Reading Less to Succeed More

Course Plan – Submit Your Course Plan to Avoid Misery

For this plan, you do not fill anything in except your first and last name. You hand it to me.

Your last name:

 

Your first name:

 

 

Unlike the other plan you submit in Getting Started, I will not check the work. Your submitting the file means you get the points because you are confirming that you understand the syllabus and how to avoid misery. Caution: Make sure you:

  1. Read each statement thoughtfully.
  2. If the statement has links, click on them. The links are what I would show you if I met you on campus the first day.
  3. If you need more information, each item tells you how to use search words to find that information.
    Example: For the example, I bolded those words in the 1st items below. To find more information,
     a) click on the Syllabus,
    b) press Control-F to display Adobe’s Find box, and
    c) type a few letters from the bolded phrase, and d) press the Next button.
    Example: if you type Required Prep and press Next, Adobe takes you straight to the spot.
  4. If you have questions about this, post them to the Course Questions discussion.

 

What’s Covered That Might Make You Miserable (or the Why’s and How’s That Can Help You Avoid Misery):

Realities about Technology – Do This Before You Start to Work on Content 1

How You Know What’s Where, What’s Due, and When. 1

Realities and Rules in the Course on Honesty, Firmness of Exam Dates, Dropping, and Emails 1

Why I Attempt to Protect Student’s Grades While Helping Students Improve Their Knowledge 2

Why I Attempt to Protect Student’s Grades While Helping Students Improve Writing. 2

Realities about History Department Requirements and How I Attempt to Help Students’ Grades 3

Requirements So You Have Good Habits with Evidence and I Grade Accurately and Faster 3

Mystery Words in the Syllabus (That I do not want to remain mysteries for you) 3

What’s a 1.11 at My Grades Mean? What about Tips and Cautions?. 3

 

Realities about Technology – Do This Before You Start to Work on Content

 

You are responsible to prepare your computer and its browser to work with Blackboard. I email Distance Education’s resources for this to your WCJC email address before the course opens and also provide DE’s resources in Getting Started. (See Required Preparation to Use Blackboard.)
Tip: For your own sake, please take care of this in the first 2 days. You will forget if you do not.

Caution: For example, I have seen students use an outdated version of Safari and not even see all the work until it was too late to pass. They did not realize other people were doing the work.

 

Consistently, Blackboard continues to work even when the WCJC home page or the WCJC portal are down. You are responsible to make Blackboard a favorite or bookmark it so you can access it directly. (For the URL you need, see Class Days / Time / Location on the 1st page of the syllabus.)

How You Know What’s Where, What’s Due, and When

 

You are to follow the Course Schedule which states the available date and the due date for all assignments. The Course Schedule is at the end of the Syllabus and also on a separate link on the menu on the left in the course. (See the Course Schedule.)

Tip: Take a look at the picture of the Course Menu and what each part is for. You will find it in Course Orientation. Also do the Course Tour in Course Orientation—on the last page of instructions.

Realities and Rules in the Course on Honesty, Firmness of Exam Dates, Dropping, and Emails

 

If you do not follow the WCJC Academic Honesty Policy, my specific action is a 0 for the assignment:

·         Whether that is a 10-point assignment or 100-point one

·         Whether a test or a written assignment, including copying words from the Internet.

(See WCJC Academic Honesty Policy.)

 

If your planning at the beginning of the term shows you cannot take an exam or submit work on its due date, contact your instructor immediately and suggest an earlier date. (See Late Work Policy.)

 

If you miss an exam or other assignment, you must have a a) verifiable and b) written excuse, such as a doctor’s note. (See Late Work Policy.)

 

If you decide to drop the course, you must do that yourself. The History Department rule is that professors cannot drop students. (See Dropping the Course with a Grade of “W.” Also be sure you understand the Six Drop Rule.)

Why I Attempt to Protect Student’s Grades While Helping Students Improve Their Knowledge

 

I protect grades by encouraging behaviors that help people succeed. That is why there is an extra credit (1 point) that lets me measure and reward a bit those who are keeping up. Guys, it is persistence that saves you most of the time. Never give up when you just start to sweat. (See Your Course Plan and Extra Credit for How You Work and Opportunities to Improve a Weak Grade)

Tip: This is one of my favorite advocates for students and for how to help them.  Click on this video of a Ted Talk by Angela Duckworth (URL: https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_grit_the_power_of_passion_and_perseverance)

 

Over the last 2 years, I have been increasing worried that students were having trouble with history because they had limited background worse because they did not know concepts, such as the meaning of words, the location and traits of places, and parts of essential documents. That is the reason for creating the Learning Quizzes, and the Self-Tests and the Full-Tests. Also 8 out of 25 question each Unit Exam will come from the Learning Quizzes for that Unit.

In the surveys of students in Spring 2017, they responded that they would this opportunity to teach themselves some basics using quizzes. They can also help you prepare for over 30% of the Exam questions. (See Learning Quizzes, Concepts, and the Goal of Exam Questions.)

