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PSYC 4901/4902- Psychological Science Capstone

Class Meeting:

Fall: T Th 9:40 am - 11:10 am

 

Office: CAB 306

Available by appointment. See the scheduler to the right to make an appointment. 

For Fall 2020: ALL one-on-one meetings will take place via Microsoft Teams

 

Email: ssthomas@lagrange.edu

(use subject: "Senior Capstone")

 

Phone: 706-880-8298


Twitter@SocialPsySteph (Class hashtag: #PSYCcapstone) 

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There is no required text for this course.

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Course Objectives

The purpose of this course is to allow you to pull together all of your thoughts and knowledge about the discipline of psychological science by giving you practical experience in developing a research project. You will develop your own project in which you will conduct a conduct a scientific research project or a community issue research project. As part of this process, you will craft a scientific paper and a poster for presentation at a professional conference. This course will also incorporate professional development of CV writing and graduate school or job applications. Finally, you will be completing the major assessment.

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Course Objectives

LaGrange College Student Learning Outcomes (LC SLO):

1.  Students will demonstrate creativity by approaching complex problems with innovation and from diverse perspectives.

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2.  Students will demonstrate critical thinking by acquiring, interpreting, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reason out conclusions appropriately.

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3.  Students will demonstrate proficiency in communication skills that are applicable to any field of study.

 

Course Learning Objectives:

There are 6 categories of learning objectives listed below along with the assessment tools used to evaluate both your performance as a student and my performance as an instructor. Additionally, each course learning objective is associated with the corresponding LC SLO. This list is adapted from the Assessment Cyberguide for Learning Goals and Outcomes (Pusateri, Halonen, Hill, & McCarthy, 2009) and APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major (American Psychological Association, 2007) both produced by the American Psychological Association.

1.  Research Methods in Psychology (Assessed by Quizzes and Final Project) LC SLO 2, 3

a.  Understand the basics of each step of research including research design, data analysis, and interpretation.

b.  Understand why research is so important to science and psychology specifically.

 

2.  Critical Thinking Skills in Psychology (Quizzes and Final Project) LC SLO 1, 2, 3

a.  Understand your target behavior by either utilizing several methods of data analysis or reading in-depth research about the target behavior.

b.  Utilize problem solving skills to overcome logistical issues in research design and program analysis.

 

3.  Applications of Psychology (Assessed by Final Project) LC SLO 1, 2, 3

a.  Apply research design and data analysis skills to answer original research questions.

b.  Apply knowledge from different fields of psychology in order to fully understand complicated behaviors.

 

4.  Information and technological literacy (Assessed by Class Presentation and Final Project) LC SLO 3

a.  Demonstrate information competence at each stage in the following process: formulate a response to essay topic; locate and choose relevant sources from appropriate media, use selected sources after evaluating their suitability; read and accurately summarize the general scientific literature of psychology.

b.  Demonstrate these computer skills: use basic software programs, search the Web, use proper etiquette and security safeguards when communicating through e-mail.

 

5.  Communication skills (Assessed by Class Presentation and Participation) LC SLO 2, 3

a.  Demonstrate effective writing skills in various formats (e.g., essays, correspondence, note taking) and for various purposes (e.g., informing, defending, explaining, persuading, arguing, teaching).

b.  Demonstrate effective oral communication skills in various formats (e.g., group discussion, debate, lecture) and for various purposes (e.g., informing, defending, explaining, persuading, arguing, teaching).

c.  Exhibit the ability to collaborate effectively.

d.  Demonstrate effective communication through poster displays and visual representations of data.

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Course Requirements

All graded activities should follow the LaGrange College Honor Code and should be your own work. Unless otherwise noted, all work receives an individual grade; thus graded items cannot be completed with the input of others.

 

Individual Project

You will be assigned to a faculty member within the program in order to complete an individual project during this course. Projects in this course will be either a scientific research project or a community issue research project. You will be assigned to one of these two types of projects based on your previous performance in Behavioral Statistics and Research Methods and/or your career goal.

