2022-2023

Section

AGES7

Class Time & Place

Asynchronous

Campus

Online

Instructor

Toni Bailey

Email Address

tbailey@piedmont.edu

Phone

(706)-548-8505

Office Hours

Monday 9:00am – 7:00pm Athens Campus Room 309

*If needed, please contact Dr. Bailey to schedule an office hour appointment

Also, Dr. Bailey is available for Zoom meetings and emails every weekday evening

Textbooks and Class materials

All course readings are accessible for free through the Piedmont Library. This course incorporates an array of chapters from several textbooks and leans heavily on 4 articles from recent issues of the American Educational Research Journal (AERJ). All links to course readings are included in Canvas.

MINIMUM TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS FOR ONLINE/HYBRID COURSES

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all hardware and software are ready for use prior to the start of the course. If unfamiliar with a component of the required technology, a web search for tutorials may be helpful. Students may also contact the Piedmont College IT Department here: http://it.piedmont.edu/contact.html. Equipment or software failure is not an acceptable excuse for missing a deadline.

All students must have access to:

A computer. Minimum personal computer guidelines are available at: http://it.piedmont.edu/sysreq.html. Computer labs are available on the Demorest and Athens campuses. Visit http://www.piedmont.edu/technology for the most current locations.

A broadband internet connection. This means either a high-speed DSL or a cable modem. Please make a back-up plan like a nearby coffee shop with wi-fi. Lack of internet access is not an acceptable excuse for missing a deadline.

Canvas is the online learning system of Piedmont College. Access Canvas at https://piedmont.instructure.com/login/ldap.  

Your Piedmont Lions student email account. This is available within a few days of registration for new students at: http://it.piedmont.edu/mail.html. Faculty and staff at Piedmont College are required to communicate with students electronically only to the student’s Piedmont Lions account or through Canvas. Students should also use only use their Piedmont Lions email for all electronic communications with faculty and staff.

Current word processing and presentation software. Microsoft Office is available for all Piedmont College students to download on up to five devices at: http://it.piedmont.edu/office365.html.

Grading Scale

To promote fair and consistent assessments, the following grading guidelines will be applied on the total points:

Grading System

COURSE DESIGN

This 15-week course will be facilitated as an online, asynchronous class in which the material will be organized into 15 modules.

The course content is organized into two main areas of focus:

Focus 1: Understanding and evaluating peer-reviewed journal articles ·        

Focus 2: Exploring specific research designs approaches

Each week, you will have approximately 2 modules to complete. Because these are online modules, please schedule your time wisely, making sure that you have time to complete assigned readings and assignments. Each module will include the following tasks:

Seat Time Requirements:

150 minutes of documented “seat time” (beyond required reading) per week is mandated for hybrid and online 15-week courses. This 3-hour course thus requires a total of 2,250 minutes of seat time.

Attendance

Withdrawal Policy: Within the first several days of a term, students may add and drop courses with the permission of their advisor. The ranges for drop/add vary depending on the term (Fall, Spring, or Summer) and duration of the class (8 week or 16 week). Students should check the academic calendar for specific information. After this time, students may withdraw from a class. Please refer to the College Catalog at https://www.piedmont.edu/catalog for the particulars regarding the withdrawal policy.

Excused Absence Policy: Student absences for College-sanctioned events are excused absences (with the exception of clinicals). Since College-sanctioned events are considered to be supportive of the College program, instructors must allow students to make up work that has been missed. Students are responsible for notifying their instructors, in advance, about College-sanctioned events.

Class Policies

SUBMISSION POLICY

For all major assignments, please refer to the following guidelines for all assignments:

·      Written assignments should follow APA 7^th

·      All assignments should be submitted in Word (.docx) except for a presentation assignment which should be in PowerPoint (.pptx) or PDF to the Assignment dropbox in Canvas.

·      Assignments submitted just for feedback before the actual submission will not receive feedback

·      PLAGIARISM - Plagiarized assignments will receive a 0.0, an “F” without the chance to resubmit.

For all assignments and activities, you will be given clear directions in Canvas to guide your work. In general, please refer to the following guidelines for all assignments:

·      Written assignments should follow APA 7^th edition (12 font, Times New Roman, double-spaced, 1” margins, and other APA 7^th conventions). Following these conventions is an important step to make sure your work is easy to read (which will make your awesome ideas stand out better to your instructor).

·      All written assignments should be submitted in Word (.docx) – this will also be noted in Canvas, and assignment submissions will be restricted by file type.

LATE WORK POLICY

This is a graduate level course with activities and deadlines to meet every module. I therefore expect you to plan your time wisely and submit your assignments on time and following the communicated guidelines. Late assignments will receive a deduction in points and will not be accepted once 3 days have passed from the submission deadline.

Late Work Procedures: You are required to notify me by email if you have any concerns about submitting a late assignment. Your email should include recognition that your assignment will be late, recognition that 10% will be deducted per day late within 3 days of the due date, and include your projected submission date/time within the 3-day period.

