EDSE 5307 - Evid-Based Prac for Stu w/Dis: Evid-Based Prac for Stu w/Dis (Sub II- Oct 21 to Dec 10)
Fall 2024 Syllabus, Section 780, CRN 15028
Instructor Information
Midge Simmons, Ed.D., Texas certifications: special education teacher, educational diagnostician, principal, superintendent
Email: midgem.simmons@tamiu.edu
Office: Austin, Texas
Office Hours:
Email to set up a Zoom or call.
Text or call: 281-630-1928
Times and Location
Does Not Meet Face-to-Face
Course Description
Additional Course Information
This course is designed to support the following TAMIU College of Education Graduate programs:
• Master of Science in Bilingual Education with a Specialization in
Special Education
• Master of Science in Special Education with all specializations
• Advanced Certificate in Educational Diagnostics
Program Learning Outcomes
CLO 1: Explain the legal, historical, and philosophical foundations of special education during the last 75 years.
• CLO 2: Describe your knowledge of professional roles and responsibilities that adhere to legal and ethical requirements of teaching students who have special education needs.
• CLO 3: Demonstrate effective communication and collaboration skills needed in professional educational settings.
• CLO 4: Differentiate the characteristics and needs of individuals with disabilities served in educational environments.
CLO 5: Categorize professional techniques for planning instruction and managing teaching and learning environments.
• CLO 6: Construct teaching strategies for promoting students’ academic performance in all content areas and facilitating their achievement in a variety of settings.
• CLO 7: Differentiate teaching strategies that elevate students’ performance in English language arts and reading.
• CLO 8: Differentiate teaching strategies that elevate students’ performance in mathematics.
Student Learning Outcomes
Module #1: Special Education Policies, Process, and Practices
MO1.1 Compare the laws, key provisions, and guidelines that govern special education and how these laws influence educational practices for individuals with disabilities. (CLO1)
MO1.2 Describe the responsibilities you have as a classroom teacher for students with special needs and the types of practices and adaptations you need to implement. (CLO2)
MO1.3 Analyze the laws regarding IDEA and the instructional implications of implementing inclusion and other services provided in the continuum of services for students with disabilities. (CLO1, CLO2)
ACTIVITIES
OCR Fact Sheet on Section 504 (MO1.1, MO1.3)
“Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District (2017) and Special Education Law” (MO1.1, MO1.2, MO1.3);
(not required) “Most Classroom Teachers Feel Unprepared to Support Students With Disabilities.” (MO1.2)
COURSE TECHNOLOGIES AND MATERIALS CITATIONS
need to know. Preventing School Failure, Vol 62, 4.
Mitchell, C. (2019). Most Classroom Teachers Feel Unprepared to Support Students With Disabilities. Education Week.
Office for Civil Rights (OCR). (2006). Fact Sheet: Your Rights Under Section 504. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
TEA. (2022). Notice of Procedural Safeguards. Austin: Texas Education Agency. https://www.spedtex.org/reso urces/notice-proceduralsafeguards Vaugn, S. R., Bos, C. S., and Shay Schumm, J. (2018). Teaching Students Who Are Exceptional, Diverse, And At Risk in the General Education Classroom, 7th ed. New Jersey: Pearson
Important Dates
Visit the Academic Calendar (tamiu.edu) page to view the term's important dates.
Textbooks
| Group | Title | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Required | Teaching Students Who Are Exceptional, Diverse, and at Risk in the Genral Education Classroom | Vaughnm Bos, &Schumm | 9780134447896 |
Other Course Materials
Each Module in this course contains materials for your benefit in exploring each Module’s topic. These materials come from three main sources; 1. Class meetings/ Video lectures; 2. Publicly available, discipline-specific websites that address different areas of disability and special education; 3. Professional Journal Articles that are posted in the materials section of each module and can be accessible from the University Library at: https://www.tamiu.edu/library/index.shtml. The purpose of these additional resources is to provide the most current research-based practices, explanations of various practices and teaching methods, and additional teacher assets for working with diverse students.
