Course Syllabus
Contact Information
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Course Details
For a list of course activities, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Course Format
Asynchronous Online: Learning takes place online and asynchronously within a course site, typically hosted in a learning management system (LMS).
Course Prerequisites
Junior standing or departmental permission
Course Materials
No text is required. Materials will be provided in each module.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLO)
- Interdisciplinary Problem-Solving: Apply innovative problem-solving to real world situations and existing issues within students' personal and professional lives.
- Critically analyze verbal, written, and visual information.
- Engage in various types of creative problem-solving processes.
- Utilize innovative thinking strategies to facilitate effective decision making and problem solving.
- Effective Communication: Effectively use communication methods and strategies to share information and ideas from a management perspective through writing and other media.
- Apply conflict resolution skills to resolving communication issues in the workplace.
- Utilize appropriate communication methods and strategies depending on the audience and situation.
- Utilize both scholarly and informal communication methods to transfer information to stakeholders.
- Digital Literacy and Data Analysis: Apply digital literacy skills to evaluate the quality and reliability of sources.
- Identify personal biases and flaws in reasoning with a goal of mitigating these biases and flaws.
- Evaluate sources and data for quality, reliability and bias.
- Utilize data visualization to communicate information.
Course Learning Outcomes (CLO) Alignment
| CLO | Description | PLO |
|---|---|---|
| A | Effectively express points of personal inspiration and motivation. | 2B |
| B | Identify a set of personal core values and further develop an understanding of how those values contribute to the current self and ideal self. | 1B, 2B |
| C | Compare and contrast self-concept against collected outside opinions to create a holistic view of self. | 1A, 1B, 2B |
| D | Further develop an understanding of personal barriers and construct a plan to overcome obstacles. | 1A, 1B, 2B |
| E | Construct a meaningful work statement to identify a focal point for momentum in achieving the ideal self. | 1B, 2B, 3A |
| F | Create a holistic life plan to provide checkpoints with tangible goals to provide a path to significant movement from the current self to the ideal self within a designated timeframe. | 1B, 1C, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3C |
Grades
Breakdown
| Activity | Description | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Discussion |
Students engage in meaningful dialogue directly related to the theme of each associated unit. This activity requires students to make an initial post and reply to at least two peers whose posts resonated with them. Discussions will be completed in Units 2, 4, 6, and 8. |
4 @ 25 points each |
| Activity Journal |
You will be directed to complete various activity prompts, which will be used to guide reflection responses in bi-weekly Activity Journals. The activity prompts will cover questions that are directly connected to each unit’s theme and are designed to have you answer questions about core values and traits that impact the current state and future direction of your life. Activity Journals will be completed in Units 1, 3, and 5. |
3 @ 100 points each |
| Reflection Essay |
You will write reflection essays every other week that are tied to at least one other learning activity for each unit. These reflections will ask you to apply the concepts that have been introduced into your life in a fashion that addresses past experiences, present status, and future projections to create a holistic application of the concept to your life. Reflection essays will be completed in Units 2, 4, 6, and 7. |
4 @ 100 points each |
| Final Presentation | In Unit 8, you will create an online presentation for your final project in this course. This project, A Life by Design, will be created as a PowerPoint or other format of online presentation, along with optional creative components such as video, song, or other creative multimedia components. | 1 @ 200 points |
| Total | 1000 points |
Scale
| Points | Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 900–1000 | 90–100% | A |
| 800–899 | 80–89% | B |
| 700–799 | 70–79% | C |
| 600–699 | 60–69% | D |
| 0–599 | Below 60% | F |
Course Policies
Late Policy
It is your responsibility to maintain personal communication with your instructors regarding late work. If you are going to be delayed in submitting assignments due to work, religious observances, or scheduled medical procedures, you should make all efforts to contact your faculty members in advance to let them know about your situation and make arrangements to work ahead whenever possible. Keep in mind that in most cases it is at the discretion of the instructor whether to grant an extension or apply late penalties to an assignment received after the posted deadline. Late work will be graded as soon as possible, but preference will be given to grading on-time submissions in the current week of the course.
