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Course
Number and Title: IND 1783 Freshman Seminar Prerequisite:
none MWF
11:00 – 11:50 a.m. Professor:
Office:
Phone:
Office Hrs: Dr.
Frank Knight
S-222
ext. 1362
MWF 10-11;TR 1-2; F 1-3 Peer Mentors: Phil
Kaiser (754-3544 before 11 p.m.) Course
Description This
course focuses on developing and strengthening the foundational skills
necessary for academic success at the college level.
The course introduces the principles of critical thought and
develops the habits of critical thinking through a problem-based
approach to learning. With
emphasis on close reading, careful listening, civil discourse, logical
reasoning and with a format that requires students to apply these skills
to real-world situations, this course prepares them for the work they
will do in all subsequent courses at the University.
The course also encourages the development of social skills and
fosters a connection with classmates the school and the community
through a variety of social activities, cultural events and community
service. Two or more peer mentors are assigned to each class to assist students in making the transition from high school to college; peer mentors will serve as resource/contact people, role models and facilitators of small-group discussion. Students and their faculty and peer mentors will meet three times a week for 50 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11 p.m. General
Intended Student Outcomes 1)
Students will communicate effectively,
learning to
clearly and effectively express ideas and actively listen to the
ideas of others in discussions 2)
Students will think critically, learning
to ·
read with comprehension ·
transfer and apply knowledge and skills to new situations ·
solve multi-step and non-routine problems involving a
range of reasoning skills ·
evaluate and analyze arguments from more than one
perspective 3)
Students will have knowledge of human culture, learning
to use available technologies to gather and process information
effectively. 4)
Students will be aware of their responsibilities to themselves, to
humanity, to their planet and to their creator, learning
to ·
examine personal lifestyle, ethics, integrity, values and
priorities ·
respect individuals with beliefs, backgrounds or abilities
different from their own · contribute to the welfare of their community and ecosystem Specific
Course Goals By
the end of the course, students will have improved their skills in ·
thinking, listening, reading and writing critically ·
communicating information clearly, accurately and
concisely ·
articulating a personal viewpoint while using supporting
statements/examples that adhere to high academic standards of proof ·
presenting arguments and engaging in discussion with
others in a courteous, professional manner that integrates intellectual
rigor with respect for the viewpoints and values of others ·
evaluating information from a variety of sources for bias
and accuracy, including information from television, film, printed
materials, and Internet sites ·
coping with the difficulties of college life--academic,
personal, social--in a manner consistent with their values and
priorities and become familiar with the wide variety of resources
available for help with individual problems ·
establishing a pattern of learning that is self-motivated
and fulfilling ·
working effectively with others in group settings ·
strengthening vocabulary skills Students
will also ·
learn how to fulfill the University portfolio requirement ·
fulfill the University computer literacy requirement Required
Materials Black,
one-inch three-ring binder with dividers. ADA
Statement If
any member of the class has a documented disability and needs special
accommodations, the instructor will work with the student and the
Office of Student Services or the Jones Learning center to provide
reasonable accommodation to ensure the student a fair opportunity to
perform in this class. Please advise the instructor of the disability
and the desired accommodation within the first week of the semester.* *Do not assume that that an
accommodation will be made automatically just because you are a Learning
Center student. You must
present documentation and specifically request extended test-taking time
and other accommodations.
Academic
Honesty All
student work must be done in accordance with the University’s Academic
Integrity policy as stated in the Student Handbook. The minimum penalty
for flagrant misconduct will be a zero for the assignment.
Even accidental or incidental violations will result in a grade
penalty.
A first offense and every offense will entail a report of the
incident to the Vice Pres. of Academic Affairs. Academic
Requirements Daily
Assignments The
two following assignments are admission tickets to class without which
the student may not attend class. Daily Word Each
student will bring to every class meeting at least one word new to the
student and from recent course-related reading or discussions.
This assignment will include the following information typed and
in the following form: class
date new
word excerpt,
quote from reading providing a clear context for the word complete
reference to the source of the excerpt dictionary
title: at
least two definitions or
one definition and Title
of G&L dictionary Greek
or Latin roots definitions Daily
Question Each
student will bring to every class a typed question or main point/summary
statement relevant to recent class work or discussion. Weekly
Assignments These
assignments must be completed every week and will be check and/or graded
at least once every three weeks. Reflective
Journal Each
student will keep a journal, using the entries to reflect on important
events, issues, and concerns that arise that week in his/her life.
The entries should be written once a week but will be collected
on Friday's.
The assignment must be typed and each entry at least one
paragraph (100 words) in length—although you are, of course, welcome
to write more if you wish; the journals will be graded on the following
criteria: ·
Each
entry is neatly typed and available when requested. ·
Each
entry is at least one paragraph in length. ·
Each
entry shows evidence of thoughtful reflection (in other words, not just
a simple recording of events but a serious examination of what is
happening and why): Note
that you will NOT be graded on whether or not I like or approve of the
content of what you write; this is the only assignment I will give in
which I will NOT deduct points for poor grammar and spelling. You
may write about whatever you wish.
