability, please contact the Disability Services Support Office. Sexual Harassment: Sexual harassment is prohibited by Federal and State law, as well as MCC s Board of Trustee policy. If you feel that you, as a student, have been subjected to sexual harassment, please discuss this with the Dean of Students. Procedures for Students to Voice a Complaint in the Area of Instruction: 1. The student must first make an effort to resolve the problem with the instructor. 2. If the matter cannot be resolved with the instructor, the student should then see the appropriate Division Chair. 3. If the issue is still unresolved, the student may submit his/her complaint, in writing, to the office of the Dean of Instructional Services. You may use a formal complaint form available from the Instructional Services Office or you may simply write a letter using your own words. Note that only individual complaints will be accepted. All complaint letters should include: your name, student number, name of instructor, class name, date and time. Upon receipt of the complaint, the Dean of Instructional Services will: 1. inform the instructor and the Division Chair that a complaint has been lodged and give them an opportunity to respond; 2. Take all factors into consideration and provide a response, in writing, to the student and the instructor. 3. If the student feels the issue is still not resolved, he/she may request that the matter be reviewed by an appeals committee. A committee review and subsequent decision will be the final step.