Uploaded on Distance Education Website in April 2014

1

Uploaded on Distance Education website in April 2014.

The course for the Summer 2014 term will include some components of the 2013 course, but there will be changes. However, this syllabus will give you insight into the nature of the course including the course content and the types of assignments that were used for the summer 2013 course.

South DakotaStateUniversity

College of Arts and Sciences

Communication Studies and Theatre

Interpersonal Communication

SPCM 201 – D2L course

Summer 2013

10 week course: May 28- August 2

Instructor:

Elizabeth (Liz) Tolman, Ph.D.

E-mail address:

Use email in Desire2Learn

Please email the instructor in D2L if you have questions about the course.

Cell phone: If you would like to call me on my cell phone, please send me an email in D2L and I will send you my number. We can set up a time to talk and I can answer any questions you have about the course.

Required text:

/ / KoryFloyd, Arizona State University---Tempe
Softcover, 480 pages
©2012, ISBN-13 9780073406756
MHID 0073406759
Publisher's Retail Price:$146.67

Bookstore's Wholesale Price:$110.00

You will need the textbook during the first week of class.

You are responsible for the information in this syllabus. Please review it and refer back to the document if you have questions about the course.

The link to the university bookstore is or you can call 1-800-985-8771.

Additional Technology Requirements:

You will need access to Second Life during the first week of class and during the course.

Catalog Description

Studies modes of interpersonal communication through readings and experiential discussions of the role of interpersonal communication in common situations within our society.

Course Overview

This course will include a variety of learning activities including, participating in asynchronous discussions, participating in discussions in VoiceThread, reflecting on your experiences and the communication in Second Life, and a Career Interview Paper. The course will focus on enhancing your understanding of interpersonal communication theory. In addition, reflection on your communication and the communication you observe in a variety of contexts will enhance your understanding of communication theory and concepts.

Course Objectives

1. Develop an understanding of the role of communication in interpersonal relationships.
2. Develop an understanding of communication theory, as it relates to interpersonal relationships.
3. Develop the ability to analyze communication in interpersonal relationships and conversations.
4. Participate in computer mediated communication, reflect on your experiences, and analyze the communication.
5. Enhance your understanding of the implications of computer mediated communication and the connections to interpersonal relationships.
6. Explore the use of interpersonal communication in your chosen career field.

Important Information about this course:

-All assignments will be due on Central Standard Time.

-This D2L course is not self-paced. However, all assignments will be available in the content module on the first day of class.

-This is an asynchronous course. You will not be required to be online at specific times during the 10 week summer session. However, you will be expected to access the course at least three days during each week. This requirement is based on the South Dakota Board of Regent’s attendance policy. See attendance policy in this document. In order to be successful in this class and consistent with BOR Policy, you will need to log into the course at least 3 days per week.

-Be prepared to spend approximately 6 hours on this course per week. This is a general guideline. This will include reading the chapters, preparing your postings, participating in the discussion, preparing for and completing quizzes, spending time in Second Life, etc. Some weeks will require more time. The time you spend working on this course will vary depending on your overall participation in the discussion, the time you take to prepare for the discussions (reading and viewing the lectures), the time you take to prepare your initial postings, the time you take for preparing for the quizzes, your level of motivation, etc. All of the assignments, with the exception of the discussion questions (because they will not be posted on the discuss module until each week), will be made available to you on the first day of class. If you are motivated and/or concerned about your schedule later in the summer, you can work ahead on some of these assignments. See the content module for assignments.

-This is a Speech Communication (SPCM) course. This field includes public speaking, interpersonal communication, small group communication, interviewing, gender and communication, etc. You will not give speeches in this class. The class will focus on communication in everyday life including, face to face and computer mediated communication.

-Assignments and discussion postings will be completed Monday- Saturday. For each discussion week you will be able to participate in the discussion board from Monday morning to Saturday at 11:59 p.m. Initial postings will be due on Wednesday at 9:00 p.m.

-All assignments will be submitted in the D2L – Dropbox. Assignments must be submitted as Word 2003, 2007 or 2010- (readable format). This includes papers and discussion posting for each week.