TEA. (2022). Notice of Procedural Safeguards. Austin: Texas Education Agency. Texas’s current version of their parent’s rights and student safeguards document that is important for all school staff to understand and be prepared to help parents to understand. English, Spanish, plus other languages are available at: https://www.spedtex.org/resources/notice-procedural-safeguards.
Web Resources (Optional): State standards for certification programs:
• Educator program standards (http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=5938&menu_id=2147483671&menu_id2=794)
• Certification domains/competencies (http://cms.texes-ets.org/texes/testframeworks/)
• TEKS (http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=6148&menu_id=720&menu_id2=785)
• College and Career Readiness Standards (http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/collegereadiness/crs.pdf)
Additional useful websites: • Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS). https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/index.html
OSERS guides and supports a comprehensive array of programs and projects that support individuals with disabilities:
• Texas Education Agency - Special Education Rules and Regulations https://tea.texas.gov/Academics/Special_Student_Populations/Special_Education/Programs_an_ Services/Special_Education_Rules_and_Regulations
This website provides in-service and pre-service educational professionals with state policies and guidelines to adequately serve students with special needs.
• Council for Exceptional Children (CEC): http://www.cec.sped.org
The Council for Exceptional Children is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of children and youth with exceptionalities. CEC is known as the source of information, resources, and professional development for special educators and school professionals.
• IRIS Center: https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu
The IRIS Center is a national center dedicated to improving education outcomes for all children, especially those with disabilities from birth through age twenty-one, through the use of effective evidencebased practices and interventions.
Grading Criteria
| GRADE | PERCENTAGE |
| A | 91-100 |
| B | 80-90.9 |
| C | 70-79.9 |
| D | 60-69.9 |
| F | Below 60 |
Schedule of Topics and Assignments
| Week of | Agenda/Topic | Reading(s) | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/21 | Module #1 Special Education Policies, Process, and Practices | Read Chapter 1 (MO1.1, MO1.2, MO1.3) - Read Additional Materials (required): TEA’s “Notice of Procedural Safeguard” (2022) (MO1.1, MO1.3) |
University/College Policies
Please see the University Policies below.
COVID-19 Related Policies
If you have tested positive for COVID-19, please refer to the Student Handbook, Appendix A (Attendance Rule) for instructions.
Required Class Attendance
Students are expected to attend every class in person (or virtually, if the class is online) and to complete all assignments. If you cannot attend class, it is your responsibility to communicate absences with your professors. The faculty member will decide if your excuse is valid and thus may provide lecture materials of the class. According to University policy, acceptable reasons for an absence, which cannot affect a student’s grade, include:
- Participation in an authorized University activity.
- Death or major illness in a student’s immediate family.
- Illness of a dependent family member.
- Participation in legal proceedings or administrative procedures that require a student’s presence.
- Religious holy day.
- Illness that is too severe or contagious for the student to attend class.
- Required participation in military duties.
- Mandatory admission interviews for professional or graduate school which cannot be rescheduled.
Students are responsible for providing satisfactory evidence to faculty members within seven calendar days of their absence and return to class. They must substantiate the reason for the absence. If the absence is excused, faculty members must either provide students with the opportunity to make up the exam or other work missed, or provide a satisfactory alternative to complete the exam or other work missed within 30 calendar days from the date of absence. Students who miss class due to a University-sponsored activity are responsible for identifying their absences to their instructors with as much advance notice as possible.
Classroom Behavior (applies to online or Face-to-Face Classes)
TAMIU encourages classroom discussion and academic debate as an essential intellectual activity. It is essential that students learn to express and defend their beliefs, but it is also essential that they learn to listen and respond respectfully to others whose beliefs they may not share. The University will always tolerate different, unorthodox, and unpopular points of view, but it will not tolerate condescending or insulting remarks. When students verbally abuse or ridicule and intimidate others whose views they do not agree with, they subvert the free exchange of ideas that should characterize a university classroom. If their actions are deemed by the professor to be disruptive, they will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action (please refer to Student Handbook Article 4).
TAMIU Honor Code: Plagiarism and Cheating
As a TAMIU student, you are bound by the TAMIU Honor Code to conduct yourself ethically in all your activities as a TAMIU student and to report violations of the Honor Code. Please read carefully the Student Handbook Article 7 and Article 10 available at https://www.tamiu.edu/scce/studenthandbook.shtml.
