If you want the WCJC cover page, including disability information, scroll down.

 

Tip: You can also find formation by pressing Ctrl+F. The system will display a Find box and you can enter what you want to see, such as the letters video to see information on the Video Assignments.

 

Otherwise, click on the link below to go to the information you want.

Course Overview and Goals. 3

Prerequisite. 3

Course Description. 3

Course Objectives: 3

Academic and Personal Integrity: 3

Attendance Policy: 3

Classroom Civility: 3

Classroom Communications and Your Instructor’s Responsibilities: 3

Classroom Communications and Your Responsibilities: 3

Due Dates and Your Responsibilities. 3

Blackboard and Organization of This Course Content into Units. 3

Points for the Final Letter Grade, Points for Course Assignments, and Planning for Your Success. 4

Overview of Things About the Course That Students Have Identified As Helping Them—READ THIS! 4

1.       This course requires reading of the textbook. 4

2.       This course helps you know what you need to read in the textbook for the Unit by. 4

3.       There are small extra credits for your working in ways that increase your odds of success. 4

Overview of Objective (Multiple Choice or Matching) Assignments. 4

Reading Quizzes Within Unit 1, 2, and 3: 4

Objective Part of the Exams That End Unit 1, 2, and 3: 4

Final Examination That Ends the Course. 4

Overview of Written Essays (History Changes Essay, Unit Essays, or the Comparison Essay) 5

What is the Goal for Writing?. 5

How Does Your Instructor Grade Your Writing?. 5

What Is the Evidence Checklist/Rubric and What Are Its 2-Letter Abbreviations for Feedback?. 5

Where Can You Find More Information about the Evidence Checklist/Rubric and How to Work With Evidence?. 6

Types of Written Assignments. 6

History Changes Essay, a 10-point assignment: 6

Essay Part of the Exams That End Unit 1, 2, and 3, with 2 essays, each at 25 Points: 6

Alternative Assignment for Unit 3’s Essays (1-page typed essay at 50 points) 6

Overview of Short Written Reports about Videos to Support Content in Reading Quizzes A Through I 6

What is the Goal for Answering Questions about a Video?. 6

What Blackboard Tool Is Used with the Video Reports?. 6

Who Created the Videos and How Do You Find the Videos in Our Course?. 6

How Do You Do the Video Reports?. 6

How Does Your Instructor Grade Your Writing?. 7

Required Textbook. 7

Course Schedule. 7

Holidays and Due Dates Determined by WCJC (Not the Instructor) 7

Getting Started Module – Available After 12:00 AM on 1/22. 7

History Changes Essay Module – Available on 1/31 and AFTER You Score 1000 points or More on the Course Plan Quiz. 7

About Dates for Reading Quizzes within a Unit and for Essay and Objective Parts of the Exam Ending a Unit 7

Unit 1 Module – Content Available on 1/22 and AFTER you score 1000 points or more on the Course Plan Quiz. 7

Unit 2 Module – Content Available on 2/24 and AFTER you score at least 5 points on Unit 1’s objective. 7

Unit 3 Module – Content Available on 4/07 and AFTER you score at least 5 points on Unit 2’s objective. 8

Final Exam Module – Quiz J Available on 5/05,Final Exam Available on 5/11 (ONLY) and AFTER you score at least 5 points on Unit 3’s objective. 8

Password. 8

 

 


Student Syllabus Cover Sheet

Revised June, 2006

 
                                               

Semester and Year – Spring 2013     

CRN (Course Reference Number), Course Prefix, Number and Title – CRN 21923 - HIST 1301-164

Course Meeting Days, Times and Location (Campus, Building, and Room number) – Distance Learning Course in Blackboard

Instructor’s Name - C.J. Bibus, Ed.D.

Instructor’s Telephone number(s) – 281.239.1577 (This phone is located in my office at Fort Bend Tech Center, not Sugarland) – Checked once a day as early as possible.

Instructor’s email address – If Blackboard is not available, bibusc@wcjc.edu - Checked once a day as early as possible.

