PSY 255 Introduction to Exceptionality

Instructor Contact Information

Instructor Name:  Sheri Narin

Office Phone:  (336) 599 – 1181 ext. 424, Office Location: L130 on the Person County Campus.  Office Hours are posted by door.  Virtual office hour is announced in the weekly announcement.

Email Address:  narins@piedmontcc.edu. Fax:  (336) 598 - 0453

Secretary Phone: Nancy Watts, (336) 599-1181 ext. 437

Faculty Website Address: http://www2.piedmontcc.edu/faculty/narins

Course Information

Course Description:  This course introduces the psychology of the exceptional person.  Topics include theoretical perspectives, terminology, and interventions pertaining to various handicapping conditions as well as the resulting psychosocial adjustments.  Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate a basic understanding of the potentials and limitations of the exceptional person.  Prerequisites: PSY 150.  Please note that this does not generally transfer as a psychology course but may transfer as an elective.  You will need to check with individual schools about its transferability.

Course Objectives:

1. Students will be able to describe people with differences, identifying and describing at least ten of the substantial differences (exceptionalities) that impact people’s lives in significant ways, including learning disabilities, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders, emotional/behavioral disorders, intellectual disabilities, communication disorders, autism, severe and multiple disorders, traumatic and acquired brain injury, hearing loss, vision loss, physical disabilities and health disorders, and gifted, creative and talented individuals.
2. Student will be able to describe the Americans with Disabilities Act and list the major provisions.
3. Students will be able to describe the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and explain the rights that an individual with a disability possesses, including access to education.
4. Student will be explain the concept of inclusive education and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this.
5. Students will describe at least three challenges of transitioning to adulthood, for people with disabilities.
6. Students will describe multicultural and diversity challenges in special education, and will explain why there seems to be an overrepresentation of multicultural students in special education.
7. Students will describe how exceptionalities impact the family unit and explore ways in which the family unit can be supported by professionals and the community.

Prerequisites and Co-requisites: Prerequisites: PSY 150

Course Topics: The course will cover the following topics in the order below:
Module One: Introduction and Chapter One – Understanding Exceptionality

Module Two: Chapter Two:  Education for All

Module Three:  Chapter Three:  Inclusion and Multidisciplinary Collaboration in the Early Childhood and Elementary School Years

Module Four:  Chapter Four: Transition and Adult Life

Module Five: Chapter Five: Multicultural and Diversity Issues

Module Six:  Chapter Six: Exceptionality and the Family

Module Seven:  Chapter Seven:  Learning Disabilities and Chapter Eight:  Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Module Eight:  Chapter Nine:  Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

Module Nine: Chapter Ten:   Intellectual Disabilities

Module Ten:  Chapter Eleven:  Communication Disorders

Module Eleven:  Chapter Twelve:  Severe and Multiple Disabilities

Module Twelve:  Chapter Thirteen:  Autism Spectrum Disorders

Module Thirteen:  Chapter Fourteen:  Traumatic and Acquired Brain Injury

Module Fourteen:  Chapter Fifteen:  Hearing Loss and Chapter Sixteen:  Vision Loss.

Module Fifteen:  Chapter Seventeen: Physical Disabilities and Health Disorders

Module Sixteen: Chapter Eighteen:  Gift, Creative and Talented

Specific Course Requirements: In addition to the requirements for any distance learning course (see: http://www2.piedmont.cc.nc.us/DL/hardware.htm for further information), you will need access to Microsoft word for submitting assignments.  You will also need Adobe Reader and JAVA programs to complete this course.

Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements

Required Textbooks: Hardman, M.L., Clifford, J.D. & Egan, M.W. (2008). Human exceptionality: School, community and family, 9^th ed.  Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Supplementary Materials: None

Course Website address: http://courses.piedmontcc.edu, then login and click on PSY 255 Introduction to Exceptionality.

Hardware Requirements: Please follow the hardware recommendations mentioned at : http://www2.piedmont.cc.nc.us/DL/hardware.htm, with the addition of access to Microsoft Word.

Software Requirements: You may need Acrobat Reader for some assignments.  You can get information on downloading it through http://www2.piedmont.cc.nc.us/DL/plugins.htm.  You will also need JAVA to access the virtual chat and office hours. There is no cost for the downloads.

Assessment and Grading

Testing Procedures:

Your exams are given through Blackboard and you have two hours to complete the exam.  Once you have started the exam, you will need to complete it at that time. There will be sixteen exams.  Each exam will become available the Monday morning of that module and will become unavailable at midnight on the Sunday night of that module, with the exception of the module one exam, which may have a slightly different schedule.  Missed exams cannot be made up.  Exams consist of questions in the following formats:  Multiple choice, fill in the blank, matching, short essay and true/false.

