Projects/Homework:
Memory Identification & Reflection Activity (10%): This activity will involve observing and documenting your memory strategies and trying out new memory strategies not previously used over a period of a few days. The objectives of this assignment are to 1) allow you to explicitly identify strategies that are successful as well as potentially unsuccessful as a student and 2) give you an opportunity to try new strategies that you have not used previously. More details for this assignment will be provided as described in the Calendar section of the syllabus.
Observational APA Research Paper (25%): This project will involve creating a hypothesis that you develop and testing this hypothesis by observing public behaviors of others. Your observational study will be reported in APA format as a formal research paper. The objectives of this assignment are to 1) provide you with an opportunity to design a study, 2) collect data, and 3) write up the study using APA formatting. The intention of this assignment is to give you first-time exposure to the full research process and lay the foundation for future research-oriented courses. More details for this assignment will be provided as described in the Calendar section of the syllabus.
O*NET Career Search (5%): O*NET is an acronym for Occupational Information Network. It is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. For this assignment, you will complete two activities on O*NET. You will complete the O*NET Interest Profiler by answering questions about your interests. You will also research careers in its career database. More information will be provided in class.
Job Ad/Grad School Posting and Resume (5%): This project is designed to help you better understand the realities of entering and working in your desired profession. In this assignment, you will find and evaluate an advertisement for a job (and graduate program as necessary) in which you might be interested. What are the qualifications? What are the necessary skills? What does the employer/graduate program want in an applicant? Write a one-page report that summarizes the ad and your thoughts about it. Also, write a CV or one-page resume given your current qualifications and think about ways to become a more competitive applicant. More information will be provided in class.
Professional Plan (10%): This assignment is the culmination of the class component on career planning. This written essay should build on an outline wherein you identify one (or more) career goal(s), then identify key steps that would enable you to achieve that goal(s). The key steps should be fleshed out by addressing issues such as what you have to do to achieve the key steps, and what resources are available to help you on the way. This assignment is intended to help you think through how you might start working now to achieve a career that you find satisfying. More details will be provided in class.
In-Class Activities (ICAs; 10%): Individuals tend to understand things best when they have a chance to talk and write about these topics. Therefore, I consider your participation in discussions and activities to be a very important part of your learning. I will be having In-Class Activities (ICAs) regularly that will consist of many of the following – reflections, case scenarios, problem-solving situations, etc. Many class sessions will have ICAs as listed on the Calendar section of the syllabus. However, not all ICAs may appear on the Calendar.
Reading Quizzes (15% Individual, 10% Group): In order to improve the skill of extrapolating information for text, we will have in-class, closed-book reading quizzes throughout the semester, as listed in the Calendar section. Each quiz will have approximately 5-10 multiple-choice questions that will be answered both individually, first, and then as a group, second. Both scores count towards your grade. More details will be provided.
Final Exam (10%): There will be a final exam scheduled for your class section during Final Exam Week. The final will be cumulative and will be in a similar format to the weekly quizzes. However, the Final Exam will include some short-answer or essay questions. More information will be provided during the semester.