Course Syllabus

Counseling 60: Effective Study Workshop
Section 1770

For the PDF version of syllabus: Counseling 60 Syllabus Fall 2020

Instructor Contact

Instructor/Counselor: Sara Malmquist-West

Email: smalmquistwest@santarosa.edu

The best way to contact me is through Canvas inbox or email me at smalmquistwest@santarosa.edu. I will respond to emails within 24 hours Monday-Thursday. I will check my emails occasionally over the weekend so please make sure to review the course material before the weekend to make sure you do not have any immediate questions. Please include your name, student ID number and the course title (COUN 60) in your email.     

Course Description

Counseling 60 is a 1-unit, AA degree applicable and CSU transferable course. This course is designed to assist students in improving their study skills. Topics include goal identification, organizing study habits, how to read and study textbooks, take effective notes, how to prepare for and take examinations, and the efficient use of the library. Course covers the total development of the individual and attitudes toward academic and personal problem solving. For complete course outline information, go to: Counseling 60 Course Outline.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

  1. Create short and long-term goals in order to obtain academic objectives.
  2. Identify study methods to learn new material and prepare for exams.
  3. Illustrate time management techniques through the use of a master schedule, daily planner, and/or calendar to prioritize academic, personal and work commitments.
  4. Identify the resources and student services offered at Santa Rosa Junior College to support academic success.

Materials

  • There are no books required for this class
  • You must have access to a computer and sometimes a printer as well as a scanner to upload things into Canvas.

Course Structure & Web Site

  • Students will use the Canvas course web site for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, viewing classmate's work, sharing resources, and viewing grades.
  • This is an Asynchronous course which means there are no live Zoom sessions. You are expected to log into Canvas and complete all of the week’s activities by Sunday at 11:59 PM

Attendance/Drop Policy

  • Attendance is extremely important. Because this is an online class, your attendance will be measures based upon your participation in the discussions and the timely submission of your assignments. You are required to log into Canvas at minimum once per week. If you do not log in weekly, you will lose points and can possibly be dropped from the course.
  • If you have not logged into this Canvas course and completed the survey by Sunday, October 18th, you will be dropped from the course by the instructor.

Important Dates

Day Class Begins: Monday, October 12th, 2020

Day Class Ends: Sunday, November 22nd, 2020

Last Day to Drop and be eligible for enrollment/course fee refund: Tuesday, October 15th, 2020

Last Day to Drop without a 'W' symbol: Tuesday, October 20th, 2020

Last Day to Drop with a 'W' symbol: Wednesday, November 11th, 2020

Please be aware that COUN 60 is a late-start class and has different drop deadlines than regular length courses. Please consult the class schedule or speak to a counselor to discuss drop deadlines for other classes. 

Grading Policy

Visit the “Grades” in Canvas to keep track of your grades. I grade once a week and post grades and comments on the online Canvas gradebook.

Grading Scale                                   Final Grade

90%-100%                                        A

80%-89%                                           B

70%-79%                                           C

60%-69%                                           D

59% and below                               F

Assignment Guidelines

Discussion Posts: This is part of your participation in the class and is vital component of your grade. Due to the nature of being enrolled in an online course, you will be required to participate in discussion forums where you will post answers and respond to your peers. It is expected that responses will be respectful of each other. In addition, if a side-discussion develops, please continue it in a separate venue so the class does not become side-tracked.

Assignments: All assignments are due no later than 11:59 PM on the date listed. Typed assignments need to be completed with a 12-point font, one-inch margins, and double spaced. Directions for completing assignments will be given throughout the semester and listed in your Canvas course. Please save your documents as Microsoft Word or PDF attachments. For MAC users, save as PDF not PAGES files. You can do this for free through google docs.

Course Schedule (Subject to Change

Date

Module

Topic

10/12-10/18

Module 1

Motivation & Goal Setting

10/19-10/25

Module 2

Time Management

10/26-11/1

Module 3

Learning Styles & Research Skills

11/2-11/8

Module 4

Active Reading & Active Listening Skills

11/9-11/15

Module 5

Note-Taking & Memorization

11/16-11/22

Module 6

Test-Taking & Study Strategies

 

Final

DUE: Sunday, November 22nd

Late Policy

All assignments are due at 11:59 PM on the due date. A late submission will receive a 20% penalty except for the Final Project. NO LATE FINAL PROJECTS WILL BE ACCEPTED. If you have trouble meeting the deadlines, contact the instructor at smalmquistwest@santarosa.edu

Online Technical Expertise

This course is 100% online. As a result, you will be required to:

  • Navigate the Canvas course environment
  • Use the Internet
  • Participate in online discussion forums
  • Utilize basic word processing, such as MS Word or Google Docs (free)
    • If you use a MAC, please become familiar with Google Docs so that you can turn your .pages documents into PDF.  I cannot accept .pages documents.

If you are not comfortable or do not have much experience in the online environment, you may wish to consider taking CSKLS 334 (Taking an Online Class, .5 unit) before taking any online class. However, this is not required for this course and detailed instructions on how to proceed with this course are provided at the beginning in the section titled "Getting Started.”

Technical Support

If you need help in navigating the material of this course or if you have any technical issues, please first contact the instructor (me) at smalmquistwest@santarosa.edu. If you are having a technical issue that I cannot resolve I will refer you to tech support. If you'd like to go directly to student tech support, go to: https://de.santarosa.edu/content/student-help-canvas

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

If you need disability related accommodations for this class, please meet with a Disability Resource Department (DRD) Specialist to receive assistance. Students with a documented disability will be provided an Authorization for Academic Accommodations (AAA letter), which will need to be submitted to me. You are also welcome to ask me any questions.

DRD is located in Jacobs Hall (707-778-2491) on the Petaluma campus and in the Bertolini Student Center, 3rd Floor (707-527-4278) on the Santa Rosa campus.

Standards of Conduct

Students who register in SRJC classes are required to abide by the SRJC Student Conduct Standards. Violation of the Standards is basis for referral to the Vice President of Student Services or dismissal from class or from the College. See the Student Code of Conduct page.

Collaborating on or copying of tests or homework in whole or in part will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and result in a grade of 0 for that test or assignment. I encourage students to share information and ideas, but not their work. See these links on Plagiarism:
SRJC Writing Center Lessons on avoiding plagiarism
SRJC's policy on Academic Integrity

Other Important Policies and Practices

Avoid Plagiarism Like the, er, Plague

Although most students have likely heard about plagiarism during their years of schooling, it still is prevalent-even in higher education.

The video below reviews what plagiarism is and how not to do it.

Plagiarism: How to avoid it

Netiquette, or Why Is It Harder to Be Polite Online?

Netiquette refers to using common courtesy in online communication. All members of the class are expected to follow netiquette in all course communications. Use these guidelines:

  • Use capital letters sparingly. THEY LOOK LIKE SHOUTING.
  • Forward emails only with a writer's permission.
  • Be considerate of others' feelings and use language carefully.
  • Cite all quotations, references, and sources (otherwise, it is plagiarism).
  • Use humor carefully. It is hard to "read" tone; sometimes humor can be misread as criticism or personal attack. Feel free to use emoticons like :) for a smiley face to let others know you are being humorous.
  • Use complete sentences and standard English grammar to compose posts. Write in proper paragraphs. Review work before submitting it.
  • Text speak, such as "ur" for "your" or "ru" for "are you" etc., is only acceptable when texting.

Contact the Counseling office at (707) 527-4451 (Santa Rosa) or (707) 778-3914 anytime if you have further questions.