Grading Procedure:

Grades are based on the following assignments:

Introductory and concluding activities: 40 points (Required to be considered enrolled in the course).
Discussion Board activities: 320 points (Each week  is worth a total of 20 points)

Exams: 320 points (16 exams worth 20 points each)
Homework: 320 points (16 homework assignments worth 20 points each)

Total:  1000 points

Note:  The points are subject to change.
The grade breakdown is as follows:
Introductory activities, to be completed in the first week of class, are worth 40 points, or 4% of your grade. These include emailing the instructor, completing the syllabus quiz, completing an introductory homework assignment, and completing introductory discussion board posts.  This will also include an activity of references.  These activities will help familiarize you with the class structure and online learning processes and requirements.  Additionally, an online orientation quiz must be completed with a score of 100% to demonstrate adequate preparation for this class.  You can take the quiz as many times as needed to get a score of 100%.  You will not be able to access the second week’s assignments until you have obtained 100% on the syllabus quiz.  Additionally, you are not considered enrolled in the class until you have completed the orientation activities.

Discussion board postings are worth a total of 320 points, or 32% of your overall grade. You get two discussion board grades each week, one for your response to the question(s), and one for your responses to other students’ responses.  Discussion board posts demonstrate your knowledge of the chapters in the textbook and provide an opportunity to apply the learned principles to theoretical questions.  Your responses assist other students in considering additional perspectives.  This is a vital part of an online course.  Your answers are expected to be thorough and well thought out to earn a high grade in this area.  Please see policies below for very important information on discussion board posts.

Exams will be worth a total of 320 points, or 32% of your overall grade. You will have an exam for each module (each week) and the exams will be worth 20 points each.  Exams are open book and will reflect your knowledge of those chapters. 

There is a weekly homework assignment (generally a choice of two assignments) and each week’s assignment is worth 20 points.  The weekly homework assignments are worth a total of 320 points or 32% of your grade.

You will also have three virtual homework late passes that can be “turned in” with late homework assignments.  You have one pass for an assignment to be submitted up to one day late, one pass for an assignment to be submitted up to three days late, and one pass for an assignment to be submitted up to a week late.  Please note that this ONLY applies to homework assignments; exams cannot be taken late and late discussion board posts will not be graded.

Grading Scale: 1000 to 900= A; 899 to 800= B;799 to 700= C; 699 to 600 = D

Below 600 = F (Grading Scale is subject to change).

Academic Integrity

In addition to good academic performance, students should exhibit honesty and integrity. If there is any question that academic honesty and integrity are not honored, students may be required to redo assignments in the presence of an instructor-selected monitor. Proof of dishonesty, including plagiarism, will make students subject to disciplinary action. Please consult your college catalog for more information.

Piedmont Community College Plagiarism Policy

7.5.1

PLAGIARISM

Whether intentional or unintentional, plagiarism is “the wrongful act of taking the product of another person's mind and presenting it as one's own" (Alexander Lindey, Plagiarism and Originality, 1952).

The following acts are examples of intentional plagiarism:

Copying material from a published source to avoid having to devise one’s own ideas.

Failing to give clear and proper credit to an idea, phrase, or quotation taken from a source.

Purchasing a pre-written paper.

Having someone other than the stated author complete an assignment, or part of an assignment.

Unintentional Plagiarism occurs when a student provides sources for his or her work, but the sources are cited incorrectly or inadequately. Handbooks with documentation rules for Modern Language Association (MLA) and American Psychology Association (APA), two source documentation styles, are housed in the Caswell County Campus Resource Center and in the Person County Campus Learning Resource Center. Students are also encouraged to speak with their instructors when they are uncertain about documenting their sources in class assignments.

Plagiarism will result in disciplinary action, and repeated offenses will lead to increased penalties that may ultimately result in expulsion from the College, as set out below:

A student who unintentionally plagiarizes will receive a warning and instruction on proper citation, style, and usage for the first offense.

A student who unintentionally plagiarizes a second time in a single course will receive a course grade of F in the course in which the student plagiarized.

A student who intentionally plagiarizes will receive a course grade of F in the course in which the student plagiarized.

If a student receives a course grade of F due to plagiarism, the course instructor will notify the Dean of Student Development using the Plagiarism Incident Report Form.

If a student receives three course grades of F due to plagiarism, as determined by records kept in the office of the Dean of Student Development, he or she will be expelled from the College.

Legal Reference: G.S. 115 D-20

History Note: Effective January 20, 2004

Plagiarism tutorial: http://www.lib.usm.edu/legacy/plag/whatisplag.php

In furtherance of its Plagiarism Policy, Piedmont Community College has a license agreement with Turnitin.com, a service that helps prevent plagiarism in student assignments.  Students may also be asked to submit assignments through the Blackboard tool, SafeAssign. To encourage original and authentic written work, any written assignment created in this course may be submitted for review to Turnitin.com (http://www.turnitin.com) or SafeAssign and will become a searchable document with the Turnitin-protected and restricted use database or the SafeAssign institutional or global database. 

