\ BY THE END OF THIS COURSE, STUDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO:

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• \ Understand and explain the major theories and themes related to the physical, cognitive and social development of children and adolescents.
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• \ Understand, compare and contrast the methods used in child psychology research.
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• \ Understand, describe and explain the sequence of prenatal development from conception to birth, including basic genetic transmission of traits.
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• \ Understand and explain the importance of neurological and brain development in children, and analyze, integrate and apply that knowledge to methods of enhancing a child's physical, cognitive and social development.
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• \ Understand the maturation process and the sequencing of events in children's and adolescents' physical, cognitive and social/personality development.
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• \ Describe the major social influences on the developing child, and integrate the knowledge from the research in the field as to how parents, caregivers, teachers, and others who interact with children can apply this knowledge to enhance children's social and personality development.
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• \ Apply this information in critical and creative ways to virtual and actual interactions with children and adolescents that might include (but are not limited to) the students own children, younger siblings or relatives, care giving opportunities such as babysitting, as well as training and professional contact in the fields of teaching, nursing, childcare, criminal justice, counseling, social work, and even business.
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Students Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

\ Students are expected to attend class, to participate in class and to prepare for class lectures and discussions by reading the text and doing homework assignments. Students are expected to turn off all electronic devices (if you have a sick child, you may bring your phone and put it on vibrate). Please do not engage in side conversations during class time, texting, reading newspapers, taking naps, and any other distracting behaviors. If you miss class, you are expected to contact the instructor and/or other students in the class to get information about the class.  Since this instructor emails reminders via the AC ONLINE classroom announcement page, it's best to check into your AC ONLINE class frequently.  As well, all course notes and assignments are in the AC ONLINE classroom folders, as directed by your instructor.   It is your responsibility to get the information and printed materials, as well as take EXAMS in the AC Online classroom. If you don't have a computer, simply check the ones in the library.  You can get onto AC ONLINE from any computer anywhere!

\ Each student is expected to engage in academic honesty, refraining from cheating or plagiarism. YOUR EXAMS ARE MEANT TO BE TAKEN BY YOU!  IF THIS INSTRUCTOR LEARNS THAT YOU ARE COLLABORATING ON EXAMS, YOU WILL FAIL THE COURSE!  Plagiarism on written work will NOT be tolerated.  PLAGIARISM IS USING SOMEONE ELSES MATERIAL AS IF IT WERE WRITTEN OR ORIGINATED BY YOU.If you plagiarize, you can fail the assignment and receive a 0.  Plagiarism means copying off of the internet, quoting directly without giving credit to the source, or using parts of another persons work as your own. Copying and pasting material off the internet is strictly forbidden!   YOU MUST CITE ALL SOURCES AND HAVE A REFERENCE SECTION WITH APA STYLE CITATIONS FOR YOUR PAPER! PLEASE DO NOT ENGAGE IN THIS BEHAVIOR.  We have access to a plagiarism checker program and any paper that this instructor sees is plagiarized in part or in full, will be getting a 0 on the paper, and a letter of reprimand will be filed in your academic record.  IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS AS TO WHETHER SOMETHING IS CONSIDERED PLAGIARISM, PLEASE ASK YOUR INSTRUCTOR BEFORE YOU ENGAGE IN QUESTIONABLE BEHAVIOR!  AGAIN, I CONSIDER THIS A VERY SERIOUS OFFENSE AND WILL NOT TOLERATE IT!!!

\ Students are expected to engage in appropriate "netiquette" in the ONLINE PORTIONS of this class AT ALL TIMES.  Inappropriate online behaviors, such as swearing, discussion of inappropriate issues NOT related to the courseroom material, or any type of intolerance or rudeness to other learners will not be tolerated and may result in having to drop this course, failing the class, or dismissal from Amarillo College. Treat others as you like to be treated and everything should be fine!