 

Instructor’s Office Hours and Office Location –

Office Hours at FBTC: 8:30-8:50 (MWF), 10:00-10:50 (MWF), 12:00-12:30 (MF), 12:00-2:00 (W). Office Hours at SUGUH: 9:15-10:40 (TTR) - Or by appointment.

Online Hours: 10:00 am – 10:50 am (MWF), 10:00 am – 10:40 am (TT)

Course Catalog Description – Survey beginning with the European background for the discovery of America and continuing to the close of Reconstruction in 1877. Social, economic, cultural, military, political, and diplomatic developments are emphasized. The diversity of the American culture is stressed and the wide varieties of contributions from all Americans are included.

Instructor’s Grading System – Student grade will be determined by daily work (Reading Quizzes to help you determine what you need to read and brief reports on videos available in the course, and optional, extra credit Study Groups. The student grade includes objective exams ending the three Units, or major time periods, that reveal shifts in our history. Students also write a short essay on content essential to understanding how history changes (a requirement to do any of the Unit essays), and the essay exams ending Unit 1, Unit 2, and Unit 3. Alternatively, for their third written assignment, students may choose to write a more challenging writing assignment, a comparison. All written assignments are graded using the Evidence Rubric/Checklist for the course. See syllabus for course policies, exam dates, grading policies, and points for each type of assignment.

 

Instructor’s Attendance Policy – Blackboard stores an immense amount of data on time spent and where you spend it: this data reveals who is attending—who is actively working in the course. In this class, failure to be take Reading Quizzes by the Start date and failure to be current (90% by the date in the Course Schedule) in doing Reading Quizzes will prohibit successful completion of the course. 

 

Last day to “Drop” course with grade of “W”  4/19/2013

 

 

* Any student with a disability or other special circumstance requiring academic accommodations or other consideration in order to successfully complete the requirements of this course should identify himself or herself individually to the instructor to discuss the matter in a private and confidential manner.

** Misconduct for which discipline may be administered at WCJC includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the college (plagiarism and cheating refer to the use of unauthorized books, notes, or otherwise securing help in a test, copying tests, assignments, reports, or term papers).

 


American History 1301

Syllabus – Spring 2013

Instructor: C.J. Bibus, Ed.D.

U.S. History to 1877

Wharton County Junior College

Email: bibusc@wcjc.eduChecked once a day as early as possible.

Office Phone: 281.239.1577–Checked once a day as early as possible.

Location During Office Hours: SUGUH 234, faculty area

Office: Fort Bend Tech Center 240-G (MWF)

Location at Sugar Land: SUGUH 234, faculty area (TTR)

Office Hours at FBTC: 8:30-8:50 (MWF), 10:00-10:50 (MWF), 12:00-12:30 (MF), 12:00-2:00 (W).

Office Hours at SUGUH: 9:15-10:40 (TTR). Online Hours: 10:00 am – 10:50 am (MWF), 10:00 am – 10:40 am (TT). - Or by appointment.

 

Course Overview and Goals

Prerequisite: THEA reading and writing requirements met.

 

Course Description: Survey beginning with the European background for the discovery of America and continuing to the close of Reconstruction in 1877. Social, economic, cultural, military, political, and diplomatic developments are emphasized. The diversity of the American culture is stressed and the wide varieties of contributions from all Americans are included.

 

Course Objectives:

1)       to develop critical thinking skills which would include the knowledge, comprehension, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of the significant events of United States history

2)       to enable the student to understand the primary elements of cultural heritage and the cultural diversity of the United States

3)       to foster in the student an understanding of the uses of historical knowledge, to show how the past helps to explain the present, and to assist the student in developing an historical perspective in and for one’s personal life

4)       to provide students with a base of historical knowledge and the tools to further their studies in other disciplines and as transfer students to other colleges

 

Academic and Personal Integrity: Consequences of plagiarism and cheating during examinations include referral to administrators without any opportunity for making redress, a failing grade for the course, disciplinary probation, or suspension (dismissal). Plagiarism and cheating include use of unauthorized books or notes, securing help in a test, or copying tests or assignments; they will result in a failing grade for the assignment. If any portion of a writing assignment is copied from the Internet or another source, the result will be an F (0) on the assignment.

