Schedule

Content-Building Weeks

During weeks 1-7, instructors prepare students for their academic journeys by equipping and supporting them in their development of success strategies, facilitating rich discussions, and  creating opportunities for personal, academic, and professional growth.

1. Orientation to Course, Brightspace, Neural Plasticity

2. Neural Plasticity, Intelligent Practice Formula, Growth Mindset, Time Management

3. Time Management, Note-Taking Strategies

4. Note-Taking Strategies, PSCC Resources, Annotating/Talking to the Text

5. Annotating/Talking to the Text, Study Strategies

6. Study Strategies, PSCC Resources, Capstone Project Planning

7. Submit Plan for Engagement Weeks for Instructor Approval

Engagement Weeks

During weeks 8-12, instructors support students as they complete engagement activities and self-reflections for their Capstone projects. During this time, students will work on completing engagement activities and self-reflections for their Capstone projects to continue accomplishing course learning outcomes. These activities may include some or all the following:

• Reflecting on midterm exam results and instructor feedback to demonstrate growth mindset and intelligent practice.

• Attending a career-related event, such as an event hosted by Career Services

• Completing individual career research by taking the YouScience career development assessment.

• Engaging with the student’s choice of Pellissippi’s many resources, such as counseling, advising, disability services, and academic coaching.

• Participating in the student’s chosen Pellissippi-affiliated activities, which may include Engage & Lead events such as Spring Fling, Fall Festival, intramural sports, club meetings, and/or other campus events.

• Attending a guest speaker presentation

• Attending campus events

Students will officially return to the classroom during week 13 to receive peer feedback on their Capstone projects. They will present their final projects during week 14.

8. Student Engagement, Instructor Discretion

9. Student Engagement, Instructor Discretion

10. Student Engagement, Instructor Discretion

11. Student Engagement, Instructor Discretion

12. Student Engagement, Instructor Discretion

13. Capstone Project Peer Review

14. Capstone Presentations/Course Survey/Final Exam

Taking a college course is a major commitment because you are learning new information and building new skills. It will require time and work to successfully complete the course. 

You should expect to devote at least as much time to work outside of class time as time spent in class.

For  this course, expect to spend approximately one hour a week on instruction (watching videos, completing readings, etc.) and up to three hours a week on assignments (attending campus events, working on your capstone project, etc. )

We do not have any required meetings or set work times. You have the flexibility to control your schedule. 

I encourage you to pick a time each week to work on this course. 

I am offering student time during the week. You can meet with me during student time for one-on-one discussions or assignment help. I can meet during additional times by appointment. 

In this course, I am providing you with due dates to make sure that you have enough time to learn all of the material and complete all of the assignments, particularly your capstone project. It is important that you meet the due dates, and that you communicate with me in advance if you think you are not going to be able to complete an assignment by the due date.

I will try to give you as long as possible to complete each assignment, while still keeping you on track. This provides you with structure in order to ensure time management and skill development, but it will also provide you with the flexibility to help control your own schedule.

Most assignments will be due at noon--not midnight--so that you have access to me, the tutors, and technical support  before submitting assignments.  

*I encourage you to use the Pulse app and/or a calendar/planner to stay organized. You are responsible for keeping track of assignment deadlines. 

• August21-28: Bookstore textbooks charge period (Remember that you do not need to buy a book for this class, but you can use financial aid to buy books for your other classes.)

• August 21: First day of classes

• August 23: Last day to add classes or change to or from audit

• September 2: College Closed for Labor Day

• September 3: Drop deadline (class not shown on transcript)

• September 6: Founders Day

• September 25-27: Keri at the Tennessee Association for Student Success and Retention Conference (see Brightspace for changes to scheduled student time)

• October 7-11: Fall Break

• October 7: Midterm grades available

• October 23: Registration opens for spring and summer semesters

• October 25: Make a Difference Day

• November 1: Withdraw deadline (class shown as W on transcript)

• November 11: Veterans Day

• November 27-30: Thanksgiving Break

• December 5: Last day of classes

• December 9-12: Final exam period

• December 13: Fall Commencement

Attendance, promptness, and participation are essential to academic success. Students are expected to attend and participate in all scheduled class, laboratory, or clinical sessions. Absences result in missed learning opportunities, lower grades, and, in many cases, failure for the course. Prompt and regular attendance enhances the likelihood of student achievement while also instilling habits that will prepare graduates for success in the workplace.

Pellissippi State expects students to attend all scheduled instructional activities. Absences result in missed learning opportunities, lower grades, and, in many cases, failure of the course. Prompt and regular attendance enhances the likelihood of student achievement while also instilling habits that will prepare graduates for success in the workplace. It is imperative that students do not miss weeks 1-7. If on-campus or virtual students miss during the content-delivery weeks (1-7), they may be asked to make up those course sessions by attending a specific class session during the engagement weeks (8-12) at the discretion of the instructor. Instructors may also require class sessions be made up by posting to a discussion board in the Brightspace course or by another appropriate means. Asynchronous online students must keep up with weekly assignments and discussion posts/responses to ensure they are being marked as attending.

On campus and virtual students will receive a weekly attendance grade for attending and participating during class sessions in weeks 1-7. During the engagement weeks (8-12), students will be required to continue checking in with their instructors to maintain their status as attending the class. This can be accomplished by attending campus events as a class, reporting on engagement, completing discussions, etc. at the instructor’s discretion. In addition to completing course assignments, online asynchronous students will receive a weekly attendance grade for their participation in the online learning environment

Faculty are required to report student attendance. 

Regular attendance and participation is required to meet all of the student learning outcomes. 

I will do my best to never cancel class or office hours. If I, as the instructor, need to miss class, I will do my best to arrange a substitute, add extra Zoom time on another day, or post alternative resources. If I ever need to change my schedule, I will add a notice to my schedule and/or make an announcement in Brightspace and/or Slack.

If Pellissippi is officially closed, we will not have class or student time, and I will adjust due dates, if necessary. For example, if Pellissippi closes for a snow day, I will modify our schedule so that you are able--but not required--to work that day.

Feeling confident in the class and communicating regularly with the instructor supports the achievement of all of this course's student learning outcomes. 

If the college is closed for an extended period of time due to pandemic, weather, or other unavoidable circumstance, class will continue via communication by Brightspace/D2L, with materials and assignments posted on our course home page.  If there is an extended closure (more than two consecutive days of closure), I will adjust due dates as neccessary. If Pellissippi needs to contact you, they will send an e-mail and/or call you at the phone number you provided at the beginning of the semester. You should check your Webmail for updates from advising, financial aid, etc. If I need to contact you, I will normally send you a message through Brightspace. 

In the unlikely event of a closure of the college, information about this course and adjustments to enable its continuation will be posted on our course website (LMS). You should continue readings and other assignments listed in this course syllabus according to the schedule set by the syllabus. To ensure a smooth transition in case of closure, use of the website is a requirement of this course

I highly recommend that you sign up for Pellissippi's alert system so that you know if Pellissippi is closed. 

• Click here for Pellissippi’s schedule, including important academic and event dates.

• You can access your instructor's full schedule here.