 

Scientific Research Project

You will complete all objectives in the research process from generating an idea to compiling a research paper and poster displaying results. To move onto each successive objective in the research process, you must demonstrate mastery and be approved for continuation to the next objective. If you do not demonstrate mastery, you will continue working until you do. The specific objectives to be achieved are:

 

SUMMER

1. Research topic (ideas can be broad at this stage) (DUE: Sunday, May 31)

2. Research question (DUE: Wednesday, July 1)

3. Annotated bibliography (DUE: Tuesday, August 25 @ 9:40 am)

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FALL SEMESTER

4. Outline for Introduction (paper) and specific hypotheses (DUE: Monday, September 14 @ 3 pm)

5. Introduction (paper) (DUE: Monday, September 28 @ 3 pm)

6. Research methodology plan (DUE: Monday, October 5 @ 3 pm)

7. IRB application (DUE: Monday, October 12 @ 3 pm)

8. Data collection (Must complete by end of day Wednesday, Nov 18)

9. Methods (paper) (DUE: Saturday, Nov 21 @ 11 am)

10. Data table layout (DUE: Saturday, Nov 21 @ 11 am)

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Due dates specify when things are due to the instructor. All materials should be approved by the research mentor PRIOR to submitting for the course. All submissions will require that an email be sent from the mentor to the instructor stating that they approve of the submission. 

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If you demonstrate mastery of the first 10 objectives by the end of the fall semester, you will earn an A for this portion of your grade.

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If you have only mastered through objective 6 or 7 by the end of the semester, you will have to take an incomplete in the course, and finish during the Interim (January) term. If you complete all 10 objectives at this time, you will earn no higher than a B for this portion of your grade. If, by the end of the Interim term, you still have not achieved mastery of all 10 objectives, you will be required to attend a meeting with the instructor and program coordinator to discuss a plan for moving forward.

 

If you have only mastered through objective 5 by the end of the semester, you will have to take an incomplete in the course, and finish during the Interim (January) term. If you complete all 10 objectives at this time, you will earn no higher than a C for this portion of your grade. If, by the end of the Interim term, you still have not achieved mastery of all 10 objectives, you will be required to attend a meeting with the instructor and program coordinator to discuss a plan for moving forward.

 

If you have only achieved mastery of objective 4 or less by the end of the semester, you will be required to attend a meeting with the instructor and program coordinator to discuss a plan for moving forward.

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If unforeseen circumstances inhibit mastery of all 10 objectives by the end of the fall semester, exceptions to these requirements may be made. This will be up to the discretion of the instructor and program coordinator on a case-by-case basis.

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SPRING SEMESTER

11. Data spreadsheet complete

12. Data analysis

13. Abstract

13. Results (paper)

14. Discussion (paper)

15. Final paper

16. Visual presentation (poster)

Course Requirements
Individual Project
Scientific Research Project
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If you demonstrate mastery of all 16 objectives by the end of the spring semester, you will earn an A for this portion of your grade.

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Failure to demonstrate mastery of all 16 objectives by the end of the spring term will result in grades of less than an A. Mastery of these objectives will be determined by the faculty mentor and instructor by assessing each student's: initiative on work, continual contact with mentor/instructor, independent completion of work, going above and beyond instead of waiting on exact instructions, and overall understanding of their own project and conclusions.

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Failure to complete a paper/poster will result in a required meeting with the instructor and program coordinator to discuss a plan for moving forward.

 

If unforeseen circumstances inhibit mastery of all objectives by the end of the spring semester, exceptions to these requirements may be made. This will be up to the discretion of the instructor and program coordinator on a case-by-case basis.

