Learning & Technology
GT 103
Spring 2025 Syllabus
PROFESSOR: Terrill J. Gilley, Ph.D.
Office Location: D213-C
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 8a-5p or by appointment
Phone: 336.714.7984
Email Address: gilleyt@carolinau.edu
Carolina University Mission Statement
We are a Christ-centered university committed to student success.
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 in-person weekly meetings that will build on the content provided in the lectures and assigned content. Students will be responsible for completing readings from textbooks and articles and consuming assigned media designed to reinforce topics covered throughout 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/
Texts are digital open source and available free of charge in the Learning Management System (LMS).
Required Resources:
Computer (Mac/PC)
Recommended Resources:
Not applicable.
Course Requirements and Assignments
Quizzes
This course will implement untimed, open book, open note quizzes based on presentations, assigned readings, and media. Quizzes will be separated by chapter and/or subject, thus there may be multiple quizzes in a given unit. Quizzes will all be completed within the eLearning (LMS) and are designed to assess learning outcomes comprehensively.
Journal Entries
Students will complete weekly journal entries 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/or spiritual growth, considering their context and background. Examples will be provided in the LMS.
Participation
- In-person (Section 50)
- Students are expected to participate during class. Group interaction, in-class projects, or coursework that will be completed during class time is expected. Students should bring their computer to class.
-
-
- Students who miss class will be given a discussion forum assignment. Forums are designed to facilitate content interaction based on the videos and reading assigned for the week. Students who miss class will be asked to complete the forum assignment to earn participation credit for that week. Assignment-specific details will be provided in the LMS.
- Students who do not attend the in-person class or complete this alternative assignment will be given a 0 for this component of the weekly participation.
- Students should view all assigned videos, including lectures and supplemental material germane to the course.
- Online (Section 60)
- Students will be given a discussion forum assignment. Forums are designed to facilitate content interaction based on the videos and reading assigned for the week. Assignment-specific details will be provided in the LMS.
- Students should view all assigned videos, including lectures and supplemental material germane to the course. This class will leverage EdPuzzle to assess the percentage of viewed content each week.
Final Project
This project aims to help students 1) acquire new habits that will help them succeed and/or 2) use the knowledge learned in this class to develop goals necessary for lifelong success. Students will select from (3) project options, introduced in week 2. Completed projects will be submitted in week 6 and an optional presentation may be made in week 7 for students wishing to earn extra credit in the course.
Course Schedule
Week
|
Date
|
Textbook Readings
|
Topics
|
Assignments
|
1
|
|
● College Success, Chapter 2 ● College Success, Chapter 3
|
Syllabus CU Technology Overview Google Workspace Learning Styles
|
Syllabus Quiz Participation #1 Quizzes Journal Entry 1
|
|
2
|
|
● College Success, Chapter 5 ● College Success, Chapter 6
|
Note Taking & Tools Time/Priority Management Microsoft Suite
|
Participation #2 Quizzes
Journal Entry 2
|
|
3
|
|
● 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 Quizzes
|
|
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 Quizzes
|
|
Course Schedule (Cont.)
Week
|
Date
|
Textbook Readings
|
Topics
|
Assignments
|
5
|
|
● 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 Quizzes
|
|
6
|
|
● College Success, Chapter 10 ● Digital Citizenship Toolkit, Chapter 6
|
Personal Finances Joining the Digital Conversation
|
Participation #6 Journal Entry 6 Quizzes
Final Project
|
|
7
|
|
|
Self-awareness ST/LT Goals Stress Management
|
Participation #7
Quizzes
Journal Entry 7
Goal Presentations (EC)
|
|
Course Specific Policies
Late work should be considered unacceptable and unprofessional. Meet the deadlines. Given that this course is designed to facilitate time management and prioritization, it is imperative to provide a life margin that helps manage the unknown and unexpected. Students should attempt to work ahead when possible.
Assignments are due at 11:30 pm ET. Please refer to the LMS for specifics each week. Deadlines will be clearly stated in the LMS. Students are expected to access the LMS regularly (multiple times per week, if not daily) and keep up with their coursework.
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 a 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
Course Grading
Assignment Type
|
Weight (points or percentage)
|
Quizzes
|
35%
|
Journal Entries
|
15%
|
Participation
|
20%
|
Final Project
|
30%
|
Total
|
100%
|
Course Assessment Mapping
Assessment
|
Objective(s) Met
|
Quizzes
|
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
|
Journal Entries
|
2, 4
|
Participation
|
1, 3, 5
|
Final Project
|
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, Dean of the School of Social & Behavioral Science.
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.
Traditional in-class attendance will be recorded for hybrid courses, whereas attendance for online courses will be gauged by regular academic engagement. 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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