Dear Virtual Psychology Student,
Welcome to the Online edition of Psychology 240: Abnormal
Psychology at College of the Canyons. My name is Mehgen Delaney
and I am your instructor for the course and am looking forward
to working with you during the coming semester! Please read this
entire letter for details about logging in to the course and the
amount and type of work required. If you have any further
questions that this letter does not answer, please send me an
email at
mehgen.delaney@canyons.edu.
To start things off….
This is a 100% online class, which means that there will not
be any on-campus or face-to-face meetings. See instructions
below for taking examinations.
This course will be available on Blackboard beginning on the
day that the class officially starts. Instructions for logging
in to Blackboard can be found here:
http://bb8.canyons.edu.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Do
not use
Internet Explorer 8 in Blackboard. There are MANY
incompatibility issues at this time. Either use an older version
of IE, or, use Firefox to access Bb.
Only officially enrolled students will have an account, and
you must complete the orientation discussion board by February
9th, or risk being dropped from the course.
If the class is closed and you would like to add….
I have instructions in my syllabus that state that all
enrolled students must log into our website and post on the
orientation discussion board by February
9th, or they will be dropped. I will give out add codes
for any open seats on February 10th.
If you wish to add the class, please e-mail me on or before
February 10th. I will add students
from the official waitlist first, then it will be first-come,
first-served, for any remaining seats. I will not add any
students into the class after February 11th. NO EXCEPTIONS!
How you take exams…..
If you live near COC:
Exams will be available in the TLC lab at EITHER campus,
several days prior to the due date of the exam as listed on the
syllabus. To take an exam in the TLC, you will need to show your
student ID, and tell the staff that you need to take an exam for
Ms. Delaney’s online Psych 240 class. You may take an exam at
any time that the lab is open – but it is
probably wiser to make an appointment. An exam does not
have to be taken on the date that it is due. (You may take it
early!) However, it must be completed by the date listed on the
syllabus.
If you DO NOT live near COC:
Procedures for students who live out of
College of the Canyons’ range
You must notify your professor of your "out of range"
status during the first week of class.
Your exams will need to be proctored, and it is the
STUDENT’S responsibility to do the following:
a. The non-local student is instructed to
locate an appropriate local institution, such as
a college or university, to proctor an exam. If
the student is serving in the U.S. military, a
commanding officer may proctor the exam.
b. The student will send the contact
information of the local institution to COC’s
TLC Lab*.
c. COC’s TLC Lab personnel will contact the
local institution to confirm that it is
appropriate.
d. The TLC Lab will inform the instructor of
the appropriateness of the proctoring
institution suggested by the student.
e. The instructor will inform the student
that the proctoring institution has been
approved.
f. In the case of a paper-and-pencil exam,
the instructor will provide the exam to the TLC
Lab, which will send it to the proctoring
institution.
g. If a paper exam, the student will take the
exam and leave it with the proctoring
institution, which will return it to the TLC
lab, which will then forward the exam to the
instructor.
*Renee McConnell
Instructional Lab Technician, English
College of the Canyons
renee.mcconnell@canyons.edu
When is the TLC lab open?
Check out their website:
http://www.canyons.edu/offices/tlc/
What you do on test day at the TLC lab:
Students must present some type of photo ID. Any student
who does not have a picture ID will not be issued a test. No
exceptions.
Cell phones, back packs, purses, and any electronic
equipment such as iPods are not allowed in the testing
rooms. These items will be housed at the information desk
while the student takes the exam. It is best, however, if
students leave these items at home.
Bluebooks, scantrons, and scratch paper will be checked
and stamped by a TLC employee.
Students are not allowed to leave the testing room for
any reason after receiving test.
Tests will not be administered 1 hour prior to closing.
Check hours of the TLC lab!
What you need to do in this class….
It’s all in the syllabus!
Required Materials
and Technology
I strongly recommend purchasing the textbook prior to
the beginning of class, as course work will begin
immediately.
The book is Abnormal Psychology (11th ed)
by Kring, Johnson, Davison, and Neale (2010) and is
available at the COC bookstore. You will also need
the companion text Case Studies in Abnormal Psychology
(8th ed) by Oltmanns, Martin, Nealse, and
Davison (2009).
Given that this is an online course, you MUST have
available to you a computer with reliable
internet access and a valid e-mail address that you
check regularly, preferably daily.
Additionally, you will need to purchase 4 Scantron
#882E forms, as each exam must be completed on this type
of scantron form to be eligible for credit. These
materials are available at the COC bookstore.
Please remember that it is your responsibility to use
a computer with reliable internet access. If your
internet connection is dropped because of a faulty
connection or you have other difficulties with your
computer, it is your responsibility to troubleshoot the
problem. While COC does provide online support for
students, having faulty equipment is not a valid excuse
to request a make-up on a quiz, exam, or discussion
board post, nor is it a valid excuse for missing any
announcements posted or e-mail messages sent with time
sensitive information about assignments and due dates. |
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Are You Ready for Online Coursework?
As noted above, work for this class will be completed using
Blackboard (Bb), an online course management system. In
order to succeed in this course, you should be familiar (at a
minimum) with using internet browser software (such as Internet
Explorer, Firefox, etc.) and with sending and receiving e-mail.
If you are unsure of your skill level and whether or not you are
ready for online learning, please visit this site to take a
number of self-assessments designed to help you determine your
readiness.
As the instructor of this course, it is my job to help you
learn about the field of psychology and give you constructive
feedback toward that end. I will help you with using
BlackBoard (Bb) and other online tools necessary to complete
course assignments. However, it is not part of my
job to provide instruction on how to use a computer, the
fundamentals of the internet, e-mail programs, or any other
basic aspect of online learning. It is your responsibility
to ensure that you have reliable equipment and network
connections before signing up for this (or any) online class.
A flaky computer or unstable internet connection is not an
acceptable reason for missing assignments in this course.
If You Think This Class Will Be Easy
If you are already familiar with taking online courses, this
class will likely feel comfortable. If this is the first time
you have taken an online course, I’d like to point out the
differences between the online environment and the traditional
classroom. Although online classes have many advantages,
including added flexibility, they are unique in several ways
and, therefore, may not be for everyone. First, online and
hybrid classes require students to utilize good time management
skills and possess a high level of self-motivation, since the
instructor is not visible on a daily basis, and "out of sight"
can mean "out of mind." Although I make every effort to keep you
apprised of deadlines, I will not always be visible to you and
will not be repeatedly asking you about why you have not
completed your assignments. Second, online and hybrid courses
require students to learn by reading course material and
responding in writing on examinations and assignments. If
you enjoy reading and feel that you communicate well in writing,
then this format may be for you. To successfully
complete this hybrid course, you must read the required
textbook, complete discussions and other writing assignments,
quizzes and exams.
Because this is an online course, you are required to master
the material outside of a classroom setting. This requires
approximately 20 hours per week of studying in order to complete
the reading assignments and other work for this class. If this
seems like more than you can manage without external prompting,
perhaps a more traditional class is for you. If you are highly
motivated, then this is the course for you. This class
promises to provide you with a good overview of the field of
psychology, as well as the opportunity to interact with a wide
variety of students from many different backgrounds.
If you have specific questions about this course, please
contact me by phone at (661) 362-3105 or e-mail at
mehgen.delaney@canyons.edu. If you have general
questions about distance learning programs at College of the
Canyons, you can contact Renee Drake at (661) 362-3600 or visit
the COC Distance Learning Web Site.
Again, welcome to the class!
Sincerely,
Mehgen Delaney, M.A.
Professor, Psychology
College of the Canyons
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