Course Basics PowerPointECD 110 – Early Childhood Growth and Development

Welcome to ECD 110

Welcome to the online section of ECD 110 – Early Childhood Growth and Development

We will be delving into the fascinating world of growth and development in young children - the practicum activities and assignments will, hopefully, challenge you throughout the semester

Make sure you view the entire PowerPoint – there are specific forms you need to complete and information that you need to know

Syllabus and Course Calendar

The Course Syllabus and Course Calendar are the MOST important documents you have for this course

Both can be found on the Blackboard course menu

Most questions can be answered by reading the Syllabus

You should ALWAYS follow the Course Calendar - it contains the weekly schedule, assignments, and point values

Weekly Assignments

The course is organized by weekly assignments – these can be found under the Weekly Assignments tab on the Blackboard course menu

Each week is contained in a separate folder that includes:Assigned ReadingPowerPointDiscussion BoardQuiz

Note - you are responsible for knowing the information in the reading assignments AND PowerPoints – any of this information may be used for test material at a later date

Weekly Assignment Submissions

Unless I specify otherwise, ALL assignments will be submitted as an attached file through the assignment link

The assignment link is the title of each weekly assignment – when you click on the title, a window will open where you can attach your assignment file

Acceptable file types are .doc; .docx; .ppt; .pptx; .xlsx; and .pdf - any other file types MUST be approved by me in advance of the due date

Do not paste your assignment in the comment box

Discussion Board

Most weeks you will participate in an online discussion about issues in the field

These discussions take the place of face-to-face discussion you would have in a seated class

Each student must have one initial posting and one response posting for each discussion board

Initial Posts (10 points) are to be at least 100 words

Response Posts (5 points) are to be at least 50 words

Due Dates

There are TWO due dates each week in this class

Your INITIAL post in the discussion board is due by FRIDAY at 11:59 PM

ALL weekly assignments and RESPONSE posts to the discussion board are due by SUNDAY at 11:59 PM

There are a few assignments that require more than one week to complete – these assignments are clearly identified on the Course Calendar

Grading

Assignments are due on the assigned due date

Late assignments will incur a 10% deduction each day up to 5 days

After 5 days, the grade will revert to a “0”

I am aware that emergencies, serious illnesses, etc. do occur

If you know your assignment will be late, let me know – I will review the circumstances and determine if the deduction can be waived

Online Student Conduct

All communications should:

Use proper capitalization, spelling, and grammar

Include descriptive but concise subject lines

Never use harassing, threatening, embarrassing, or otherwise abusive language or actions

Proctored Exam

A proctored exam is required for this course - it will be available beginning Monday, 09.28.15 until Sunday, 10.04.15

A proctored exam requires the student to take the exam in the presence of an approved individual or utilize ProctorU

OTC Online has set forth specific requirements for proctoring - that information can be found on the OTC Website or under the Req. Proctored Event tab on the Blackboard course menu

Administrative Withdrawal

In an online class, it is very important that you log in to Blackboard at least 3 times each week -you should also be checking your email regularly

If at any point during the semester, you fail to complete any work for 14 days, you may be administratively withdrawn from this class

If you are having issues, please contact me via email – don’t wait until you have been dropped

Moral of the story—log in and keep up with your assignments

Communicating with Your Instructor

The best way to contact me is email at suttonk@otc.edu

My email comes to my phone – if I am available, I will respond immediately

If you need to talk to me, you can call 417.319.4431 – please do NOT text me

It is your responsibility to keep me updated on any situation that arise - I have high expectations for this course, however, I realize that sometimes things happen that are out of your control – plan ahead when possible

So…Now What?

When you sign onto the Blackboard Course Site, go to the Start Here tab on the course menu

Click on the First Things First Assignment and complete the listed tasks – these are due no later than Sunday, 08.23.15

After you have finished these tasks, take a look around and get familiar with the course

If you have any questions about the assignments or the course, in general, post them in the Q&A Café and I will answer them as quickly as possible

Have a Great Semester!