Course Syllabus

Instructors:  Professor Diana Hill & Ms. Jamie Gunsallus

Contact Information:  Diana Hill:   822-5400 Ext 2383  Tech-110
                                     Jamie Gunsallus:  mobile -209.852.6432 (call or text)

Course Description:

3 credits | Meets a General Education requirement.

 The way knowledge is acquired in different disciplines, cultures, and times. The course compares the acquisition of knowledge in the social sciences, the humanities, and the natural sciences. Emphasis is on understanding, analyzing, discussing, and evaluating methods of learning used by prominent writers in various disciplines and on applying such methods to one’s own experience.

Prereq/Corequisite:

Completion of at least one of the eligible courses from each category of the General Education Limited Distribution Core and ENG 102+.

 IDC 201 is the “capstone” course of Chesapeake College’s General Education program. It aims to bring together your understanding of the way knowledge is acquired across academic divisions, in school and outside of it.  This semester, we will be exploring “disruptive technologies.”  A disruptive technology is a technology that displaces an established technology and shakes up the industry or a ground-breaking product that creates a completely new industry.  Sometimes these technologies can be a new invention that will transform life, business, and the global economy.

As we explore disruptive technologies this semester, we will practice thinking critically about the technologies and how they have and will affect our society and personal lives.   

 Required Texts: None

The required readings will come from news breaking articles relevant to the disruptive technology for the week.  The articles will be available in the weekly modules in our course on Canvas.

Core Learning Outcomes:

At the completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Analyze and interpret mathematical information;
2. Apply technology to learning;
3. Communicate in oral and written English;
4. Demonstrate cultural literacy;
5. Demonstrate information literacy;
6. Foster ethical behavior;
7. Read with comprehension;
8. Think critically; reason abstractly;
9. Understand and use the scientific method;
10. Summarize and critique fine arts artifacts.

The above core learning outcomes are the Chesapeake College General Education Core Leaning Outcomes.  Because this is the capstone course for your program we will work with each of these skills in our classroom discussions, online discussions and in our coursework. 

Course Requirements:

Fast-Track:  This course is being delivered in a fast-track format – that means we meet in class from 6:30-9:15 every Wednesday for eight weeks.  Our class time for a three credit course is actually cut by 50% in this fast track format.  This means that the time that would be spent in the other class meeting for the semester is taking place online (2.5 hours).  Expect to spend 2.5 hours each week in discussions and in communication with your peers in a team assignment in the online environment using Canvas.

Attendance:  Attendance is mandatory.  Absences will cause your grade to suffer, and deprive you and your classmates of the benefits of the rich discussion we expect to have in class.  All assignments are to be completed and turned in in Canvas on the due date unless prior arrangements are made.

Late Work:  Late work will be penalized at 10% per day. All due dates for this class are on Tuesday at 11:59 PM.  This course also has a final group and individual presentation.  Students not attending the group presentation or the individual presentations should expect to receive 0 points for the entire assignment, regardless of any and all work submitted for the project. There are no exceptions to this rule.

MLA Citations and Resources:  All written papers / presentation will follow the citation guidelines for MLA. If you are unfamiliar with this formatting, please refer to Noodlebib via the college library at  http://www.chesapeake.edu/library/  under “research” you will see a link. There are also several other helpful links like “how to avoid plagiarism,” that you may want to check out.

Assignments that require MLA Style formatting of Citations and Resources:

• Tech Brief
• Weekly Research Discussion
• Individual Project
• Group Project

Class Assignments:

Come to Class Prepared:  Many of our class meetings will require online discussions and reflection in addition to on-line readings and research.  Students are expected to come to class prepared to participate in classroom discussion about the assigned topics for the week.    All reading assignments and course work are to be completed prior to class in order to ensure lively participation.

Homework:  The standard expectation for students is that you study a minimum of two hours outside of class for every hour in class.  Because we are a fast-track format, students should expect to spend up to 10 hour a week outside the classroom completing assignments and research.  Some assignments may require additional time.