 

Community Issue Research Project

You will complete all objectives in the research process from generating an idea to compiling a research paper and poster displaying results. To move onto each successive objective in the research process, you must demonstrate mastery and be approved for continuation to the next objective. If you do not demonstrate mastery, you will continue working until you do. The specific objectives to be achieved are:

 

SUMMER

1. 20 - 50 volunteer hours completed (To be completed between Monday, June 1 and Tuesday, July 30)

2. Interview completed (DUE: Wednesday, July 1)

3. Annotated bibliography (DUE: Tuesday, August 25 @ 9:40 am)

4. Pick community issue (DUE: Tuesday, August 25 @ 9:40 am)

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FALL SEMESTER

5. Extended annotated bibliography (DUE: Monday, September 21 @ 3 pm)

6. Non-profit service location chosen (DUE: Monday, September 21 @ 3 pm))

7. Outline for Introduction (DUE: Monday, October 5 @ 3 pm)

8. 50 - 100 volunteer hours completed (To be completed between Friday, September 18 and Friday, October 30)

9. Introduction and Interview completed (DUE: Monday, October 12 @ 3 pm)

10. Proposal of plan to mentor and community leader (DUE: Saturday, November 21 @ 11 am)

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Due dates specify when things are due to the instructor. All materials should be approved by the research mentor PRIOR to submitting for the course. All submissions will require that an email be sent from the mentor to the instructor stating that they approve of the submission. 

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Due dates specify when things are due to the instructor. All materials should be approved by the research mentor PRIOR to submitting for the course. All submissions will require that an email be sent from the mentor to the instructor stating that they approve of the submission. 

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If you demonstrate mastery of the first 10 objectives by the end of the fall semester, you will earn an A for this portion of your grade.

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If you have only mastered through objective 6 or 7 by the end of the semester, you will have to take an incomplete in the course, and finish during the Interim (January) term. If you complete all 10 objectives at this time, you will earn no higher than a B for this portion of your grade. If, by the end of the Interim term, you still have not achieved mastery of all 10 objectives, you will be required to attend a meeting with the instructor and program coordinator to discuss a plan for moving forward.

 

If you have only mastered through objective 5 by the end of the semester, you will have to take an incomplete in the course, and finish during the Interim (January) term. If you complete all 10 objectives at this time, you will earn no higher than a C for this portion of your grade. If, by the end of the Interim term, you still have not achieved mastery of all 10 objectives, you will be required to attend a meeting with the instructor and program coordinator to discuss a plan for moving forward.

 

If you have only achieved mastery of objective 4 or less by the end of the semester, you will be required to attend a meeting with the instructor and program coordinator to discuss a plan for moving forward.

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If unforeseen circumstances inhibit mastery of all 10 objectives by the end of the fall semester, exceptions to these requirements may be made. This will be up to the discretion of the instructor and program coordinator on a case-by-case basis.

 

SPRING SEMESTER

11. 1st Draft of Topic Review

12. Abstract

13. Final Draft of Topic Review

14. Assessment Plan

15. Visual Presentation (Poster)

16. Final Paper

Community Issue Research Project
Community Issue Schedule.png
Public Presentation
Participation
Daily Journal
CE Credits
Career Plan Meeting
CV/Resume
ACAT
Meeting wit Upcoming Seniors
Overall Grading
Phones and Other Devices
Email
Microsoft Teams

If you demonstrate mastery of all 16 objectives by the end of the spring semester, you will earn an A for this portion of your grade.

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Failure to demonstrate mastery of all 16 objectives by the end of the spring term will result in grades of less than an A. Mastery of these objectives will be determined by the faculty mentor and instructor by assessing each student's: initiative on work, continual contact with mentor/instructor, independent completion of work, going above and beyond instead of waiting on exact instructions, and overall understanding of their own project and conclusions.

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Failure to complete a paper/poster will result in a required meeting with the instructor and program coordinator to discuss a plan for moving forward.

 

If unforeseen circumstances inhibit mastery of all objectives by the end of the spring semester, exceptions to these requirements may be made. This will be up to the discretion of the instructor and program coordinator on a case-by-case basis.

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Public Presentation: You will present your research project at LaGrange College's Honors Day Poster Session. This is for both the scientific research projects and the community issue research projects. Presenting at the Honors Day Poster Session is a requirement of the course.

