Syllabus

it.coe.uga.edu/~mfitzger/7340/syllabus.html
EDIT 7340: Issues in School Media Programs
Spring Semester, 2009
UGA at Gwinnett

11-17-09

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Schedule, tentative
Saturdays:

• Aug 29, 12-3p
• Sep 19: 11-3p
• Oct 10: 11-3p
• Oct 24: 10a-3p (virtual)
  
• Nov 14: 10a-3p
• Dec 12: 12-3p
  

Instructor

Dr. Mary Ann Fitzgerald
Associate Professor
604C Aderhold Hall
(706) 542-4110, Athens
mfitzger at uga.edu
http://it.coe.uga.edu/~mfitzger
For more contact details, check the eLC homepage for this course.

Objectives:

The learner will be able to:

1. Design a research project of authentic value to a given educational context.
2. List prominent school library media researchers and briefly describe the contributions of each.
3. Evaluate published research results for quality and applicability to a given educational context.
   

• What is research?
• Types of research
• Exploring literature
• Establishing a theoretical frame around a problem
• Synthesizing literature

Instructional Strategies

Research
Case studies and scenarios
Assignments (see below)
Class discussions and small group discussions
Readings in texts and of current scholarly and practical articles
Individual presentations
Idea sharing
Reflection
Workshops
Mock professional conference
Podcasts
Conferencing with instructor

Assignments
This  set of assignments may look like a collection of many small pieces.  However, if you look carefully, it's really one big assignment with two side pieces. I will provide detailed instructions for completing each of these, which will be available near the first day of class.

Due dates, typically Sunday nights just before midnight, are negotiable for the first two weeks of the semester. After that, individuals or groups may request deadline adjustments in advance to accommodate specific circumstances.  Early submissions are fine, although early evaluations not necessarily guaranteed!

Grading Policy

1. Projects are constructed to be as authentic as possible.  They are often large and challenging, but they are also realistic.  Detailed rubrics are provided to guide students to a high standard of performance.
2. A lot of thought goes into pacing assignments and arranging deadlines to be reasonable both for you to complete the assignments and for me to properly evaluate them.  As professionals, we mutually expect deadlines to be met. Please contact me if you have a problem with meeting a particular deadline. If an assignment is late, its score may be reduced. Also, please check with me if you feel that a deadline needs to be rescheduled, either for you personally or for the class as a whole.
3. Communication and writing skills are essential for media specialists, Master’s candidates, and Specialist candidates. Therefore, all writing must comply with grammatical and spelling rules and should look professional in a visual sense. Please use a word processor and avail yourself of the spelling and grammar-checking tools provided by your software. Web sites and projected materials should receive the same level of proofreading and care that printed papers do.  If errors or appearance detract from the quality of an assignment, the score will reflect this problem. I reserve the right to return severely flawed assignments to you without a grade so that you may repair them prior to my reading.  Most assignments have a "mechanics" criterion. Items that are written for public consumption in real life -- such as web pages -- should be as close to perfect as possible, in keeping with the professionalism expected of you in the field.  Items that are more reflective or just for me to evaluate will not be held to such a high standard. 
4. Format.  Most assignment descriptions specify the form in which each assignment should be turned in. Please pay careful attention to this detail. Most are submitted via eLC. You should also post your assignment on your assignment page - unless privacy will be compromised (as in the case of Field Experiences).  This provides a sharing opportunity for all class members and provides backup. 
5. As scholars, it is essential for you to give credit to any other sources consulted in the course of completing any assignment. Use in-line citations as appropriate.  List these in a reference list near the end of the project, and please follow APA style (5th or 6th edition).
6. Resubmit option. I believe in mastery learning, a learning model in which students have the opportunity to keep working at a skill until they have accomplished it. If you receive less than a 90% score on any assignment, you may correct the problem(s) and resubmit up until the final due date.  If you choose to use this option, you must resubmit the original assignment and scoring sheet/rubric along with your revised assignment, along with a summary of feedback.  It is my philosophy that every student can achieve an A with sufficient effort; this class is not a competitive event, nor are student performances rated in relation to others.
7. I follow the Graduate School's policy of using the Incomplete grade only in the case of documented illness or other unavoidable emergency.  If you feel you have the need and justification for an Incomplete, you must communicate with me as soon as possible and document your difficulty.
8. Plus/minus grading: the Graduate School strongly encourages faculty to use plus-minus grading.  However, note that the A+ grade is not possible.  The plain "A" is the highest possible grade. A-, B+, B, B-, etc., are all possible. Scale: 94 and up = A. 90-93 = A-. 88-89 = B+. 83-87 = B. 80-82 = B-. 78-79 = C+. 73-77=C. 70-72=C-. Below that: retake class.
9. Academic honesty. All academic work must meet the standards contained in "A Culture of Honesty." Students are responsible for informing themselves about those standards before performing any academic work. More information about academic honesty can be found at http://www.uga.edu/honesty/.

