ALS 101 Final Exam: Course Redesign
Sample Redesign Process PaperFor our ALS final, we were given the assignment to redesign the course and write a syllabus. I was a little confused at first but after I looked at the sample assignment, I had a better idea of what I was supposed to do. I looked over the topics we had for our class and picked the ones I liked the most. I then added a few other topics that I thought would be helpful to students such as managing finances, healthy eating, and fitness. I decided to add these topics because I have three teenagers and these are three things I am always lecturing them about; these were topics my parents stressed as well.
What I learned by doing this project is that it must take professors a while to develop the perfect syllabus. It is not easy to do and a lot of thought has to go into it. There is so much material to cover. The teacher has to make sure everything is clear and easy to find on the syllabus and the assignments also need to be clear; especially when it is an online course because teachers don’t to see their student’s face to face. I realized the importance of good samples, as well. I don’t think I would have been able to figure out the midterm or final for this class without the sample assignments. One of the things I would do differently if I were to do this assignment again is I would probably re-do the amount of points each assignment is worth. One of the comments I received was, “50 points for each assignment is a lot, I am glad I am not taking your class”. Yes, I would have to agree with that statement. I would have added an extra credit assignment, too. I saw some people had done this and it was a very good idea. The course objective that this activity reinforced for me was presenting a clear written report. It was important that my syllabus was clear, easy to read, and easy to follow. One classmate did not see how many points each of my assignments were worth so perhaps I should used red font for those items. A clear written syllabus is important for the success of both the teacher and student. |
Sample SyllabusThis 8 week class is designed to help students by providing tips, methods, and other various ways to help better themselves in their educational and life goals.
At the end of this course, you will
Required Materials To successfully complete this course, you will need
This class will keep you busy every week with online assignments so try not to fall behind. If for any reason you need assistance my email is listed at the end of the syllabus. You can also ask for help from your classmates on the discussion board. COURSE SCHEDULE All homework will be due no later than Saturday night the same week. Week 1 Introductions: You will be required to write a short paragraph introducing yourself to your classmates on the discussion board. You can talk about why you chose this class, what do you expect to get out of this class, etc. This will be worth 10 points Weekly assignment: You will need to read and reply to 3 classmates introductions no later than Saturday or you will not receive full credit. This assignment is worth 15 points. Week 2 Time Management: This week, you will learn how to effectively manage your time. Weekly assignment: go to http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/manage-your-life-with-free-online-time-management-tools/. Read the page and write a short paragraph on what you learned and which you think would work for you. This assignment is worth 20 points. Week 3 Organize and Prioritize: This week you will learn how to manage your time better by organizing and prioritizing. Go to http://lifeorganizers.com/Organize-Your-Wellness-/The-Organized-Stress-Release/System-for-Prioritizing-Your-Day.html Assignment: On the discussion board, post what you do to stay organize. Second, write out all your daily/weekly activities and try to prioritize them from the most urgent to it could wait. This assignment is worth 25 points. Week 4 Studying Smart: This week you will learn how to take effective notes. Go to http://personalorganizing.about.com/od/howtomanageyourtime/tp/How-to-Take-Better-Notes.htm Weekly Assignment: You will write out how you use to take notes along with ways that you can improve on it from new information that you learned from the website. This will be worth 20 points. Week 5 Ways to Fund your education: This week you will learn the different ways you can fund your education with the help of financial aid, grants, and scholarships. Go to http://www.fafsa.com/ , http://www.scholarships.com/ Weekly assignment: Find a scholarship that you might be eligible for and write a one page paper on why you think you deserve that particular scholarship. This is worth 20 points. Week 6 Goal Setting: This week you will learn how to set short/long term goals for yourself. Go to http://topachievement.com/goalsetting.html Weekly assignment: This week you will set 5 short and 5 long term goals for yourself. Than you will write a short paragraph on how you think you can reach those goals. This is worth 15 points Week 7 Learning Style: This week you will learn about the 4 different types of learning. Go to http://www.4mat.eu/method-learning-styles.aspx Weekly Assignment: Read about the 4 types of learning style. Write a short paragraph on which learning style you are in the discussion board. You will also reply to 2 classmate’s posts. This is worth 20 points. Week 8 Review and Reflection: This week you will review everything that you have learned throughout this course. Final assignment: You will write out a two page paper on everything that you have learned and will take with you throughout your educational journey. Your paper will need to be double spaced, 12pt font, and MLA format. This will be due on Friday and will be worth 100 points. For help with homework assignments check the out the “homework samples” under the “Course Content” tab in Angel. