Learning & Technology
GT 103
Spring 2024 Syllabus
PROFESSOR: Terrill J. Gilley, Ph.D.
Office Location: Deeds 203-C
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 9am-3pm ET or by appointment
Phone: 863.207.2557 (call/text)
Email Address: gilleyt@carolinau.edu
Carolina University Mission Statement
Carolina University is a Christ-centered University committed to educating aspiring leaders worldwide through exceptional teaching, scholarly research, creative innovation, and professional collaboration.
Course Information
Course Prerequisites
None.
Course Description
This course will equip students with critical learning tools to enhance their college experience. Content in this course is designed to implement life management principles, including best practices for managing time and stress in the specific context of the academic environment, as well as technologies specific to the institution. This course will cover the topics of digital citizenship, digital fluency, and self-awareness to ensure success in and beyond the classroom.
Course Delivery and Methods
This course will include pre-recorded lectures, weekly in-class meetings, and online discussion forums designed to cover the topics and learning outcomes of this course. Assignments will include readings from textbooks and articles, or other assigned media, designed to reinforce topics covered in the course. Discussion boards, journaling, quizzes, and projects will facilitate a comprehensive instructional design to accurately assess learning objectives.
Objectives (Course Learning Outcomes)
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Describe learning styles and articulate their relevance to the learning environment
- Prioritize and manage personal and professional obligations
- Steward digital tools and resources pertinent to college success
- Recognize the value of self-awareness and its benefit to life-long success
- Evaluate and scrutinize the effects of using various technologies
Course Resources
Required Texts:
Baldwin, A. (2023). College Success. OpenStax.
https://openstax.org/details/books/college-success
Schwartz, M. (2020). Digital Citizenship Toolkit. Ryerson University.
https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/digcit/
Course texts are Open Educational Resources (OER), available free of charge, and linked within the Learning Management System (LMS).
Required Resources:
Computer (Mac/PC) with administrative rights to install and manage software.
Recommended Resources:
N/A
Course Requirements and Assignments
Quizzes
This course will implement open book, open note quizzes that are based on presentations and assigned readings and media. They will all be completed within eLearning (LMS) and are designed to comprehensively assess learning outcomes.
Journal Entries
Students will reflect via personal reading, devotions, or meditation and share their reflections by completing a journal entry in a private forum. Only the student and the professor will see the content for each post. Special attention should be given to mindful self-awareness and spiritual growth, taking into consideration their personal context and background. Examples will be provided in the LMS.
Participation
Online students will (1) view videos and (2) engage in discussion forums in this course. Online discussion forums are designed to generate conversations based on the content for that given week. Students will be asked to add a primary post by Thursday of the assigned week and reply to at least (2) other students’ posts by Saturday. Primary posts should contain at least 150 words and replies should contain at least 100 words. Students will maintain proper discussion forum etiquette while interacting with the provided prompts.
In-person students will (1) view videos and (2) interact in class. Students are expected to engage in the dialogue by preparing for class appropriately (viewing material and/or reading linked documents and articles).
NOTE: In-person students may elect to participate in the online forum when absent from the weekly class. However, in-person students will not receive credit for attendance, only participation, and are expected to submit work within the same timeframe as online students.
Goal Project
Students will be asked to complete a project designed to assess their ability to create a SMART goal and perform a basic task that fuels that goal over a period of 21 consecutive days.
Example: the SMART goal might be to earn an “A” in this class. However, since that goal will yet to be seen until after the class is over, the student would then set a specific daily task that will be performed over 21 straight days. In this example, the student may elect to login to the course every day for 21 straight days to review the assignments and announcements.
The idea for this project is to set a personal goal and take measurable routine steps to achieve that goal over time.
Final Exam
During the final week of the course, students will complete a cumulative final exam designed to assess their understanding of key elements (CLOs) in this course. Questions will be derived from the classroom presentations, assigned readings, and media.