MAKE-UP POLICY

This course does not have a make-up policy.

The Learning Center exists to help our students reach their various academic goals. The Learning Center offers academic support in all areas, including accounting, foreign languages, math, science, and writing. Our tutors are selected by department chairs, trained in the art of tutoring, and monitored to provide the individualized attention our students need to achieve their personal best. We offer by-appointment or walk-in hours during both working and after-business hours. For more information, please visit: https://www.piedmont.edu/learning-center or call 706-778-8500, ext. 1503 (Demorest) or 706-543-6973 (Athens).

Accessibility and Accommodations: It is the College’s goal that learning experiences be as accessible as possible. Should you choose to disclose a disability, contact your professor and the Office of Accessibility, Resources and Services (OARS) so that possible accommodations can be discussed. Accommodations are designed to minimize the impact of a disability and ensure access to programs for all students with disabilities. Piedmont College, professors and staff make every effort to provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations. The Coordinator of OARS can be reached at OARS@piedmont.edu or 706-7788500, ext. 1504.

Statement on Academic Integrity: Students must be familiar with the College Academic Integrity Policy. Plagiarism, the intentional or unintentional use of another’s words or ideas as one’s own, will not be tolerated. Instructors must send any Academic Integrity concerns directly to the dean who is responsible for the discipline in which the course is taught. See Catalog at https://www.piedmont.edu/catalog for complete policy.

Student Email Policy: All Piedmont College students are required to use their Piedmont Lions email account (see Catalog at https://www.piedmont.edu/catalog for complete policy). Since the Lions account is the official communications channel of the College, students are responsible for all information distributed to them through their account. Students are expected to check it daily.

Make-up Policy

This course does not have a make-up policy.

Course Outline/Schedule

COURSE SCHEDULE: Spring 2023

COURSE SCHEDULE: Spring 2023

Department Assessment

Analysis paper activities (50% of total grade): Most modules in this course require you to read several peer-reviewed journal articles and compare them in an analysis paper activity. The purpose of these analysis activities is to learn what the primary purpose is of each section in a research article and evaluate recently published articles with that information in mind. You will have specific questions to answer for each analysis, but they will be similar across modules so there will be a predictable rhythm for this activity each module.

Module quizzes (10% of total grade): You will read select chapters from a few different textbooks throughout the course and will test your knowledge of the textbook readings through a quiz each module. Textbook readings will introduce some ideas that you can use as you reflect on the research articles in your analysis paper activity each module.

Literature review culminating project (30% of total grade): In order to make decisions based on empirically valid information, we need to know how to read, understand, and evaluate academic literature on a topic. Ultimately, learning how scholarly articles discuss educational practices will allow you to identify the most promising educational strategies for your context. You will build and practice these skills in the context of a literature review culminating project.

As you learn about typical conventions in research articles and how different researchers approach writing a research article, you will also be collecting peer-reviewed journal articles and building a literature review on a topic relevant to a practice in your area of content certification. You will choose an instructional method, educational policy or practice in your area of content certification and investigate what the research has to say about this topic. After collecting relevant articles, describing what they have to say on your topic of choice, and organizing them in appropriate themes, you will reflect on whether the practices you see in your educational context align with what the research says about those practices.

            Assignment timeline:       

Check Canvas for a full description of each of these steps.

Program Requirements (10% of Total Grade): For Piedmont College’s EdS Program, each course will require a Field Experience (2 hours) and documentation of Program Outcome Reflection Log.

Field Experience (5%): The purpose of field experiences is to provide candidates with opportunities to connect new understandings developed in coursework to authentic school-related contexts. This includes observation, practice, application of knowledge and skills, and demonstration of dispositions expected of teacher-leaders, and requires 2 hours of experience outside of traditional classroom time. Candidates must complete this field experience in order the receive a final grade in the course.

For this course, you will demonstrate knowledge gained in this course and practice the disposition of an expected teacher-leader. Your Field Experience will consist of investigating an instructional practice or educational policy relevant to your school context and writing about the extent to which you see this topic in alignment with what the recent academic research has to say about it. In this way, you can reflect on promising practices in your context and take steps toward alignment between research and practice in this area.

Program Outcome Reflection Log (5%): The purpose of the Program Outcome Reflection Log is to promote honest and on-going reflection, a central habit of mind for developing teacher leaders. For this assignment, you will reflect on the sum of your experiences in the (online) classroom, readings, activities, and field experiences.  With the template provided, you will reflect on Program Outcome #3 and one additional outcome of your choice and compose structured reflections that connect your experiences in the course to your gradual mastery of those outcomes.  Guidelines and a rubric will be provided.

