Introductory
Psychology /
Fall 2014
Professor
Christyn Dolbier, Ph.D.Associate Professor
Office: Rawl Annex 141
Phone: 252-328-2119
Email: / Student Hours
Email: I try to respond
within 48 hours (M-F, 9am-5pm)
Office or telephone:
M & T 12-2:30 or by appointment
Syllabus
This document is designed to provide you with a detailed description of what to expect in this course. It contains information about the workings of the course, including a schedule, policies, requirements, and expectations - for both me and you. It is very important that you take the time to familiarize yourself with this syllabus. Please be aware that during the semester, changes may be made to the schedule and policies.I will post these as announcements on the welcome page of ouronline LaunchPad course.
Course Overview
Welcome to this introductory course in psychology! In this course, I will provide you with an overview of how psychologists attempt to discover how we think, feel, and behave. I will introduce you to psychology as a science and its sub-disciplines. I will also expose you to its various theoretical orientations, methodologies, and applications to society. In addition, I will challenge your preconceptions of psychology by helping you to think critically about its issues. Throughout the course I will help you enhance your understanding of yourself and others by relating to the material and applying it to your own life.
Course Objectives
Successful completion of this course will enable you to accomplish the following:
- Gain factual and conceptual knowledge of psychology.Psychology is a broad discipline. I willprovide you with a general survey of the fundamental concepts, principles and theories underlying human behavior and mental processes.
- Understand how and why psychological research is conducted. Psychology is a social science grounded in research. I will help you learn about the discipline’s various research methods, and recognize the inter-relatedness of theory, research, and application.
- Appreciate broader applications of psychology. I will help you become aware of how psychology relates to your life and the lives of those around you, and how psychology draws upon and contributes to numerous disciplines such as philosophy, physiology, sociology, neuroscience, and medicine.
Course Format
Online course: This course is taught entirely online using the LaunchPad course management platform. I provide all instructional materials online via LaunchPad. If you are not familiar with this platform, you should review the Student Manual(located in the Course Documents folder on the LaunchPad home page) and become comfortable with LaunchPad during the first week of class.
Is an online course right for you?To determine whether online learning is a good fit for your learning habits, review the Succeeding as an Online Student and Tips for Online Success sections at this website: If you cannot answer “yes” to most of the following questions, this may not be the best course format for you. Are you self-disciplined about completing coursework and studying?Are you conscientious about meeting deadlines? Are you good at following written directions?Are you comfortable using online technology?
Independent coursework: You are expected to complete all required coursework independently. Any collaboration in the completion of coursework or completion of coursework by someone other than you is considered a violation of academic integrity and will be dealt with as such.
Exam proctoring: All examsmust be proctored at a proctoring center near where you live. It is your responsibility to make arrangements for the dates, times and locations for your proctored exams.
Required Course Materials
The textbook Exploring Psychology 9th Edition (Myers, 2014)and access to the LaunchPad online course are both required for this course.
What to purchase:
- If you want a PRINTED textbook: Purchase a printed textbook packaged with LaunchPad access (ISBN 9781464189494).
- If you want an ONLINE textbook (called an e-book): Purchase access to LaunchPad, which contains the e-book (ISBN 9781464165016).
Where to purchase:
- Dowdy Student Stores: Purchases can be made in person in the Wright Building or online at this website: %2ehtml&design=458 (to pick up in person or have delivered to you).
- Worth Publishers: LaunchPad access can be purchased online at this website:
Technology Requirements
Inherent in your choice to take an online course is a claim of technological proficiency and access. Any claims to the contrary will not be considered acceptable reasons for missing coursework deadlines.
Computer and internet: Dependable computer with reliable internet access.
ECU email: Ability to access and use your ECU email account.
LaunchPad course: Ability to log on to and use the various components of our LaunchPad course.
- Supported browsers: Internet Explorer 9 and above, Firefox 13 and above, Chrome 28 and above, and Safari 6 and above
- Mobile devices: mobile phones, tablets or other mobile devices are not supported.
- Using an unsupported browser or mobile device may prevent you from registering, logging in, navigating the site, completing assignments, and submitting answers to a quiz.
- Settings: 1024x768 minimum monitor resolution and color depth required (larger resolutions recommended). If you filter cookies, you must allow session cookies.JavaScript must be enabled (usually enabled by default).
- Downloads/plug-ins: Animations and interactive tutorials for some titles require Adobe Flash Player version 10 or higher sufficient (version 11 or most current version recommended).Various video players required depending on title (Apple QuickTime, Windows Media Player, RealPlayer). Some content requires Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
LaunchPad
LaunchPad is a teaching and learning environment that consists of an e-book, course resources, and assessments, all customized to our textbook.