You may also be asked to submit your research to GURP or other local/regional conferences if the professor feels your research meets the qualifications for these conferences. Being able to present at off-campus conferences looks great on a CV and is a fantastic talking point for graduate school interviews. All students should strive to submit to an off-campus conference.

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Though students may be working with a faculty member who is not an instructor for the course, all students are still required to meet all deadlines and objectives in this syllabus.

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Participation

Attendance is crucial to be successful in this course. Every class meeting period will be work time, thus, missing just one day can put you far behind on your progress. Thus, attending class is a required component of this course and will contribute to your grade. Being on time is also important in order to not disrupt the class and ensure you have received all of the information. Therefore, students that are 15 minutes or more late for class will be counted as absent for the day and will not receive attendance points.

 

Early in the semester, you should get contact information from one or more of your classmates and set up a "buddy system" for the purposes of letting you know what was covered in class, any changes to the course outline (including information regarding deadlines for various assignments), and giving you copies of any handouts in you should miss a class session.

 

If a student has a chronic illness, are on an LC sponsored sports team, or have other situations that may cause the student to miss class or to cause the student to fall behind in class work, it is the student's responsibility to notify the instructor at the beginning of the semester or as soon as the conflict arises. Students should not wait until an assignment deadline to let the instructor know that of an ongoing problem that is interfering with the student's ability to keep up in the course.

 

If you are absent, you will have an opportunity to have the absence erased and still earn your attendance points by completing the following. You must 1. Fill out an absence form (found on Connect) and turn it in to me ASAP and at least by the next day you are in class. You can drop this off at my office or bring it to the next class meeting. 2. Schedule a meeting with me to discuss what you missed and what makeup work needs to be completed. 3. Complete the required makeup work

 

Because this class only meets 2 days/week and all of class time is spent working on projects, attendance is crucial. Therefore, if you have four or more (note: this is equal to missing 2 weeks worth of class!) unexcused and/or unmade-up absences during the course, you will fail the course. Absences that you have been made-up using the above procedure will not be counted towards this total. In addition, only 1 undocumented excused absence will be accepted during the course. After that, all other absences require documentation to be considered excused.

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Daily Journal: Throughout this course (both fall and spring) you will keep a daily journal where you log all of the work that you complete for this course. In your journal for each day, you will answer each of the questions below. These journals will be checked by the instructor on a weekly basis. Journals will be kept in a Google Doc provided by the instructor. 

Questions for daily journal

1. What specific tasks did you work on today?

2. What were you able to accomplish today?

3. What do you need to work on tomorrow?

4. Time log (log all time you spent working on class assignments)

 

CE Credits: All LaGrange College students are required to complete 40 CE credits before graduation. To be on track for graduation, by the start of senior year, students should have 30 CE credits. To help ensure that students are completing their credits for graduation, a requirement of the fall semester will be to have 87% of the required CE credits accumulated by the end of this semester. This means, if your requirement is 40 CE credits, then you should have 35 CE credits accumulated by the end of the semester. You will earn a grade for your CE credits based on the following scale.

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87% of required CE credits - 100%

83% of required CE credits - 90%

77% of required CE credits - 80%

73% of required CE credits - 70%

67% of required CE credits - 60%

63% of required CE credits - 50%

57%  or less of required CE credits - 0%

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Career Plan Meeting: Before you can begin preparing for after graduation and your career, you have to know what that will entail. Thus, you will be required to meet with your advisor to discuss your plans for after graduation. This meeting should be scheduled ASAP after the start of the spring semester (Mon, Feb 15 - Fri, Feb 19). After this meeting, send an email to me and your advisor recapping what you discussed in your meeting.​

 

CV/Resume: If you are planning to go to graduate school, you will compile a CV. If you are planning to enter the workforce, you will compile a resume. There are examples and resources available for both on Connect. This will be submitted and reviewed by your advisor! You must get feedback on  your CV/resume from your advisor. After you incorporate their feedback, you will submit a final draft on Connect. This will be due during spring semester​

