Course Syllabus
FOUNDATIONS FOR COLLEGE LEARNING – FALL 2023
Academic Success Focus
UCOL 1002 Section 043
Monday/Wednesday | 11:30 AM – 12:20 PM | Headington Hall 132B
Contact Information
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION
Instructor: Jonathan Fincher Email: jonathan.fincher@ou.edu Office Phone: (405) 325-2851 Office Location: Cate 1, Room 108
PTA: Austen Maddox PTA Email: austen.c.maddox-1@ou.edu
Email Account and Canvas: The official form of communication at OU is email. Students are required to correspond with the instructor and PTA via their OU email; any emails received from outside hosts may not get a response as they may be blocked by OU's email. Students are expected to check their OU email accounts and the course site on Canvas daily for updates from the instructor. You will need to be sure to do the following:
- Set up your default email address so you can reply to email directly from Canvas.
- Set your profile photo as well and make sure to set up your Canvas notifications.
- It is also recommended that you download and install the Canvas Mobile app for your device for on-the-go access to course materials, schedule, and communications.
Student hours: This time is specifically set aside to meet with you. Drop-in for these pre-scheduled hours to
ask a question, discuss a concept in further detail, or just chat. Student hours are Monday/Wednesday 12:30 – 1:30 PM in Cate 1 room 108 or by appointment. If you prefer to meet via Zoom, you may pre-schedule with me by emailing at jonathan.fincher@ou.edu.
Support for this Course
There are lots of resources available to you at the University of Oklahoma, including your professors. If you have questions regarding the course, are in need of resources or assistance, or have an extenuating circumstance that should be considered, please come and talk to me.
Course Details
For a list of course activities, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Course Purpose:
The primary purpose of Foundations is to help new students make a successful transition from high school to university learning and create a foundation for future success at OU and beyond. Detailed goals and learning objectives are listed below.
Course Goals and Learning Objectives – what this course will do for you!
- Goal 1 : Stimulate cognitive and intellectual development
- Understand how we learn, then apply academic strategies based on this knowledge to your own learning experiences
- Explore resources to help you improve your academic performance
- Identify relevant academic policies and processes related to your academic success
- Goal 2: Promote campus engagement and connection
- Understand university history, traditions, and mission
- Explore campus involvement opportunities and connect with campus leaders
- Develop skill sets relevant to applying for and fulfilling student leadership and engagement opportunities
- Goal 3: Explore personal development, well-being, and community impact
- Identify personal values, goals, identities, and opportunities to impact your various communities
- Explore campus resources available to aid in your personal development, well-being, and community impact
- Develop skills necessary for life-long wellbeing
- Goal 4: Facilitate educational and career planning
- Understand major and minor offerings and degree planning checksheets for majors of interest
- Explore career opportunities and identify potential pathways to employability
- Identify campus resources and processes relevant to degree completion
- Goal 5: Foster positive social interactions between students, staff, and faculty
- Understand the roles of faculty and staff and identify opportunities to engage with them both in and out of the classroom
- Develop skills in perspective–sharing and building healthy interpersonal relationships
- Create positive relationships with peers, staff, and faculty
Course Materials
- Required Materials: Course text = Stevens, L. (Ed.) (2023). Foundations for College Learning. University of Oklahoma, First–Year Learning and Engagement. Available for purchase at Corner Copy, located at 770 Deans Row Ave, Norman, OK 73069 for $20.23 plus tax. You can do same-day pick-up or order ahead online at https://checkout.square.site/buy/H3RNQWHEQKJKQWDVOFM5ENRD. (The Course Pack is also available at https://ou.textbookbrokers.com/ for $52.50. Please allow shipping time). Please note you are required to purchase the 2023 updated edition. Please note that Corner Copy and OU Textbook Brokers are two separate entities. If you purchase your text through Textbook Brokers, you cannot get a refund through Corner Copy and vice versa.
Course Policies & Assignments
Attendance in class is expected for all class periods. Students are allowed two (2) unexcused absences without grade penalty. After the second unexcused absence, a student’s final grade will be lowered by 25 points for each unexcused absence. Absences may be excused only by petition with appropriate documentation to the instructor within three weeks of the absence. Students are expected to use their two (2) undocumented/unexcused absences for illness, injury, or a family emergency that does not have documentation. Additionally, three (3) tardies will count as one absence. A student who is more than 5 mins late is tardy. A student who is more than 20 minutes late will be counted absent. Student attendance is posted in Canvas.
Foundations is an active learning environment. Use of cell phones or other electronic devices outside of instructor-guided integration is a distraction from learning for you and your classmates and is not permitted.
