|
Course Information
|
|
Course Description:
|
This course, a three credit-hour class on the web, is the first half
of a two-semester survey of world history.
It partially fulfills the world history requirement for the colleges
and universities within the Tennessee Board of Regents system, as well as a
number of other private and public colleges and universities inside and
outside the state. It covers the
history of the world from the origins of humanity to the sixteenth
century. The units are topical in
nature and are organized in a chronological format. Class will be conducted entirely online
with the exception of testing and the two text books which students will
purchase. Online facilities for this
class will include a discussion and announcements bulletin board, email, the
class syllabus, a course schedule, a course calendar, an explanation of exam
policies, and various study sheets.
Students will submit all course work through
email or online.
|
|
Course Objectives:
|
Students will demonstrate the ability to:
·
Analyze historical facts and interpretations concerning human history
to 1500.
·
Analyze and compare political, geographic, economic, social, cultural,
religious, and intellectual institutions, structures and processes across the
range of historical periods and cultures in human history to 1500.
·
Recognize and articulate the diversity of human experience across the
range of historical periods and the complexities of cultures and societies in
human history to 1500.
·
Draw on historical perspectives from human history before 1500 to
evaluate contemporary problems and issues.
·
Analyze the contributions of past cultures and societies in human
history before 1500 to the contemporary world.
|
|
Prerequisites
and Corequisites:
|
Satisfactory completion of DSPW 0800 and DSPR 0800 or appropriate
entrance exam scores. Students are
required to read and write at a level to be expected from a college freshman.
|
|
Course
Topics:
|
Please see the "Course Modules" sheet.
|
|
Specific
Course Requirements:
|
There
are no specific requirements for this course beyond the hardware and software
requirements listed below.
|
|
Textbooks,
Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements
|
|
Required
Textbooks:
|
Required Texts:
Information about required texts is also available at the
Virtual Bookstore:
http://rodp.bkstr.com
|
|
Supplementary
Materials:
|
There
are none required for this course.
|
|
Hardware
Requirements:
|
The
minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. There are no specific requirements for this
course beyond those listed at the website above.
|
|
Software
Requirements:
|
The
minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. There are no specific requirements for this
course beyond those listed at the website above.
|
|
Instructor Information
|
Please
see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact
information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other
communication information.
|
|
Assessment and Grading
|
|
Testing
Procedures:
|
Students must consult
the "Assignments" page located on the course home page for information
regarding testing procedures for all scheduled exams.
|
|
Grading
Procedure:
|
Your course grade will be based on the sum of the ten highest scores
for discussion postings in response to ten online discussion questions, the
two highest scores from the three term exams, the two highest scores from the
three essay exams, and the score from the comprehensive essay exam. In order
to pass the course, you must post responses to ten of the fifteen online
discussion questions, and take two of the three essay exams, two of the three
term exams, and the comprehensive essay exam, regardless of your scores short
of meeting this requirement. See "Exam
Schedule Sheet" for exam dates.
Point Distribution:
class
discussion participation score
50 points
-Each
posting is worth potentially 5 points.
-Your
score will be based on the scores from
your ten highest postings.
two
highest term exam scores(25 pts each)
50 points
two
highest essay exam scores(25 pts each) 50 points
score on
the comprehensive portion of the final
50 points
total points possible
for the course 200
points
|
|
Grading
Scale:
|
Your course grade will be based on the number of points that you earn
in the class. Below is a list of the
number of points necessary to qualify for each letter grade.
A: 180 B: 160 C: 140 D: 120
I also take effort and improvement into account in the
assignment of course grades. In the
assignment of the semester grade, a student's effort and/or improvement may
make up for a shortage of one or two points toward a particular grade. In my evaluation of effort and improvement
I consider the completion of optional exams, improvement in exam scores during
the semester, and participation in online class discussions.
|
|
Assignments and Participation
|
|
Assignments
and Projects:
|
Please
see the "Course Modules" and "Assignments" sheets for information about
course assignments.
|
|
Class
Participation:
|
Students must
participate in class discussions by posting responses to the weekly
discussion topics and the responses of other students. Students are strongly encouraged to contact
the instructor concerning any questions they may have about the course.
|
|
Punctuality:
|
Students are expected
to submit all written assignments on time.
Penalties will be assessed for those assignments that are accepted
late. Students should consult the
course calendar and assignments sheets for due dates of written assignments.
|
|
Course Ground Rules
|
·
Learn to navigate WebCT.
·
Check the discussion board everyday for postings from the professor
and other students.
·
Make the professor aware of any technical difficulties you are
experiencing immediately.
·
Use the assigned course e-mail address instead of your personal e-mail
address.
·
Observe course etiquette at all times.
·
Keep abreast
of course announcements.
|
|
Guidelines for Communications
|
|
Email:
|
- Always include a subject
line.
- Remember without facial
expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in
wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be
helpful in some cases.
- Use standard fonts.
- Do not send large
attachments without permission.
- Special formatting such as
centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless
necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
- Respect the privacy of
other class members
|
|
Discussion
Groups:
|
- Review the discussion
threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a
discussant.
- Try to maintain threads by
using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.
- Do not make insulting or
inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be
respectful of other's ideas.
- Be patient and read the
comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.
- Be positive and
constructive in group discussions.
- Respond in a thoughtful and
timely manner.
|
|
Chat:
|
- Introduce yourself to the
other learners in the chat session.
- Be polite. Choose your
words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements.
- Be concise in responding to
others in the chat session.
- Be prepared to open the
chat session at the scheduled time.
- Be constructive in your
comments and suggestion
|
|
Web
Resources:
|
|
|
|
Library
|
The Tennessee Virtual
Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree
Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases,
interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and
librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete
online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses.
|
|
Students With Disabilities
|
Qualified
students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic
accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services
staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations
in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a
student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability
services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to
initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and
to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent
to the instructor.
|
|
Syllabus Changes
|
The
instructor reserves the left to make changes as necessary to this syllabus.
If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor
will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email
communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the
course bulletin board.
|
|
Technical Support
|
|
Telephone
Support:
|
If you
are having problems logging into your course,
timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other
technical problems, please contact the Eduprise
Help Desk by calling
1-866-550-7637 (toll free)
or go to their website
at:
http://help.rodp.org
|