 

ACAT: Before you can graduate with your degree in psychological science, you must complete the ACAT exam. This is a comprehensive exam from APA to assess all that you have learned within the field of psychology. You must achieve an overall score that falls at at least the 30th percentile to pass! As a word of warning, students that don't take this test seriously have FAILED in the past (we have students earn as low as the 1st percentile! On the other hand, a high grade on the ACAT should be a point of pride and should be included on your CV/Resume. The date for the ACAT for Spring 2021 is Thursday, May 6th.​

 

Meeting with Upcoming Seniors: To help prepare next year's seniors for the undertaking you are starting to finish, a meeting will be held with all of this year's capstone students and the students planning to take capstone next year during the last month of spring semester. Students do not need to prepare any type of formal presentation but will discuss what they learned in capstone, what they wished they knew before starting, and the impact they believe their independent research project has had them, as well as answer the future student's questions. The meeting for Spring 2021 is Wednesday, April 7th and will be held on Teams.

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Overall Grading

The following table lists the percent of your final grade that will come from each of the designated areas.

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Individual Project - 80%

Participation - 20%

 

The following factors may also affect a student's grade:

 

Grades may also reflect class behavior, and those students who behave in a way deemed disruptive by the instructor may have their grades reduced and/or be referred to the Honor Council. Likewise, students that are active in class discussion may have their grades increased.

 

Academic misconduct. Any student who cheats or plagiarizes will be given a grade of “F” for the course and will be referred to the Honor Council. Cheating includes, but is not limited to: wearing earphones or hats to the test session, attempting to or leaving the classroom with a copy of the test or answer sheet, looking at another student’s test or answer sheet, or using a phone during the exam period. Plagiarism involves any attempt to pass off work from another source as your own. This applies to both tests and assignments.

 

Maintaining a Good Learning Environment

Phones and Other Devices

Please silence your phone and put it away during class. Yes, I can see you texting, tweeting, and snapping even when you put your phone under the desk or try to hide it on your desk. This not only distracts other students around you but also distracts me from my lecture. If I see a phone out an inappropriate time, I will call you out in front of everyone and your grade WILL be negatively impacted by repeated issues. In addition, please do not wear headphones during class. Once class begins, headphones should be removed from your head/ears and put away.

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That said, I would like for you to bring a tablet/laptop to class as we will use them often. You will need your laptop on most days.

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FOR FALL 2020

Due to precautions against COVID-19, certain policies will be different this semester. You will be required to have access to a laptop and you will need to bring it to class every day. Much of our work will happen electronically so access to a working laptop and internet access is a must.

 

Email

Please use polite email etiquette and don't email me about these issues or your email may be deleted. In general, my email responses will be very short (1-sentence). I am not trying to be rude, just efficient as I get many emails in a day. If your question requires a lengthy response, I would suggest scheduling a meeting with me instead. For all email responses, please permit at least 24 hours before expecting a response (e.g., you are unlikely to get a response to your email the night before an exam). In general, emails may not be answered over the weekend, holidays, or after business hours.

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Microsoft Teams

For Fall 2020 we will be using Microsoft Teams to live-stream class sessions as well as to aid in communication both inside and outside of the classroom. Thus, you are required to have Microsoft Teams setup on your computer. You are also strongly encouraged to set this up on your phone as well. There is a free app in the app store you can download. This software is free with your LC account. Do not create a new account, use your LC Microsoft account to log in. If you have trouble logging in, please contact IT. More information including tutorials on how to access and download Teams as well as a link to our course Team are provided on Connect.

Other Administrative Details
Other Administrative Details
All papers submitted in this class should follow the paper formatting guidelines found here.

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The course outline is a guide. The coverage of certain topics or participation in class activities may take more time or less time than was originally expected. The instructor reserves the right to alter the course outline at any time. Students will be notified in class and/or by email of any changes in the course outline. If given as an option, the student majority vote will decide changes in exam dates that may occur.