-You will be required to cut and paste all of your postings for the discussion assignments into the dropbox by the deadline. You will cut and paste your “stamp” for each posting (your name, the date and time of the posting) into a Word document and submit this document into the dropbox. You will complete this for each discussion week. I have included an example of this in the content module. Review details for the assignment in the content module. If you do not include your stamps, your assignment will NOT be graded and will be returned to you to complete the task. In addition, you will be responsible for including all of your postings in the document. I will monitor the discussion throughout the week. However, I will grade the postings that you have submitted into the dropbox.

-I will check D2L throughout the day (Monday-Friday). Depending on when you email me- you can expect a response within at least 24 hours (Monday-Friday). If you do not hear from me, please email me again. We will not have access to D2L on July 4 because of a system wide upgrade. In addition, I will not have access to D2L onJuly 5.

-If you experience technical difficulties, please contact the helpdesk at (605) 688-6776 or .

-The Support Desk is open Monday-Thursday from 8-6 and Fridays from 8-5.

- Distance Education Support:

-Supplementary materials (Off Campus Library Access:

-Quizzes will be available on four days throughout the session. You will need to be available to take the quizzes between 6:00 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on the assigned dates. See course schedule in syllabus for dates. The quizzes are scheduled for Thursdays during the week. However, because of the July 4 holiday on a Thursday, the quiz will be available that week on the following Monday. You will need to use the Respondus Lockdown Browser to take the exam and view your quiz. Details about this will be posted in the news item during each week of a quiz.

-In general, no make-up assignments, quizzes or discussion postings will be allowed. Arrangements to turn assignments in late must be made with the instructor prior to the deadline. Assignments that are not submitted by the deadline will result in a zero. For example, 0/150 for the discussion assignment. Deadlines for all assignments are included in the course schedule at the end of this document. In addition, all deadlines (besides the initial posting deadline- which is Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m.) are visible in the dropbox. Within the dropbox, the assignments have a visible deadline. All assignments that will be submitted into the dropbox will be due by 11:59 p.m. on the assigned date.

-For the discussion assignment you must answer both discussion questions for each week or the assignment will be a 0/150. There will always be 2 discussion questions for each week. These questions are posted in the content module on the first day of class. You will not be allowed to complete 1 discussion question for 75 points.

-You will receive feedback from each assignment in the dropbox. I will work to provide timely feedback. You can expect feedback within 1 week from the assignment deadline.

-Because of the nature of the course content, you will be expected to engage in ethical communication. This article includes tips for netiquette in the online course:

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The instructor’s social presence in this course:

The instructor will use the following strategies to present course content and enhance social presence:

Instructor’s Lectures- You will be able to view lectures for each chapter via the content module. These will be presented using VoiceThread.

Weekly Emails on Monday mornings: These will include an overview of the assignments/ tasks that need to be completed for the week. The emails will include a “Things to do” list for the week. In addition, this information will also be posted on the news page of our D2L course. When you are unsure about what tasks to complete during the week- look to the News page on the D2L course page for the class or the weekly email the instructor will send you prior to each week.

Brief videos each week: These will be used to introduce the content, discussion questions, and assignments for the week. These will be in the Content Module.

Participation in the Discussions: The instructor will monitor the discussions throughout the week. At times, she will participate in the discussion. This may be necessary if students have questions about the course content or if student postings do not illustrate an understanding of the content. The instructor may also post follow up questions to help facilitate the discussion.

Assignment Overviews: In addition to the assignment documents in the content module. The instructor has prepared brief videos that explain the expectations for the Discussion, VoiceThread, Second Life, and Career Interview Assignments. These videos highlight the main aspects of these assignments and will provide insight prior to reading the details in each assignment.

Learning Activities

The following learning activities are developed to fulfill the learning activities for the course. These activities will enhance your understanding the course content, enhance your interactions with your classmates, and help you engage in the course content in this online course.

Instructor’s Lectures- You will view the instructor’s VoiceThread lectures for each week.

Syllabus Quiz- You will take a syllabus quiz during the first week of class. The quiz will be about the requirements for the course. Read the syllabus prior to taking the quiz. There will be 10 true-false questions. (10 questions @ 2 points each) You will have 15 minutes to complete the quiz. The quiz will close on Saturday, June 1 at 11:59 p.m.