 

Attendance Policy: Blackboard automatically records data about your work. If your grade is borderline between letter grades (needing 2 points to become the higher grade), I will consider if you take Reading Quizzes before the start date and before you read and if you make 90% or higher, by the due date in Course Schedule.

 

Classroom Civility: As with an on-campus classroom, each student is expected not to disrupt the class. The term “classroom disruption” means behavior a reasonable person would view as substantially or repeatedly interfering with the conduct, instruction, and education of a class. Blackboard stores what you do (such as tests and messages that you create with any tool), when you do it, and where you go. Some Blackboard tools—such as the Forums in the Discussion tool—not only store messages permanently, but also make what you write visible to everyone in the class. When communicating publicly with the whole class and with individuals, you need to be both kind and collaborative.

 

Classroom Communications and Your Instructor’s Responsibilities: Every day the college is in session, I do these things:

§         At the beginning of the day, check my office voice mail for phone messages. Click How to Contact Your Instructor (on the Course Menu) for a link to a schedule showing my campus locations and contact information by days of the week.

§         During my online office hours, log in and check Blackboard mail and read any postings.

§         Every day the college is in session, read and respond to emails within 48 hours or—if that is impossible—post an Announcement. If you do not get a reply or see an announcement, please try emailing again or try to contact me by voice mail. If you leave a message, please a) spell your last name, b) say your class CRN, and c) slowly say your phone number twice.

 

Classroom Communications and Your Responsibilities: You must log in regularly. Students usually log in at least 3 times a week during the semester. You must read any emails from me in Messages/Course Mail and all Announcements. You must look at feedback provided by email and by comments at My Grades. You must run Browser Check when you begin this course. 

 

Due Dates and Your Responsibilities: The Course Schedule shows all due dates at the beginning of the term, and there are no extensions unless it is appropriate to make an extension available to all of you. With due dates for the Final Exam, the 3 Unit Exams (essay or objective parts), and the History Changes Essay, you have these responsibilities:

1.       If your planning at the beginning of the term shows you cannot submit a major assignment on time, such as having previously scheduled a trip, tell me immediately and suggest an earlier date for you do the assignment.

2.       If something happens that you cannot plan for, such as suddenly becoming very ill (doctor’s note required) or having a death in the family, call and email me immediately and provide a valid, written excuse. With a valid, written excuse, these rules apply.
- You email a proposed date and a two-hour period during my office hours to take the objective exam or write the essay(s).
- If I cannot agree, I suggest alternatives. If I can agree, I send instructions on how we do this.

 

Blackboard and Organization of This Course Content into Units

The course consists of three Units, or major time periods, that reveal shifts in our history:

§         Unit 1: From New World to New Empires - the 16th Century to 1763

§         Unit 2: From Making a Revolution to Making a Nation -1763 to 1830s

§         Unit 3: Transforming the Nation - 1830s to 1877

 

Each Unit is organized in the same way. Once you use one Unit, you know how to use the others. If you need help, please ask.

Points for the Final Letter Grade, Points for Course Assignments, and Planning for Your Success

The grading system adds points to determine your grade. You can—and should—determine your current total as you earn points and save any returned papers until the end of the course. I tell you the divisor at the end of each Unit so you can estimate your average as you work through the course. Your Total at the end of the course determines your final letter grade. An A is 900+ points; a B, 800+ points; a C, 700+ points; a D, 600+ points, and an F, 594 or fewer points. If your final average is .5 or higher, the grade is rounded up. For example, if you have:

§         An average of 89.5% (895 points earned ÷ 1000 points possible), you have an A

§         An average of 89.4% (894 points earned ÷ 1000 points possible), you have a B

 

Consider in your planning for success the small extra credits (covered below) provided in the course to encourage habits that help you do better work and earn a higher grade. You specify whether you plan to do extra credits at the beginning of the course.

 

The table shows the percentage of the total grade for types of assignments, their points, and a description.

Percent

Points

Description of Each Course Assignment

20%

200

   40 points: Videos – 9 Video Reports at 5 points each (with the lowest score dropped)

  10 points: History Changes Essay.

150 points, 2 essays at 25 points at the end of Units 1, 2, and 3 (each 50 points). You may also replace the last essays with a more challenging comparison assignment (also at 50 points).