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All due dates and times in this course are given in eastern time. Please note! If you travel to central time, your work is still due at the stated eastern time!

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In the case of an emergency such as severe weather or an influenza or zombie outbreak, I may be obliged to make changes to course content, assignments, or other substantive elements of the class.
 

The syllabus may be corrected or amended if errors or omissions are discovered after the syllabus is posted. Corrections will be posted to the course Connect site and/or the instructor's Twitter page.

 

ADA Statement:  Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, LaGrange College consistently undertakes to provide, by every reasonable effort, assistance and appropriate accommodations to qualified students with disabilities. If you have a disability, please contact Brandi Cameron, Coordinator of Learning Disability Support Services at 706-880-8269.  She is located in Smith Hall in room 121. Students with documented accommodations that they wish to utilize must speak with the instructor & present documentation by the end of the 2nd week of the semester. 


Acts of academic misconduct (e.g. cheating, plagiarism) may result in course failure and will result in referral to the Honor Council. No electronic devices may be on a student's person, out, or in use during exams or other graded activities. If that rule is violated, it will be assumed that the device is used for cheating. The matter will be referred to the Honor Council. Unless told otherwise by the instructor, assume that all graded work uses only the student's brainpower and is closed book/notes/internet and is an individual assignment. During exams and graded activities, students may only have a pencil and an eraser on the table top (aside from any materials provided by the instructor). During exams, all belongings should be closed and stowed under the table. All notes/books must be in a zipped bag and placed under the table. You must turn in your exam if you leave the room.

Honor Code:  “As a member of the student body of LaGrange College, I confirm my commitment to the ideals of civility, diversity, service, and excellence.  Recognizing the significance of personal integrity in establishing these ideals within our community, I pledge that I will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate these unethical behaviors in others.” 

All tests, papers, etc... will be destroyed during week 5 of the following semester. Any questions regarding grades or assignments must be addressed before that time.

You are required to get permission from the instructor if you wish to audio record, video record, or take pictures of a class.

 

Important information from the instructor will be sent to student's via their LaGrange email account or via announcements within the Connect course site. Students are responsible for all messages and materials sent via these routes. Reminders and hints may also be sent via the instructor's Twitter account. Any changes to course policy, dates, or assignments will also be sent via email or Connect.

 

DropGuardThe faculty, staff, and administration at LaGrange College want students to succeed in every aspect of their college experience. One of the tools we use to help us in that process is called DropGuard. The DropGuard system allows faculty and staff members to enter information when they are concerned about students – perhaps because of absences from class or other activities, or because of irregular performance, and so on. If there are several indications that things may not be going well for a student, it’s possible that the student will be contacted by their advisor or by another campus official. Students may receive email notifications from DropGuard when the instructor notes a concern. If a student finds themselves in a situation where they could use some additional assistance, please set up a meeting with a faculty member or academic advisor. Naturally, academic support services are readily available in PACE, Tutoring Center, the Writing Center, and in the Counseling Center (study skills, time management, etc.). If students have specific questions about DropGuard itself, please feel free to e-mail: studentsuccess@lagrange.edu.


If you ever encounter an issue with an online assignment, please email me and you MUST include a screenshot that documents your issue. Failure to follow this guideline may result in a denial of your request for late submission of the assignment. As a note, technical errors are bound to occur, therefore, it is HIGHLY recommended that you do not wait until the last minute to complete assignments.

 

Responsible Employee Reporting Obligation: All faculty and staff share in the responsibility to create a safe learning environment for all students and for the campus as a whole. As members of the campus community, all faculty and staff (other than those designated as confidential reporters) are designated as responsible employees and therefore have the duty to report any instances of sexual harassment, sexual violence and/or other forms of prohibited discrimination. If a student would prefer to share information about sexual harassment, sexual violence or discrimination with a confidential employee who does not have this reporting responsibility, a list of those individuals can be found at http://www.lagrange.edu/about/security/sexual-harassment-violence.html.

*Instructor reserves right to alter schedule due to any unforeseen circumstances*

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