Assignments and Participation

Assignments and Projects:
The specific requirements for each module can be found under “Assignments” on Blackboard.  Generally, each week will involve reading one or two chapters, answering at least one discussion board question, responding to two other students’ responses for the discussion board question, completing a homework assignment and completing a module exam. 

Class Participation or Attendance:
From the Piedmont Community College Catalog: 

Regular attendance at all class meetings is necessary for students to learn important concepts.  In this regard, the following class attendance policy is established: 

1. A student is expected to be regular and punctual in meeting all classes.  To receive credit for a course, the student must attend prior to the census point and a minimum of 80 percent of classes, labs and shop hours.  Failure to attend class is an absence, regardless of the reason.  Absences are counted from the first scheduled meeting of the class, not the first day the student attends.  All work missed during absences must be made up to the satisfaction of the instructor.  Failure to complete required assignments will negatively affect the student's final grade.

2. A student who exceeds the 20 percent limit of absences may be dropped by the instructor through the eighth week of the semester.  If a student exceeds the 20 percent limit after the eighth week, the instructor is authorized to award the student the "I" or "F" grade as warranted by the student's performance.

3. Any exceptions to this policy must be authorized by the instructor. 

For this class, your attendance is counted through your participation in the class.  You will see a column in the grade book for each week and this will reflect whether you participated in the online course that week.  Lack of participation will strongly affect your grades and you may be dropped from the class if there are more than three weeks in which you did not participate.  As with a face to face class, perfect attendance, as calculated by no missed assignments, is also rewarded at the end of the semester, with a 1.5% extra credit; the exact number is subject to change, however, that may add 15 points or more to your final grade.

Punctuality:
Assignments are due at specific dates and times, and information on all assignments is posted on the course website.  Assignments may be completed early when available.  Late discussion board posts will not be graded.  Late homework assignments will not be accepted, except as follows, also explained above: You have three virtual “freebie” cards for this class.  You may turn one homework assignment in up to seven days late without penalty.  You may turn one homework assignment in up to three days late without penalty, and you may turn one homework assignment in up to one day late without penalty.  If you do not use any of your cards during the semester, you can “turn them in” at the end of the semester for 30 points extra credit. Reminder:  The “freebie” cards apply only to homework assignments. Late discussion board posts will not be graded and exams may not be taken late.  You have a week to complete the exam, and the discussion board questions are posted at least two weeks in advance; there is plenty of time to complete those assignments. 

Course Ground Rules

1)      Please contact your instructor with any problems or concerns!

2)      Participation is required and you are expected to communicate with other students in team project, if you choose to do that.

3)      You are responsible for learning how to navigate in Blackboard, and for asking for assistance when you are having difficulty. Address technical problems immediately.

4)      Keep abreast of course announcements.  There will be a weekly announcement posted Sunday evening or Monday morning for that week, and other announcement may be made as well.  You should check the Blackboard site at least three times a week for new announcements.

5)      Observe course netiquette at all times, etc.

6)      If you choose to drop the class, you must complete a drop form.  If you do not complete the drop form you will receive an “F” in the class. 

Guidelines for Communications

Email:

·         Always include a subject line, with your name, the course number and the topic of the email.

·         Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.

·         Use standard fonts.

·         Do not send large attachments without permission.

·         Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.

·         Respect the privacy of other class members.

Discussion Groups:
Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant.

·         Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.

·         Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other’s ideas.

·         Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.

·         Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.

·         Be positive and constructive in group discussions.

·         Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.

Discussion Board Answer Grading Policies:

1. The criteria for earning an A (9.0-10) on a discussion:
   • The discussion clearly answers the question.
   • There is some supporting information from a source other than the text and these sources are cited correctly, using the APA style guide to references.  This includes electronic references.
   • The references used are from legitimate websites; these websites will present information in a fair and balanced matter, i.e. it is not a website whose sole purpose is to promote a specific agenda or point of view.
   • Material used in answering a question is pertinent and related to the question. Just listing a website without tying the information in to your answers will result in your answer being graded as though no references were used.
   • There is evidence of your thinking on the subject and not simply parroting the ideas of others.
2. The criteria for earning a B or C (7.0 to 8.9) on a discussion:
   • The discussion clearly answers the question.
   • There may be supporting information from a source other than the text (the same criteria applies as is stated above)
   • Material used in answering a question is pertinent and related to the question.
3. The criteria for earning a D (6.0-6.9) on a discussion:
   • The discussion answers the question.
4. Feedback should be helpful to the student receiving it. Feedback will be evaluated for the following:

a.       Clarity

b.      Specificity

c.       Usefulness to student (will it help the student to get a better grade on next discussion question?)

d.      Balance - does the feedback point out strengths in the discussion as well as areas of weakness?

e.                   Helpfulness - Does the feedback provide resources to assist student in further research?