We are committed to strict enforcement of the Honor Code. Violations of the Honor Code tend to involve claiming work that is not one’s own, most commonly plagiarism in written assignments and any form of cheating on exams and other types of assignments.
Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else’s work as your own. It occurs when you:
- Borrow someone else’s facts, ideas, or opinions and put them entirely in your own words. You must acknowledge that these thoughts are not your own by immediately citing the source in your paper. Failure to do this is plagiarism.
- Borrow someone else’s words (short phrases, clauses, or sentences), you must enclose the copied words in quotation marks as well as citing the source. Failure to do this is plagiarism.
- Present someone else’s paper or exam (stolen, borrowed, or bought) as your own. You have committed a clearly intentional form of intellectual theft and have put your academic future in jeopardy. This is the worst form of plagiarism.
Here is another explanation from the 2020, seventh edition of the Manual of The American Psychological Association (APA):
“Plagiarism is the act of presenting the words, idea, or images of another as your own; it denies authors or creators of content the credit they are due. Whether deliberate or unintentional, plagiarism violates ethical standards in scholarship” (p. 254). This same principle applies to the illicit use of AI.
Plagiarism: Researchers do not claim the words and ideas of another as their own; they give credit where credit is due. Quotations marks should be used to indicate the exact words of another. Each time you paraphrase another author (i.e., summarize a passage or rearrange the order of a sentence and change some of the words), you need to credit the source in the text. The key element of this principle is that authors do not present the work of another as if it were their own words. This can extend to ideas as well as written words. If authors model a study after one done by someone else, the originating author should be given credit. If the rationale for a study was suggested in the discussion section of someone else's article, the person should be given credit. Given the free exchange of ideas, which is very important for the health of intellectual discourse, authors may not know where an idea for a study originated. If authors do know, however, they should acknowledge the source; this includes personal communications (p. 11). For guidance on proper documentation, consult the Academic Success Center or a recommended guide to documentation and research such as the Manual of the APA or the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. If you still have doubts concerning proper documentation, seek advice from your instructor prior to submitting a final draft.
TAMIU has penalties for plagiarism and cheating.
- Penalties for Plagiarism: Should a faculty member discover that a student has committed plagiarism, the student should receive a grade of 'F' in that course and the matter will be referred to the Honor Council for possible disciplinary action. The faculty member, however, may elect to give freshmen and sophomore students a “zero” for the assignment and to allow them to revise the assignment up to a grade of “F” (50%) if they believe that the student plagiarized out of ignorance or carelessness and not out of an attempt to deceive in order to earn an unmerited grade; the instructor must still report the offense to the Honor Council. This option should not be available to juniors, seniors, or graduate students, who cannot reasonably claim ignorance of documentation rules as an excuse. For repeat offenders in undergraduate courses or for an offender in any graduate course, the penalty for plagiarism is likely to include suspension or expulsion from the university.
- Caution: Be very careful what you upload to Turnitin or send to your professor for evaluation. Whatever you upload for evaluation will be considered your final, approved draft. If it is plagiarized, you will be held responsible. The excuse that “it was only a draft” will not be accepted.
- Caution: Also, do not share your electronic files with others. If you do, you are responsible for the possible consequences. If another student takes your file of a paper and changes the name to his or her name and submits it and you also submit the paper, we will hold both of you responsible for plagiarism. It is impossible for us to know with certainty who wrote the paper and who stole it. And, of course, we cannot know if there was collusion between you and the other student in the matter.
- Penalties for Cheating: Should a faculty member discover a student cheating on an exam or quiz or other class project, the student should receive a “zero” for the assignment and not be allowed to make the assignment up. The incident should be reported to the chair of the department and to the Honor Council. If the cheating is extensive, however, or if the assignment constitutes a major grade for the course (e.g., a final exam), or if the student has cheated in the past, the student should receive an “F” in the course, and the matter should be referred to the Honor Council. Additional penalties, including suspension or expulsion from the university may be imposed. Under no circumstances should a student who deserves an “F” in the course be allowed to withdraw from the course with a “W.”