 

Because I see students memorizing random facts, I am trying to get you to focus on useful, usable facts for your life time because history is about life works. In this class, questions do not require that you show you know everything, but that you show that you know something. The questions focus on your recognizing significant traits of such things as regions, time periods and their dominant beliefs or events, and historical figures. (See Learning Quizzes, Concepts, and the Goal of Exam Questions)

Click here for an example of a question that lets you show that you know something that is worthwhile. (URL: http://www.cjbibus.com/GS_Good_Habits_What_Is_a_Question_Where_You_Show_You_Know_Something.htm )

Why I Attempt to Protect Student’s Grades While Helping Students Improve Writing

 

In Spring 2011, I became increasing concerned about students and why they were not succeeding. I began doing surveys each term to ask students:

  • what changes in the course that I could make to try to help them (and there are changes this term based on what students wrote in the survey of 5 classes in May 2017)
  • what they did not know before this course when they had a paper that I graded on evidence

 

The results showed—until they were graded on evidence--50% to 60% of students from 2011 to 2017 did not have basic experiences such as having to be factually accurate when writing about reality. Click here to see what past students said they did not know before grading of their papers on evidence in this course.
(URL: http://www.cjbibus.com/STCT_Am_Exp_quantitiesNOTrealizingPriorToFeedback_Samples.htm)

 

Because of long term professional work in varied industries and because my Master’s degree and my doctorate degree were earned at different universities, my experience said this lack of 5 basic experiences by a large portion of students was not fair to them. They would have unnecessary difficulties:

  1. in jobs that pay well
  2. in problem-solving and in making safe decisions for their work and family
  3. in—if needed for a career they want—taking upper level courses

 

If you follow the 5 Good Habits for Evidence, you can practice at a freshman level the skills you need to succeed in your future. Click here if you think there is a job that does not require the 5 Good Habits for Evidence.
(URL: http://www.cjbibus.com/GS_Good_Habits_for_Evidence_Would_anyone_pay_you_for_this_skill.htm)

Realities about History Department Requirements and How I Attempt to Help Students’ Grades

 

Your professor follows History Department policy that all courses consist of a minimum of 25% written assignments. The math of 25% means that—if you want at least a C—you must do written work. Click on these examples of the math. (URL: http://www.cjbibus.com/GS_HistDept_25_Percent_Min_So_You_MUST_Write.htm)

(See Caution about the History Department’s Course Objectives and Its 25% Writing Requirement.)

 

Your professor follows History Department policy that all courses require students use primaries and “historical evidence” and they create an “argument” (not just repeat). Click here for details about those terms. (URL: http://www.cjbibus.com/GS_HistDept_Student_Learner_Outcomes.htm) (See Student Learner Outcomes.)

 

Your instructor, however, splits grades with 1/2 on writing content and ½ on following the 5 Good Habits for Evidence. Click here for an example of how a C can become a B. Click here for required Course Objectives, the separate Good Habits for Evidence grade, and how it can help you.(URL: http://www.cjbibus.com/GS_Good_Habits_for_Evidence_As_Separate_Grade_Example_of_the_Math.htm

Requirements So You Have Good Habits with Evidence and I Grade Accurately and Faster

 

For written assignments, your professor requires that your only sources are the textbook and resources that the professor provides in the course, including primaries. To be clear: No Google. (See Required Course Materials.)

 

For written assignments, you also must cite a specific page from the required textbook for your fact. (See Required Course Materials.)

Mystery Words in the Syllabus (That I do not want to remain mysteries for you)

 

What’s a concept? Click here for a definition and 2 examples. (URL:

http://www.cjbibus.com/GS_Good_Habits_What_Is_a_Concept.htm  

 

What’s a peer review? Click here for peer review and where to find more on the word citation. (URL: http://www.cjbibus.com/GS_Good_Habits_for_Evidence_What_Is_Peer_Review_and_What_Is_Citation.htm

 

What’s a primary? A secondary?  Students in history are required to use primaries. You have an assignment to help you practice that. Click here for details about those terms. (URL: http://www.cjbibus.com/GS_HistDept_Student_Learner_Outcomes.htm) (See Student Learner Outcomes.)

 

What’s a rubric? Click here for the definition and examples of rubrics in this class. (UIL:

http://www.cjbibus.com/GS_Good_Habits_for_Evidence_What_Is_a_Rubric.htm )

In this course rubrics are used to grade every stage of a writing assignment and to grade Learning Discussions.

What’s a 1.11 at My Grades Mean? What about Tips and Cautions?

 

If there is a problem with your following the Good Habits for Evidence or with anything incomplete about an assignment, your professor enters 1.11 as a temporary placeholder for the grade and posts a comment with that grade telling you what you need to do. (See Getting Started Activities and see Grading Response Timeframe.)

 

Why are there Tips and Cautions? Click here for the reason and with a tip and caution for Getting Started. (UIL:

http://www.cjbibus.com/GS_How_I_Try_to_Signal_You_about_Dangers_and_Benefits.htm

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