ISDA 101-10
Online learning: Tools and Strategies for Success
Fall 2021 Syllabus

Barbara Ros
E-mail

Canvas Information: Enrolled students should receive course invitations via e-mail and within Canvas on August 2 the same day the course site will become available. Preparatory information will be sent via email and MySJSU before the end of the day July 30.

Course Description

Introduces students to a variety of successful strategies in the use of new and emerging technologies found in today's online environment. Covers learning management tools, web conferencing, social software, university resources, skills for success in an online environment.

Any undergraduate student who does not successfully complete ISDA 101 in the first 4 weeks of the semester will be placed on administrative probation. After a discussion with the BSISDA Program Coordinator, an undergraduate student may be allowed to retake ISDA 101 if the student presents compelling reasons for not having completed the course. If the ISDA 101 class is not passed on the second attempt, the student will be disqualified from the University. A hold will be placed on the student's ability to register for other classes until ISDA 101 has been successfully passed by the second attempt.

Course Format: Online

This one-unit course is offered completely online on the Canvas learning management system. Course materials such as syllabus, handouts, notes, assignment instructions, etc. can be found on the Canvas course site. The syllabus for this course will also be available online on the iSchool Syllabi section of its website. Communication with the students will take place through the Canvas Learning Management system, email, and Zoom.

Earning Credit:

This one unit CR/NC course is required for all incoming students. In order to obtain a grade of CR:

• all activities listed in the course content that require a demonstration of competency (including all module assignments) must be successfully completed.
• all reading and discussion items must be successfully completed; evaluation criteria are listed in the grading rubrics for each assignment. A failed assignment may be re-submitted, but this is limited to just one additional attempt for that assignment.
• all assignments and activities must be completed by Sept 16.

Expectations:

Students are expected to participate fully in all class activities. It is expected that students will be open-minded and participate fully in discussions in class and debate in a mature and respectful manner. Use of derogatory, condescending, or offensive language including profanity is prohibited. Disagreement is healthy and perfectly acceptable. Expressing disagreement should always include an explanation of your reasoning and, whenever possible, evidence to support your position. In accordance with San José State University's Policies, the Student Code of Conduct, and applicable state and federal laws, discrimination based on gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or disability is prohibited in any form.  

Students in this course must meet the school’s technology requirements as listed here:

• Home Computing Environment
• Application Software
• Antivirus and anti-spyware
• Technology Literacy Requirements

Course Communications: Instructor/Peer Mentor & Learner Interactions

The instructor and the peer mentor for this class will respond to emails and discussion questions within 24 hours. Announcements are also made in the course several times per week. Assignments will be returned with feedback within 72 hours of submission. For several assignments in this course, (per assignment rubric), you are also expected to acknowledge/respond to this grading feedback.

Communication in the class discussion forums should comply with the Guidelines for Acceptable Communication in INFO 203 Discussion Forums.

Course Requirements and Assignments

Course Calendar

The class is taught in a totally online environment and will involve synchronous and asynchronous activity. The course site will become available on August 2. Students who wish to begin working on the course may do so starting on that date. We strongly advise an early start and completion for this class. Students who are unable to begin early may start the course at any time through August 19, the date when all other courses officially begin.

Important deadlines for the class:

• August 26: Assignments for Modules 1 and 2 are due
  • Sign-ups for teamwork groups (Module 4) must be completed
• Sept 2:
  • Sign-ups for Zoom training (Module 3) must be completed
  • Personal Skills Assignment Preparation: Team Check-In (Module 4) is due
  • Assignment for Module 5 (King Library) is due
• Sept 9:
  • Assignments for Modules 3 (Zoom training) and 6 (APA) are due
• Sept 16: All remaining assignments (Modules 4 and 7) must be successfully completed; late assignment submissions will not be accepted.

Students who miss any of the first three deadlines will be required to complete additional training in time management.

Assignments

Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of credit, a minimum of 45 hours over the length of the course (normally three hours per unit per week) for instruction, preparation/studying, or course-related activities, including but not limited to internships, labs, and clinical practica. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.

This one-unit course consists of seven modules. Since this is a one-unit CR/NC course, assignments consist of showing competency in various learning platforms and engaging in discussions related to readings and questions raised by the instructor. Each module is linked to the Course Learning Outcome (CLO) it supports.