Desire 2 Learn Asynchronous Discussion- You will participate in discussions about course content. During the discussion weeks, be prepared to read 1-2 chapters each week and engage in on-line discussions for at least 3 hours per week. There will be 2 discussion questions per discussion week. You will need to schedule time during the week to read the chapters, view the VoiceThread lectures, prepare the initial postings, and participate in the discussion. The discussion questions will be posted in the Content Module – Discussion Questions for this course. If you would like, you can work ahead on your initial postings. However, you will not be able to post or participate in the discussion until the assigned week.

-No late postings will be accepted. All initial postings must be completed by Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. If the Wednesday deadline is not met, the assignment will result in 0/150 points for the assignment.

This is necessary because your postings are an essential aspect of the group discussion. Your group members need you to participate in the discussion. The discussion will close each week on Saturdays at 11:59 p.m. This time block will allow you SIX days to participate in the discussion. This will allow for flexibility in the course. You will be expected to post at least THREE days during this time block. This requirement is consistent with the South Dakota Board of Regents attendance policy.

-All of your discussion postings will be visible to the entire course. Keep this in mind throughout the semester. Only post what you would feel comfortable sharing in a face to face course.

VoiceThread Discussion- During weeks 5 and 8 you will be required to participate in the discussion in VoiceThread. This will differ fromthe D2L discussion.The instructor will post the PowerPoint/ VoiceThread for Chapter 6: Nonverbal Communication and Chapter 11: Interpersonal Conflict. You will post discussion questions, examples, and develop connections between the course content and your experiences/ observations. You will write a reflection paper about the VoiceThread discussion. You will submit this paper into the dropbox by Saturday deadlines.

The Voice Thread discussion will be visible in the Discuss Module – not the Content module- during weeks 5 and 8.

Quizzes- You will complete four on-line quizzes (80 points each). The quizzes will include 40 multiple-choice and true/false questions. You need to be available to take the quizzes on the assigned dates during the term. You will have 40 minutes to complete the quiz. You will need to study for the exam. Prepare for the exam by reading the assigned chapters, participating in the discussions, and viewing the VoiceThread lectures. There will not be time for you to try and find the answers to the questions in your textbook. Certainly, you may have your notes and textbook available, but the exam will be timed. Plan to take approximately 1 minute to answer each item.

You will need to use the Respondus Lockdown Browser to access the quiz and view your results. Your grade will not be available until the day after the quizzes- when everyone on in the class has completed the assignment.

Second Life (SL)You will complete a critical reflection paper about your experiences in Second Life. You will identify course concepts and analyze the communication. This is a 3D world that can be used for experiential learning. This environment will provide an environment to practice and observe interpersonal communication. There are no fees or costs to obtain an account and participate. Start by going to (Allow yourself about 60-90 minutes to get started.) Beyond the time you spend completing the orientation, you will be required to spend at least six hours in Second Life. Videos for how to use Second Life will be posted in the Content module.

You will spend at least SIX hours in Second Life. This will be necessary so you have content for your critical reflection paper. The instructor will not regulate how much time you spend in SL. Six hours will be a general guideline. You will be required to meet members of your discussion group in SL during the week of the July 4 holiday. See Content Module for assignment.

Career Interview Paper – You will interview an individual who holds a professional position you are pursuing after you complete your college degree(s). You will ask the interviewee questions about the communication skills necessary for the position and a career in this field. The instructor will provide the interview guide (list of questions) you will use. Topics will include his or her opinions and experiences about conflict in the workplace, co-worker friendships, the implications of technology in the workplace on face to face communication, etc. You will be required to interview a stranger or acquaintance. It will be important that you interview someone you do not know well so that you are gathering information that is new to you. Details for this assignment are in the Content Module.

You will prepare a formal paper about what you learned in the interview. You will explain how this individual uses communication in his or her professional career.

Career Interview Proposal – 10 points. Email the instructor the name, professional position, and organization of the individual you will interview for this assignment. Due: Monday, July 1 at 11:59 p.m

Email assignments- You will also email the instructor during the first week of class and during weeks 1 and 6. Details about these assignments are in the course schedule (at the end of this document).

Grade Monitoring

You will be able to determine your grade at any point during the 10 week term. In addition, the instructor will update the D2L gradebook after each assignment has been graded.

Course Requirements

Email instructor during first week of class _____ / 10 points

Discussion Week 1_____ / 50 points

Discussion Week 2______/ 150 points