- Caution: Chat groups that start off as “study groups” can easily devolve into “cheating groups.” Be very careful not to join or remain any chat group if it begins to discuss specific information about exams or assignments that are meant to require individual work. If you are a member of such a group and it begins to cheat, you will be held responsible along with all the other members of the group. The TAMIU Honor Code requires that you report any such instances of cheating.
- Student Right of Appeal: Faculty will notify students immediately via the student’s TAMIU e- mail account that they have submitted plagiarized work. Students have the right to appeal a faculty member’s charge of academic dishonesty by notifying the TAMIU Honor Council of their intent to appeal as long as the notification of appeal comes within 10 business days of the faculty member’s e-mail message to the student and/or the Office of Student Conduct and Community Engagement. The Student Handbook provides more details.
Use of Work in Two or More Courses
You may not submit work completed in one course for a grade in a second course unless you receive explicit permission to do so by the instructor of the second course. In general, you should get credit for a work product only once.
AI Policies
Your instructor will provide you with their personal policy on the use of AI in the classroom setting and associated coursework.
TAMIU E-Mail and SafeZone
Personal Announcements sent to students through TAMIU E-mail (tamiu.edu or dusty email) are the official means of communicating course and university business with students and faculty –not the U.S. Mail and no other e-mail addresses. Students and faculty must check their TAMIU e-mail accounts regularly, if not daily. Not having seen an important TAMIU e-mail or message from a faculty member, chair, or dean is not accepted as an excuse for failure to take important action.
Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to download the SafeZone app, which is a free mobile app for all University faculty, staff, and students. SafeZone allows you to: report safety concerns (24/7), get connected with mental health professionals, activate location sharing with authorities, and anonymously report incidents. Go to https://www.tamiu.edu/adminis/police/safezone/index.shtml for more information.
Copyright Restrictions
The Copyright Act of 1976 grants to copyright owners the exclusive right to reproduce their works and distribute copies of their work. Works that receive copyright protection include published works such as a textbook. Copying a textbook without permission from the owner of the copyright may constitute copyright infringement. Civil and criminal penalties may be assessed for copyright infringement. Civil penalties include damages up to $100,000; criminal penalties include a fine up to $250,000 and imprisonment. Copyright laws do not allow students and professors to make photocopies of copyrighted materials, but you may copy a limited portion of a work, such as article from a journal or a chapter from a book for your own personal academic use or, in the case of a professor, for personal, limited classroom use. In general, the extent of your copying should not suggest that the purpose or the effect of your copying is to avoid paying for the materials. And, of course, you may not sell these copies for a profit. Thus, students who copy textbooks to avoid buying them or professors who provide photocopies of textbooks to enable students to save money are violating the law.
Students with Disabilities
Texas A&M International University seeks to provide reasonable accommodations for all qualified persons with disabilities. This University will adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations as required to afford equal education opportunity. It is the student's responsibility to register with the Office of Student Counseling and Disability Services located in Student Center 126. This office will contact the faculty member to recommend specific, reasonable accommodations. Faculty are prohibited from making accommodations based solely on communications from students. They may make accommodations only when provided documentation by the Student Counseling and Disability Services office.
Student Attendance and Leave of Absence (LOA) Policy
As part of our efforts to assist and encourage all students towards graduation, TAMIU provides
LOA’s for students, including pregnant/parenting students, in accordance with the Attendance Rule (Section 3.07) and the Student LOA Rule (Section 3.08), which includes the “Leave of Absence Request” form. Both rules can be found in the TAMIU Student Handbook (URL: http://www.tamiu.edu/studentaffairs/StudentHandbook1.shtml).