10%

100

9 objective Reading Quizzes (3 for each Unit) at 10 points each. A 10th quiz at 10 points is to help you refresh your memory for the Final Exam.

20%

200

Unit 1’s Exam Objective (200 points, 40 questions at 5 points each).

20%

200

Unit 2’s Exam Objective (200 points, 40 questions at 5 points each).

20%

200

Unit 3’s Exam Objective (200 points, 40 questions at 5 points each).

10%

100

Final Exam, objective – If not taken, an F for the Course, not just the exam itself.

100%

1000

Total Points for the Course – This means that I divide your Total by 1000 to determine your average.

 

 

Overview of Things About the Course That Students Have Identified As Helping Them—READ THIS!

Surveys of students indicated that this information about the course might help future students:

1.       This course requires reading of the textbook. (History is about the closest accuracy you can find and figure out.)

1.       This course helps you know what you need to read in the textbook for the Unit by giving you:

§         An online link that lists the questions in each of the 3 Reading Quizzes in the Unit without answers. You can take the quiz online to see the answers—and whether you missed the question or not. You can determine what you know and do not know about the objective questions and you can efficiently read and prepare. 

§         An online link that lists all possible essay questions that you might have to answer for the exam at the end of the Unit.

FYI: Whether a Reading Quiz question or an essay question, in most cases you can find the pages you need by using the index at the end of the textbook. When the index is not enough, I provide where to look in the textbook. If you need help, just tell me and I will update the information in the course so everyone has the same opportunity to succeed.

2.       There are small extra credits for your working in ways that increase your odds of success. These are the only extra credits, but they are available to everyone in the class. Together, they amount to almost 50 points:

§         For each of 9 Reading Quizzes, 2 extra points (20% extra credit) if by the Start date in the Course Schedule you take a Reading Quiz and if you also score 9 or 10 on the quiz by the Due date in that schedule.

§         For the 10-point History Changes Essay, up to 10 extra points (100% extra credit) for following the instructions with the feedback I provide on your History Changes Essay. Following the instructions means full credit for the History Changes Essay no matter what your initial grade.
FYI: In recent student surveys, students said following these instructions helps “change how your brain works” and means you have an “aha moment.” As one student said, “you can’t fix a problem if you don’t know you have it.”

§         For participating in Study Groups with the content covered in each of the 9 Reading Quizzes, 2 points extra credit points for helping each other find where to locate information.

 

Overview of Objective (Multiple Choice or Matching) Assignments

Reading Quizzes Within Unit 1, 2, and 3: Each Unit consists of 3 Reading Quizzes, each with about 40 questions. In the quiz, you see 10 of the 40 questions at 1 point each. You can take quizzes unlimited times, with the highest score counting. When you take a quiz, Blackboard randomly asks 10 (1 point each) of the quiz’s approximately 40 questions. You can see the answers immediately. You can use your copy of the link to all of the questions as you work to be sure you have seen all questions within the quiz. You can use it as a place to record things, such as why you missed a question or where you found the answer in the textbook.

 

Objective Part of the Exams That End Unit 1, 2, and 3: The objective exam ending a Unit is based on its three Reading Quizzes, with about one-third of the questions in exam from each of the Reading Quizzes. The exam consists of 40 questions at 5 points each. You can take an exam only one time. Like Reading Quizzes, exams are set up so that each student sees different questions.

 

Final Examination That Ends the Course: You can take the Final Exam only one time. The Final Exam was written by the History Department. It has 50 multiple choice questions over the entire course. Students who do not take the Final Exam receive an F for the course (not just the exam itself).

 

Although the words in the questions in the Final Exam are different from the Reading Quizzes, the facts in the Final Exam are in the Reading Quizzes. To help you think freshly about those facts, the multiple-choice questions from the Reading Quizzes are reformatted to be matching questions with maps or with groups of terms. The course provides Quiz J (for 10 points) to help you refresh your memory of about 100 questions from Quizzes A through I. You can also see a link to all of the questions in Quiz J.

 

 

 

Overview of Written Essays (History Changes Essay, Unit Essays, or the Comparison Essay)

What is the Goal for Writing?

