Psych300_Online

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Psychology 300:
General Principles - Online Course

Course Description & Requirements
What to Expect in this Course
 Waiting List

textbook cover image
Psychology Eighth Edition in Modules
by David G. Myers
Students are required to use either the eBook OR the traditional textbook.
eBook ISBN: 0-7167-7054-7
Traditional textbook ISBN: 0-7167-7927-7
Course Textbook

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is for psychology majors, behavioral science majors and
others who desire a broad overview of general principles. Topics
include the scientific method, statistics, biological determinants and
general processes of behavior such as development, learning, verbal
behavior, intelligence, perception, motivation, emotion, personality
and mental health (ARC Catalog). See Psychology 305 (.pdf) for alternative course. 

This course is an online course: for this course, that means that all class meetings (including the orientation), assignments, and tests are online.

REQUIREMENTS

Student Skills: Students are expected to have the knowledge of, ability to use, and access to resources that will allow them to successfully complete an online course.

Please Note:
For students with minimal computer skills who wish to take a fully online psychology course, please first take one of the introductory Internet courses available through the Computer Information Science department rather than an online course that requires students to already possess computers skills. There are many campus-based psychology sections available for those who prefer to meet with a class on campus.

Orientation is mandatory and is held ONLINE on the first day of class.

All of my online courses are offered via Moodle. New to Moodle? Get ready for class by going through the Moodle Tutorial!

Required Materials

  • Textbook:  Myers, David G. (2007). Psychology, Eighth Edition, in Modules. NY: Worth Publishers.  Students may use either the eBook OR the traditional textbook for this course:


eBook ISBN: 0-7167-7054-7
Traditional textbook ISBN: 0-7167-7927-7

The textbook will be available at the start of the semester through the ARC Library's Reserves area for 2-hour study periods for students who do not own their own books: Library Reserves

  • Moodle Account supported by someprofs.org of ARC and SCC.  For this course , the use of Moodle is required.  Students enrolled in the course will receive log in information via their iMail accounts just prior to the start of the semester.

    Why Moodle? I have found the server on which Moodle is hosted to be very reliable, and this results in students being able to access classes more consistently and to have better experiences taking tests. I hope you like it as much as I do. happy face

  • Publisher’s Web Site Account:  A link is provided in the Orientation area on Moodle beginning on the first day of classes.

  • Hardware/Software Requirements & Recommendations:   The following software programs and plug-ins are required for this course.  

Students using a Los Rios campus computer will have these programs available:

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WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS COURSE

  • This online class meets ENTIRELY online via Moodle.   In this course, students will:
    • Read assignments from the required textbook.
    • Read and/or interact with online lectures.
    • Participate in online discussions (graded and ungraded) with classmates and the instructor.
    • Read and/or interact with material located on assigned web pages.
    • Take tests online.
    • Students submit ALL course work via Moodle.
  • All online students read more than do students who take campus-based courses. This is because materials that are translated to the online environment, e.g., lectures, often use text to convey ideas. For instance, in a traditional course, students listen to and take notes from lectures delivered in the classroom; in the online course, students may listen to lectures (depending on media used) but it is more likely that they will be reading lecture material, taking notes, and navigating through the lectures themselves.

  • This course is not self-paced. Course content is released on a weekly basis. Everyone in class will be completing the same assignments during the same time periods.  Students will work with each other throughout the semester. 
  • Assignments:
    • Each unit is comprised of weekly assignments and activities, e.g., textbook reading, online lectures, online demonstrations, and so on.  
    • Graded Assignments: written work and multiple-choice tests:  
    • Please note: All tests are given on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Time limits are applied to tests, but students have the flexibility of taking the tests during a 24 hour period.
      Students who cannot work the tests into their schedules on these days and times are advised to take a different course that will work better with their schedules.
  • Important documents (e.g., syllabus, assignment descriptions, grading criteria) can be found on the Moodle site on the first day of classes.
IF YOU ARE ON THE WAITING LIST: 

Please, be aware that the online classes are very popular and, unfortunately, not everyone on the waiting list will be admitted to this class. Students on the waiting list will be admitted as per the number assigned on the list as enrolled students drop. 

cartoon questioning"How will I know whether I've been admitted?" 

1. Check back with eServices periodically: prior to the start of classes, as enrolled students change their schedules, students on the waiting list are automatically enrolled in their places.  

2. During the first week of class, students whose waiting list numbers come up will receive an e-mail message from me containing a permission number needed to enroll in the course. So, make sure to check your iMail account. Once you receive the e-mail message from me, you are to do the following:

    • Enroll in the course within 24 hours (Pacific Time) of the e-mail message I send. Once you have enrolled, the next day you will receive your Moodle log in information in your iMail account. Contact me immediately if you do not receive your log in information within 24 hours of my message to you.

    • Log in to the course Moodle site and complete the course orientation within 24 hours (Pacific Time) of receiving your log in information. For instance, if the e-mail containing the log in information is time-stamped at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, then you have until 11 a.m. on Wednesday to log in to complete the orientation. Doing so guarantees your place in class.

    • Failure to enroll in the course, and/or failure to log in to the course Moodle site, and/or failure to complete the course orientation within the time periods outlined previously will result in no admittance to the class.

3.  If you do not receive an e-mail message from me by Friday at 4 p.m. of the first week of classes, I am sorry, but you have not been admitted to class.   Please consider one of the many campus-based courses offered at ARC or you may wish to visit the California Virtual Campus for a comparable class offered by another institution.

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Image Sources:

    Happy face from http://www.designstop.com/free_stuff/clipart/smiles/smiles1.htm.

Myers, David G. (2007). Psychology, Eighth Edition, in Modules.
NY: Worth Publishers. 
Used with permission.

Last Modified April 14, 2009->->

Questions about this web site should be directed to Professor Natasha Breitenbach

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