Syllabus

it.coe.uga.edu/~mfitzger/7340/syllabus.html
EDIT 7340: Issues in School Media Programs
Summer Semester, 2011
UGA at Gwinnett

6-6-2011

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Schedule 2011
May 21, Saturday, 10a-12: Wimba (eLC EPIT Advisement)

Instructor

Dr. Mary Ann Fitzgerald
Associate Professor
604C Aderhold Hall
(706) 542-4110, Athens
maryannfitz at gmail.com
http://it.coe.uga.edu/~mfitzger

Objectives:

The learner will be able to:

1. Identify and discuss important trends affecting the SLM field.
2. Design a useful project intended to support SLM practice.
3. Design and conduct effective professional development training for peers.

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
Due dates, typically Monday 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 are not necessarily guaranteed!

This semester, we will pursue an experimental approach to the Applied Project.

Note that M.Ed. students have a different set of assignments, below.  Also, all students have the option of working Group assignments as individuals - especially since this is a summer online course with no face-to-face meetings.

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 online in some form or other. 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  (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. 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.  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, please include a summary of feedback points and actions taken. Super Eight Assessments (in this class, the Selection Policy and the Order) must achieve the 90% level upon completion of the Certification Portfolio.
   
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.We won't use the eLC gradebook, but keeping up with your progress is very simple: add. Of course, I will keep a gradebook spreadsheet; if at any time you need to see your row, let me know.
   
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/.
10. Collaborative option.  I have specified the preferred mode for each assignment - individual or group. Collaboration has many benefits and is a professional competency SLMSs must have. However, it is possible to use another mode, especially for individuals to complete group assignments.  Please let me know if you want to exercise this option for any assignment.  All members of a group receive the same grade for their group's product.  If you have a problem in finding a group, please let me know; I will help match-make. Groups should be no larger than three people.
    

• Expect to "check in" by reviewing the Planner, Announcements, and certainly email 3x per week.  This "attendance" will not be monitored, but laxity will quickly become self-evident.
  
• Carefully attend to each item listed on the Planner. This tool is the central mechanism for regulating participation and communicating tasks within the class.
• Answer promptly - within 48 hours during the week.  Email is the primary communication channel.  I will strive to do the same. Please do not make me "chase" you.
• If you choose to collaborate on any assignment, place inter-group communication and responsibility as one of your highest priorities.  Nothing frustrates students more than group members who do not respond promptly and keep their commitments. 
• We are all permitted to declare "Offline Holidays."  A central calendar will be provided for you to register these times when you cannot be reached.
  

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.   

This class is organized according to a "learning plan" design, which is primarily a linear checklist for each student to follow individually.  Due dates are provided as pacing mechanisms.  These dates, for the most part, are Monday nights at midnight.

• I prefer to operate on a first name basis.
• There are NO stupid questions.   When on your own, I suggest this: 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.
• We will not criticize people we know who are working in the field, certainly not by name.  Instead, we may criticize ineffective practices and strive to discover more effective ones.
• 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 (rare)
  
• The website provides almost all static information in the course.
  
• 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.
• Announcements: I will use this Google tool to provide periodic, blog-style updates, status reports, and reminders, probably several times per week.  Subscribe via RSS or sign up for email pointers to these annoucements. Conveniently, announcements are archived and remain viewable indefinitely.
  
• 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 (maryannfitz at gmail). 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 ("EPIT Advisement").  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 Google.
  
• If all else fails, try my cell number (also on the eLC homepage) or  the office (706-542-4110).
• 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 via this website.  If you can't find it, email me.  
• Assignment pages:  post your major assignments on this page. Feel free to visit other students' pages. Remember to consider the viewing rights (private? shared? public?) of each item posted there. Your online assignment page - kept up to date each semester - can form the beginning of your final certification portfolio.  Make sure to keep local electronic copies of all your projects, even if you don't house them in your own web space. 
• We will not use eLC, with the exception of Wimba.
  
• 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.

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