Course Schedule
Week
|
Date
|
Textbook Readings
|
Topics
|
Assignments
|
1
|
1/8-1/14
|
● College Success, Chapter 2 ● College Success, Chapter 3
|
Syllabus CU Technology Overview Google Workspace Learning Styles
|
Syllabus Quiz (w/ ProctorFree) Participation #1 Weekly Quiz 1 Journal Entry 1
|
|
2
|
1/15-1/21
|
● College Success, Chapter 5 ● College Success, Chapter 6
|
Note Taking & Tools Time/Priority Management Microsoft Suite
|
Participation #2
Goal Project (Pt. 1) Weekly Quiz 2
Journal Entry 2
|
|
3
|
1/22-1/28
|
● College Success, Chapter 7 ● Digital Citizenship Toolkit, Chapter 1 ● Washington Post Article
|
Thinking Digital Literacy, Ethics, & Addiction Social Media & Persuasive Technology
|
Participation #3 Journal Entry 3 Weekly Quiz 3
|
|
4
|
1/29-2/4
|
● College Success, Chapter 8 ● Digital Citizenship Toolkit, Chapter 2 ● Digital Citizenship Toolkit, Chapter 3
|
Communicating & Etiquette Modes of Digital Communication Understanding Digital Citizenship
|
Participation #4 Journal Entry 4 Weekly Quiz 4
|
|
Course Schedule (Cont.)
Week
|
Date
|
Textbook Readings
|
Topics
|
Assignments
|
5
|
2/5-2/11
|
● College Success, Appendix A ● Digital Citizenship Toolkit, Chapter 4 ● Digital Citizenship Toolkit, Chapter 5
|
Conducting & Presenting Research Critical Approaches to Digital Literacy Developing Evaluative Literacy Skills
|
Participation #5 Journal Entry 5 Weekly Quiz 5
|
|
6
|
2/12-2/18
|
● College Success, Chapter 10 ● Digital Citizenship Toolkit, Chapter 6
|
Personal Finances Joining the Digital Conversation
|
Participation #6 Journal Entry 6 Weekly Quiz 6
|
|
7
|
2/19-2/25
|
|
Self-awareness ST/LT Goals Stress Management
|
Participation #7
Weekly Quiz 7
Journal Entry 7
Final Exam
Goal Project (Pt. 2)
|
|
Course Specific Policies
As a general rule, late work will not be accepted. Given that this course is designed to facilitate time management and prioritization, it is imperative to effectively communicate certain scenarios that arise which may be outside of the student’s control. It will be at the professor’s discretion to allow a late submission and/or assign penalties for late work. The course schedule outlines specific deadlines for each assignment. In general, assignments will be due at 11:30pm ET but may vary in days of the week. Please refer to this syllabus and the LMS for specifics in a given week. Deadlines will be clearly stated in the LMS.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
The use of generative AI tools is permitted in this class for the following activities:
- Brainstorming and refining ideas
- Fine-tuning research questions
- Finding information on a topic
- Drafting an outline
- Checking grammar and style
- AI-specific assignments (per the provided instructions)
The use of generative AI tools is not permitted for the following activities:
- Impersonation in classroom context (e.g. composing discussion board posts)
- Completing group work
- Writing a draft of a writing assignment
- Writing entire sentences, paragraphs, or papers to complete class assignments
Attendance
The course will adhere to the attendance policy as set forth by the university and notify pertinent individuals and offices for instances of absence and course abandonment.
- In-person attendance will be taken on the day of class using self-check-in in the LMS. Students are responsible for being on time and prepared to login and enter the attendance code and/or scan the QR code within the time allotted to be counted “present”.
- Online students will be responsible for completing a discussion forum assignment for attendance credit. In-person students cannot complete the discussion forum assignment to receive credit for attendance.
- Points are not assigned for attendance in this course, although final grade deduction penalties will be assessed per the university attendance policy outlined in the catalog.
Course Grading
Assignment Type
|
Weight (points or percentage)
|
Quizzes
|
25%
|
Journal Entries
|
15%
|
Participation
|
20%
|
Goal Project
|
15%
|
Final Exam
|
25%
|
Total
|
|
Course Assessment Mapping
Assessment
|
Objective(s) Met
|
Quizzes
|
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
|
Journal Entries
|
2, 4
|
Participation
|
1, 3, 5
|
Goal Project
|
1, 4
|
Final Exam
|
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
|
|
|
University Policies
Late Assignment Policy
- Students are expected to inform professors prior to a scheduled absence and understand work may be made up at the professor’s discretion to ensure full credit.
- Upon an unexpected absence from class, the student should contact the professor immediately to discuss make-up work and submit such work in a timely manner.
- Students should not wait until the end of the session to deal with concerns about absences.
Grading Scale
Grade
|
Point Value
|
Range
|
|
|
|
Undergraduate
|
Graduate
|
|
A
|
4
|
94-100
|
96-100
|
|
A-
|
3.7
|
90-93
|
93-95
|
|
B+
|
3.3
|
87-89
|
90-92
|
|
B
|
3
|
83-86
|
87-89
|
|
B-
|
2.7
|
80-82
|
85-86
|
|
C+
|
2.3
|
77-79
|
82-84
|
|
C
|
2
|
73-76
|
79-81
|
|
C-
|
1.7
|
70-72
|
77-78
|
|
D+
|
1.3
|
67-69
|
74-76
|
|
D
|
1
|
60-66
|
70-73
|
|
F
|
0
|
<60
|
<70
|
|
Instructor Student Interaction & Communication
- Please use email whenever possible.
