We will have 3 exams (each with 50 multiple-choice questions). The last one will take place during the final exam period, but will only cover the third section of the course (NOT a cumulative final).

All exams in this class are closed-book/closed-note. Canvas monitors each time you leave the exam screen. Do NOT open any other browsers while taking an exam. 

Questions on the exams will come 50% from the lecture material and 50% from the text, but areas of overlap between the two are the most likely to show up on the exam. All exams will be taken online during a 3-day time frame—see the course calendar for dates. Once you open an exam, however, you will have 90 minutes to complete the exam. If you need extended time, please contact DSPS and have them send me your accommodations.

• Textbook Reading (50% of exam content). Use the Textbook Study Guides & Exam Study Tips to guide your reading of the textbook. This is the same information you will see posted as 'Learning Objectives' on the Chapter pages in the Modules. This is the only information from the text that you will be tested on. I recommend that you take reading notes (focusing on key terms, theories and concepts) using the learning objectives as your guide.

• Lecture Notes & Videos (50% of exam content). Lecture material (scripted PowerPoints) are posted in Modules on Canvas. All information in the lecture material is fair game for exams; however, dates are given for historical reference and you will NOT be tested on dates. The video clips that accompany the lecture notes are also fair game for exams. 

Why am I having you take these quizzes? First and foremost, the research is clear: Students who get 100% on InQuizitive also get higher exam grades! But also, these are a low stakes assignment that will really give your overall grade in this class a boost. So, please take all of these quizzes and work to get 100% on all of them. 

After you read a chapter in the textbook, it’s time to do InQuizitive. This is an adaptive online homework tool that you access through Canvas Modules, which will help you practice with the material and give you feedback so that you can learn it better.

• You will complete an InQuizitive assignment for each of the 12 chapters listed on the study guides (except Ch. 1).

• You MUST use the specific InQuizitive link in the modules on Canvas in order for your grade to transfer to Canvas. Do NOT access these assessments through the book or your grade will not be recorded.

• You need to complete the activities until you reach the target number of points for that chapter. BUT InQuizitive saves your progress over days so please finish it over days. InQuizitive will also let you know when you have earned the full points. As long as you reach the point goal, you will earn 100% on that InQuizitive homework grade.

• When is InQuizitive homework due? All InQuizitive homework is due at the end of the week ( Sundays at 11:59 pm) for which they are posted. Late homework is  accepted if it is submitted before the section it is in closes because the exam for that section has closed.

Discussions are designed with the purpose of allowing you to engage with the weekly material and have a chance to interact with your peers.

You will have discussions most weeks related to a prompt/series of questions regarding something from that week’s text/lecture material. (Discussions are linked in Modules on Canvas.) How to earn full credit will vary by the discussion so please read the discussion guidelines carefully to know how to get full credit. If for any discussion, you receive less than full credit, please go back to the discussion guidelines and see if you may have missed something in your response. You can add to your original post and resubmit to get full credit up until the exam closes for the section the discussion was posted. 

• In your postings, do your best to 1) show thought and synthesis with text and lecture material and 2) thoroughly answer the prompt questions.

• When are discussion posts due? All discussions close at the end of the week ( Sundays at 11:59 pm) for which they are posted. Late responses are accepted if they are submitted before the next exam occurs.

• Will discussion material ever show up on an exam? Yes, my end-of-the-week response may show up as an answer to a question on the next exam.

Final grades will be based on points accumulated from the above assignments. You will be able to track your course grade on Canvas by clicking on Grades in the left-hand navigation panel. I do NOT provide extra credit in this class, but I do allow submission of late work at no penalty as long as it is submitted before the exam closes for the section the work is posted in. 

My grading scheme is:

89.5-100% = A

89.4-87% = B⁺

86.4-79.5 = B

79.4-77% = C⁺

76.4-69.5% = C

69.4-67% = D⁺

66.4- 59.5% = D

59.4 or below = F

My teaching is committed to the principle that our community is richer when it includes a diverse range of individuals and their experiences. This course welcomes the presence, perspective, and experience of students of all races, genders, ethnicities, sexualities, abilities, ages, religious backgrounds, socio-economic classes, and national origins. Though our readings and discussions are intended to reflect a commitment to diversity, I’m always open to suggestions, and am interested in hearing your ideas for ways in which this course could be further improved for you or for other students or student groups. As a white-identifying and cis-gendered person, I am committed to recognizing the privilege of my positionality, and to a life-long journey of learning about diverse perspectives and identities. If something is said in class (by anyone) that makes you feel unwelcome, unseen, or at risk, please talk to me about it. 

I want you to be successful in this course. Each week (or most weeks) you will have some combination of the following: reading, discussion boards, and practice quizzes to complete. You will struggle on the exams and the homework if you put off studying or completing the coursework. So do your best to stay on schedule and on top of your course reading. However, I do understand that life happens, so please reach out if you fall behind. 

Specifically, my policy is to accept late work within a section module up until the exam closes for that section. But please communicate with me about the situation so we can find ways of alleviating the root of the issue and get you back on schedule. 