\ Now, having said that, please remember that this is an COLLEGE LEVEL COURSE, and we will be discussing controversial issues in an ADULT MANNER!  You are expected to act like an adult in these discussions and realize that others may think and feel differently than you on a host of issues related to sociology!  Diversity is a GREAT THING and to be APPRECIATED in this instructors opinion.  If you find something offensive that is said by another student OR your instructor, please don't hesitate to contact me and discuss this with me.  However, it's important to remember that this course is not designed to CONFIRM YOUR OWN POLITICAL or RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, but rather to get you to think about sociology, society, and people in a bigger way than you may have already been exposed to. IN THAT, YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF UNCOMFORTABLE AT TIMES, AS YOU ARE BEING REQUIRED TO STRETCH OUTSIDE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE! This is a part of what it means to get an education!  Obviously, learning to see the world in a different light is the goal of this course!  You are encouraged to debate others, and your instructor, in a polite BUT WELL INFORMED manner!  If you want to debate a point made, all this instructor asks, is that you bring your sources and do a good job of backing up your ideas.  In academics, we like well informed opinions!  This is KEY to analytical and creative thinking and is the hallmark of what it means to have academic freedom!  If you are not comfortable expressing your opinions in front of the class, you may obtain 10 extra credit points by WRITING a rebuttal paper.  If your instructor feels that you have backed up your point of view with sources that are informed and expert on the topic, your instructor will READ your paper to the class (with your permission of course!).  Let's enjoy the spirit of debate (and we will actually have a REAL DEBATE over the DEATH PENALTY in class...your instructor ONLY plays the time keeper and steering the discussion so that everyone is heard).  I look forward to a REAL educational experience with you all! 

\ If you have a complaint about this course, please contact me first.  If you are uncomfortable doing that, you may contact my supervisor,   Mr. Jerry Moller at DURR 212A, 371-5297   

\ If you have a concern that something you want to say or write that you think might offend others in the classroom or in the online course-room, run it by me first. Simply contact me via the AC ONLINE class email. As well, if you are aware of any student being mistreated or harassed in this course (including yourself), please bring it to my immediate attention.  We have zero tolerance for any student being mistreated here at Amarillo College. This will be a SAFE place for the expression of ideas and exchanges! Remember, you are an adult and differences in opinions, beliefs and ideas are a critical part of adult education!  You are expected to be an adult in this class and thanks for making our class a safe place to discuss ideas and to learn!  Dr. Harding

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Grading Criteria

IN ORDER TO SEE YOUR GRADE IN THIS COURSE, CLICK ON THE MY GRADES TAB in the MENU TO THE LEFT OF YOUR SCREEN.  This will show you your grades. Please note that the order of things is all crazy! Sorry...we are working to correct that, but we haven't found the solution yet!  It's a Blackboard thing!  You should be able to see your PERCENTAGE SCORE..the grading schema for this class is as follows:

Your final grade for this course will be based on the standard grading percentages:

89.45-100% = A             79.45-89.44 % = B            69.45 - 79.44 % = C

49.45 - 69.44 % = D                Below 49.45%  = F

Your final grade is based on the following items:

Exams (100 points each, drop the lowest of six exams) = 500 points or 67% of grade

Discussions (3 discussions and responses at 15 points each) = 45 points or 6% of your grade

Paper (150 points) = 150 points or 20% of your grade

Attendance (1 Student information sheet required for 5 points and I'll take attendance 11 times , drop the lowest of 11 attendances = 10 x 5 points each) = 55 points or 7% of your grade

Extra credit gives you a possibility of another 30 points if you choose to participate.

TOTAL NUMBER OF POINTS (not including extra credit) = 750 points

 UNIT EXAMS: YOU WILL HAVE 6 UNIT EXAMS.  YOUR GRADE WILL BE BASED ON THE HIGHEST FIVE SCORES.  If you miss an exam or do poorly on a exam, you may still be able to do well in this course.  If you have taken the first five exams and are happy with your grade by the end of the course, you may decide not to take the last exam.  EXAMS = 500 points, = 67% of grade (each exam is worth 13% of your grade).