• Perceived unreliability among your professional network.  Once this impression is formed, it is very difficult to overcome. 
  
• Loss of information. Although I strive to provide complete notes and references, it's very difficult to capture class discussion in notes.   Projects require you to draw upon everything that happens in class, in addition to readings and individual investigation.
  
• Loss of contribution.  The most important parts of class are the contributions of cohort members - if you're not there, everyone else misses your contribution. Do not assume that you will not be missed.
  
• Honesty on job recommendations.  Most formal job recommendation forms require a comment or rating on factors such as dependability, attendance, health, punctuality, etc.  These are critical professional attributes.  When the day comes for me to fill out recommendations, I must reflect back on these factors and be honest about my observations.
  

One of my pet peeves is to be asked: "Sorry I was absent - what did I miss?" You are responsible for material missed, and it's up to you to ask your classmates about what happened.  The agenda will usually help you to figure out what happened. 

Special Needs
If you need special assistance due to a physical or learning disability, please let me know. I will be happy to accommodate you in any way that I can.

 
Assignments and Homework
I carefully set due dates for assignments that I predict will be reasonable in terms of pacing and the preparation time required.  Through negotiation and ensuing discussion, we may adjust these deadlines as we go along. Please let me know if you see that major work logjams are ahead. Course content is grouped around assignments, so advance planning is best. 

The goal of readings and "homework" assignments is to prepare all of us for class interaction.  Secondarily, these readings and activities help fill in the gaps of your knowledge that we can't cover in class.  Expect to study topics on your own until you understand them, using the many resources listed.  I often priorize readings to help you manage your tasks. The assignments call upon you to apply everything you've learned.

Unlike some professors, I find it impossible to construct a reading schedule at the beginning of the semester because I tend to adjust the agenda as we progress.  The Planner will list all expectations, and will evolve along with the course. I will update it by Wednesday following each Saturday class.

Ground Rules

• Wear a name tag.
  
• I prefer to operate on a first name basis.
• There are NO stupid questions.  As media specialists, one of your jobs is to empower students to find their own answers.  First, explore on your own, using the research skills and resources available to you.  Second, ask your professional peers.  Finally, if you're still not satisfied, ask me.
• Conversely, as a student in the class, it is your responsibility to help other students as much as you can.  We need an atmosphere of mutual learning and inquiry.  Also, troubleshooting and teaching another person to do something are very effective ways of bolstering your own understanding.  Media specialists usually enjoy helping other people solve problems and questions.
• Please avoid monopolizing discussions, and avoid side conversations during presentations.  These two little things make many class members uncomfortable and frustrated. Lots of time for talking will be provided!
• During class, feel free to interrupt with points and questions.  I will also feel free to redirect when we seem to be wasting time.
• We will not criticize people we know who are working in the field.  Instead, we may criticize ineffective practices and strive to discover more effective ones.
• Cell phones: please turn the ringer off during class and leave the room if you must take a call.
• Please take comfort breaks as needed. Several breaks will be provided.
• The Honker Horn will call us to order after each break.
• Please help me leave our classroom arranged and clean like we found it, including any food-related messiness.
• As for food, we are allowed to bring drinks, bag lunches, and  finger-foods but not slow cookers or other heat-generating devices. We are expected to remove our own food trash (due to no custodians on duty on weekends) and to leave table tops clean.
  
• Participants must comply with all computer policies established by UGA.