- Throughout an active course, faculty should respond to all emails and voicemail messages within 24 hours.
- Grading of assignments is to be done within 3 days for regular assignments (this includes attendance) and 7 days for larger assignments.
- Some assignments may require additional time to grade due to the length of the project and the directive to provide substantive feedback that will assist you throughout the learning process. In cases where the assignment is not returned with feedback within the stated period, refer to communication from your professor to facilitate expectations on subsequent assignments. Students are not expected to apply adjustments on subsequent assignments in advance of returned grading and feedback.
All CU faculty and students are provided with means of electronic communication (e.g. email, video conferencing, chat features, discussion boards, etc.) All employees and students are required to use official university electronic accounts for official university correspondence. This policy is meant to include both synchronous and asynchronous communication. Faculty and staff are not obligated to read, receive, or respond to communications where these guidelines are not followed. Email must be checked regularly, especially when enrolled in an active course. Adhere to the following guidelines when communicating online with professors, university employees, and other students.
- Accounts: Only university email and related systems should be used for institutional communications. Do not use personal email or video conferencing accounts.
- Names: Refer to professors and CU employees by their last names with appropriate honorifics (e.g., “Dr.” or “Prof.”). For professors, if you cannot easily verify their degree or status, “Prof.” is most appropriate—not “Ms.” or “Mr.” Under no circumstance should you use first names unless given explicit permission.
- Introductions: Use subject lines appropriately and begin any course-specific email with your first and last name, the course number, and your exact section number or meeting time (e.g., “101-05,” “9 am MW,” but not “this morning”).
- Grammar and Style: All written communications must conform to standard English. Emails and discussion board posts should not resemble text message, chat, or social media posts. Use complete sentences with correct capitalization, spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
- Coordination: All members of a synchronous, online interaction should participate by the same mode of interaction when possible. For example, join video conferences with video. This is especially true for one-on-one meetings with your professor and small group video discussions in or outside of class.
- “Class” Conduct: When participating in synchronous classes or meetings (especially when using video), conduct yourself as if in the classroom. Be on-time and mentally present. Be seated at a desk or table. Dress according to classroom standards. Do not introduce distractions into the interactions and be prepared to stay for the duration of the session per normal classroom behavior.
- Complexity: In general, asynchronous communication is appropriate for simple questions and activities. Complex questions that require more than one simple response should be addressed synchronously—during class is often best. If you are unable to ask your question during class, or it is too personal to do so, use an asynchronous method to arrange a synchronous meeting.
- Boundaries: Synchronous communication is less formal than asynchronous. However, the appropriate use of names, language, acronyms, and emojis must still conform to classroom standards. Since we do not all share the same online culture, be prepared to explain yourself if your acronym or emoji is not understood. Be polite and respectful when asking for clarification, and gracious when misunderstandings occur.
Student Complaints
Informal Resolution
Carolina University seeks to provide an excellent educational experience for all students. If a student wishes to make a complaint of an academic nature, in the first instance, they should seek to resolve the matter by informal discussion with the faculty member.
If the discussion is in person, it is recommended that the student follow up with an email summarizing the discussion (complaint and resolution if one is reached).
If the discussion with the faculty member does not resolve the issue, the student may also contact Dr. Rosalie Kern, the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Carolina University.
Filing a Formal Complaint
If informal discussions do not resolve the complaint, a student may file a formal complaint. No student shall suffer retaliation or other punitive action for the sole reason of filing a complaint or participating in a related process. A student must be enrolled at the institution to file a complaint under this policy. A student may file a complaint about a matter related to teaching, learning, assessment, grading, or student performance in a course.
A student must complete and submit the Student Academic Complaint Form to the Registrar's Office no later than 7 days after the events that are alleged to have caused the complaint. Any supporting evidence must be attached to the form. A vague complaint stating unsupported allegations, obvious falsehoods, based on differences of opinion about academic content or faculty expertise, or is unrelated to academic matters is liable to be dismissed summarily.
