University of Florida COLLEGE OF EDUCATION COURSE SYLLABUS EEX 6936: Behavior Management and Positive Behavioral Supports-3 credits Instructor: E-mail: Dr. Tracy Torode ttorode@coe.ufl.edu Course Description: This course will serve as a required course as part of an endorsement program in autism at the University of Florida. This particular course is designed to provide students with the pedagogical foundation for use of applied behavior analysis skills and positive behavioral supports for students with autism spectrum disorder. This course will provide an overview of principles of applied behavior analysis strategies and positive behavioral supports for use with students with autism. Emphasis will be placed on teacher alternative behaviors to students with autism and proactive and preventative interventions. The Nature of Online Courses. PLEASE NOTE This is a web-based course. Thus, there will not be face-to-face interactions or in-person reminders from the course facilitator. In courses of this type it is very important that you are self-disciplined and logon to the course daily. There is no set time that you have to login. The course can be accessed 24 hours a day. In some ways this makes it more convenient for you, but in other ways it is deceptive because you may become tempted to procrastinate (Procrastination is not a good thing with a web course!). The course is 12 weeks long and is divided into 11 modules (10 one week modules and 1 two week module) with each containing lessons, activities, quizzes, and assignments. Since this is a graduate level course, the assignments will be graded with an expectation for a high level of scholarship and performance. All work needs to be of the highest quality and all items submitted must meet the writing level expected of a graduate student. Technical Assistance: Please email onlinesupport@coe.ufl.edu for all technical assistance. This includes problems with accessing the course, moving through course content online, downloading/uploading assignments, etc. Please remember that online support staff cannot assist you with problems related to your computer or your Internet service provider. Textbooks
Alberto, P. A. & Troutman, A. C. (2006). Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers (7th Edition) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Umbreit, J., Ferro, J., Liaupsin, C. J., & Lane, K. L. (2007). Functional Behavioral Assessment and Function-Based Intervention: An Effective, Practical Approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. These books can be purchased through the publisher or from any online book dealer. Some to try are campusbooks.com, textbooks.com, and amazon.com. Please be sure to purchase the correct edition Important Notes About Distance Delivery: To accommodate on-line delivery format, students and teaching faculty must have access to a computer with an Internet connection, to be able to use e-mail, a word processing program, a web browser, and Adobe Acrobat Reader and be able to download HTML and PDF files. Since this course is provided via distance education, students who enroll should be comfortable using the Internet and email and should recognize that almost all course activities will be handled electronically. Participation in threaded discussions related to course modules will be required. The threaded discussions will be available 24 hours per day during the module periods. These discussions are asynchronous; therefore you may participate at any time and at various times during the module periods. Course quizzes will be taken within the Moodle/UF College of Education Online site. Module assignments and professional observations will be submitted within the Moodle/UF College of Education Online site. Announcements and Mail During the course, the instructor may send out email within the Moodle/UF College of Education Online site. Please check your email within the site regularly. To access the mail click on the mail icon. Official announcements are posted within the Announcements section. Please log in regularly to check for mail and announcements. Missed or ignored mail or announcement will not be an acceptable excuse if a problem arises. If you e-mail the instructor using her coe.ufl.edu address, please put PBS COURSE in the subject line. Course Objectives: 2
After completing this course, the student will be able to: 1. Demonstrate understanding of the principles of programming for challenging behavior. 2. Demonstrate understanding of the roots of applied behavior analysis. 3. Demonstrate understanding of data collection procedures and display. 4. Describe strategies for conducting a functional assessment of adaptive and problem behaviors, including specific relationships between environmental events and the student s behavior. 5. Demonstrate understanding of the principles of applied behavior analysis: a. Reinforcement b. Differential reinforcement, extinction, and punishment c. Prompting, shaping, fading, and task analysis. 6. Design strategies for developing comprehensive behavioral intervention plans 7. Demonstrate understanding of implementing plan and monitoring student progress. 8. Demonstrate knowledge of key elements of designing and implement intervention plans 9. Demonstrate understanding of person centered planning. Course Topics: Module reading time frames, discussion, quiz, and assignment deadlines are posted within each module. Modules, discussion boards, and quizzes may be closed at any time after the due date for the module. You may work ahead, however, I generally do not grade ahead. You will likely not receive a grade on assignments submitted early until after their original due date. If you complete the course early, it is your responsibility to check your grades and be sure all assignments could be opened and graded. The topics are: Session Topic Timeframe for Completing Activities Module 1 Program for Challenging Behavior 1 week Module 2 Data collection and Display 1 week Module 3 FBA and Developing Hypotheses 1 week Module 4 Increasing Behavior 1 week Module 5 Decreasing Behavior 1 week Module 6 Stimulus Control & Shaping 1 week Module 7 Developing and Implementing a Behavioral 2 weeks 3