DISCUSSIONS: 3 Discussions worth 15 points each.  You have two discussions in Unit 1, both are required discussions! ABOUT A FILM YOU WILL WATCH called Secrets of the Wild Child (worth 20 points). As well, you have a REQUIRED DISCUSSION, along with films to watch, in UNIT 5 over modeling and discipline.  Otherwise, you may decide not to participate in one of the other four discussions.  Discussions = 45 points = 6% of grade

FINAL PAPER OVER THE PARENTING or TEACHING WITH LOVE AND LOGIC BOOK that you choose = 150 points = 20% OF GRAD

ATTENDENCE:  Your instructor will take attendance 11 times this semester, and 10 will be counted, worth 5 points each for a total of 50 points.  If you have perfect attendance, you will get 5 extra credit points at the end of the semester.  As well, you must read your online syllabus and then FILL OUT, SIGN and RETURN your STUDENT INFORMATION SHEET TO ME for 5 attendance points by the DUE DATE.  You are not officially enrolled in this class until you return this.   Your attendance is worth a total of 55 points towards your final grade = 7% of your grade

EXTRA CREDIT: The first one is to INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO THE CLASS (5 pts), and the OTHER IS a community project that we will do in November that benefits AC students (worth 20 points).  If you have perfect attendance during the times we take roll, you get another extra 5 points.  This is a possible extra 30 points to your score!

THE FOLLOWING IS MORE DETAILED EXPLANATIONS OF YOUR ASSIGNMENTS FOR THIS COURSE:

UNIT EXAMS: This course HAS 6 Units and a total of 16 CHAPTERS FOR YOU TO STUDY AND READ.  You will have 6 UNIT EXAMS, for Chapters 1-16. Exams will be randomized, in terms of each students selection of questions that will be on the test itself, however, all questions and terms are shown on the study guides.  If you go over the study guides thoroughly and answer the questions, you should do fine on your exams.  All unit exams have 50 questions, and you will have 80 minutes to complete it.  ON YOUR FIRST UNIT EXAM, AND THIS EXAM ONLY, YOU WILL HAVE TWO ATTEMPTS ON THE EXAM.  This is only meant to help you if you haven't taken an online course before. Remember that the second attempt will be different than the first, so you MUST know all the material on your study guide in order to do well.  All other exams will have only one attempt available.  Unit 1 and Unit 2 will cover two chapters each, but Units 3 through 6 will cover 3 chapters of material.

NOTE: YOU MAY USE YOUR TEXT AND STUDY GUIDE DURING THE EXAM, BUT YOU WILL NOT HAVE TIME TO LOOK UP QUESTIONS FOR THE TEST.  AS WELL, NOTE THAT ALL exams HAVE RANDOMIZED QUESTIONS, SO EACH LEARNER WILL BE TAKING A SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT QUIZ.PLEASE DO NOT CHEAT! THESE EXAMS ARE MEANT AS A SOLITARY ACTIVITY AND FOR YOU TO SHOW YOUR INSTRUCTOR THE MASTERY OF THE MATERIAL.

If for some reason you miss an exam (each unit has a closing date where the exam for that unit and the discussion for that unit will no longer be available), you would get a 0 on the exam and this could count as your lowest, dropped score for the semester.

OPEN AND CLOSING DATES FOR UNITS and ALL DISCUSSIONS AND EXAMS: CHECK ALL EXAMS AND DISCUSSIONS AND THE CALENDAR, ALONG WITH COURSE ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR UNIT, DISCUSSIONS AND EXAM CLOSING DATES.  THE UNITS, including all EXAMS and DISCUSSION WILL BE OPEN FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE COURSE SO "EARLY BIRDS" CAN WORK AHEAD. However, EXAMS NOT TAKEN BY THE CLOSING DUE DATES WILL RECEIVE A 0.  IF THIS HAPPENS ONCE, THAT WILL BE YOUR DROPPED EXAM SCORE.

The UNIT EXAMS WILL make up 68% of your final grade.