With something that people talk about in many ways, sometimes it helps to state what is not the goal. With writing in this course, you are not summarizing or paraphrasing the textbook. You do not, therefore, need to repeat every fact or word in the textbook. You are also not showing your personal writing style while stating your feelings or your opinions.

 

Instead, in this course, the goal of all writing assignments is for you to do activities that help you learn the history of our nation. One of the most powerful ways to learn something is to try to teach it. You will succeed in these assignments if you do these things:

§         If you read carefully and work to understand what happened and ask if you need help.

§         If you figure out what essential facts that you would teach your cousin.

§         If you figure how you could organize those facts as simply and as accurately as you can.

§         If you write in a common sense way as though you are teaching your cousin history that he or she needs to understand.

 

How Does Your Instructor Grade Your Writing?

Because the goal of writing is to help you learn our nation’s history and the priority is for you to be accurate, I grade your writing by comparing what you wrote side by side with the facts in the textbook. With essays submitted, I use a method that lets me quickly identify all of the submissions where the students wrote on the same question.

1.       I download those submissions, print them, and place side by side:

§         On the left, the textbook opened to the probable section or sections students should have used.

§         On the right, the submissions of students’ papers on that question.

2.       I use the Evidence Checklist/Rubric and its 2-letter abbreviations for feedback (shown below) and grade each student’s submissions one by one.

3.       If there are multiple possible questions, I then repeat the steps above with the next question.

 

With the two essays for the Unit exams, I grade one of the questions using the method above. Unless I find problems such as factual errors in that essay, I grade the other one without the textbook side by side with your paper—a quicker method.

 

th the e

What Is the Evidence Checklist/Rubric and What Are Its 2-Letter Abbreviations for Feedback?

I use the Evidence Checklist/Rubric to grade on common standards (accepted rules or models) for academics and for jobs that depend on evidence. The word evidence emphasizes that you must have proof for what you say—some fact from our approved source that anyone using that source can see for themselves. The word checklist means a list of steps or things necessary for success (such as a pilot’s checklist for takeoff). The word rubric usually means a way to give feedback (such as confirmation of success, guidance for improvement, or corrections) that is useful but quick for instructors and students.

 

The term checklist/rubric indicates this is both a checklist (on the left) for success with evidence and a way to give feedback (on the right) about your use of evidence as a 2-letter abbreviation. Each checklist item begins with an informal statement of a common standard. Beneath that are our specific requirements, identified with the underlined phrase In this course.

Do each of the things on the checklist below or you may see the letters on the right as Feedback on your paper.

Feedback Letters

1.

For your source of facts, you use only sources your professor (or boss) accepts as reliable.

In this course, the only sources are the textbook chosen by the History Department and the sources provided at our Course Website. Do not use Internet websites, another textbook, or any other source—including your own memory.

NS = Fact is Not from an approved Source

2.

You must follow common standards to reveal to your reader who created the words and/or found the facts you are using in your writing. This is a requirement in courses and in some jobs.

 

In this course, you may:

§         Either write facts in your own words

§         Or you may use exact sentences or phrases from the textbook placed within quotation marks according to the specific rules for quotation marks (“”) to reveal ownership that are covered in The Bedford Handbook

 

In this course, you may not copy an author’s phrases without quotation marks. You also may not replace a few words in an author’s sentence. Both are what The Bedford Handbook calls “half-copy” plagiarism (page 692).

QP = Quotation includes Plagiarized text

3.

You must follow common standards to reveal any changes you made to the author’s words. This may not be just a punctuation error. You may be misleading your reader about the evidence.

In this course, if you use another’s words, you must be sure either not to change them or—if you change them—to follow the specific rules in The Bedford Handbook to reveal those changes to the reader.

QC = Quotation is Changed from the source.

4.

You must use reliable sources to verify what you write—to confirm its accuracy.

 

In this course, if you cannot verify the fact, do not write it and do not assume that the source agrees with you. If you are certain something is true and you cannot find it clearly in our sources, ask me for help.
In this course, you also must select facts to reveal the facts accurately. Examples:

§         If a question is about something specific (such as a time, type of person, or region), verify that the source is about that specific thing.