Intervention Module 8 Testing the Intervention Plan 1 week Module 9 Factors Influencing Successful Intervention 1 week Module 10 Designing and Implementing PBS 1 week Module 11 Person Centered Planning 1 week Course Requirements: 1. Reading the appropriate chapters: It is expected that each person will read the assigned chapters in the texts as outlined in each module schedule. The reading of chapters is very important as the substitute for lectures in traditional courses and the content is necessary for your successful involvement in the threaded discussions. Also all quiz items are based on chapter readings. 2. Participation in threaded discussions for each module. Each student will be expected to respond to questions, raise issues, and participate as appropriate in the threaded discussions. A minimum of two substantial contributions is expected for each topic in each module. Please note that comments such as, That s a good idea, or I agree are certainly welcome and valuable. However, they are not considered to be substantial; actual substantive participation in the discussion is required to meet the criterion of substantial. It is very helpful when responding to someone s posting to briefly comment on that post to help with the flow of the discussion. So instead of beginning with I agree and want to add that. ; it is better to say, I agree with Karen s post where she indicated that the IEP forms can be abused. I think we should also consider that Contributions should not be longer than 100 words. Remember that everyone reads these and lengthy, wordy writing is usually not appreciated. Informal writing is acceptable for threaded discussions. However, please use proper grammar, complete sentences, and correct spelling. Incorrect grammar and spelling will lower your grade. It is a good idea to develop your contribution in a word program and then copy and paste them into the discussions. This allows you to use spelling and grammar check, and it provides you with a backup in case there is a technology blip which causes your submissions to be lost. 3. Completion of quizzes. 4
During each module each student must take the available quizzes for that module. The quizzes may be taken at any time during each module period. It is suggested that you not wait until the last day to take the required quiz(zes). As indicated on the Honor Code Statement, quizzes must be taken without outside assistance from other persons. You may use your books and notes. 4. Completion of Module Activities Each module will include a number of activities to be completed and submitted. The activities will be identified at the beginning of each module. Assignments will be submitted through the Moodle/UF College of Education Online site in a variety of ways. Each will be explained with the assignments. Assignments will be always be submitted through the Moodle/UF College of Education Online site not via email. Assignments must be submitted weekly. Points will be deducted for assignments submitted late without instructor permission. ALL assignments must be completed to pass this course. Each activity will be worth 20 points with the exception of the Module 10 task which is worth 40 points. Grades: The grading scale follows. Grade Percentage of Points A 100-92 % A- 90 91 % B+ 87-89 % B 83-86 % B- 80 82 % C+ 77-79 % C 73-76 % C- 70 72 % D+ 67-69 % D 63-66 % D- 60 62 % E/F Below 60% Deadlines and Incompletes It is strongly recommended that assignments, discussion postings, and quizzes be submitted before deadlines rather than waiting until the last minute. Deadline extensions and the grade of I (or incomplete) are only available if arranged with the course instructor. The student is expected to contact the instructor prior to the original due date to gain permission to submit assignments late. Students will be penalized for assignments 5
turned in late without the instructor s permission. Deadlines are only extended in cases of serious illness, hospitalization, or family death. (A headache on Sunday afternoon before assignments are due Sunday night is not a good reason to ask for an extension.) Students must contact the instructor well before the end of the course to receive a grade of I. Please do not wait until the last week or two of class to request a grade of I or to begin turning in assignments. Doing this will result in a lower grade and/or the determination that you are not eligible to receive an I. All assignments must be submitted to complete this course. Accessibility This course has been designed to be accessible to all students. If you need any assistance due to a disability please inform the instructor immediately so that appropriate accommodations can be made. Academic Honesty: This course adheres to the University of Florida s academic honesty standards. Preamble: In adopting this honor code, the students of the University of Florida recognize that academic honesty and integrity are fundamental values of the university community. Students who enroll at the university commit to holding themselves and their peers to the high standard of honor required by the honor code. Any individual who becomes aware of a violation of the honor code is bound by honor to take corrective action. The quality of a University of Florida education is dependent upon community acceptance and enforcement of the honor code. The Honor Code: We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity. On all work submitted for credit by students at the university, the following pledge is either required or implied: "On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment." You can find more details related to Academic Honesty at UF on the following website: http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/students.html 6