HISTORY 1301-046 & 047PCM
(Open Campus)
Spring Semester 2012
(Synonym #45766 & #47597)
Syllabus
Dr. Allan Purcell
COURSE OBJECTIVE: This
course is a study of the history of the
COURSE RATIONALE: This course provides the basic survey of U.S. History
to 1877 and satisfies three semester hours of the Legislative Requirement in
U.S. History.
COURSE METHODOLOGY: This is an on-line PCM distance learning course.
THIS COURSE DOES NOT USE BLACKBOARD!!
COMMON COURSE OBJECTIVES: http://www.austincc.edu/hist
COURSE ORIENTATION: You have reached the online orientation. To complete the on-line orientation, please read the Syllabus
and Study Guide, complete the Information Sheet at the end of the Study Guide
and e-mail me the Information Sheet. When
you have received an e-mail reply from me, your orientation is complete.
For questions, please email the instructor at apurcell@austincc.edu
If you are unable to complete the orientation
at this time or use the email connection, you must contact me within ONE
WEEK of Late Registration to set up an appointment OR you will be dropped
from the course.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This section is a personal computer with modem (PCM) distance learning version of the standard United States History survey course. The student will be required to do the same amount of work and the same quality of work as students enrolling in the classroom equivalent of the course. This PCM course is designed for mature and capable students endowed with a great degree of self-discipline and responsibility and knowledge of personal computers and the Internet. If this description does not sound like you, then you should consider dropping this section and adding a classroom section of the course. You WILL need maturity, ability, and self-discipline to successfully complete the requirements of any distance learning course!
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: The student's final course grade is determined by the quality and quantity of the student's work. The following requirements are non-negotiable:
For the grades of "C", "B", and "A": The student must contact the instructor, either in person, by telephone, or by e-mail twice during the semester: once after the completion of Test #3 and once after the completion of Test #5 Anyone failing to make these contacts may not receive credit for the course.
For the grade of "C": In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all 5 tests and make an overall course average of 70% (21 correct out of 30 questions.) Failure to meet these requirements will result in the grade of "F". There are no further requirements.
For the grade of "B": the student may earn this grade under either Option #1 OR Option #2.
For the grade of "B" (Option #1): In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all 5 tests and make an overall course average of 80% (24 correct out of 30 questions) AND complete one B-Level Objective (the analytical book review) described in the "Study Guide" on-line, which will be e-mailed to the instructor.
OR
For the grade of "B" (Option #2):In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all 5 tests and score 80% (24 correct out of 30) or better ON EACH TEST. There are no further requirements for the grade of "B" under this option.
For the grade of
"A": In addition to the two
course contacts, the student must take all 5 tests and make an overall course
average of 80% (24 correct out of 30 questions) AND produce one A-Level
Objective (the research paper), which will be e-mailed to the instructor. The
A-Level Objective is described in the "Study Guide" on-line.
TEXTBOOK: Robert A. Divine et al. America Past and Present,
Volume 1, (9th edition)
DEADLINES: All tests must
be taken in the ACC Testing Centers at the RGC, NRG, RVS, RRC, CYP, EVC, SMC,
SAC, FBG or PIN campuses. The student MAY take the tests as early as he/she
is ready, however the student MUST take the tests by the following deadlines:
Test #1: Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Test #2: Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Test #3: Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Test #4: Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Test #5: Wednesday, April 25, 2012
You MUST have the topic for your A-Level Objective (the term paper) approved by the instructor by Wednesday, April 11, 2011.
You MUST turn in your B-Level Objective (the analytical book review) and your A-Level Objective (the term paper) by the deadline of Wednesday, May 2, 2012.
All of these deadlines will
be strictly enforced! There will be
no extensions for these deadlines and you will NOT receive credit for any work
(either tests, retests, or A-Level or B-Level Objectives) submitted after the
forgoing deadlines.
TESTING POLICY: Each unit has a 30 question test that focuses on the learning objectives found in the "Study Guide" on-line. You MUST score 21 correct answers out of 30 (70%) to pass the test. If you do not pass the test the first time you take it, then you may retest once. There are two restrictions on the retest: 1. The highest grade possible on the retest is 70. Therefore if you have passed the test the first time, there is no point to retaking it. You CAN NOT make a score higher than 70 on the retest. 2. You must retest BEFORE the deadline date for the test. You may NOT retest after the deadline date even if you took the test for the first time before the deadline date. Also keep in mind that ACC Testing Center policy prohibits anyone from retesting a test on the same day they took it for the first time. Therefore if you feel you may need to retest, you should take the test for the first time AT LEAST one day before the deadline date.