Registering: Follow the steps below to register (create a student account) for our LaunchPad course.
- Go to
- Bookmark the page to make it easy to return to.
- If you have an access code (if you purchased a printed textbook packaged with LaunchPad access, it comes with an access code), click the button "Enter Your Student Access Code" in the upper right corner and follow the instructions.
- If you don't have an access code (if you want an online textbook, meaning you will just purchase LaunchPad which contains the online textbook), either click the "Purchase Access" or "Temporary Access" button.
Temporary LaunchPad access: Temporary access is available and allows you to register for and work inside our course for 21 days, which gives you extra time to purchase your book and LaunchPad access if you need it. When you are ready to purchase or when your temporary access has expired, you will need to go through the LaunchPad registration process again. You must enter the same first name, last name, email address, and password that you used to create your temporary account. Doing so will ensure that your work remains associated with your account.
Logging in: After registering for LaunchPad, you will be able to log in to our LaunchPad course at the website listed above that you were asked to bookmark. Under Students, click on Login and enter the email address you used and the password you created when you registered for LaunchPad. Select PSYC 1000 - 016 - ECU Introductory Psychology - Fall 2014 and you are in.
Assistance: If you have any problems registering, purchasing, or logging in, please contact Technical Support. You can reach a representative by calling 877-587-6534 between 9:00 AM - 3:00 AM Monday-Thursday, Friday 9:00 AM - 11:00 PM, Saturday 11:30 AM - 8:00 PM and Sunday 11:30 AM - 11:00 PM, or filling out a support request form available here:
Welcome page: On the welcome page, you will see a list of Upcoming Assignments. Announcementsof important course reminders and updates are posted here as well. Click the “Enter Course” button in the upper right corner to access the home page.
Home page: After you click the “Enter Course” button, you will see the home page, which lists all course content and assignments in the order in which they are due. First you will see the Introductory Assignments unit followed by a unit for each chapter that will be covered in the course. Each chapter unit contains the respective e-book components and assigned coursework as well as supplemental learning aids for that chapter. After the assigned content is the unassigned content, including the Course Documents folder and a Helpful Links folder. At the top of the home page there is a “Show Assignment Calendar” button to click for a calendar view of when assignments are due. Selecting e-Bookat the top enables you to access the e-Book by itself.Gradebookallows you to view your coursework grades. Resourcescontains all learning resources by type and chapter.
Navigating LaunchPad: When you click on any assignment, e-Book page, or other course material, it will open in "Focused and Engaged" mode. This devotes your entire browser window to viewing and interacting with the content. If the assignment is auto-gradable, you will see your score at the top of the "Focused and Engaged" window once you have completed it. When you have completed the assignment, click "Next" in the top-right corner to move on to the next item, or "Home" to go back to the home page. Your assignment scores will also be shown in the assignment listing on the home page. Also, check the progress bars at the top of each unit, which show how many assignments in the unit you have completed so far, and how well you have done on completed assignments.
Unless it is a system-wide problem, difficulty accessing or utilizing LaunchPad will not be accepted as an excuse for missing coursework.
Communication
My availability: I will be available Monday through Friday 9am – 5pm (excluding holidays) by email and typically respond within 48 hours. I do not guarantee to respond to emails on weekends and holidays. I am also available in my office or by phone during office hours or by appointment.
Communicating with you: I will communicate with you via Announcements on LaunchPad and ECU email. You must log on to ourLaunchPad course and check your ECU email several timesthroughout each week.
Student Evaluation and Grading
You may earn up to 1000 points in this course. Your final grade will be determined by your performance ontwo introductory assignments, 12 sets of chapter assignments, 10 summative quizzes, and three module exams.
ComponentPercentPointsTotal pointsGrade
Introductory assignments5%50940-1000A = 94-100%
Chapter assignments35%350900-939A- = 90-93%
Chapter summative quizzes30%300870-899B+ = 87-89%
Module exams30%300830-869B = 83-86%
800-829B- = 80-82%
770-799C+ = 77-79%
730-769C = 73-76%
700-729C- = 70-72%
670-699D+ = 67-69%
630-669D = 63-66%
600-629D- = 60-62%
0-599F = 0-59%
Grade availability;allchapter assignment, chapter summative quiz, and moduleexam grades are available immediately in the Gradebook upon completion. If you do not understand a grade or think a grade is incorrect, notify me via email within one week of the grade being posted and explain your concern.
Personal responsibility: I want you all to do well in this course. I have designed the course to help you learn and do well, but YOU ultimately determine what grade you earn in this course. Your grades in this class are earned by you, not given by me. Therefore, I want you to take personal responsibility for your learning.
