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Home On-Line Orientation Class Syllabus Assignments *

Class Syllabus

Spring 2016

GERON 302 (10489) (10437) (10717)
PSYC 374 (10481), (10490), (10718)

 Professor Sue Ward, Instructor
Contact Information:

Office Davies Hall 303
916 484-8160 school offic
FAX: 916-484-8519
Home office 530-205-5301  (please use only in panic emergencies except during office hours)

Email- wards@arc.losrios.edu

On campus RM.303 Wed: 9:00-1:00
On Line:  Tuesday  3-5pm
And by appointment or anytime you see me on D2L (You can check the "class list" link to see who's on)


Introduction

Text

Goals

Student Learning Outcomes

Class Structure

Format

Products

Final Project/Last posting

Due Date

Web/Discussion Assignments

Quizzes

Cyber Field Trips

Submitting Assignments

How to Contact Instructor

 Questions

Grades

Attendance
Plagiarism Policy

Drop policy

INTRODUCTION

The study of aging has changed dramatically since the late 1960's when just a handful of scholars began to explore the meaning behind longevity and the demographic changes that have become know as the "Age Wave" or the "Graying of America". Back then the focus was on the illnesses of older adults and how to "warehouse" them in society. We did not expect much from our aging process and most people were fearful of aging.  A lot has changed.  Today the focus is on "successful aging".

For example, at the turn of the 20th century  (1900) the average life expectancy was around 50 years. Today it's nearing 80. Because of this increase of nearly 30 years of active life America is making a shift from a nation of youths to one of active and healthy adults.   We are learning that successful aging (different from diseased aging)  is a powerful process and despite stereotypes our growth and development continue in later life (Hilliar,2007). As long as an individual is alive they continue to develop in complexity and richness. 

Because of the life-style that often comes as one ages successfully, many people look forward to enjoying their later years . Today we know that the frailty and disease, once associated with aging,  should only come in the last year of life. Not the prolonged infirmity our grandparents often knew.

This course will take you where many of you have never been, inside the thoughts and experiences of what it means to grow old today—the psychology of aging. It is a voyage that will help you to better understand not only your own aging process but the aging process of your family members and the adults around you. 

TEXT
Hillier, Susan and Georgia Barrow. Aging The Individual and Society.10th ed. Wadsworth Publishing, 2010. N.Y. I have ordered a special edition available at the book store for a reduced price.

GOALS

Soon, nearly twenty-five percent or one in four Americans will be over the age of 65. Because no one grows old in isolation, and none of us is isolated from events and experiences going on around us, this is going to impact your life, no matter what your current age, occupation, or status in life. 

In this course you will be introduced to the field of gerontology: not just from the psychological perspective (perceptions and misconceptions about the aging process), but also from the physical (or biological)  and social aspects (interactions between the elderly and the rest of society). You will learn that this is very different from geriatrics, which is the medicalization (addressing aging as an illness)  of old age.  You will learn that aging is not an illness and that not all old people live in nursing homes.

When you arrive at the end of this course you will likely see aging in a different light - most likely, you will view the older adults around you and your own aging process very differently.  No matter what your age this course will help you re- examine your own life course and help you to design your own aging process.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

bulletexamine and discuss different theoretical perspectives used in explaining adult development and behavior
bulletexplain the normal aging changes and analyze how lifestyle choices influence the aging process
bulletanalyze and discuss how ethnic diversity influences the aging process
bulletanalyze the values of different cohorts and how those values impact the aging experience
bulletanalyze the financial costs of aging in terms of retirement planning, Social Security, pensions, and health care programs
bulletcompare alternative living environments in terms of appropriateness and affordability

CLASS STRUCTURE

As adult learners you bring a wealth of experience, knowledge, ideas, and opinions  into the classroom. Classes are much more meaningful when  students use these experiences and ideas to enrich the discussion about the aging process. Your comments are vital to the learning process.  As noted in the Orientation you will be required to post SWAGS  but WAGS will add to our discussion as well (see Orientation for definition of these terms). Ground your ideas in facts and be able to document where those facts came from. For a superior grade cite all your work.

Each week, you will be asked to read the assigned reading from your text and the lecture materials. You will then be asked to complete a Web Topic Discussion assignment, and post your findings to that week's  discussion board. This is an opportunity for you to show what you have learned (your new knowledge ) and to tell us your feelings and thoughts about the topic at hand. 