Pregnant and Parenting Students
Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, harassment based on sex, including harassment because of pregnancy or related conditions, is prohibited. A pregnant/parenting student must be granted an absence for as long as the student’s physician deems the absence medically necessary. It is a violation of Title IX to ask for documentation relative to the pregnant/parenting student’s status beyond what would be required for other medical conditions. If a student would like to file a complaint for discrimination due to his or her pregnant/parenting status, please contact the TAMIU Title IX Coordinator (Lorissa M. Cortez, 5201 University Boulevard, KLM 159B, Laredo, TX 78041,TitleIX@tamiu.edu, 956.326.2857) and/or the Office of Civil Rights (Dallas Office, U.S. Department of Education, 1999 Bryan Street, Suite 1620, Dallas, TX 75201-6810, 214.661.9600). You can also report it on TAMIU’s anonymous electronic reporting site: https://www.tamiu.edu/reportit.
TAMIU advises a pregnant/parenting student to notify their professor once the student is aware that accommodations for such will be necessary. It is recommended that the student and professor develop a reasonable plan for the student’s completion of missed coursework or assignments. The Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (Lorissa M. Cortez, lorissam.cortez@tamiu.edu) can assist the student and professor in working out the reasonable accommodations. For other questions or concerns regarding Title IX compliance related to pregnant/parenting students at the University, contact the Title IX Coordinator. In the event that a student will need a leave of absence for a substantial period of time, TAMIU urges the student to consider a Leave of Absence (LOA) as outlined in the TAMIU Student Handbook. As part of our efforts to assist and encourage all students towards graduation, TAMIU provides LOA’s for students, including pregnant/parenting students, in accordance with the Attendance Rule and the Student LOA Rule. Both rules can be found in the TAMIU Student Handbook (https://www.tamiu.edu/scce/studenthandbook.shtml).
Anti-Discrimination/Title IX
TAMIU does not discriminate or permit harassment against any individual on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity in admissions, educational programs, or employment. If you would like to file a complaint relative to Title IX or any civil rights violation, please contact the TAMIU Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity/Title IX Coordinator, Lorissa M. Cortez, 5201 University Boulevard, Killam Library 159B, Laredo, TX 78041,TitleIX@tamiu.edu, 956.326.2857, via the anonymous electronic reporting website, ReportIt, at https://www.tamiu.edu/reportit, and/or the Office of Civil Rights (Dallas Office), U.S. Department of Education, 1999 Bryan Street, Suite 1620, Dallas, TX 75201-6810, 214.661.9600.
Incompletes
Students who are unable to complete a course should withdraw from the course before the final date for withdrawal and receive a “W.” To qualify for an “incomplete” and thus have the opportunity to complete the course at a later date, a student must meet the following criteria:
- The student must have completed 90% of the course work assigned before the final date for withdrawing from a course with a “W”, and the student must be passing the course;
- The student cannot complete the course because an accident, an illness, or a traumatic personal or family event occurred after the final date for withdrawal from a course;
- The student must sign an “Incomplete Grade Contract” and secure signatures of approval from the professor and the college dean.
- The student must agree to complete the missing course work before the end of the next long semester; failure to meet this deadline will cause the “I” to automatically be converted to an “F”; extensions to this deadline may be granted by the dean of the college. This is the general policy regarding the circumstances under which an “incomplete” may be granted, but under exceptional circumstances, a student may receive an incomplete who does not meet all of the criteria above if the faculty member, department chair, and dean recommend it.
WIN Contracts
The Department of Biology and Chemistry does not permit WIN contracts. For other departments within the college, WIN Contracts are offered only under exceptional circumstances and are limited to graduating seniors. Only courses offered by full-time TAMIU faculty or TAMIU instructors are eligible to be contracted for the WIN requirement. However, a WIN contract for a course taught by an adjunct may be approved, with special permission from the department chair and dean. Students must seek approval before beginning any work for the WIN Contract. No student will contract more than one course per semester. Summer WIN Contracts must continue through both summer sessions.
Student Responsibility for Dropping a Course
It is the responsibility of the student to drop the course before the final date for withdrawal from a course. Faculty members, in fact, may not drop a student from a course without getting the approval of their department chair and dean.
Independent Study Course
Independent Study (IS) courses are offered only under exceptional circumstances. Required courses intended to build academic skills may not be taken as IS (e.g., clinical supervision and internships). No student will take more than one IS course per semester. Moreover, IS courses are limited to seniors and graduate students. Summer IS course must continue through both summer sessions.