Late Work: Deadlines within this class have been created to allow for: peer engagement, assessment of if everyone is understanding the course material or if we need to revisit some of the subjects, and to provide time needed to grade so that you can receive feedback as quickly as possible. As such, it is very important that you strive to meet all deadlines within this course. However, if something is preventing you from submitting work on time, I ask that you contact me as soon as you realize there may be an issue so that we can discuss options, including if it would count as an excused late submission.
Late work without a conversation is not accepted.
Late work with a conversation with me, but that does not meet standards to have the late submission excused
(examples of excused late work are the same as additional excused absences listed above) may be submitted up to one (1) week of the assignment due date with a 30% deduction on the assignment.
Late work with a conversation with me and determined to be an excused late submission (examples of excused late work are the same as additional excused absences listed above) may submit late work up to four (4) weeks late with a possible deduction depending on the situation.
Course assignment due dates are subject to change
|
Assignments |
Due Date |
Points |
|
Reflection Activities |
||
|
2 Reflection Papers (40 pts each) (1, 2) |
10/23, 11/13 |
80 |
|
9/19 |
40 |
|
|
10/25 |
40 |
|
|
Weekly |
100 |
|
|
Education and Career Planning Assignments |
||
|
10/04 |
40 |
|
|
10/30 |
40 |
|
|
11/08 |
40 |
|
|
Individual Meetings |
||
|
2 Foundations Instructor 1-on-1 Meetings (40 pts each) (1, 2) |
9/22, 11/03 |
80 |
|
9/6 |
40 |
|
|
Individual Research Project |
||
|
11/27 |
100 |
|
|
Section Specific Assignments |
||
|
8/23 |
20 |
|
|
8/28 |
50 |
|
|
College Life-Hack Video Group Project |
11/6 |
80 |
|
TruMotivate Assignment |
10/09 |
100 |
|
In-Class Engagement and Activities |
Weekly |
150 |
|
|
Total |
1000 |
Scale
Foundations is a letter-graded course, using the point scale divided as follows:
A = 900-1000 points B = 800-899 points C = 700-799 points D = 600-699 points F = 0-599 points
| Points | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 900-1000 points | A |
| 800-899 points | B |
| 700-799 points | C |
| 600-699 points | D |
| 0-599 points | F |
UNIVERSITY POLICIES
Academic Conduct and Integrity:
What does “academic integrity” mean? Academic integrity means honesty and responsibility in scholarship. Here are the basic expectations about academic work at the University of Oklahoma;
- Students attend OU in order to learn and grow.
- Academic assignments exist for the sake of this goal.
- Grades exist to show how fully the goal is attained.
- Thus, all work and all grades should result from the student’s own effort to learn and grow. Academic work completed any other way is pointless, and grades obtained any other way are fraudulent.
Academic integrity means understanding these basic rules, without which no university can exist. Academic misconduct (cheating) is not just “against the rules.” It destroys the mutual trust and respect that should exist between student and professor. Finally, it is unfair to students who earn their grades honestly. The University subscribes to Turnitin.com, a program to check student papers for originality. Other academic integrity information can be found at: http://integrity.ou.edu/index.html
Accommodation Statement: “Any student in this class who has a disability that may prevent full demonstration of ability should contact the instructor personally before the end of the first week of classes so that discussion can be held regarding accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate individual educational opportunities.” The Accessibility and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) provides support for students with documented disabilities, and you can contact them at drc@ou.edu or (405)-325-3852.
Finals Policy:
The University of Oklahoma understands that finals week can be a very stressful time for students. As such, certain policies have been implemented in order to protect you from unreasonable course expectations in the lead up to finals week. Our course schedule has been structured to follow these Final Exam Policies, which I recommend that you review. If you believe that a faculty member has violated these policies, I recommend that you speak with them to seek clarity. If there is a violation that cannot be remedied, then you may report the violation following the guidance in the Final Exam Policies.
Land Acknowledgement
Long before the University of Oklahoma was established, the land on which the University now resides was the traditional home of the “Hasinais” Caddo Nation and “Kirikirʔi:s” Wichita & Affiliated Tribes.
We acknowledge this territory once also served as a hunting ground, trade exchange point, and migration route for the Apache, Comanche, Kiowa and Osage nations. Today, 39 tribal nations dwell in the state of Oklahoma as a result of settler and colonial policies that were designed to assimilate Native people.
The University of Oklahoma recognizes the historical connection our university has with its indigenous community. We acknowledge, honor and respect the diverse Indigenous peoples connected to this land. We fully recognize, support and advocate for the sovereign rights of all of Oklahoma’s 39 tribal nations. This acknowledgment is aligned with our university’s core value of creating a diverse and inclusive community. It is an institutional responsibility to recognize and acknowledge the people, culture and history that make up our entire OU Community.
