Critical Reading Exercises
A Critical Reading Exercise (CRE) is designed to help you note key terms and definitions, important concepts, things you learned, and questions that arose from assigned topic readings. These small assignments are meant to encourage you to complete the assigned readings and be prepared for class discussions.
Think Pieces
The purpose of these short writing assignments is to gauge your understanding of the course content. They will also be used as an indicator of class participation. You may be asked to think critically about a topic we have discussed, solve a problem, or summarize a concept in your own words. Questions may come from readings or class discussions.
Recreation Social Science Activities
The purpose of these activities is to assess your understanding of concepts, frameworks, and tools presented in this class and your ability to apply them in a recreation management context. Learning activities in this category include:
- Management Activities: Complete regular activities applying the concepts covered in class. These serve as formative exercises to assess your understanding of the course material.
- Field Activity: Participate in a field trip to a local recreation area to observe and/or measure aspects of visitor behavior.
- Case Study: You will be given a current issue of contention in outdoor recreation and asked to examine the issue using your knowledge of outdoor recreation management and social science concepts.
Seminar/Research Article Activity
You will have the opportunity to plan and lead a seminar discussion for the class. This will involve identifying the topic, locating appropriate preparatory materials (readings, etc.), preparing discussion questions and/or learning activities, and facilitating the seminar. Students will also improve their understanding of the research process and ability to interpret results of research by analyzing a peer-reviewed research article.
IRB Training
Research is needed to understand recreationists and inform our planning and management. Ethical conduct of research with human subjects is essential for protecting study participants, ensuring appropriate research methods are used, and producing results that others can trust. You will attend a class on the Institutional Review Board and complete a training in ethical conduct of research with human subjects.
Recreation Research Project
This is the core assignment for the course. You will select a topic related to outdoor recreation social science/visitor management. This assignment includes writing an abstract summarizing what you hope to learn, compiling an annotated reference list and synthesis matrix, participating in a group synthesis activity, presenting to the class, and writing a paper. Specific details for each component will be provided in class and on Canvas.
Professionalism and Participation
Higher education provides students with a great number of options and flexibility. This means that it is your responsibility to balance your academic and personal responsibilities. I expected you to actively and meaningfully participate* in course activities. Additionally, developing professionalism is an important element of your education: developing professional skills is as important as learning the information and practices of your field. Professional expectations for this course include:
- Attendance: attending class meetings and trips; arriving on-time. In-person attendance is expected for face-to-face classes.
- Preparation: being adequately prepared for class activities by completing assigned readings and lectures, bringing appropriate equipment and materials, etc.
- Follow-through: fulfilling commitments and completing work in a thorough, attentive, and timely manner
- Participation and Expedition Behavior: meaningful participation and modeling good expedition behavior in all course activities
- Appropriate use of technology in the classroom and during class activities
- Professional communication in all modes of communication (electronic, face-to-face)
You will be asked to reflect on your participation and professionalism in this class and complete self-assessments at midterm and the end of the semester.
Assignment Groups and Requirements
In order to pass the course, students must complete the following learning activities:
- Think Pieces: students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 70% of the Think Pieces
- Recreation Social Science Activities: students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 70% of the Management Activities
- Field Activity: students must satisfactorily complete the Field Activity
- IRB Training: students must complete IRB research ethics training
- Seminar/Research Article: students must satisfactorily lead a seminar or complete an analysis of a research article
- Project: students must complete a satisfactory project
- Participation & Professionalism: students must demonstrate a satisfactory level of participation and professionalism by attending class meetings and trips, and meaningfully participate in class discussions and activities
All assignments and learning activities will include Instructions, Criteria for Success, and a rubric with specifications for satisfactory work.
Optional Learning Activities and Opportunities for Engagement
To allow students the flexibility and choice to engage in the course at whatever level they choose, additional optional learning activities will be provided. These optional learning activities provide students the opportunity to engage with course material more deeply. The professor may, at her discretion, offer optional learning activities and credit for participating in activities that are relevant to topics covered in the class. Examples of activities for which optional engagement credit may be offered include SUU APEX events, webinars, or other special events.
Critical Reading Exercise assignments in the Modules are optional learning activities. They serve as opportunities for students to engage with course materials and ideas at a deeper level.
The following rules will apply to optional learning activities:
- Opportunities will not be offered to individuals, only to the entire class (i.e. don't ask the instructor for credit for completing optional work unless the event is free and available to all students in the class).
- Optional learning activities will have posted due dates/times. Work turned in after the grace period specified in the course syllabus will not be accepted (i.e. turning in a bunch of optional work at the very end of the semester will not be a productive use of your time).
- Students may use completion of optional learning activities as evidence of their learning and engagement in their final grade proposal.
- Optional learning activities cannot substitute for required assignments. This means you cannot skip a required assignment and “make it up” using credit from optional assignments.
Revisions
The goal of this course is for students to achieve specific learning outcomes - in other words, the goal is "to learn". Often learning occurs when we fall short of a goal or standard and work to make improvements. As such, students may revise submitted work to demonstrate learning and receive a Satisfactory/Complete grade. Revise means "to re-examine and make alterations to." Revising work uses feedback to make improvements to the original product.
The following rules will apply to revisions:
- If a submitted assignment is marked “Unsatisfactory,” you may revise and resubmit the assignment to receive a “Satisfactory” grade.
- Only work completed and submitted by the posted due date and in accordance with course policies can be revised. Missing assignments (i.e. work that was not turned in) cannot be revised.
- Assignments will be "reassigned" in Canvas and include feedback from the instructor.
- Revisions should reflect the feedback given. Students must include a statement of how the feedback was used to improve the work with their revisions to receive a “Satisfactory” grade.
- Only required assignments can be revised (other optional learning activities cannot be revised).
Final Grades
Because ORPT 3060 is listed as a “standard grade” course in the Academic Catalog, students will receive a final letter grade (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F) at the end of the semester.