Grade Changes & Appeals
Faculty are authorized to change final grades only when they have committed a computational error or an error in recording a grade, and they must receive the approval of their department chairs and the dean to change the grade. As part of that approval, they must attach a detailed explanation of the reason for the mistake. Only in rare cases would another reason be entertained as legitimate for a grade change. A student who is unhappy with his or her grade on an assignment must discuss the situation with the faculty member teaching the course. If students believe that they have been graded unfairly, they have the right to appeal the grade using a grade appeal process in the Student Handbook and in the Faculty Handbook.
Final Examination
All courses in all colleges must include a comprehensive exam or performance and be given on the date and time specified by the Academic Calendar and the Final Exam schedule published by the Registrar’s Office. In the College of Arts & Sciences all final exams must contain a written component. The written component should comprise at least 20% of the final exam grade. Exceptions to this policy must receive the approval of the department chair and the dean at the beginning of the semester.
Mental Health and Well-Being
The university aims to provide students with essential knowledge and tools to understand and support mental health. As part of our commitment to your well-being, we offer access to Telus Health, a service available 24/7/365 via chat, phone, or webinar. Scan the QR code to download the app and explore the resources available to you for guidance and support whenever you need it. The Telus app is available to download directly from TELUS (tamiu.edu) or from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Distance Education Courses
Course Outline and Expectations
Participation/Attendance
Students are expected to read the assigned materials to actively participate in the learning process. This course utilizes a discussion forum as a collaborative learning tool to ensure candidates are actively engaged in learning with the assigned instructional materials. In order to enhance learners’ participation through active contribution to group/class discussions, including supporting your opinions, sharing your knowledge and experiences, raising important issues and topics, and formulating questions, it is required to keep up with the readings and assignments.
Discussion Forum Participation
Discussion Forums are used to show student insights and opinions on a topic and to better understand other’s perspectives and experiences. Any use of language that demeans or is seen as harmful will result in a 0 and removal from the forum. Please be kind to each other. Additionally, to show engagement with the reading materials and other resources per module, students must cite 2-3 resources per discussion post 6 (see Discussion Forum in the Assignment Section for more details).
Virtual Class Meeting Participation, Not Required
Additionally, at various times throughout the term, there may be virtual class meetings scheduled and/or videos available on certain topics being covered in the class materials. These are not required but are highly encouraged as you will have the opportunity to ask questions and gain additional understanding of the course readings. Additionally, students will be accountable for the information presented and discussed in the meetings/recordings.
APA Format
APA format is required to be used for all assignments in which work needs to be cited. A title page is not necessary unless you are submitting a paper of 5 pages or more, but a References page is required for each assignment as it is necessary to cite at least two sources from the textbook and module reading materials or outside academic journals. Additionally, APA style formatting should be applied throughout the assignment. Students will be held accountable for not properly citing work as direct quotes or as paraphrases of the referenced materials. In-text citations must follow APA style with author names, the year, and the page number. Example: (Yell & Bateman, 2017, p. 2) In addition, the in-text citations are required to be added to the APA style References page. Purdue’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) is a good resource to learn and use APA style. Please review the criteria for citing sources and creating a references page as points will be deducted for citations and references that are insufficient.
Academic Honesty
As a TAMIU student, you are bound by the TAMIU Honor Code to conduct yourself ethically in all your activities as a TAMIU student and to report violations of the Honor Code. Please read carefully the following site: https://www.tamiu.edu/studentaffairs/pdf/judicial/Honor%20Code.pdf
Violations of the Honor Code tend to involve claiming work that is not one’s own. Most common violations include plagiarism in written assignments and simple cheating on exams or other types of assignments.
NOTE: Students in education are often taught “Effective teachers steal.” This is a useful concept when teaching because it’s not necessary to reinvent assignments, tests, or projects for students when other teachers have already created quality work. However in academics, it may be considered a violation of academic honesty. If you are using something that you did not create yourself, you need to cite it. If you are using something that you created in another class, you will need to discuss it with your instructor and cite it as necessary. If you are using a case study or other information on a (real or pretend) student, you will need to put the information in your own words, possibly change the student’s name for privacy, and cite the source. If in doubt, discuss your concern with your instructor.