The following list gives suggestions of appropriate topics: ·
Anything
about which you have strong feelings: success, fun, joy, satisfaction,
frustration, disappointment, anxiety. ·
Relationships
with classmates, roommates, friends and instructors ·
Family
concerns and rewards ·
Career
concerns and rewards One restriction: Please do not use real names when discussing a classmate or
instructor; it would not be appropriate for me to read about other
students I may have in class or colleagues with whom I work. Student
journals will be reviewed only by the faculty mentor and the contents
kept confidential except: i.
Faculty members may discuss the contents with other faculty
members (I would suggest we change this to the mentor program
coordinator.), the president of the university, and/or the vice
president for academic affairs. ii.
If a faculty member reasonably believes the contents of a journal
reflect a possible danger to the author or any third party, the faculty
member may take reasonable steps to prevent harm, including but not
limited to disclosure of the journal's contents as the faculty member,
in his/her sole discretion, deems appropriate.
The university, its officers, trustees, and employees shall have
no liability to the student or any third party on account of the
disclosure or non-disclosure of information contained in a student
journal." PBL Progress Reports One
student will write a report summarizing in one or two pages the group's
progress and each member's contributions toward completing their PBL
problem.
See "Problem Based Learning" below.
Each member will read, suggest changes and sign the final draft
of the report that all accept.
These reports will be graded by the Peer Mentors*.
Each member of the group will receive the same grade for each of
these reports. Occasional
Assignments These
assignments are required on specified dates, less often than once a
week. Problem-Based
Learning Assignments Students
will work in groups of 3-5 assigned by the instructor to study and solve
problems requiring critical thinking, use of technology to gather and
process information, communication, and respect for others.
Members will cooperate and collaborate to produce a final written
project report on the due date.
The report will be typed and 3 to 5 pages in length.
Each member will sign the final report that they all accept.
One or two groups will present their report orally to the class
for discussion, comparison and critique by classmates.
Classmates will complete evaluation forms of the oral
presentations that the professor will use to determine a grade.
Each member of the group will receive the same grade as the
others unless there is clear evidence that one member contributed
significantly more or less than others. The
class will establish ground rules for member participation that includes
consideration of civil discourse, distribution of responsibilities and
sanctions against students who do not contribute their fair share of
work. Crossword
Puzzles Each
student must create two original crossword puzzles containing at least
10 vocabulary words mostly (at least 6/10) from his/her own class
glossary of new words (see Daily Word above).
The puzzles must have at least five across and five down
interconnected words.
All words must connect directly of indirectly to every other word
in the puzzle.
Peer Mentors* will grade the puzzles on form and structure,
complexity, "connectivity," and cleverness and accuracy of the
clues. Each
student also must complete two puzzles created by different classmates.
Peer Mentors* will grade these on completion and accuracy. Miscellaneous
Assignments ·
Practice
portfolio artifact & rationale statement ·
Computer
literacy exam ·
Pre-registration
worksheet ·
Time
management or stress management exercise Social, Cultural and Service
Requirements In
order to receive a passing grade, students must ·
Attend
at least three (3) social activities
with the Freshman Seminar class approved by the instructor AND ·
Attend
at least four (4) cultural events approved by the
instructor AND ·
Perform
at least four (4) hours of community service approved
by the instructor. Those
who do not fulfill these minimum requirements will fail the course,
regardless of their performance in the academic component of the course. ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT AND CELL PHONES You
are welcome to use laptop computers and tape recorders in class to
assist with note-taking.
However, all cell phones and beepers must be turned off or left
in your room/home.
With my permission, under extenuating circumstances you may have
your phone/beeper switch to a silent signal mode to receive an
anticipated emergency call. The classroom is not a place for conducting
your personal social activities. Attendance
and Late Assignments Assignments
not turned in on time or not available when requested cannot be made up
without an acceptable, documented or otherwise verifiable excuse.
Therefore, unexcused absences will result in loss of points.
If you are absent without an acceptable excuse when a group
assignment is collected, you will not receive credit for the assignment.
In the case of absence for previously scheduled activities and
appointments, the instructor or a Peer Mentor must be notified BY THE
STUDENT before the class is missed to be excused. If
you miss a class, you are responsible for making up all missed
work—even if you are excused.
You
must check with your group for all research assignments generated by
group problem-solving projects. Grading PASS/D/FAIL
CRITERIA* Academic Assignment
Number Points
Total
Points for
Each
Pass
D ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daily
Word 30
1
30 Daily
Statement
30
1
30 Journal
6
10
60 Progress
Report
10
5
50 PBL
Written 2, 4
10, 25
120 PBL
Oral
3
10
30 Puzzle,
make 2
20
40
take
2
10
20 Misc.
4
5
20
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Total
400
x70%= 280
x60%= 240
AND Social,
Cultural and Service Activities
3+4+4hours Tentative
Schedule of Topics/Activities
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