Piedmont Policies

Non-Discrimination Policy: It is the policy of Piedmont University not to discriminate in its educational programs, activities, or employment on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, race, age, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, veteran status, genetic information, or any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Piedmont University adheres to the federal definition of a credit hour as an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement. For the purposes of this definition, an instructional hour equates to direct instruction of 750 minutes for each credit hour awarded. The standard expectation for direct instruction classes is that students will spend a minimum of two hours outside the classroom for each hour spent in class, which is, 1500 minutes per credit hour awarded. Courses that are offered on a schedule other than the full 15-week semester contain the same number of hours as if the course were scheduled for a full semester. No reduction in direct instruction time or work time outside of class is permitted for courses offered in accelerated terms.

The Learning Center exists to help our students reach their various academic goals. The Learning Center offers academic support in all areas, including accounting, foreign languages, math, science, writing, and more. All tutors have excelled in the subjects that they help support and tutors are trained in the art of tutoring. Tutoring sessions and athletes in the Study Hall are monitored to provide the individualized attention our students need to achieve their personal best. We offer support by appointment in Starfish and walk-in availability is provided on a first come first served basis. For more information, please contact Oliver Howington ohowington@piedmont.edu or call 706-778-8500, ext. 1176 or visit: https://www.piedmont.edu/learning-center.

Piedmont University strives to make learning experiences accessible to all participants and will provide reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. If you experience difficulties, based on the impact of a disability or health condition, please contact the Office of Accessibility, Resources, and Services (OARS) to initiate a conversation with our Director of Compliance, Equity, and Inclusion, Courtney Snow, about your options. Please know that accommodations are not retroactive, so avoid any delays. Contact Courtney Snow. at csnow@piedmont.edu or 706-778-8500, ext. 1504, or visit Daniel 303 Suite D. To request accommodations (academic, dietary, housing, or emotional support animals) please click the link below and use your Piedmont email and password: https://piedmont-accommodate.symplicity.com/public_accommodation/. If you are already receiving accommodations and need to update your memo or information, please click the link below and use your Piedmont email and password: https://piedmont-accommodate.symplicity.com/students

Statement on Academic Integrity: Students must be familiar with the university academic integrity policy. Plagiarism and other violations of this policy will not be tolerated. Instructors must send any academic integrity concerns directly to the dean who is responsible for the discipline in which the course is taught. See catalog at https://piedmont.smartcatalogiq.com/ for complete policy.

Directives on Completion of Student Work: Course activities designated as quizzes, tests and exams are always to be completed by a student individually and without assistance from other people or resources UNLESS permission for collaboration or the use of external resources is explicitly permitted by the course professor(s). Hence all quizzes, tests and exams are to be considered closed-book/closed-notes and closed-internet (e.g., Google searches). Artificial intelligence apps are also banned on quizzes, tests and exams unless explicitly permitted by the course professor(s).

Student Email Policy: All Piedmont University students are required to use their Piedmont Lions email account (see Catalog at https://piedmont.smartcatalogiq.com/ for complete policy). Since the Lions account is an official communications channel of the university, students are responsible for all information distributed to them through their account. Students are expected to check it daily.

Withdrawal Policy: Within the first several days of a term, students may add and drop courses with the permission of their advisor. The ranges for drop/add vary depending on the term (Fall, Spring, or Summer) and duration of the class (8 week or 15 week). Students should check the academic calendar for specific information. After this time, students may withdraw from a class. Please refer to the university catalog at https://piedmont.smartcatalogiq.com/ for the particulars regarding the withdrawal policy.

Excused Absence Policy: Student absences for university-sanctioned events are generally considered excused absences because they are supportive of the university program. However, there are exceptions to the policy as noted in the University catalog. When absences are excused, instructors must allow students to make up any work that has been missed. Students are responsible for notifying their instructors, in advance, about absences from class due to participation in university-sanctioned events. See full policy in the University catalog at https://piedmont.smartcatalogiq.com/.

Starfish^®: We Care About Your Success! We have partnered with Starfish Retention Solution, creating a platform for communication and resources focused on supporting your efforts throughout your educational journey. During the semester you may receive emails or texts from Starfish® regarding your course grades or academic performance. Please pay attention to these communications and consider taking the recommended actions. They are sent to help you be successful. In addition, your instructor may: (1) request that you schedule an appointment by going to Starfish, or (2) recommend that you contact a specific campus resource, such as tutoring or counseling. You may also be contacted directly by one of these services. You can quickly connect to many resources using Starfish. We hope you will choose to use the tool to support your success. You may access Starfish at https://piedmont.starfishsolutions.com/starfish-ops/support/login.html?tenantId=9379.

Piedmont University Library is dedicated to the success of our on- and off-campus students. The Library's website (https://library.piedmont.edu/home) offers the fastest, simplest solution to finding the authoritative sources you need: journal citations and full-text articles, access to books and eBooks, study guides, encyclopedias, streaming video, and more. Overwhelmed? Need help navigating? No problem: speedy assistance is available via chat or email with the Ask a Librarian service.