Faculty members are not obligated to initiate contact with you before giving assignments or final grades. If you have several outstanding/late assignments, your grade may be seriously impacted. Students are expected to abide by the guidelines in the OU Student Handbook. Failure to abide by these guidelines can lead to sanctions as outlined in the OU Student Rights and Responsibilities Code.
Additional Support for Learning
The College of Professional and Continuing Studies provides links to writing resources. If you have questions about assignment requirements or would like to request feedback on a rough draft, you are encouraged to communicate with your course instructors while giving them enough lead time to respond before assignments are due.
The OU Writing Center is a wonderful resource available to all students and is funded in part by your student course fees. The Writing Center is equipped to help students both online and in-person.
OU Libraries resources are available to all PACS students, including the ability to live chat, e-mail, and/or call a reference librarian with questions you may have about finding and evaluating sources for research papers. Students also have access to PACS Library Guides.
Technical Support
Offered through Canvas Student Support and OU IT.
College of Professional and Continuing Studies Teaching Philosophy
We in the College of Professional and Continuing Studies (PACS) believe that higher education is a crucial ingredient in becoming a successful, personally fulfilled human being and an actively engaged citizen of the state, nation, and world. Further, we operate with the foundational assumption that a University of Oklahoma education should be available to all qualified students regardless of their age, geographic location, or life circumstances.
Acting on these assumptions, PACS strives to create significant and meaningful learning experiences through online and accelerated course delivery methods. All PACS courses incorporate interdisciplinary perspectives and provide students with a well-rounded, life-enriching liberal education combined with specialized study in selected program areas, thus preparing them for ever higher levels of learning. PACS faculty members provide instruction, encouragement, timely response, and constructive feedback to broaden and deepen the student's understanding of course materials.
We understand that adult learners prefer and have the best achievement within a collaborative and interactive learning environment while functioning on their own personal schedules. We also believe that all students are capable of learning, and we aspire to enable students' self-agency in attaining their personal learning goals.
College of Professional and Continuing Studies Expectations and Policies
You can expect instructors to:
- Challenge you to think about and understand the material in this course.
- Encourage you to learn the material in the course and become a lifelong learner.
- Be available to return e-mails in a timely fashion, within 48 hours.
- Engage you in discussions.
- Provide feedback.
As the student, you are expected to:
- Accept responsibility for your learning.
- Have all textbooks and course materials before the class starts.
- Be engaged in the course by logging in to the course early each week, checking online discussions for replies and questions related to your postings, reading course announcements, knowing when assignments are due, and turning in all assignments on time.
Many PACS courses are offered in compressed formats, so the time devoted to each class per week should be adjusted accordingly. Set aside enough time to read and understand assigned course materials early in the week, actively participate in class discussions, and successfully complete assessments such as quizzes, projects, written assignments, and research papers.
Read and apply feedback from your instructor. Reach out to ask your instructor any questions you have about the feedback.
Use only your OU email address for all OU correspondence and assignments.
Ask your advisor if you have questions about your degree program or other questions not related to a specific course.
Have a reliable computer and a reliable Internet connection. Do some pre-planning and have a backup plan ready in the event you should have computer or Internet problems.
Submit all assignments and communications related to your coursework in the Canvas online class; do not email assignments to the professor.
Practice your writing skills. Use tools to edit and proofread your papers prior to submission for grading.
Instructor Academic Integrity Policy (Optional)
Insert your academic integrity policy here. Delete this section if it is not applicable.
Instructor Teaching Philosophy (Optional)
Insert your teaching philosophy here. Delete this section if it is not applicable.
Assignment Completion Policies
The College of Professional and Continuing Studies expects students to complete all assignments to earn a final grade in a given course.
Syllabus Updates
This syllabus is subject to change. The instructor will post any substantive changes to the syllabus in an announcement in Canvas.
University Academic Policies and Student Support
Access the University Academic Policies Document.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|