This course has NO mandatory on-campus or Zoom meetings, however, I expect you to log in to the course on the first day of the class and to log in at least once a week thereafter. Students who fail to log in on the first day of the course risk being dropped from the course to make room for waitlisted students. If I do not hear from you and you miss an exam, you may be dropped as well. Please reach out!

I hope not! However, yes, students who fail to log in on the first day of the class or miss an exam (without contacting me) may be dropped. So please reach out if situations arise that prevent you from staying on top of these requirements. I will be flexible if you are accountable!

Please review the campus add/drop policy

NOTE: If you drop this class after the census date (see course calendar) you will receive a “W” on your transcript.  Find out how to drop a course All courses in which you earn a grade of “D”, “F”, “NP” and/or “W” are counted as “unsatisfactory” attempts to successfully complete the course. You are only allowed 3 attempts to repeat courses for which you receive an “unsatisfactory” grade.  A “W” on your transcript will count as an “unsatisfactory” attempt to successfully complete the course

Again, I want you to be successful in this class and therefore, to make up exams you miss. If you miss an exam, you should contact me immediately with a full explanation as to why the exam was missed and a request for a make-up. However, I withhold the right to refuse a make-up.

Taking a research methods course can be difficult and stressful. Please understand that I am here to support you in any way I can. I believe you can achieve your academic goals. If you are struggling with learning the concepts in the course, please reach out to me before you decide to act dishonestly with the submission of your work. Some examples of dishonest actions: 

• • • Sharing answers with another student to complete assignments or exams
    • Submitting someone else files as your own
    • Submitting either your assignments or another student’s files from a previous semester
    • Helping someone or receiving help on an exam
    • Getting someone else to take your exams

The plagiarism policy is one of most serious policies on the syllabus, and it’s because it concerns the integrity of your work. Plagiarism occurs whenever an individual uses (copies or paraphrases with very little alteration) the ideas or work of another person without giving that person credit. (This does not include certain common phrases.) Examples of plagiarism include: submitting writing that has been wholly or partially completed by another person, using ideas or language from a text without attributing them to the author, copy-pasting any section of any text written by another person into your essay without the use of quotation marks, or paraphrasing someone else’s words without giving that person credit. In this course, you will learn the APA’s methods for appropriately incorporating and acknowledging the work of others in your writing through quotation and citation. 

For the interactive portion of the course, it is important that you respect your classmates’ comments even if you disagree with their opinions; challenge the idea and not the person. Furthermore, in your discussions, please voice your opinions, yet be sensitive of others’ differences (race/ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, etc.). Please be respectful of these differences and do not say things that could be hurtful to others. Here are some other netiquette suggestions to pout into practice:

• Use respectful and appropriate language in your forum discussions. 

• Emoticons are acceptable ways to show emotion. 

• Avoid CAPS as they come across like YOU'RE SCREAMING. 

• Read all forum posts. 

• All messages are public, so be careful and courteous when you post. 

• Make your posts thorough and your replies as well. 

• Complete sentences and thoughts are mandatory for forum posts. 

• Use a person's name when you reply to their post. (People really like this!) 

You may email me at any time, I will respond as soon as possible (though please be advised that emails sent after 5pm may not reach me until the following day). Sometimes it may take me a full day to respond. Please allow for 48 hours before sending a follow up email. If you have questions about what we are doing each week, please consult the syllabus first. If you still have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out! In addition to meeting with me in person, you are also welcome to schedule a one-on-one "office hours" conference with me any time over Zoom. When you’d like to schedule a meeting, first check my schedule by clicking on Schedule a Zoom Appointment (see our Canvas navigation) and if there is not a time that works for you there, send me an email and we’ll coordinate a time that works for both of us. 

Regular and effective contact between the instructor and the students will be achieved by some of the following means: 1) Weekly online discussions with appropriate instructor participation; 2) Email, phone or messaging to individual students; 3) Weekly announcements to students; 4) Weekly constructive feedback on student work; 5) Instructor office hours will be available by individual appointment; and 6) Weekly Instructor prepared lectures.

This course has been designed to be accessible to students with diverse learning needs. At Cuesta, we have the support of our Disabled Students Program & Services office (DSPS), a resource office that helps to make sure that students with diverse learning needs have the right tools to be successful in the classroom. A list of some services offered by DSPS can be found here

If you think that you may qualify for assistance or accommodation, you can make a virtual appointment here to discuss your situation and needs with a DSPS counselor or contact the DSPS office at (805) 546-3148 or dspsinfo@cuesta.edu

I fully support the use of services and accommodations by student who need them! For students who wish to use their accommodations in this class, please complete the following step: 

• If you qualify for services or accommodations that you would like to use in this class, make sure that I receive the electronic notification of your accommodations from DSPS. (This usually takes the form of an electronic letter written by DSPS that you have the option to "send" if you decide you want to use accommodations in a particular class.)

Authenticating student identity will be conducted through the use of the Learning Management System, Canvas. Canvas requires each student to log into the program using a secure login and password to access. 

Follow this link for General Campus Policies (including: Withdrawal, Repeatability, Student Code of Conduct).