After you test or retest, the Testing Center will give you a "feedback" form with your score. KEEP THIS FORM!!! If, as very occasionally happens, your test is delayed in the intercampus mail; the "feedback" form is your proof that you completed the test at the appropriate time. DO NOT THROW AWAY ANY "FEEDBACK" FORM UNTIL YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOUR FINAL GRADE AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER!!!!!
TESTING FEEDBACK: You will receive your score on the five tests from the Testing Center. If you wish to review the questions you have missed, I will be happy to do so with you either in person or by telephone during my office hours. Please be aware that it takes some time for the Testing Centers to send me the results of your exams, so do NOT call me the day after you take the test and expect that I have received it. It takes between four and five days for me to receive your tests. Therefore, if you fail a test and wish to retest, I will move back the deadline date for the retest by those five days so that you will have an opportunity to review your initial test with me before you take the retest.
TEST PREPARATION: I have constructed an on-line tutorial to help you review the important material prior to your taking the tests. It is found on my home page in the section for HIST 1301 PCM. This tutorial is most effective if you use it AFTER you have read and studied the textbook. The tutorial covers the important points for each learning objective BUT DOES NOT PROVIDE WORD-FOR-WORD TEST QUESTIONS. You will need to understand the key concepts, not simply memorize a word or name. Make sure that you read the sample questions at the end of the "Study Guide" so you will know what types of questions to expect. With the use of the tutorial after studying the textbook material, the vast majority of students master the important information and perform very well on the tests!
WITHDRAWAL POLICY: If you fail to meet the test deadlines, you ARE SUBJECT to being withdrawn from the course by the instructor. This is at the discretion of the instructor. If you determine during the course of the semester that you will not be able to successfully fulfill the requirements of this course, YOU MAY WITHDRAW YOURSELF! The deadline for withdrawing is Monday, April 23, 2012. No withdrawals or reinstatements may be made after this deadline.
COURSE COMPLETION VERIFICATION:
Each student is REQUIRED to CONTACT
the instructor, either in person, by telephone, or by re-mail after they have
completed Test #3 and Test #5. The contact after Test #5 will serve as a course completion verification and must be done before Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at 9:00AM. During this conference we will verify your test
scores, review any projects submitted for an "A" or "B",
and determine your course grade. FAILURE TO COMPLETE THIS CONFERENCE
REQUIREMENT MAY IMPERIL THE PROMPT REPORTING OF YOUR GRADE!!!! This is as much
a requirement of the course as any other grading requirement.
OFFICE HOURS:
M W 6:30AM to 11:30AM in ATT
214
T H 6:30AM to 9:00AM in ATT 214
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TELEPHONE:223-3398 |
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INCOMPLETES: The grade of "I" (Incomplete) will only be awarded for medical reasons verified by a satisfactory letter from a physician. All "Incompletes" must be completed within the first four weeks of the following semester. There are no exceptions to this policy. |
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SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY: "Acts prohibited by the college for which
discipline may be administered include scholastic
dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz,
plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work. Academic work
submitted by students shall be the result of their own thought, research, or
self-expression. Academic work is defined
as, but not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on
paper; projects,
either individual or group; classroom
presentations, and homework." (ACC Student Handbook)
Anyone committing these acts in
this course will receive the grade of "F" for the course.
TESTING CENTER POLICY:http://www.austincc.edu/testctr
ACADEMIC FREEDOM: The free exchange of information is vital to the
pursuit of learning.
THE LAST WORDS OF CAUTION:
1. If you use the
2. Be aware that the RGC & NRG Testing Centers become exceptionally busy in the last few weeks of the semester. Therefore you may have to wait an hour or MORE from the time you arrive before you can be seated and take the test. So please plan ahead, EITHER:
a. Make sure you arrive several hours before
the closing time of the
OR
b. Use a
3. Please use your official name on the test scantrons and do not use "nicknames" or
variations of your proper name.
4. The first test, which is a map test, is
relatively easy for most students with a good background in