Course Structure
This course contains seven learning modules. Each module consists of course learning objectives and module learning objectives that include assigned readings, a discussion forum, related activities, and assignment(s). In each module, students are required to (a) complete the assigned readings, (b) participate 7 in discussion forums through being engaged in an initial post and peer replies, (c) complete an assignment, and (d) respond to questions on quiz/ or other tasks. To keep up with the class and important announcements, students are expected to log on daily. Online classes can be both challenging and exciting. To succeed in this course, students need to commit the time and effort to actively participate in the learning process and complete the assigned tasks by the due date.
Minimum Technical Skills
Expected When participating in distance education courses, it is vital to consider the technology involved in order to have a successful course. Students in distance education should have knowledge of basic computer and Internet skills, as mentioned on the Instructional Technology and Distance Education Services’ webpage.
Accommodations/Accessibility Policy
Texas A&M International University seeks to provide reasonable accommodations for all qualified persons with disabilities. This University will adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations as required to afford equal education opportunities.
It is the student's responsibility to register with the Director of Student Counseling and to contact the faculty member in a timely fashion to arrange for suitable accommodations. For more information, contact the online at Office of Disability Services for Students (DSS), or via phone at 956.326.3086, or by visiting the staff at the Student Center, room 118. A link to the Disabilities Services for Students site has also been included under the "Resources" tab inside the course. Student Support Resources The University wishes to have all students succeed in their courses.
To provide support to our students, an array of services in the areas of technology support, academic support, student support, and accessibility support may be found at the University.
For more information, visit Instructional Technology and Distance Education Services page on University Resources and Support Services.
Student-Instructor Communication Policy and Response Time
Course Messages/Emails/Text Messages
Course messages and emails are the main and preferred method of contact to communicate with the instructor (midgem.simmons@tamiu.edu).
However, if time is of the essence, you may text me at 281-630-1928 and I will try to respond as soon as I’m available.
Allow up to 24 hours for the instructor to reply during weekdays; possibly more if it is a weekend or holiday.
Assignments and Assessments
Assignments are due by the Sunday at the end of each school week . The instructor will provide feedback after the assignment/assessment deadlines. If the instructor is unable to do so in a timely manner, the instructor will provide an announcement or email to inform the students of the change.
Course Communication Guidelines (Netiquette)
There are course expectations concerning etiquette or how we should treat each other online. It is vital 8 that we consider these values as we communicate with one another. Visit Instructional Technology and Distance Education Services’ web page on Netiquette for further instruction
Technology Requirements
Computer/Technology Requirements
When participating in distance education courses, it is vital to consider the technology involved in order to have a successful course. Online students will need regular access to a personal computer that runs on a broadband Internet connection. It is recommended that you meet the technical requirements listed on the Instructional Technology and Distance Education Services’ webpage when using the learning management system (LMS) of the University.
Additional Hardware. For this class, you will need the following additional hardware: a webcam and microphone for VoiceThread discussions. Recently purchased laptops may have these built-in web cameras. If you do not have this equipment, it is recommended to purchase a stand-alone webcam, microphone, or a webcam with a built-in microphone from your local electronic store or any online store.
NOTE: Instructional Technology and Distance Education Services may check out available webcams to students on a first-come, first-served basis. To check out a webcam, please stop by Killam Library, Room 259 and request an available webcam.
Additional Software. You will need the following additional software: Microsoft PowerPoint for viewing lesson presentations and Microsoft Word for viewing course files and submitting assignments. TAMIU Students may access online versions of this software through their Dusty Office 365 account at https://dusty.tamiu.edu/. This site also provides students access to download the Microsoft suite for educational use. See instructions for downloading the Microsoft Office suite.
Note:
Students, if you do not own the required hardware, or software or do not have internet access, it will be highly challenging for you to make any progress in this class. However, my goal is to assist you in finding solutions and guide you appropriately most of the required materials can be found free of charge at TAMIU’s library, computer labs, and classrooms. In addition, you may also purchase any of these items at any electronic store.