§         If the source covers facts about two or more sides or positions, do not include only one side as though the other did not occur.

NT = Fact is Not True. It is not verifiable using the probable page in the source.

5.

With most written work for professors (or bosses), if asked, you must be able to state exactly where (a specific page) in the source that each fact came from—whether you wrote the words or the author did. With many college assignments, you must provide citations and use a specific standard (such as MLA, APA, or the Chicago Manual of Style).

 

In this course with most written assignments, you do not need to provide citations (the specific page number from our textbook) unless I cannot recognize where the fact came from. If you ask to do the more challenging alternative assignment instead of the essays for Unit 3, then you must cite according to the instructions.

W? = Where is the specific page where this is supported in our textbook?

Where Can You Find More Information about the Evidence Checklist/Rubric and How to Work With Evidence?

In the module for the History Changes Essay, you will also find brief tips on reading for evidence and writing with evidence (including preventing problems with quotations). If you would also like a personal conference, I am glad to help you.

 

Types of Written Assignments

With all written assignments, you write briefly and within the maximum length listed for the assignment and according to the Evidence Checklist/Rubric and the Goal for Written Assignments (both on the prior page).

§         You know all of the possible questions before you write, but you do not know which question(s) Blackboard will display for you.

§         You must write on the question(s) displayed. The reason for listing the questions and providing ways to locate what you need in the textbook is for you to read and prepare ahead of time for all possible questions.

 

History Changes Essay, a 10-point assignment: You know the questions ahead. It is brief—you write about the amount you would write by hand on a ½ sheet of Xerox paper. You must write only on the question you received.

 

After the date listed in the Course Schedule, you can click on the History Changes Essay. You can see not only the list of all possible questions but also aids to help you. You see a table comparing the content to help you see changes over time (also provided as a handout) and you know the specific parts of the textbook for each column in the table.

 

The History Changes Essay is meant to introduce you to several things:

§         Content that is part of Unit 1 and essential to understanding the remaining Units in the course and our history as a whole

§         Content as a way to examine how and why events change over time—something key to being accurate in writing about history and to noticing how human beings’ actions or lack of action can alter their futures.

§         How grading works in this course and what is frequently expected in courses and jobs that require evidence

§         How you work with evidence, with reading, and with writing
Because some students have an “aha moment” when they do this essay and follow the feedback instructions, this is the assignment where you can receive up to 10 extra points (100% extra credit) for following the instructions with the feedback I provide on your History Changes Essay. This means full credit for this assignment no matter what your initial grade.

 

Caution: You must do the History Changes Essay to see the essay part of the three Unit exams.

 

Essay Part of the Exams That End Unit 1, 2, and 3, with 2 essays, each at 25 Points: You can take an exam only one time. You know the questions ahead. Each question should be brief—for each one, you write about the amount you would write by hand on a ½ sheet of Xerox paper. The questions work in this way:

§         At the beginning of a Unit, you see at the top of the Unit a link to all possible essay questions, with the possible questions grouped for the first essay question and for the second one.

§         On the day of your Unit exam, Blackboard displays 2 of the possible questions in the group for the first essay and 2 for the second essay. You write one essay for each group.

 

Alternative Assignment for Unit 3’s Essays (1-page typed essay at 50 points): You may choose to write a more challenging writing assignment, a comparison, instead of writing the essays for Unit 3. It is requires citation and is graded on formal language and organization. If you want more information on this alternative, contact me.

 

Overview of Short Written Reports about Videos to Support Content in Reading Quizzes A Through I

What is the Goal for Answering Questions about a Video?

The primary goal of the videos is enriching the content available in the textbook and in the written parts of the course. For many people, seeing examples from the past can help understanding of what you read. Your writing is less an essay and more a brief report in which you answer questions in a file—and that file also identifies what videos count for points.

 

What Blackboard Tool Is Used with the Video Reports?

Because the Video reports are done in a file provided by your instructor and then resubmitted to your instructor once you complete it, you use Blackboard’s Assignment Tool. The Assignment Tool lets you see instructions for the assignment and:

§         Download the file that has a) the questions you answer and b) a list of the videos that you may view for points.

