Course Expectations and Procedures:

Student Expectations and Procedures:

1. Students are expected to obtain and actively use a computer account with access to the Internet and WebCT discussion site (the University provides such accounts free to enrolled students.) Students are expected to use anti-virus software and backup all work. Since the course will sometimes meet on-line it is of importance that you assure that your computer access can easily support the WebCT environment. WebCT Student Manual - http://www.courses.umd.edu/studentmanual/
2. Completion of assigned tasks and readings prior to each class is required in order to facilitate student learning.
3. It is expected that students will initiate, participate in and facilitate (both in class and on-line) discussions on course topics, issues and readings. Please see the on-line discussion grading rubric.
4. If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss academic accommodations please contact me as soon as possible.
5. Students missing the deadline for an assignment must make immediate arrangements with the instructor to fulfill that requirement before the next class session.
6. Please carefully edit all written assignments. A lack of care in proofreading or composition can negatively affect your final grade.
7. The citation style employed should be accurate, acceptable, and recognizable (MLA, Chicago or APA) practice. The American Psychological Association (APA: http://www.apa.org ) style of citation is preferred. For quick basics, visit:
• UMCP reference site http://www.lib.umd.edu/UES/library_guides.html
• Purdue Owl Lab http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/APA/index.html
• Columbia University Press - http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/cgos/idx_basic.html
• Columbia Guide to Online Style/ACW style "help sheets"- http://www.cas.usf.edu/english/walker/mla.html
8. The University of Maryland has developed a policy describing appropriate academic conduct. Turning in assignments that use substantial portions of the work of others without attribution is considered plagiarizing and is specifically prohibited. Please review information regarding the Honor Code and other academic integrity policies at: http://www.jpo.umd.edu/aca/FAQ.html
9. Should you find it necessary to take an Incomplete (I) in this class, please complete the standard UMCP Incomplete Contract form available in the College of Education Access Center, 1210 Benjamin Building, two weeks before the end of the semester.
10. No part of any lecture or course content may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any informational storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the instructor.

Instructor Responsibilities

Just as we have high expectations for students, we also have high expectations for ourselves. Students should expect that the instructor for this course will:

1. Be prepared for class, read and return students' work in a timely manner, and be interested and engaged in students' work;
2. Remember that each student brings different background knowledge about both content and online experiences to this course, as well as help students develop their personal interests whenever possible;
3. Help students identify sources of additional substantive and methodological expertise, as needed;
4. Meet with students individually or in groups upon request and be available in person, by telephone, and by email to answer questions; and
5. Work hard, have fun and empower students to plan and engage in high quality discussions and experiences.
6. Email with students is not always a low threshold technology. Students sometimes feel that faculty/instructors should be available to answer questions 24/7 or whenever the student is online. This expectation of an immediate response can occasionally create a negative communication environment. Students' emails can also add significantly to faculty/instructor workload. While my past performance has indicated that I return emails promptly (sometimes to students surprise within minutes), in order to eliminate the possibility of problems due to assumptions, the following is the course minimal guideline: All emails will be answered within 24 hours of receipt except on weekends (begins after 4:00 on Friday)-which may take longer. I do however; HIGHLY recommend that you send emails whenever a question arises, while the above is only a statement of minimal expectations on my part.