FINAL PAPER: There is a book summary and written application of parenting/discipline principles based on the book Parenting with Love and Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay (see Final Exam Section and Final Project Icon in course).

• This project will be worth 20% of your grade.  IN FALL AND SPRING TERMS, the paper will be due about 2 weeks prior to the end of the classes.  In the summer term (SUMMER SEMESTER IS 8 WEEKS LONG) it's due about 1 week before the last day of class. You may turn in your paper early for EXTRA POINTS on a LOW QUIZ SCORE.  Turning in your paper 3 weeks early will get you 15 points on a low exam score, 2 weeks early will get you 10 points, and 1 week early will get you 5 points.  This can be a great way to enhance your final grade!
• The FINAL PAPER INSTRUCTIONS CAN BE FOUND IN THE LESSONS AREA by clicking on that icon.  The final paper INSTRUCTIONS will show you EXACTLY what the cut off time is for the paper and what is expected of you in this paper.  Since you have over three-quarters of the semester to complete the paper, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TURN IN THE PAPER LATE FOR ANY REASON!  Note that there is a grading rubric which you can view in the PAPER INSTRUCTION area that shows you EXACTLY how this instructor grades your paper. You will want to view this PRIOR to turning in your paper, in order to maximize your grade. As well, if you are not a strong writer, GO TO OUR WRITER's CORNER (SEE SECTION in syllabus ON "ADDITIONAL INFORMATION" to contact Writer's Corner) and they will help you with your writing skills. They also send me a note that you were there, which can help you paper grade as well!  I appreciate well written papers (having to grade hundreds of papers at  the end of the semester..it's reallly nice to get excellent work that commands excellent grades!).  PLEASE use the WRITER's CORNER and get an A on that paper!  Not only will they help you learn to be a better writer, but your grades will be better to boot!

DISCUSSION PARTICIPATION GRADE: There are several discussion items that you may participate in. You have THREE unit discussion questions that you are required to do. The first unit 1 discussion is required and HAS A VIDEO YOU WILL WATCH BEFORE YOU ENTER INTO THE DISCUSSION, WHICH ASKS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE VIDEO AND YOUR IDEAS ABOUT IT.  Then there is a second discussion for fun: "Kids say the funniest things".  Finall, in UNIT 5 discussion also has two videos and an article to read, and is REQUIRED!  Each of the other 4 discussion units may have 1 or 2 different discussion questions to select from and you need to select 3 of the 4 units to post in.  Several also have videos that you need to watch before you post. As well, you need to create a response for each discussion post to 1 other learner (as a minimum)that you MUST participate in for your grade of 100. This portion of the class is worth 6% of your total grade.

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU MUST USE PROPER WRITING MECHANICS AND ENGLISH WHEN YOU ARE POSTING YOUR DISCUSSIONS.  DO NOT USE TEXTING LANGUAGE AT ANY TIME IN THIS CLASS!  If you use a texting format in your discussions, you will be required to do the discussion over again, or you will get a 0 on it! NO TEXT MESSAGING LANGAUGE! These discussions are a chance to practice your best language and writing skills in an academic setting. I read them and will respond to you! Please do not waste my time (and others in the class) by posting a poorly written post!  I promise, you will be rewarded for excellent work in this class!

As well, a portion ofy our grade is related to your attendance. Be sure you are in class EACH TIME! This is worth 7% of your grade, and I will take roll 11 times and count 10.  As well, you will get 5 extra credit points if you have perfect attendance.  Finally, you are required to return a student information sheet to me that counts towards 5 attendance points, so your attendance total is worth 55 points.

Please REFER TO YOUR CALENDAR FOR ALL DUE DATES!

