Jeff Spanbauer

Office: D-304
Phone: (815) 224-0254

E-mail:Jeff_Spanbauer@ivcc.edu

Spring '13

Office Hours

MWF 7:30-8:00 (OTC 104), 10:30-11:00 D304, WF 12:00-1:00 D304

 

 

United States to 1865-His 2000

   Generic Syllabus   (Please note that this is not the syllabus we actually use IN class, but is the college's base syllabus.)

United States From 1865-His 2001
   Generic Syllabus   (Please note that this is not the syllabus we actually use IN class, but is the college's base syllabus.)

Some Basics from my Online Course Syllabus---this should give you a basic understanding of expectations, policies, etc.
   Method(s) of Assessment (or a “how-to-guide” for you to EARN the grade you wish):

1.  Please think carefully about taking an online course. There is participation each session along with reading  AND we’ll also have written assignments. 

   -This is not a GO AT YOUR OWN PACE COURSE!!

   -This is not a class you can put off when you’re busy with face-to-face classes.

   -This is a class that you must keep up with, or face late penalties.

      -This is a class in which you MUST login several times a week to stay up to date, check for changes, and PARTICIPATE in discussions, some of which may be live.

     -This is not a warning of impending doom, but it is a realistic assessment of the course.

     -You will not spend three hours in class per week, as in a face-to-face class plus the outside prep-work and such. Instead, you will read and respond to Discussion Questions and interact with peers (and me) while also writing assignments.

     -I believe the class will be quite comparable in the time required to a face-to-face class—however, those who do not keep up will have a difficult time with the workload.

ATTENDANCE.

    -You must have regular and convenient access to a computer + the connections necessary to be online (go figure). Blackboard and other sites on the World Wide Web will be necessary for you to successfully meet the needs of this ONLINE course.

    - Although we (quite obviously) won’t be meeting face to face for discussions, I DO expect you to be prepared to participate in each weekly “unit.”  For this course to work effectively, you need to respond to questions and to those of your classmates within a designated time frame on the discussion boards.  All assignments will have clear deadlines.  Even though we’re not meeting at specific times weekly, the class DOES meet asynchronously. 

    -We will have the option to meet via an interactive website at times, which, hopefully, will facilitate discussions and the exchange of information—more on that later.

    -I expect you to login in several times a week, most likely every day, and at the very least, every other day.

 

Weekly Assignments:

-Each “week” you’ll need to accomplish a number of tasks.  See the class schedule for an overview of all your assignments for the course.

    -Learn the general history of the United States by reading the textbook and materials from the Web.  These are intended to provide you with the basic factual/background information necessary to help you elaborate on your thoughts for the discussion board.

    -Read the text and primary sources for the week (if applicable).  Some have “notes” to help you better understand the sources.

    -Follow the links.  I’m not going to always “require” you to look at specific sites—you are welcome to browse on your own—I’m merely going to provide some good ones which can help you to better answer/flesh out the discussion questions.

    -The more you read, the more you’ll understand and the better you’ll do on the exams.

    -I do not record lectures for you, so it is only through following these links, participating in discussions and ASKING QUESTIONS that you will get the added information beyond the textbook.

 

Assignments & Grading

Discussion Questions and Regular Participation  (Weekly)

    -For each question/problem, you will have to submit responses to questions in a discussion group NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY “night” of that “week.” (Some weeks, you will have a choice of questions.)

    -Use the Discussion Board on Blackboard. 

      -You should provide at least solid paragraph (4 substantial and quality sentences) containing your own answer to the questions. 

      -You should also, within the next few days, respond to at least THREE other students' answers on the same issues. 

      -Initial postings should be up by Wednesday and ALL responses must be done by 8:00 pm on Friday evening to count for credit.

      -The more responses, the better---your grade will improve and the class might actually become more interesting!!

      ­-Think about your responses-make them relevant and worthwhile—consider language…(no inappropriate humor or insults (both to the living and the dead).  In all cases, you should try to base your contributions on historical research (from the books, websites or other sources).

      -Feel free to Quote outside sources (and give the sources so we can check).  You need to document anything you directly quote or paraphrase in Chicago Manual of Style format.

      -Ask questions and find answers to questions from one another, and the instructor.

      -OH—and to get points, obviously, the discussion MUST take place during the week assigned…there is no “magical” number—and although I provide a “minimum,” remember—minimum effort = minimum points (generally).

 

Exams (3)

    -These will cover the course units over which they’re assigned.  I.E., the final will not be comprehensive.

    -The Exams will be essay, and MAY have a short answer portion.

    -All exams will be taken online. 

    -We will have a practice exam to work out the ‘bugs’ of online testing and you WILL need a safe and secure location and internet connection for this.

    -I also know that you have the “world” at your fingertips…so….you can figure this out, right?  If I catch you plagiarizing, you will receive no credit.  You are welcome to use sources, but quote and cite them.

 

2 Short Papers (3-5 pages)

    -Papers will be submitted through the Assignment link as an attachment.

    -IF I am not able to open the document you submit through the assignments page, you will be penalized.

    -Guidelines will be provided.

    -Papers MUST be submitted in RICHTEXT format.

    -All must be submitted via the assignment page, spell checked and grammar checked and cited properly using Chicago-Style footnotes.