FORMAT

This course will consist of lecture materials, discussions, text readings, a cyber field trip,  quizzes, a personal interview with a person over age 70. that you will present (your final post) to your classmates during finals week. This will all be done in cyber space. Materials in the lecture area will increase your knowledge on a particular topic and not reiterate information directly from the text. You will need to be familiar with both the text and the lecture materials in order to complete the quizzes, sound like you know what your talking about on the  web/discussion assignments, and complete the theory portion of your final post . When you post, your glowing knowledge or lack of will shine through. 

PRODUCTS  You will be asked to produce

You will be asked to produce:

bullet15 weeks worth of web-discussions/ assignments with
responses on two different days posted to the discussion link
worth up to a total of 10 points each (5 assignment 5 replies)

(NOTE class policy: no partial credit for one response  and you 
must have posted your assignment with a passing grade
to receive
 credit for the responses
                                                        150 points
bullet13 unit quizzes 10 pts each ( from text and lecture)                           130 points each
                                                               
bulletFinal Interview Post which is a presentation of your
 successful aging interview  on the discussion board                            50 points
with 2 responses.  (up to 35 points for assignment and up to 20 points for your two replies)
bulletOptional quiz for those who missed a unit quiz or who are not satisfied with a quiz grade-
this quiz will be posted as bonus or extra credit points.
 
bulletAlso watch for intermittent extra credit assignments scattered throughout the course during the semester.
Please see the Orientation Link for the class policy on extra credit :-)

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FINAL PROJECT Last Posting  (this is where you will post your final Project- your Successful Aging Interview

Find the complete instructions for this assignment at the Assignment Link
or click here  .

For this project you will have the opportunity to interview a person aged 70 years or older. This can not be a relative or close friend- this will cause you to lose 15 points.  Instructions and outline questions can be found by clicking here or as a electronic handout at the Assignment Link, week four. 

Look for someone who you feel is aging successfully (don't worry we will discuss this concept during the semester in course materials) . You will need to visit with the elder you select a few times to gain the information you are asked to write about. After you complete the survey questions you should have a good idea of which aging theories (we will study these in class many times.)  best descries this person aging process or successful aging. This is what you will be writing about.

Here are some helpful DONT"S


1. Don't try to get all the information in one setting (this is extremely important)
    To develop a rich interview that will result in an "A" posting plan to schedule at least two or three
     visits. It takes time for seniors to develop the kind of relationship you will need to do this
    correctly. Humans often hold a guard up until then feel comfortable with someone. This 
     takes time to develop.
2. DO NOT conduct interviews over the telephone.
3. Do not give the person the questionnaire to fill out and return to you. 
4. Simply answering the questions with no added depth usually results in a low grade.

Always cite your theories or resources for a superior grad
e

Helpful Do's

1. Read the instructions provided before you go and divide the interview questions into at least two or three
    visits. 
2. It is nice if you can give the interviewee a copy of the questions you will be covering at each 
    visit  ahead of time. This gives them time to think and reflect on the task. You will learn that our
    senses slow as we age and we need more time to process our creative thinking skills.  As we age 
    we  also have many more experiences to sort through and choose from. This takes time.
  
3. Your first visit should be a request to participate in the project and a "get to know each other" 
    visit. 
4. Let the elder know what your assignment is and which questions you will be asking the following 
     visit. 
 5. To receive a superior grade on this paper you must do superior work. This will require you to relate their
     life in terms of class theory,  relate the theory correctly and cite your resources . (more about this 
    later  in the course).
 
 
I KNOW RIGHT NOW YOUR PROBABLY ASKING YOURSELF "WHERE WILL I FIND SOMEONE OVER 70 WHO IS NOT A RELATIVE OR FRIEND? Don't worry, they miraculously start to pop up when you are looking and if not ask your classmates or myself for help.

I am always willing to preview completed assignments up to two weeks before their due date. This gives you the opportunity to make needed corrections and resubmit it on the due date to increase your grade. To submit for pre-review email the completed assignment to me with gero302 or psych374 in the subject line of your email and tell me it is a preview. Paste your work into the email not as an attachment please.  It should not be a draft but instead a completed paper ready for grading. You should get a response from me within 48 hours of submitting assignments if it is not the weekend. If you do not, I did not get it.

Here is a great site with information on conducting interviews. http://www.forbes.com/sites/shelisrael/2012/04/14/8-tips-on-conducting-great-interviews/ http://cas.umkc.edu/casww/sa/Profiles.htm

Don't run out and do your interview right away. You need to learn some class materials first to do it correctly. Please note this project and final post is worth up to 50 points.  Click her for the instructions before choosing someone.

DUE DATES

Due dates for every assignment in this course is located at the Assignment Link located above right. 

