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Abnormal Psychology PSY 227 WB

Adolescent and Adult Development Psychology PSY224WB


Summer 2014
Welcome to Online Psychology courses!
I want to welcome you to the course(s) and I hope the class meets your needs and
exceeds your expectations. As an instructor, I want to take this opportunity to share some
ideas that you, as a student, might find useful. Some of what follows may seem like
common sense, and to some degree, it is. But I urge you to read and save this document
(perhaps even print it out and keep it somewhere prominent in your work space) and refer
to it whenever the need arises. Lets start with some general instructions for this class.
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Length of Term
The summer session begins June 2nd and ends on August 21st. This means the session is
12 weeks long.
In 12 weeks we cover many chapters (between 12 and 16) in the text. So be prepared to
keep abreast of the work. If you find youre having problems or falling behind, please
email me immediately to let me know.
Grades
Within the software, you will find icons at the top of the page that are labeled
Assignments, Discussion, Announcement, etc. For each chapter, I will post an
Assignment for you to complete. In answering the Assignments, I expect you to
reference the readings in the text. However, I do not want you to quote the text, but use
your own words to answer the questions posed. Submit one Assignment at a
time! Sending multiple assignments, particularly at the end of the semester, will not be
tolerated as it is not fair to everyone involved.
Under the Discussion icon, you can post any discussion questions for each chapter.
You can post a response to any postings in each chapter as well as read the comments
posted by your classmates. Please refer to the course syllabus for more details.
Optional, In-Person Meetings
In person meeting can be a way to improve the overall experience of taking this class. It
gives students a chance to meet as a group, introduce themselves and meet the instructor.
Getting Started
Online courses are not for everybody, but traditional classroom instruction isnt either.
People learn in different ways and online classes are just another way of learning.
Comparing online classes to traditional classroom lectures is useful in that the traditional
classroom provides a familiar metaphor for understanding the online experience.

For example, think of the software we use as the classroom. It is where we meet and
accomplish our work in the course. It has features (icons) that bring you to tools you will
use in the course. You should spend some time looking around the software to find where
things are located (especially if this is your first online class).
Please email me at your earliest convenience. See the Assignment posted within the
course for Chapter One...
Small Items, BIG Issues
Please pay close attention to the following:
-

Put your name on every document you send me. If I only have your
return email address, it may not yield enough information for me to be certain who
has sent me the work. pookiebear@aol.com is NOT on my class roster!

Make copies of everything you submit. Electronic communication is


wonderful but not entirely foolproof. If you put in the time and effort to complete
an assignment, be certain you have a copy of it in the event it gets lost,
inadvertently deleted or otherwise mishandled. Please, keep copies!

Send one assignment in at a time. Students who send in multiple


assignments cause a bottleneck in the grading process and everyones work is held
up. It also puts the person grading your paper in a foul mood! I will not accept
more than one Assignment in a three day period. You are expected
to make continual progress in this course. Students sending all assignments in at
the conclusion of the course will fail the class.

Stay in touch even when youre not submitting work. If I know you
have a family crisis or need to be away for a week, that information will help my
nervous system realize we havent lost you in the class. I have this old-fashioned
idea that an instructor should care about her/his students. I can usually offer help
but only in cases I am aware of.

If youre using an email account that limits the size and capacity
of your mailbox, please be certain to keep it clean enough to
receive emails that may have attachments to them. Also, should
you change email or residential addresses at any time during the semester, please
let me know. Also, junk mail filters may interfere with our communication. Make
sure my mail is not marked as junk by your mail provider.

See, a lot of this is really is just common sense!

Some Final Thoughts


Information technology has transformed the way we do many daily activities, from
banking, entertainment and shopping . to continuing our education. This presents both
opportunities and risks for learners and teachers. As learners, your education has become
more student-centered. You decide the courses you take, the colleges you take them from
and the time and place you engage in the process. For many of you, youre in control of
more of the inherent variables than ever before. Thats a very large responsibility to
assume.
The same technologies make learning (or the opportunity to learn) a life-long activity that
does not end upon graduation from any institution. Rather, the economy, employment
opportunities and a changing marketplace requires continuous skill development and
career changes. This suggests that independent, motivated learners will adapt more
readily than those not equipped or accustomed to assuming those educational
responsibilities.
So, lets get started! I encourage all of you to look for opportunities in your lives to
APPLY the many things youre about to learn. I also challenge you to think about how
psychology operates in your world, in your beliefs and amid those things you value.
Again, welcome!
Mizuho Arai, Ph.D.
June, 2014
* This document was adapted with permission from Mr. Charles Shairs with modifications by
Mizuho Arai, Ph.D.

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