Grade cutoffs: The grade cutoffs above are absolute -- for example, a 699 is a D+, not a C-. When transforming total points to letter grades, "close" does not count. Do not ask or expect me to “give you points” toward your final grade or request additional assignments or extra credit to earn more points.
Incompletes: Some of the materials and assignments for this course are available only during the time allotted for that section of the course, and many of the activities are not available after the end of the course. For this reason, a grade of “Incomplete” is not an option except in extreme circumstances that must be documented by an ECU-approved excused absence. Details about ECU-approved excuses are available on the Dean of Students webpage:
Introductory Assignments
There are two introductory assignments to complete during the first week of class. They are both available in the Introductory Assignments folder on LaunchPad. Both assignments are worth 20-30 points, for a combined total of 50 possible points (5% of your final grade). They are both due by Wednesday, September 3at 11:55pm.
Assignment 1 - Syllabus quiz: This assignment will help ensure you have read and understand our course syllabus. In addition,it will familiarize you with the Quiz feature of LaunchPad.
Assignment 2 -Exam proctoring: This assignment will help you learnhow to use the UNC proctoring system to schedule the dates, times, and locations of your three module exams.
Chapter Assignments
Each of the 12 chapters has a set of 6-7 online assignments to complete. Each set of chapter assignments is worth 26-34 points. I will combine your 12 sets of chapter assignments for a total of 350 possible points (35% of your final grade).
Online assignments: Assignments include videos you watch and take a quiz about (“Video Tool Kit Activities”), interactive activities you complete (“Concepts in Action”), and tutorials you complete and take a quiz about (“PsychSim 5 Tutorial” and “PsychSim 5 Online Quiz”). The assignments are available under their respective chapters on theLaunchPad home page.
Assignment grades: To facilitatemastery of the course material, you may attempt each assignment multiple times in order to “master” the material and earn the highest grade you can.
- “Concepts in Action” and “Video Tool Kit Activities”:These assignments are each worth 4 points, and you may complete themas many times as you want up until the deadlineand it willcount yourlast grade.
- “PsychSim 5 Online Quiz": These assignments are each worth 6 points, and you may complete them up to three times until the deadline and it will count yourbest grade.
Assignment deadlines:Assignments must be completed by the due dateslisted in the schedule at the end of this syllabus and onLaunchPad. There are no extensions or make-ups for assignments. If you do not complete an assignment by its deadline, you will have earned a grade of “0” for that assignment. Once the due date passes, you may still complete the assignments to learn from them, but it is not possible to earn credit for them or change your grade if you already completed them.
Chapter Summative Quizzes
There are 12 summativequizzes, one for each chapter, and all available in their respective chapter folders on the Launchpad home page. Each summativequiz is worth 30 points. I combine your best 10 summativequiz grades for a total of 300 possible points (30% of your final grade).
Summative quiz content and format: Each summative quiz corresponds to the chapter textbook reading and consists of 12 multiple-choice questions. To facilitate mastery of the material, you have three opportunities to take each summative quiz (there are different questions on each quiz) and only the highest score will go into the Gradebook. Quizzes are open-book and open-notes.
Preparation forsummativequizzes: For a specific chapter, read the assigned chapter and complete all of the chapter assignments.I also recommend completing the LearningCurve assessments for each chapter section and chapter review study aids.Then take the summativequiz for that chapter, which assesses your understanding of the material.
Summative quiz deadlines: Summative quizzes must be submitted by the due dates listed in the schedule at the end of this syllabus and onLaunchPad. There are no extensions or make-ups for summativequizzes. If you do not complete a summativequiz by its deadline, you will have earneda grade of “0” for that summative quiz.
Dropping lowest summativequiz grades: I will drop your two lowest summativequiz grades. If you miss up to two summativequizzes for any reason, these will count as the summativequizzes I drop for you. You do not have to inform me about missing up to two summativequizzes or provide any reason for doing so.
Problems:Computers may lock up and internet interruptions can occur while completing a quiz online, which may result in incomplete submissions. It is a good idea to check to make sure your grade is recorded in the Gradebook after submitting summativequizzes.
Module Exams
There are three module exams, each covering four chapters. Each is worth 100 points for a total of 300 possible points (30% of your final grade).
Proctoring: The three moduleexamsare proctored and youmust make arrangements to schedule the dates, times, and locations for all three exams. The exams will be administered through the UNC Online Proctoring Network ( and you need to arrange for proctors and schedule your exams in advance (doing so is one of the Introductory Assignments). Be aware that if you do not arrange for proctors, you will not be able to take the exams.The examsare closed book and closed notes, and you must complete them independently without help from anyone else. A strict time limit of two hours for each exam will be enforced. See the Proctoring document in the Course Documents folder on the LaunchPad home page for details.