Web /Discussion Assignments

Please see the Orientation Link for a thorough discussion on posting requirements.

QUIZZES

This course offers a total of 13 open book, open notes quizzes plus one optional quiz.  You will be able to access these quizzes week-by-week. You will have two chances to take the quiz with an allotted time of one hour for each quiz. 

You may elect to take the optional quiz if you missed one, or are not satisfied with a quiz score. You can not hurt your grade by taking this quiz. It is posted as  bonus or extra credit points.  The final quiz will be available for a limited time. Be sure to check the Assignment Link for details. 

CYBER FIELD TRIP

We will be taking a cyber field trip during our class session. We will log on to the web site of an organization dedicated to aging issues to discover their mission and services.  Watch the Assignment Link for details. They will replace that weeks lecture materials so your postings are expected to be a bit more in depth.  They will be graded based again, on effort of accuracy.

SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS  - FROM THE ORIENTATION LINK
Due dates for every assignment in this course is located at the Assignment Link located above right. 

Quizzes will be on D2L and will be open book and open note. I know -- this excites many of you.  But don't be mislead, if you do not do the reading and complete the Web Discussion assignments you will not pass the quizzes in the allotted time period.  Late quizzes are never accepted- for any reason. If I accept yours I would have to extend the offer to all sections of the class. There will be however one make-up quiz offered at the end of the semester to replace a low score or a missed quiz. 

Please don't post your assignment as an attachment or send me any attachments. I prefer that you cut and past into your email any work you want to submit (such as extra credit). The school's server sees them as spam. Thanks

HOW TO CONTACT INSTRUCTOR  FROM THE ORIENTATION LINK

When you don't understand something I want you to ask. I don't want you to wait and then fall behind and feel lost when you finally get help. There are lots of ways to find both clarification and help. If you don't hear back from me within 24 hours (except week ends and holidays) assume I did not get your message. I check this site often and during school hours will reply with one day.

You can either :

  1. use the threaded discussion to ask questions (remember to put the word "HELP" in the subject line. ) and  if you are able, answer your class mates questions. 

  2.  email me wards@arc.losrios.edu

  3. use the instant message feature in D2L

  4. call me at school- 916 484-8160

  5. call my home office 530-205-5301

  6. fax me- 916 484-8519

  7. Find the weekly email I send to each of you with instructions and comments

  8. check the Announcement page of this class' web site

  9.  use the CLASS LIST to contact a class mate. (you might not have access to every name you see on the board. If you want to contact some one not on your list email me and I will let them know.  

  10. contact me for a one-on- one session either in my office or electronically.

  11. Read the syllabus take time to surf around the course site. Get a feel of how things are organized. If you find that you need one-on-one help or if you think you would benefit from a face-to-face orientation contact me and I will arrange a time for us to meet.

 
Questions
Please refer to the Orientation Page for the discussion of these topic in depth. 

Grades 
Grades will be determined strictly by points, not a grading curve. Points are distributed as follows:

bullet 13 Unit quizzes 10 pts. each                                                         130 points
                                                                                                             
bullet 15 Completed web/discussion assignments                                       150   
bullet Final Project Presentations 25 points with
2 responses to class mates worth up to 25 points each                       50
                                                                                         Total: 330 points possible 
                                                                        

                                                                   
To allow for absences (we cant all get to class every week ) you will find numerous extra credit assignments throughout the course. Check the Orientation link for class policy on extra credit.

Grades are awarded on percentages. 100-90% = A
                                                                     89-80% = B
                                                                     70-79% = C
                                                                     69-60% = D

Final grades will be posted on the School's GMAIL system. See the Orientation page for more on this subject. 

Now, check out the Assignment Link . Read the lecture,  web topic discussion assignment and any handouts.
See you at the Discussion Board. Remember to email, instant message (through D2L) or call me if you feel stuck.  I'm just a click away

Sue

PLEASE NOTE: College Policy requires that I inform you of the following:

ATTENDANCE, DROP  and Plagiarism Policy:

In an on line class posting to the discussion board is your way of coming to class. If a student does not post for three weeks, not necessarily consecutive, it is considered the same as not coming to class.  These students may be dropped from this course. It is the responsibility of the student to drop the course formally from admissions and records . Failure to do so will result in an "F" grade being posted.

Please do your own work. Plagiarism is a serious offense and can result in your being dropped from this course, a grade of F, and will be reported to proper college authorities for appropriate disciplinary action.  This includes  but is not limited to copying from any source without proper citations.

On that happy note- See you at the discussion board

Sue
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