Instructor Contact: Kate Gougoutas

• I am available Monday through Saturday via the Canvas Inbox.
• Or if you are having difficulty logging into Canvas I can be reached at anne.gougoutas@mail.ccsf.edu.
• I will hold drop-in online office hours 15 minutes before and after our Zoom meetings.  Just log in early or stay late.  No need to make an appointment.

Instructor Announcements 

Every Sunday at 10 AM, the instructor will post a weekly announcement which appears on the Homepage under "recent announcements."  Please read these announcements as they contain an overview of the week ahead.  After Monday's Zoom meeting, they will also contain a screen recording of the instructor walking through the module for students who missed the Zoom meeting. 

Various other announcements will be posted throughout the semester.  Please set your notification preferences to notify you when a new announcement is created.  We will go over how to set these notifications the first week of class.  

Q&A Forum

• A “Q&A Forum” link is located on the Homepage. This forum is available all semester for you to ask for assistance from your classmates or the instructor.

1. Recognize and evaluate rhetorical devices.
2. Recognize and choose patterns of organization that best fit speeches for different purposes, including speeches that inform and persuade.
3. Apply delivery techniques in oral presentations.
4. Employ presentation aids in oral presentations.
5. Apply basic library research skills.

Canvas

Students will use the Canvas Learning Management system  [for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, viewing classmates' work, sharing resources, and viewing grades].  I can help with the course material and with some Canvas issues, but for more technical issues, please call Canvas Help.

For 24/7 help with Canvas call: 1-844-592-2198.

Required Software

• Adobe Reader (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site.
• Update your browser (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site.

Important Dates

• Day Class Begins: Monday, August 16, 2021
• Day Class Ends:  Wednesday, December 15, 2021

• Weekly Due Dates

  There are two standard due dates each week.

  1. Initial assignments such as textbook annotations and the first discussion post are due as early as possible in the week, but no later than Wednesday at 11:59 pm.
  2. Discussion replies, online quizzes and writing assignments are due at the close of the week, before Saturday at 11:59 pm.

  A Note About Discussions

• The weekly online discussion in Canvas is the heart of our class because we will have one every week (with a few exceptions).  Discussions are designed to facilitate analysis of important issues, provide a means for you to communicate directly with peers, and help each other as you work together toward common goals. I will read all your posts and assign points, but I will not be a regular participant.  I will, however, give comments to individual students in the comments box.  Please check your comments every week (see Grading Policy below for how to do this).

• Each week, the discussion forum closes on Saturday at 11:59 pm and you will not be able to participate in it after this time or make it up later in the semester.  Cumulative missed discussions will result in lost points and will affect your grade.  Please strive to get both weekly discussion posts in on time!

Attendance/Drop Policy

In a remote class, your independent online activities also count as attendance.  Your independent online work can take place any time that works for you, provided that you meet the two weekly due dates.  You should plan to commit at least 3 hours per week to your Canvas activities in addition to our Zoom meetings.  If you cannot attend Zoom meetings, expect to spend 5 hours per week on independent work and to watch the screen recording posted in the weekly announcement.

In order to stay enrolled, students must remain active in online Canvas lessons.  If I don't hear from you at all (no posts to the weekly discussion, absent for online meetings, and no direct communication with me) for two consecutive weeks, I will assume you needed to drop the class.

Students will receive a courtesy email from me before being withdrawn.  If you receive this email, please respond within one week so we can work out a plan for you to get back on track.

Late Policy

I know you are most likely juggling work and family in addition to your education, so I want to be as supportive as possible.  Because of this, with the exception of Discussion posts, I will accept late work without taking away any points.  Late initial discussion posts will be deducted 10%. If you miss points for one or two discussions it will not affect your grade very much, but if you miss more than that it will lower your grade. 

If life events interrupt your classwork, I will work with you! Please contact me as soon as possible so I can help you catch up and provide as much support as possible.

If you recognize a due date might be a problem, advocate for your success by following these steps:

1. Identify the problem
2. Contact me to propose a solution
3. Let’s negotiate

Life happens...good communication is key to working out reasonable solutions or accommodations.

Modules

The course is structured around modules, which are units of learning chunked into Content Pages, Activities and Assessments.  Some modules are one week, though most are two weeks.

Methods of Evaluation

Graded assignments include discussions, quizzes, written outlines and video recordings of your speeches.    

How to Check Instructor Comments

It is important that you know how to check instructor comments since this is the primary method I use to provide feedback on your assignments.

Click on the link below to see how to check instructor comments and comments on rubrics.

 How do I view assignment comments from my instructor?

Grades will be assigned as follows: 

An “F” grade indicates that a student attended, participated and completed the course but failed to master the course curriculum.

A “W” grade indicates that the student was absent from both weekly on-site meetings and online Canvas lessons  (no posts to the weekly discussion, absent for face to face, and no direct communication with the teacher) for two consecutive weeks or more.

Students with physical, visual, communication or learning disabilities that require special assistance to participate in this course should contact the Office of Programs and Services for Students with Disabilities – commonly known as DSPS.  The DSPS office at Mission Campus is located in Room 174. Their phone number is 415-920-6038.  Please let me know how I can support you.  All information is confidential.  Please see the  DSPS website for more information and alternative locations. (Links to an external si Links to an external

Students who register in CCSF classes are required to abide by the  CCSF Student Code of Conduct  (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site. . Violation of the code is basis for referral to the Student Conduct Coordinator or dismissal from class or from the College. See the Office of Student Affairs. (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site.

Collaborating on or copying of tests, essays or homework in whole or in part will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and result in a grade of 0 for that test or assignment. I encourage students to share information and ideas, but not their work.  You may struggle to express your ideas in writing, but trust that your teacher understands the difficulty and that your writing will improve little by little if you continue to practice. If you plagiarize, which means copying other people’s words or drawings without giving them credit, including downloading something from the internet, even if you pay for it, you are denying yourself the opportunity to improve and to develop your own style of writing.

See these links on plagiarism:

Encourage Academic Integrity and Prevent Plagiarism (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site.

Citing Information Sources (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site.

Student Expectations

You will succeed in this course if you meet the following expectations:

• Complete the assigned activities. Please let me know as soon as you can concerning difficulties that you may have in getting assignments in on time. 
• Complete the discussion posts and replies within the given window of time. Our discussions are much more vibrant when we all participate!
• Practice respect - Be kind and respectful and always use language that supports others, both in our online discussions and in our Zoom meetings. 
• Think critically about the weekly topics. Is something surprising? Is it new to you? How does it contrast with what you know about XYZ or how does it compare to ABC?

Instructor Expectations

Here is what you can expect of me:

• I will respond to your email or message within 24 hours during the week, unless I inform you otherwise.
• I will treat you and your ideas with respect.
• I will grade your Discussion posts and replies most often within 48 hours. (If you have posted late work, it may take longer.)
• You will see your grades in the Canvas Gradebook.
• I will work hard to make this a great class.