Civility:  Everyone is expected to maintain a civil attitude online and in the classroom.  We will all be working very hard to complete our work so please keep all language and communication professional.

25%  - Research & Tech Check Discussions
30%  - Tech Briefs
20% -   Group Research Project
15% -   E-Portfolio
 10% -  Attendance & Professionalism

Tech Briefs (30% of grade)

Students will write a 500 word (2 page) reflective paper on the topic of the week, paying close attention to areas in which ethical questions arise.  Students must include at least one analysis of an ethical principal that is involved. Citations and resources in MLA format is required.

You will write an informative paper on the topic using at least two resources.  (see classroom for more details) [Outcomes 3, 5, 6, 7, & 8]

Online Discussion: (Research and Tech-Check Discussions 25 % of grade) 

Research Discussion:  Disruptive Technologies can be a controversial topic in the global media (newspapers, magazines, websites, blogs, apps, etc.).   The Research Discussion assignment for this class give you an opportunity to find, share, talk about and critique articles and other media that focus on disruptive technologies.

Looking at the topic for the upcoming week, you will complete a Web Search to find two (2) interesting articles or other media items that addresses the topic.  In your discussion you will give two full resources in MLA format with an active link to the site.  Discussions will include a brief description of the article and why your peers might be interested in reading or viewing it. Your discussion must include a reflection on the chosen resource – was this credible? Did it make sense? Can you back this article with multiple resources? Does the website (if used) end in .com, .edu or .gov? [Outcome 3, 5, 6, 7, & 10]

Tech-Check Discussions: This discussion assignment is designed to provide a means for peer evaluation of the e-portfolio that students will develop for this course.  The e-portfolio is meant to be a representation of your academic work in meeting the Core Learning Outcomes for an Associate’s Degree at Chesapeake College.

Beginning in Week 3, students will be assigned a partner to evaluate and give feedback on the course portfolio. This will take place in the discussion forum.  Students will be evaluated on quality of peer feedback. [Outcome 3 and 6]

Group Research Project - (20%) of grade)

Students will select a topic (to be approved by professors) that focuses on disruptive technologies and complete a 4-5 page research project using valid resources that uses MLA standards. (see classroom for details).

Portfolio – (15% of grade)

Each student will compile a portfolio to be submitted for a final grade. A separate packet with portfolio criteria will be provided for each student. In addition to the physical portfolio, each student will prepare a 5-‐7 minute presentation to share with the class (15 % of grade) [All outcomes]

Attendance and Professionalism -  (10%)

Plagiarism & Academic Dishonesty

The rules for Academic Integrity are clearly stated in the student handbook.  Any act of dishonesty and/or plagiarism will be immediately reported to the Academic Vice President.  The assignment will receive a failing grade and students risk expulsion from Chesapeake College.

Student Need for Assistance

Academic Support Services – Located in L105 of the Learning Resource Center houses the testing center and additional student support services including tutoring. The Writing Center is also available for editing assistance.

Chesapeake College will provide an accommodation plan for any student that has a documented plan.  Students needing additional information or help with assistance should contact Judy Gordon at 410-827-5805 or  jgordon@chesapeake.edu

 Academic Instruction Emergency Management Plan

In the event that Chesapeake College needs to close for an extended period of time due to flu pandemic, severe weather event or other emergency situation, considerations will be given to the timing and duration of the closure as follows:

1. Closure during the semester for up to one week – there will be an opportunity to make up work missed without significant alteration to the semester calendar. All assignments will be posted in Canvas so students are expected to be prepared for the next class with the required assignments.  Remember, this is a 50% online class.
2. Closure extending beyond one week (or in situations where classes are cancelled on the same days/evenings over multiple weeks) – the College may extend the length of the semester. Depending on the timing of the closure, scheduled breaks, end of semester dates, and/or the processing of final grades might be impacted.

Students can acquire information about closures on the College website or by calling 410.822.5400 or 410.228.4360.   Students may also follow @ChesCollAlerts on Twitter for emergency alerts.  Chesapeake College courses held at off campus sites will follow the protocol of the host facility.