For the full text and a thorough explanation of the university’s complaint policy, visit: https://catalog.carolinau.edu/student-academic-complaints
Course Attendance and Participation
All courses follow specific attendance policies found in the Academic Catalog for that course level and format. It is the student’s responsibility to be familiar with these policies and to keep track of their own attendance. Per the university attendance policy, accrued absences may contribute negatively toward a student’s final grade. Attendance and participation may be used by instructors to determine a portion of a student's grade for a particular course. Whereas attendance is typically defined by statuses identifying a student’s presence in a class, participation typically includes the assessment of activity within that course. In some cases, the methodology, subject matter, learning environment, or other factors may require attendance.
Faculty will take attendance during class for on-campus students and will take attendance for online students by academic engagement in a weekly discussion forum. Students should refer to the course syllabus for the course’s grade weighting table and course-specific policies regarding the grade percentages attributable to each component in a course, which may include attendance and participation. It is the student’s responsibility to be familiar with these policies and to keep track of their own attendance and comply with the rules.
Disability Assistance
Carolina University welcomes students, faculty, staff and visitors with disabilities to our campus and to our programs. Our goal at CU is to ensure an accessible, inclusive welcoming learning and working environment for individuals with disabilities while complying with federal and state regulations.
Students with disabilities are encouraged to reach out to University Accessibility Services (UAS) as soon as possible to explore possible accommodations. UAS serves as a central resource on disability-related information, procedures and services for the university community and partners will work with the student and any other campus partners to identify barriers and implement plans for access. More information about UAS can be found at https://carolinau.edu/university-accessibility-services
Academic Integrity and Misconduct
The Student Handbook has a detailed list of different ways students show a lack of academic integrity, including academic technology misuse, cheating, complicity, fabrication or invention, falsification, forgery, multiple submissions, plagiarism, and sabotage.
Academic integrity is the honest and responsible conduct of studies, scholarship, research, information collection, and presentation. The university expects students to submit assignments that are original to them and to properly cite and reference other peoples’ ideas using the prescribed style guide. The very foundation of a good university education is academic integrity. Learning how to express original ideas, cite sources, work independently, and report results accurately and honestly are skills that carry students beyond their academic careers. If a student is uncertain about an issue of academic honesty, they should consult the faculty member to resolve questions in any situation prior to the submission of the academic exercise.
Maintaining your academic integrity involves:
- Creating and expressing your own ideas in course work.
- Acknowledging all sources of information including verbal, written, digital, and graphic.
- Completing assignments independently or acknowledging collaboration.
- Attending classes, exams, and required academic events.
- Accurately reporting results when conducting your own research.
- Honesty during examinations.
- Not tampering with or misusing technology.
- Not aiding or abetting other students in violating any academic rules or policies.
Courses at Carolina University will utilize proctoring for select exams to ensure exam integrity. Per Carolina University directives, all exams that represent 25% or more of a course grade are required to be proctored. Instances of cheating or inappropriate behavior will be considered violations of the Academic Integrity policy and will result in disciplinary action.
Plagiarism is the use of another person’s distinctive ideas or words without acknowledgment. All researchers are expected to acknowledge the use of another author’s words by the use of quotation marks around those words in the text of a paper and by appropriate citations. Plagiarism can occur in an oral, written, or media project submitted for academic credit or for some other benefit. Examples of plagiarism include (but are not limited to), the following:
- Word-for-word copying of another person’s ideas or words;
- Mosaic (interspersing of one’s own words here and there while, in essence, copying another’s work);
- Paraphrasing without citation (the rewriting of another’s work, yet still using their fundamental idea or theory);
- Submission of another’s work as one’s own;
- Having another person write a paper;
- Buying or procuring a ready-made paper from a research paper “service” on the Internet or from another such service;
- Neglecting quotation marks on material that is otherwise acknowledged;
- Fabrication of references (inventing or counterfeiting sources)
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Bridges, J. (2016). The Practice of Godliness. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Challies, T. (2016). Do More Better: A Practical Guide to Productivity. Cruciform Press.
Covey, S. R. (2013). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal
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Duckworth, A. (2018). Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance (Reprint edition). Scribner.
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Gallup. (2017). CliftonStrengths for Students (Har/Psc edition). Gallup Press.
Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. E., & McKee, A. (2013). Primal Leadership: Unleashing the Power of
Emotional Intelligence. Harvard Business Press.
Keller, W. P. (1980). Walking with God: Wholeness and Holiness for Common Christians.
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Mathis, D. (2016). Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus through the Spiritual Disciplines. Crossway.
Sanders, J. O. (2017). Spiritual Leadership: Principles of Excellence for Every Believer (Reissue
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Tripp, P.D. (2022). Reactivity: How the Gospel Transforms our Actions and Reactions.
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