§         Once completed, upload that file so the instructor can see your work

 

Who Created the Videos and How Do You Find the Videos in Our Course?

The videos are created by Dallas TeleLearning and are available to colleges in Texas through support from the Virtual College of Texas. You can see them only within our Blackboard course—you cannot copy or use the videos outside of this course.

 

In our course, each Unit contains a folder with all of the videos about the time period covered by the Unit. At the top of that folder for the videos, you see a searchable list so you can read about the videos, including those you can see for points.

 

How Do You Do the Video Reports?

1.       You click on the Unit and then the folder for a Reading Quiz and its content.
Example: You click on Unit 1 and then the folder that includes Reading Quiz A.

2.       You scroll down to the Assignment for the Video in the folder.
Example: You scroll down to Video A, read the instructions, and download the file you use.

3.       In the file, you see the list of videos you can do for points; then you go to the folder that contains the videos for the Unit.
Example: In the file, you see the list of possible videos for points and click on the folder
Videos for the 16th Century-1763.

4.       After you view the video, you answer the questions in the file. (Save your file frequently as you work; proof your work.)

5.       Click on the Assignment where you downloaded the file. Then upload your completed file.
Example: Again click on Video A and upload the completed file. (The Blackboard tutorial for Assignments helps greatly.)

c

 

How Does Your Instructor Grade Your Writing?

The Assignment has a rubric attached to it that is used for grading.

 

Required Textbook

Required Textbook:  Edward Ayers, Lewis Gould, David Oshinsky, and Jean Soderlund. American Passages: A History of the United States. 2nd or 3rd or 4th Edition, including those called a Compact Edition. If the book has 32 chapters, it will work.

 

Caution: You cannot use the BRIEF, 4th edition which has 30 chapters (2 fewer chapters than the other editions, including the other 4th editions). If you need details on how to recognize this book, just ask.



Course Schedule

In this course, two things apply to all work:

1.       What you do determines when you see the next work. For example, your taking the Course Plan Quiz with at least 1000 points means that you see Unit 1’s content, your taking Unit 1’s objective exam means you see Unit 2’s content, and so on.

2.       All work opens at 12:00 AM on the Start date and is due at 11:59 PM on the Due date.

 

Holidays and Due Dates Determined by WCJC (Not the Instructor)

1/22

Classes begin

2/22

No classes (Texas Community College Teachers Association Convention)

3/11-3/15

No classes (Spring break)

3/22

No classes (University Interscholastic League)

3/28-3/29

No classes (Easter Holidays beginning at 4:00 pm on 3/27)

4/19

Last day you can drop a 16 week course with a grade of “W” (You must initiate the drop.)

5/14

Date set by WCJC for the Final Exam for your class (The hours of your exam are from 8:00 am to 10:00 am.)

5/15

Instructors must enter grades in Banner (WCJC’s official record) before noon.

 

Getting Started Module – Available After 12:00 AM on 1/22

Starts 1/22 and Due 1/24 – Unless you email requesting more time, two actions are required by the due date:

§         Take the Course Plan Quiz with at least 1000 points selected before the due date. (Your selecting over 1000 points for the quiz causes Blackboard to display all of the content for Unit 1.)

§         Reply to the instructor’s email of questions in Messages/Course Mail. (If you do reply, you earn extra credit covered in the Checklist. If you do not, the instructor continues to block your being able to see the folders for Reading Quiz B and C in Unit 1.)

History Changes Essay Module – Available on 1/31 and AFTER You Score 1000 points or More on the Course Plan Quiz

The History Changes Essay uses content that is also part of Unit 1 and its essay questions for the exam. You must write the History Changes Essay and respond to the feedback to see any of the Unit essays. Starts 1/31 and Due 2/12 – Required readings and all possible essay questions are available 1/31. You write the essay from 2/10 to 2/12.

About Dates for Reading Quizzes within a Unit and for Essay and Objective Parts of the Exam Ending a Unit

You can continue to take Reading Quizzes until the last date of the Exam that ends the Unit, but the extra credit points for Reading Quizzes are to encourage you to manage your work and keep current:

§         If you take a Reading Quiz on or shortly before the Start date, I enter 1 extra credit point. (Example: If you took Quiz A at that time, I enter 1 point in A_ec at My Grades (with ec standing for extra credit.)