    -Plagiarism will not be accepted.  Any plagiarized papers will receive the score of “0” with no questions asked.  You should know how to cite by now!  If  you do not know how to do this, make an appointment to come see me, see the writing center at the college, or look at the materials provided in the course documents folder.

    -Late Papers—I will only accept an assignment late, for the first 48 hours after the due date (beginning of class).  You will have 25% of the total possible points taken off of your earned score as a result of it being late for ANY reason (including but not limited to “errors” in uploading—no matter the reason!) 

 

One Last Note—that thing called Plagiarism…

Academic Integrity is directly linked to the Core Values of Illinois Valley Community College, three of which are RESPONSIBILITY, RESPECT, and HONESTY.  It is the Responsibility of each student to Respect the academic integrity of each class/course by doing their own work and by refusing to assist others in deception.  Academic dishonesty violates the academic integrity expected of all students.

 Academic dishonesty is defined as, but is not limited to:

    Cheating - using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, study aids, or information in any academic exercise, including copying from another person's work or preparing work for another person that is to be presented as the other person's own work.

    Fabrication - furnishing false information to a College official relative to academic matters, including but not limited to, misrepresentation of written information provided in admission documents.

    Plagiarism - comes from the Latin word plaglare, which means "to steal."  Therefore, plagiarism is a form of cheating.  Plagiarism is defined as using the words of ideas of another as one's own either on purpose or unintentionally.  This includes, but it not limited to, copying whole, portions or the paraphrasing (rewording) of passages or information from any source in any academic exercise (written or oral) without giving credit to the author or source using an appropriate citation style.  Students must be able to prove that their work is their own.

    Facilitating Academic Dishonesty - helping or attempting to help another to violate any provision of this code.

       http://www.ivcc.edu/nso.aspx?id=14082&terms=academic+integrity (and from the 2009-2011 Course Catalog, pages 298-299)

       -ALL citations in class will be formatted with footnotes or endnotes according to the Chicago Manual of Style. 

      -Links and “cheatsheets” are available on blackboard.

    

Anticipated Semester Schedule

(NOTE:  This is written on paper, not stone, therefore it is subject to change, alteration, and mutilation.)

 

Sample Schedule

-What is History & Thinking Historically & Source Discussion		Week One (Aug. 17th-Aug. 21st )
Reconstruction and the New South The New South	-Pages 405-427 -Pages 428-437	Week Two (Aug. 22nd-28th )
Transformation of the West The Emergence of Big Business	-Pages 438-467 -Pages 468-482	Week Three (Aug. 29th- Sept. Sept. 4th)
Working in this New World The Rise of the City Challenging the Gilded Age	-Pages 483-497 -Pages 498-518 -Pages 518-527	Week Four (Sept. 5th-11th)
Exam #1 (To be taken between (9:00 AM and 9:00 PM on Monday, 9/12)   The Progressive Umbrella A Transformative War:  Applying the Monroe Doctrine (?)	-Pages 530-557 -Pages 560-578	Week Five (Sept. 12th-18th)
Becoming an Empire (?) The Road to War	-Pages 579-591 -Pages 592-614	Week Six (Sept. 19th-25th)
Moving away from Isolationism:  WWI Winning the War/Losing the Peace	-Pages 592-614 -Pages 615-623	Week Seven (Sept. 26th-Oct. 2nd) Paper #1 Due by 10:00 AM

 

Getting Started with Online Classes

You are enrolled in an online course.  Now what?  This notice will supply you with some information to get you started with your course.  Even if you have taken an online course before, we urge you to read carefully.  Here’s what you need to do.

1. Be certain to purchase the materials for the online section of the course.  Your schedule lists the course number and section (like PSY 1000-100).  You may also purchase your textbooks online at http://www.ivccbookstore.com/.
   
2. If this is  your first online course, you are required to participate in an orientation session.If you do not complete the orientation by the start date of your online classes, you will be dropped from your online courses.  If you previously participated in an orientation AND successfully completed an IVCC online course, you will not be required to take the orientation again, and therefore were not asked to register for an orientation when you registered for your online class.  If your schedule lists an orientation session, you must attend.  Orientations can be completed online or on-campus.  See  http://www.ivcc.edu/dl for more information.
   
3. Visit your online instructor’s Web page.  There you will find more information about your online course.  The instructor’s Web page may provide a copy of the syllabus and a welcome letter or introduction to the course. You are expected to review this information by the first day of class.  A list of links to instructor Web pages is available for each semester, linked from http://www.ivcc.edu/dl.
   
4. Check your IVCC Email Account. The college provides all students with an IVCC email account.  You are expected to periodically check that account, which is especially important for online students.  You can access your email account and find instructions at http://www.ivcc.edu/myivcc.
   
5. Log into your class the first day of school.  Most online classes use a virtual classroom environment called Blackboard (http://ivcc.blackboard.com).  After logging into Blackboard, you will find your online course listed in the My Courses area.  Your course will not be available until the first day of classes.   Instructions for using Blackboard are available at http://www.ivcc.edu/myivcc.  Some courses use other virtual spaces directly related to your textbook, in which case you will find further instructions on your instructor’s Web page or in an email from your instructor.  If you experience any trouble accessing your course by the first day, please email or call  the Learning Technologies office or the Student Help Desk.
   
   

   Your Blackboard Login information can be found on the Username and Passwords page.