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Grading Policies: The points for each assignment are listed at the end of each week. There will be No makeup for missed assignments so make sure you get them done on time. Grading Scale: 230-245 points = A 215-230 points= B 200-215 points= C 185-200 points= D Below 185 points= F Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Even though this is an online class, please make sure that you cite any information that isn’t your own. Violation of plagiarism will result in FAILURE of class and reported to the Academic counsel. CONTACT INFORMATION
I have read the entire course syllabus and accept the terms. Student Signature:_____________ Date: ______ Work Cited "4MAT Web." 4MAT Web. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2012. "Easy 7-Step System for Prioritizing Your Day and Simplifying Your Life | The Organized Stress-Release | Organize Your Wellness "MakeUseOf." MakeUseOf. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2012. "How to Take Better Notes." About.com Personal Organizing. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2012. "Find Scholarships While Colleges Recruit You." Scholarships.com: Free College Scholarship Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2012. “Goal Setting Powerful Written Goals in 7 Easy Steps!" Top Achievement. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2012. |
Sample Morning Pages ProcessAt some point in time, everyone has heard of a journal or a diary. A journal or diary is something that you can write your personal experiences in as you experience them. Morning pages are very similar to writing in a journal or a diary. Morning pages are designed to help reflect on what you have learned, what you plan to learn in the future, or any obstacles that you have overcome within the course of this class.
I may have forgotten a few of days in the process but what I did for my morning pages was after I fed my dogs everyday, I would wrote a paragraph on what I learned or what I wanted to learn that week from each objective. For instance, in week three I truly wanted to learn an easy and effective way to take notes. I have a hard time listening and writing at the same time. Afterwards, I go over my notes and I have no idea what I have written. That week one of the classmates suggested watching the news and trying to take notes on the news. That way I could practice listening to important information and writing it at the same time. I tried this technique and it helped me. It was still hard for me to listen and write down everything; however, after I went over my notes I actually understood them. The next time I take notes I have to try and listen more and write down key notes. Throughout this semester I have learned different skills in obtaining college success. The ability to manage my time was one of the main problems that I had before this course. That is one of the goals that I planned to reach. In the first week of the course, I wrote in my morning pages that I would like to learn how to not procrastinate. Procrastinating is my weakness. In week two, the objective was time-management. I thought that was ironic considering I was just talking about it in the weekly morning pages prior. For week 2 I decided that I was going to try my hardest to not procrastinate, and I did just that. I finished all of my assignments at least two days before they were due. The feeling of knowing that you have already done an assignment that is due in the near future is the best feeling. You get to relax, no more panicking. Since then, I have tried to keep up the good work and do my assignments earlier. I am getting there, it is not where I want it to be, but I am improving with time. If I could do the morning pages all over again I would try to be more consistent. There were a couple weeks when I only wrote three or four times that week instead of five for everyday. It did not affect the way I felt during the week. I just wish that I could have had a steadier pace with it. For the past few weeks I have been doing them everyday; nevertheless, I would like to have been doing them everyday throughout the length of this course. If I keep doing them everyday I think it will help me answer any drawn out questions that I have or had. I thought that the weekly check-ins for morning pages were very helpful. Reading about how other people had the same troubles as me was reassuring that I am not the only one who needs to work on these issues. It was also uplifting to get encouragement from other classmates and refreshing to give encouragement to the other classmates. In a way the check-ins motivated me, as well as other students, to improve week after week. Morning pages can be helpful to anyone who does them. They helped me in being able to set a weekly goal and trying to obtain it. Expressing myself on paper gives me more of an open mind about something that I have trouble with because it helps me to get things off my chest that I normally would not ask a teacher. My favorite part about doing the morning pages was the weekly check-ins. Positivity is the key to great motivation. |