Because you will have be on your own schedule, there is no make-up policy, per se. Again, your exams, discussions, and final book report submitted after the due dates will not be graded and will receive an automatic 0. IF YOU MISS AN EXAM, YOU GET TO DROP YOUR LOWEST QUIZ SCORE, SO THE ZERO FOR THE MISSED QUIZ WOULD BE DROPPED. Because you have at LEAST 2 weeks to complete each of the units, AND two weeks where all you need to do is work on your LOVE AND LOGIC PAPER,  there are no make-up for missed tests, the paper or the discussions! Once the exams, discussions or final paper due date is passed, YOU MAY NOT TURN IT IN FOR ANY REASON! REMEMBER, you can work ahead in this class, as everything is open NOW, from the beginning!  DON't PROCRASTINATE! IT"S A BAD IDEA!

Thanks for being timely in your submissions. It's a great help to me to have you submit work as early as possible! ~ Dr. Harding

Attendance

\ "90% of success is just showing up."  ~ Woody Allen

\ Because this course is a hybrid course, only 50% of our time is spent IN CLASS! The other 50% of this course is done BY YOU, as an ONLINE COURSE. We have a LOT to cover in class!  While it may be tempting to skip classes, know that the #1 factor linked with good grades IS class attendance. I will be taking attendance at the beginning of the class, 10 times during the semester, worth 5 points each time. Some of those times, we have an in-class lab.  Each student will be allowed to miss only ONE class over these 15 weeks of classes, with NO PENALTY to their grade.  Since attendance points are given at the beginning of class, tardiness will result in a loss of points.  PLEASE...BE READY FOR CLASS, READ YOUR CHAPTER before class AND PRINT OFF YOUR POWER POINT NOTES!  BE THERE, BE CONSCIOUS, AND BE ON TIME!  IT'S DISRUPTIVE TO OTHERS TO SHOW UP LATE! IT'S DISRUPTIVE TO YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE TOPIC TO NOT BE IN CLASS!  ~ THANKS! DR. HARDING

Calendar

Additional Information

\ ADDITIONAL RESOURCES INCLUDE OUR LIBRARY AND THE WRITER's CORNER: 
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\ TO FIND THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION GO TO THE LINKS BELOW:

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• \ AMARILLO COLLEGE LIBRARY:  http://www.actx.edu/library/\
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  • \ For help with your computer, or to use computers go to the second floor of the library.
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• \ For information on how to do a research paper and search for references go to:\
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  • \ http://www.actx.edu/library/index.php?module=article&id=8#Research
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• \ FIND OUT MORE ABOUT PLAGIARISM AND HOW TO AVOID IT: GO TO:
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\ http://www.actx.edu/english/index.php?module=article&id=14

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\ WELCOME TO THE WRITER'S CORNER FOR HELP WITH YOUR PAPER!!!

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• \ Folks, this is a GREAT RESOURCE if you are not the BEST WRITER! They will help you polish your paper and give you help with your final project for this class!  USE THIS RESOURCE!!!
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  \ For help with your papers: go to Writers' Corner

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• \ Mission and Services:The Writers’ Corner staff firmly believe that good writing is an essential skill for being successful in college. Our main goal, therefore, is to help students become more confident and effective writers.Whether drafting research papers, preparing marketing proposals, or working on writing projects for any class at Amarillo College, students will benefit from one-on-one tutoring sessions with knowledgeable and encouraging tutors.  Our tutors review assignment requirements, provide constructive feedback, and guide students through all phases of the writing process.The Writers’ Corner is open to all students, regardless of academic discipline and skill level.
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• \ We Offer:*One-on-one tutoring sessions with trained tutors,  small workshops throughout the semester covering various aspects of academic writing,  in-class presenations on the role of the Writers' Corner, a waiting area for walk-ins and early arrivals, coffee and donuts for students with appointments
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• \  EMAIL US AT: writerscorner@actx.edu
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• \ OR stop by: LOCATION:  Ordway Hall, Room 102
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• \ Hours of Operation:\
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  • \ Fall & Spring Semesters:Monday - Thursday  8:00 am to 4:00 pm and ClosedFriday, Saturday, and Sunday
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  • \ Summer Sessions:  Monday - Thursday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm and Closed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
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