Learning Management System (Blackboard)
Students are provided with guides on how to use the Blackboard LMS. Guides may be available at Instructional Technology and Distance Education Services' Student eLearning Tutorial Videos page or by contacting the eLearning team at elearning@tamiu.edu.
Technical Support Services
Because of the nature of distance education courses, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) computing and information services are vital to the success of online students. This webpage covers contact information for Distance Education Services (Blackboard Support), the OIT Help Desk, and Email support: Technical Support Services.
Web Conferences/Synchronous Sessions
For class meetings, go to the Virtual Meeting Space under Course Information on Blackboard. Sessions will be created once a day and time has been agreed upon by the class. Join the session and keep your 9 webcam on to participate. If you are unable to join a meeting, a video of each session will be created and can be viewed by clicking on the three menu lines on the Sessions header. The menu will open displaying sessions and recordings. Click on the recordings to watch videos of each meeting. Students are accountable for information discussed in each video, including information on assignments and deadlines.
Grading and Evaluation
In this course, the course week begins on Monday; therefore, Day 1 is Monday and Day 7 is Sunday. Each module opens on Monday (Day 1) at 12:00 a.m. The submission for all assigned works is due by at 11:59 p.m. on the designated day in Central time.
• The due dates for the Discussion Board are on Wednesday (Day 3) for the initial post and on Sunday (Day 7) for two substantive responses to colleagues’ posts.
• There are five ways to receive points per module that must be completed and submitted by Sunday (Day 7). This includes: one post and two peer responses in the Discussion Board, one module quiz based on readings from the textbook, and one activity or assignment based on all the module reading materials.
• Module quizzes contain a set of questions to check for student understanding of topics covered by the textbook and are due by Sunday (Day 7).
• The final exam for the course will cover material from the quizzes and will be scheduled after Module 7, which is the final deadline for all assignments.
Discussion Board Posts and Peer Responses
• Blackboard will not allow you to post before the forum opens (if you are working ahead of schedule) or after it closes.
• When the forum opens, click on the instructor’s original post to read the topic question.
• For your Initial Post, reply to the instructor’s topic questions. This post should be substantive with at least 2 academic paragraphs with a word count of over 250 per paragraph (see Figure 1 for the structure of academic paragraphs), a concluding question, at least two references to the module readings, and experiences and insights from your teaching background (see Figure 2).
• Your initial post should use the organization provided in Figure 2. Points will be deducted for lack of substantive content. Please see an example.
• For the other two responses to classmates, reply to a classmate. Each response must have at least one full paragraph (5 sentences and over 200 words) that states an opinion, example, experience, or other source of information. Exemplary responses will include citations to module resources.
• Engage in a written discussion by providing new information, not just by agreeing with the individual. Yes/no responses without elaboration or support are not acceptable and will not receive points.
• Posts and responses should include a short References list at the end.
• If you cite any resource in the text, please provide an in-text citation and page number. 10
• Use appropriate language and be polite.
• It is fine to disagree but be responsible, reasonable, and courteous. Discourteous and rude language will result in zero points for the response.
• You may not respond to your posts or responses for credit. Two responses in a row to the same person count as one for credit.
• Be mindful that this is a different experience for every participant. Some class members are not as experienced educators as others may be.
• A substantive academic paragraph should have at least 5 sentences and be organized as in the example in Figure 1. Evaluation
• Discussions must be completed by Sunday Day 7 of each given Week.
• You must engage in a minimum of one post on the topic and two responses to your classmates for full credit. Two responses in a row to the same person count as one for credit.
• The instructor will give credit based on the quality of the response. “Yes”, “no”, “I agree”, “I disagree” responses without elaboration will not receive credit.
• Each post is worth 20 points and each discussion response is worth 10 points. Weekly discussion post is a total of 40 points.
• See the point breakdown on the Discussion Post Rubric in Figure 3 and peer responses in Figure 4.
Syllabus Subject to Change
While information and assurances are provided in this course syllabus, it should be understood that content may change in keeping with new research and literature and that events beyond the control of the instructor could occur. Students will be informed of any substantive occurrences that will produce syllabus changes.