§         If you also score a 9 or 10 by the Due date for that Reading Quiz, I change the 1 to 2. (Example: If you also made 9 or 10 on Quiz A by the Due date, I change the 1 in A_ec to 2.)

 

Unit Exam is in two parts, objective and essay. They are available over a three-day period. If possible, one day is on a weekend.

Unit 1 Module – Content Available on 1/22 and AFTER you score 1000 points or more on the Course Plan Quiz

The dates and content for the daily work and the two parts of the Unit exam are:

§         Starts 1/24 and Due 2/04 - Daily Work in the Folder for the Content with Reading Quiz A (Chapters 1-2). The Due date applies to Reading Quiz A, Video A, and Study Group A.  Tip: When you complete one quiz, also try the next one. For example, on 2/04 when you score 9 or 10 on Quiz A, also try Quiz B for one or two times.

§         Starts 2/05 and Due 2/13 - Daily Work in the Folder for the Content with Reading Quiz B (Chapters 2-3). The Due date applies to Reading Quiz B, Video B, and Study Group B.

§         Starts 2/14 and Due 2/21 - Daily Work in the Folder for the Content with Reading Quiz C (Chapters 3-4). The Due date applies to Reading Quiz C, Video C, and Study Group C.

§         Starts 2/24 and Due 2/26 – Unit 1’s Exam (Chapters 1-4).

Unit 2 Module – Content Available on 2/24 and AFTER you score at least 5 points on Unit 1’s objective

The dates and content for the daily work and Unit exam are:

§         Starts 2/24 and Due 3/07 - Daily Work in the Folder for the Content with Reading Quiz D (Chapter 5 and the Declaration of Independence). The Due date applies to Reading Quiz D, Video D, and Study Group D.

§         Starts 3/08 and Due 3/25 - Daily Work in the Folder for the Content with Reading Quiz E (Chapters 6 and 7, the Bill of Rights and selections from the body of the Constitution). The Due date applies to Reading Quiz E, Video E, and Study Group E.

§         Starts 3/26 and Due 4/04 - Daily Work in the Folder for the Content with Reading Quiz F (Chapters 8, 9, 10 stopping at the heading “Reform and Religion.”). The Due date applies to Reading Quiz F, Video F, and Study Group F.

§         Starts 4/07 and Due 4/09 – Unit 2’s Exam (Chapters 5-10).

Unit 3 Module – Content Available on 4/07 and AFTER you score at least 5 points on Unit 2’s objective

The dates and content for the daily work and Unit exam are:

§          Starts 4/07 and Due 4/16 - Daily Work in the Folder for the Content with Reading Quiz G (Chapters 10 starting at the heading “Reform and Religion,” 11, 12). The Due date applies to Reading Quiz G, Video G, and Study Group G.

§         Starts 4/17 and Due 4/24 - Daily Work in the Folder for the Content with Reading Quiz H (Chapters 13, 14). The Due date applies to Reading Quiz H, Video H, and Study Group H.

§         Starts 4/25 and Due 5/02 - Daily Work in the Folder for the Content with Reading Quiz I (Chapters 15, 16). The Due date applies to Reading Quiz I, Video I, and Study Group I.

§         Starts 5/05 and Due 5/07 – Unit 3’s Exam (Chapters 11-16).

Final Exam Module – Quiz J Available on 5/05,Final Exam Available on 5/11 (ONLY) and AFTER you score at least 5 points on Unit 3’s objective

The Department requires instructors to enter an F for the course if a student does not take the Final. PLAN accordingly.

 

 

Password

If you can take an assessment only one time, it requires a password.

The required password is: onetimeonly (Notice no spaces between words.)

 

I reserve the right to modify the syllabus and the schedule during the semester.

 

WCJC Department:

History – Dr. Bibus

Contact Information:

281.239.1577 or bibusc@wcjc.edu

Last Updated:

1/2013

WCJC Home:

http://www.wcjc.edu/