See the Blackboard site under course information for an example of “A” quality work.

Chat:

·         Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session.

·         Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements.

·         Be concise in responding to others in the chat session.

·         Be prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time.

·         Be constructive in your comments and suggestions.

Web Resources:
Information on References for Electronic Sources

American Psychological Association, Electronic References, 5^th edition of the APA Publication Manual, 2001, Retrieved 21 July 2005 from http://www.apastyle.org/elecgeneral.html

Online Services for Distance Learners

Learning Resources Center, Online Services For Distance Learners, Piedmont Community College, Retrieved July 21, 2005 from

http://www2.piedmont.cc.nc.us/DL/online_services.htm

Blackboard Student Support

The North Carolina Conference of English Instructors offers this site with support information for online learners.

North Carolina Conference of English Instructors, CEI Blackboard Support, North Carolina Conference of English Instructors web site, Retrieved 21 July 2005 from

http://www.nccei.org/blackboard/students.html

Netiquette, Or How to Mind Your Manners When Using E-Mail, Virginia Shea, Netiquette , May 1994, http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html, Netiquette Home Page, Retrieved 21 July 2005 from http://www.albion.com/netiquette/index.html

If you have a learning or other disability, and you want to request special accommodations to ensure equal access to education at PCC, please see Brian Totten in the Office of Student Development on the main campus, 599-1181, ext. 296. The information that you provide will be kept confidential.  If you are on the Caswell campus, please see Sarah Humphrey, 336-694-5707, ext. 226.

Piedmont Community College now offers a comprehensive package of services to assist students with their academic success. The Student Success Center (SSC) is located in Room G-204 on the Person County Campus and in Room K-152 on the Caswell County Campus.  The SSC provides a variety of free learning support services including computer access, tutoring, supplemental instruction, study groups, and other academic services. Visit or call Gloria Bennett, Coordinator of the Student Success Center, at 599-1181, ext. 276 to access this valuable student resource.

Libbie McPhaul-Moore, 336-599-1181, ext. 445, mcphaul@piedmontcc.edu or Earl Stenlund, 336-599-1181, ext. 225, stenlue@piedmontcc.edu may be able to assist you with troubleshooting access to Blackboard and navigation of Blackboard.  The College does not provide technical support for any problems with your ISP accounts or software, to include AOL.

·         Week One: Monday, January 12, 2009 to Sunday, January 18, 2009:  Introduction and Chapter One – Understanding Exceptionality

·         Week Two: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 to Sunday, January 25, 2009: Chapter Two -  Education for All

·         Week Three: Monday, January 26, 2009 to Sunday, February 1, 2009:  Chapter Three -  Inclusion and Collaboration in the Early Childhood and Elementary School Years

·         Week Four: Monday, February 2, 2009 to Sunday, February 8, 2009:  Chapter Four - Transition and Adult Life

·         Week Five: Monday, February 9, 2009 to Sunday, February 15, 2009: Chapter Five - Multicultural and Diversity Issues

·         Week Six: Monday, February 16, 2009 to Sunday, February 22, 2009:  Chapter Six - Exceptionality and the Family

·         Week Seven: Monday, February 23, 2009 to Sunday, March 1, 2009:  Chapter Seven - Learning Disabilities and Chapter Eight -   Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

·         Week Eight: Monday, March 2, 2009 to Sunday, March 8, 2009:  Chapter Nine - Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

·         Week Nine: Monday, March 9, 2009 to Monday, March 16, 2009: Chapter Ten - Intellectual Disabilities

·         Week Ten: Monday, March 23, 2009 to Sunday, March 29, 2009:  Chapter Eleven - Communication Disorders

·         Week Eleven: Monday, March 30, 2009 to Sunday, April 5, 2009:  Chapter Twelve - Severe and Multiple Disabilities

·         Week Twelve: Monday, April 6, 2009 to Thursday, April 9, 2009 & Monday, April 13, 2009 to Sunday, April 19, 2009      Chapter Thirteen - Autism Spectrum Disorders

·         Week Thirteen: Monday, April 20, 2009 to Sunday, April 26, 2009:  Chapter Fourteen - Traumatic and Acquired Brain Injury

·         Week Fourteen: Monday, April 27, 2009 to Sunday, May 3, 2009:  Chapter Fifteen - Hearing Loss and Chapter Sixteen - Vision Loss.

·         Week Fifteen: Monday, May 4, 2009 to Sunday, May 10, 2009:  Chapter Seventeen - Physical Disabilities and Health Disorders

·         Week Sixteen: Monday, May 11, 2009 to Saturday, May 16, 2009: Chapter Eighteen - Gift, Creative and Talented