HISTORY COURSES AT Austin Community
College – What You Can Expect |
The History
Department welcomes you to our courses. We have an outstanding faculty and you
will find that many of your classmates are also outstanding students. With a
collaborative effort on the part of BOTH faculty member and student, your
experience with us should be most productive and rewarding.
History courses at
The following is a
summary of some of the requirements that are typical for a History course at
§
All
ACC college-level History courses presume that the student has successfully
completed the basic high school
§
Each
History course includes a substantial reading component of approximately 500 to
700 pages of material. Students will be expected to be familiar with the
material covered in each daily assignment and to have read the appropriate
sections of the text PRIOR to attending class. The textbooks used in the
classes are written at the 14+ grade reading level. If your reading and/or
English language proficiency is not at this level, you should consider
enrolling in English as a Second Language classes or in developmental reading
classes.
§
In all
ACC History classes, some type of writing assignment is a requirement for
successfully completing the course. Many
classes include essay questions on each exam.
In addition, many classes require research papers, analytical book
reviews, a family history, film reviews, and/or thought piece assignments as a
substantial portion of the final grade.
These assignments will be graded for form (grammar, spelling, and
punctuation) as well as content. If you do not possess these necessary writing
skills, we recommend you postpone taking History courses until after you have
completed ENGL 1301 (English Composition 1).
§
The
normal mode of instruction is by the lecture method, supplemented in many cases
by PowerPoint, video, and internet clips. The student has a responsibility to
come to class prepared, ready to participate, and able to take notes based on
the reading assignment, class presentation, or lecture. In some courses, taking notes is required.
§
All
History courses use learning objectives (sometimes called “study questions”) to
assist the student in identifying the most important aspects of the material.
These learning objectives are usually contained in the course syllabus or in a
separate “Study Guide.” They are not
word-for-word identical to the test questions nor do they by themselves give
the answers to test questions in advance. Rather, they highlight some important
topics and direct the student to the relevant material that may appear on the
test. Learning objectives often are derived from both the lecture and the
textbook.
§
Each
faculty member has attendance policies and class behavior policies to which
students must adhere. These include
§
attending
class regularly,
§
arriving
on time and staying for the entire class,
§
preparing
for class by doing the required reading and assignments, and
§
being respectful of fellow classmates and the
professor. This includes silencing all cell phones and other electronic devices
and using computers ONLY for taking notes.
·
Since
most college courses usually meet only two times per week (in some cases only
once each week), the pace of each class may be more intense than what students
experienced in high school, where classes met five times a week. Students
should be especially careful not to overload themselves by enrolling in more
classes than they have the time in which to adequately study for the courses.
·
These
are college courses and all students enrolled in such courses will be treated
as college students regardless of the location at which the class meets. All students are protected by the Family
Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.
In compliance with this Act, instructors will not discuss student
grades, academic progress, or class attendance and participation with a
student’s parents, spouse, or significant other, unless the student is present.
·
Students
enrolling in Distance Learning courses must possess maturity, ability, time
management skills and self-discipline to successfully complete the course. The
student will be required to do the same amount of work and the same quality of
work as students enrolling in the “in-class” section of a course. Distance Learning courses are designed for mature and capable
students endowed with a great degree of self-discipline and responsibility.
Distance learning classes are not for everyone. There are many very fine
students who find that their preferred learning style is classroom lecture and
participation, so for them, the “in-class format” better meets their needs. If
you have any questions or concerns about Distance learning, please consult a
History faculty member prior to enrolling in this type of course.
In conclusion, we
hope that sharing these expectations will result in a very successful and
satisfying experience in your ACC History courses. Please do not hesitate to
contact us if you have any questions.