Communication:

• Methods for "pushing" messages to you:
• Urgent, must-see items will come over SLM-L with this class named in the message header.
• We will establish a phone tree to ensure that late-breaking emergency arrangements are communicated.
• I will blog about many topics that are less urgent but still important enough for the entire class to hear.  The blog for this class is slms.wordpress.com. As a member of Cohort 8, you should also follow cohort8.wordpress.com, ignoring information specific to EDIT 6900.  I highly recommend that you subscribe via RSS or email.
• I use my website for posting public information that changes only periodically. It is roughly indexed here.
  
• I use eLC/Resources for items that need to be protected behind a password. In addition, I try to centralize most course materials on the eLC HomePage for this course (most are links out to my website).
  
• eLC is not ideal for email, but you should check for notifications every day or two. (Even better, have them forwarded to your primary email account.)
• However, eLC is ideal for threaded project-related discussion.  I will set up a private discussion board for each of you, so that we can track questions, answers, and decisions through this tool over the long term.
  
• I will email you directly about individual matters - please respond promptly (within one to two days).  Make sure that I have your primary email address.  Check your UGA email account periodically; remember that you can usually have UGAMail imported into another preferred email service. Remember to check Junk Mail folders periodically as well.
• Make sure that I have your most current phone numbers and mailing address. 
  
• Ways you may contact me:
• My communication policy is to have the "door" open as much as possible.  I get up very early and don't mind early phone calls.  You can also call me at night, but I may be asleep after 9pm. 
  
• Most things, however, can be done through email (mfitzger@uga.edu). I strive to clear my Inbox each day, with the exception of weekends, holidays, and travel days.
  
• You are welcome to call me at my home telephone number.  While this number is not private, I will protect it to a certain degree; you can find it on the eLC homepage for this class.  I have an answering machine and I check it regularly.
  
• Skype is an excellent way to talk for free.   You can also IM me through Skype.  My ID is listed on the eLC homepage.
  
• If all else fails, try my cell number (also on the eLC homepage) or  the office (706-542-3810).
• I've pretty much abandoned fax technology in favor of scanned images sent through email.  If the need for this comes up, let's talk.
• US Mail: my home mailing address is also on the eLC homepage.  I visit Athens irregularly, and so mail sent there may be forgotten for days or weeks.  If I know something has been mailed, I will remember to have staff check on it for me.

• Most course materials may be found through three different avenues: this website, eLC, and Netvibes.
• A day or so before class, I will post an agenda for the next class's events. Please read the agenda on the evening before class. Some students find it helpful to print out a copy and bring it to class.  You are responsible for details on this agenda even if you don't attend class.
• We will use little or no paper in this class, either for handouts or for student work.  Most assignments go a). in the eLC dropbox, and b). on your online assignment page.
• Assignment pages:  post your assignments on this page. Feel free to visit other students' pages. Remember that anything posted on Assignment Pages is public. Your online assignment page - kept up to date each semester - can form the beginning of your final certification portfolio.  Make sure to keep electronic copies of all your projects, even if you don't house them in your own web space. 
• We will use eLC as needed, for the Gradebook, and as inspiration strikes.  We will not use it heavily for bulletin board purposes, although you are welcome to use this feature on your own. Chat and interactive audio (Wimba) are also available to you within eLC.  Do monitor your private discussion board, but I do not expect heavy activity there.
  
• When you see errors or inconsistencies (large or small) in course materials, please point them out to me.

Research

As a college professor interested in the scholarship of teaching and learning, I may collect, analyze, interpret, and report data as it concerns my courses, the cohort model, and the SLM Program. This allows continual improvement over time, and the opportunity to add to the body of knowledge regarding library education. My teaching journal, any electronic exchanges or online sessions, and especially samples of student work and reflections are all of interest for research purposes.  No extra work whatsoever is assigned for research purposes. No videotaping or audiotaping will be used for this purpose. Analysis will occur after semester grading is complete. If you prefer that your work in this class not be considered for purposes of research, please email your preference to me; I will cheerfully remove your material from analysis.  You may opt out at any point now or in the future.  We plan for this research to be an ongoing examination of teaching and learning within the SLM Program.  If we learn anything of value, we will publish our findings as time permits.  However, your name will never appear in any publication or presentation.   You will be asked to formally provide consent (or deny it) via a dropbox form.

Permissions