Course Catalog
Search the OU Course Catalog.
Student Handbook
Please familiarize yourself with the OU Student Handbook.
Online Library
Access digital materials and other resources at OU Libraries.
Copyright Statement
Sessions of this course may be recorded or live-streamed. These recordings are the intellectual property of the individual faculty member and may not be shared or reproduced without the explicit, written consent of the faculty member. In addition, privacy rights of others such as students, guest lecturers, and providers of copyrighted material displayed in the recording may be of concern. Students may not share any course recordings with individuals not enrolled in the class or upload them to any other online environment.
Academic Integrity
As a member of the OU community, it is your responsibility to protect your educational investment by knowing and following the rules. The Student Code is available from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, and is contained in the Student's Guide to Academic Integrity.
Academic honesty is incredibly important within this course. Cheating is strictly prohibited at the University of Oklahoma, because it devalues the degree you are working hard to get. Should you know of someone else engaging in academic misconduct, please report it to your instructor or directly to the Office of Academic Integrity. Your instructor has a professional obligation to report academic misconduct.
In addition to the course conduct policies outlined by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook.
Religious Observance
It is the policy of the University to excuse the absences of students that result from religious observances and to reschedule examinations and additional required classwork that may fall on religious holidays, without penalty. [See Faculty Handbook 3.15.2].
Reasonable Accommodation for Disabilities
The Accessibility and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) is committed to supporting students with disabilities to ensure that they are able to enjoy equal access to all components of their education. This includes your academics, housing, and community events.
If you are experiencing a disability, a mental/medical health condition that has a significant impact on one or more life functions, you can receive accommodations to provide equal access. Possible disabilities include but are not limited to learning disabilities, AD(H)D, mental health, and chronic health. Additionally, we support students with temporary medical conditions (broken wrist, shoulder surgery, etc.) and pregnancy.
To discuss potential accommodations, please contact the ADRC at 730 College Avenue, (phone) 405-325-3852, or adrc@ou.edu.
Title IX Resources
For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24/7, counseling services, mutual no contact orders, scheduling adjustments, and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. Please contact the Sexual Misconduct Office at (405) 325-3546 (available 8 am – 5 pm Mon-Fri) or OU Advocates (405) 615-0013 (available 24/7) to learn more or report an incident.
Adjustments for Pregnancy/Childbirth Related Issues
Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability. For commonly asked questions, please see www.ou.edu/content/eoo/faqs/pregnancy-faqs.htm
Mental Health Support Services
If you are experiencing any mental health issues that are impacting your academic performance, counseling is available at the University Counseling Center (UCC). The Center is located on the second floor of the Goddard Health Center, at 620 Elm Rm. 201, Norman, OK 73019. To schedule an appointment, call 405-325-2911. For more information, please visit the University Counseling Center.
Required Policies for Students On Campus
Emergency Protocol
During an emergency, there are official university procedures that will maximize your safety.
Severe Weather: If you receive an OU Alert to seek refuge or hear a tornado siren that signals severe weather:
- Look for severe weather refuge location maps located inside most OU buildings near the entrances
- Seek refuge inside a building. Do not leave one building to seek shelter in another building that you deem safer. If outside, get into the nearest building.
- Go to the building’s severe weather refuge location. If you do not know where that is, go to the lowest level possible and seek refuge in an innermost room. Avoid outside doors and windows.
- Get in, Get Down, Cover Up.
- Wait for official notice to resume normal activities.
Severe Weather Preparedness Video
Armed Subject/Campus Intruder
If you receive an OU Alert to shelter-in-place due to an active shooter or armed intruder situation or you hear what you perceive to be gunshots:
- Avoid: If you believe you can get out of the area without encountering the armed individual, move quickly towards the nearest building exit, move away from the building, and call 911.
- Deny: If you cannot flee, move to an area that can be locked or barricaded, turn off lights, silence devices, spread out, and formulate a plan of attack if the shooter enters the room.
- Defend: As a last resort fight to defend yourself. For more information, visit:
OU's Emergency Preparedness site
Shots Fire on Campus Procedure
Fire Alarm/General Emergency
If you receive an OU Alert that there is danger inside or near the building, or the fire alarm inside the building activates:
- Leave the building. Do not use the elevators.
- Know at least two building exits
- Assist those that may need help
- Proceed to the emergency assembly area
- Once safely outside, Notify first responders of anyone that may still be inside the building due to mobility issues.
- Wait for official notice before attempting to re-enter the building.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|