Learning Management System (supports CLO #2)

Students will work within the Canvas learning management system and will:

• use the Canvas tutorials for information on how to use this learning management system
• use the discussion area to read and appropriately contribute posts and replies
• access the list of class members
• update personal preference information such as e-mail address and password
• send a message to another student in the class using the messaging tool and understand etiquette related to use of this tool
• submit an assignment
• access grades, comments, and files returned by the instructor

Technology Tools and Literacy (supports CLO #1 and CLO #4.)

Students will:

• verify they have the required computing hardware and application software that meets or exceeds the iSchool technology requirements
• verify they have the required technology literacy skills
• access a resource protected by the Restricted Materials login
• open .docx and PDF files
• establish an account to enable participation in Google Docs, a collaborative online environment
• evaluate and apply principles of cybersecurity

Web Conferencing: Zoom (supports CLO #3)

Students will:

• learn how to use student accounts to schedule and hold group meetings
• participate in a synchronous Zoom training session and use the following tools: microphone, raise hand, chat, emoticons, polling, and selected whiteboard tools
• share a recording created with their SJSU Zoom account

Personal Skills (supports CLO #4)

Students will:

• inventory their personal readiness for online work
• recognize the personal skills needed for success as an online student
• use an online tool that enables team collaboration
• work with a team to develop a list of ground rules for successful collaboration

King Library Resources (supports CLO #4)

Students will use the King Library website and will:

• access library resources including licensed databases
• demonstrate an understanding of the use of library databases by completing the Library Online Tutorial for School of Information Students (LOTSS) tutorial and scoring at least 70% on each of the three quizzes
• demonstrate an understanding of issues related to academic integrity by completing the library’s plagiarism tutorial

APA Style (supports CLO #4)

Students will:

• locate and utilize APA style resources including the APA style manual (7th edition is required for this class)
• properly format an academic journal reference in APA style

Success as an iSchool Student (supports CLO #4)

Students will:

• identify and use student advising and support resources to understand program learning outcomes, and be able to plan a successful path to graduation

• identify where to find help for important tasks in MySJSU
• update e-mail address

Grading Information 

This one unit CR/NC course is required for all students in the BSISDA program. Incompletes will only be awarded in the case of serious medical or family issues (with appropriate documentation supplied). In order to obtain a grade of CR:

• all activities listed in the course content that require a demonstration of competency (including all module assignments) must be successfully completed.
• all reading and discussion items must be successfully completed; evaluation criteria are listed in the grading rubrics for each assignment. A failed assignment may be re-submitted, but this is limited to just one additional attempt for that assignment.
• all assignments and activities must be completed by Sept 16.

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Course Workload Expectations

Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours per unit per week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or preparation/studying or course related activities including but not limited to internships, labs, clinical practica. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.

Instructional time may include but is not limited to:
Working on posted modules or lessons prepared by the instructor; discussion forum interactions with the instructor and/or other students; making presentations and getting feedback from the instructor; attending office hours or other synchronous sessions with the instructor.

Student time outside of class:
In any seven-day period, a student is expected to be academically engaged through submitting an academic assignment; taking an exam or an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; building websites, blogs, databases, social media presentations; attending a study group;contributing to an academic online discussion; writing papers; reading articles; conducting research; engaging in small group work.

Course Prerequisites

ISDA 101 has no prequisite requirements.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate that they can employ appropriate social networking software for collaboration with colleagues.
2. Demonstrate that they can utilize a learning management system to organize coursework.
3. Apply tools of web conferencing software to work synchronously with colleagues.
4. Demonstrate aptitude with a variety of tools and strategies to ensure success while taking coursework via an online environment.

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Textbooks

Required Textbooks:

• American Psychological Association (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). American Psychological Association. Available through Amazon: 1433832178.

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Grading

This is a Credit/No Credit course. Incompletes will only be awarded in the case of serious medical or family issues (with appropriate documentation supplied).

University Policies

Per University Policy S16-9, university-wide policy information relevant to all courses, such as academic integrity, accommodations, etc. will be available on Office of Graduate and Undergraduate Programs' Syllabus Information web page at: https://www.sjsu.edu/curriculum/courses/syllabus-info.php. Make sure to visit this page, review and be familiar with these university policies and resources.

In order to request an accommodation in a class please contact the Accessible Education Center and register via the MyAEC portal.

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