|
|
Robert Risko,
Professor Course Overview
and Syllabus |
|
|
|
|
|
Welcome! I am
pleased that you have decided to enroll in this individualized Texas
History course. You are about to undertake a challenging and thought
provoking study that will provide you with a survey of Texas history from
prehistoric times to recent historical developments.
Instructor
information: Rob
Risko Office
phone: 903-675-6346 e-mail:
rrisko@tvcc.edu (preferred form of
contact) Required
Textbook: Texas:
Crossroads of North America, de
la Teja, Marks, Tyler, 1st edition, 2004, ISBN
0-618-07361-2 Please purchase
or order books from TVCC college bookstore as well as video. The
video entitled Lone Star, narrated by T.R. Fehrenbach, is only
available through TVCC bookstore. Course
Description: This
course, HIST 2301, is included in the Trinity Valley Community College
course catalog and in the Academic Course Guide Manual (ACGM) for two-year
colleges, published by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Board. It is a transferable, academic course authorized by TVCC and
is consistent with the course criteria listed in the latest ACGM. It
counts as a three credit hour course. According to House Bill 935,
this course may bu substituted for either HIST 1301 or HIST
1302. This
course covers a brief geography of Basic
Course requirements and structure: 1. Read
textbook 2. Take
on-line self-quizzes weekly 3. Watch 8
hours of video 4. Take 4
timed unit tests at your testing center 5. Term
Paper of 5-6 pages in length Course
Format: The course is
divided into four units: (1) Chapters 1-4 (2) Chapters 5-8 (3) Chapters
9-11 (4) Chapters 12-14 Weekly
Self-Quizzes: Self-quizzes for
each chapter are on-line, open book, and may be completed from the comfort
of your home. They are designed to foster a close reading of the
textbook. They are designed to take the place of a
traditional study guide. Each of these quizzes are timed at one hour
and thirty minutes. You will be penalized for exceeding the time
limit as well as multiple occurrences of logging on to the same
quiz. Quizzes will cover a single chapter and will count for 25
points. Again, there is no study guide due to the short length of
each chapter (average about 25 pages). You are, however, advised to
make notes from the quizzes to study for your tests. The on-line
service that I use allows me to check exactly when and how long you were
logged on to the website. Hence, please follow stated guidelines in
order to avoid any tragic stories or excuses that may prove detrimental to
your grade. Not following directions will result in no credit or a
zero for that particular assignment. How
do I logon to the quiz link? After you click on the appropriate quiz
you will be prompted for your user name and password. Your
user name is your last name first initial (John Doe=doej). Your
password is your last four digits of your Social Security
Number. Until
further notice, VCT Spring Variable, Summer I & II, as well as TVCC
Choices semester students will be e-mailed their quiz links by the
instructor on a weekly basis or at a time to be determined later.
Login instructions are the same as above. How
do I logon to the test link? Until further notice there are no exams
without a proctor. Contact me for special
accommodations. Suggested
Course of Study: Please set aside
time to read your textbook and watch the videos closely. Although
this is a not a traditional lecture course you will still have regular due
dates so please follow the deadlines. It is my recommendation that
you do this early in the week and take your self-quiz soon
thereafter. Do not procrastinate! Tests will be placed
on-line on the appropriate week for you to complete. You will have
to go to your host college's testing center in order to take your
exam. They will have a login and password for you to use. Your
term paper's deadline is listed on the due date page though you may turn
it in at any time during the course. Testing:
The course will
include four timed
examinations at 45 minutes each. They are proctored by the testing
center at each host college. The exams will be objective and graded
on a 100 point scale. Each test will consist of 50 multiple choice
or true-false questions. The four tests will be totaled along
with weekly quizzes, term paper, and video summaries.
Grades
and Assessment: At
this time I do not have an on-line grade book, thus, it is the student's
responsibility to keep track of their grades. Grades are formulated
as follows: Students' final
grades will be determined by a successful 60% mastery (600 points out of a
possible 1000 points) of quizzes, tests, video assignment, and term
paper. Quizzes are valued at 350 possible points (each question is
worth exactly one point--I do not use the percentage the service sends
you, rather, your grade is cumulative--25 points X 14 quizzes = 350
points), Tests--400 possible points, Term paper 200 possible points (take
your grade and multiply by 2), Video summaries--50 possible
points (all or none). To figure your
grade examine the following scale: 1000-900=A
899-800=B
799-700=C
699-600=D
599-000=F
Drop
policy: It is the
student's total responsibility to drop a course or withdraw from the
college. The instructor will not drop you from this course.
You will be given an F rather than a W if you fail to complete the
coursework and do not drop on your own. Course
Objectives (consistent with state basic intellectual course competencies
in reading, writing, listening, and critical
thinking): 1.
Students will acquire an understanding of history—the basic framework from
the Pre-Columbian era to present times and how ordinary people acted and
were acted upon by events and society within the land that would become
2.
Students will develop positive attitudes toward learning, history,
and various peoples as well as cultures and how they have contributed to
the diversity of 3.
Students will demonstrate and recall factual knowledge on specific
examinations. (terminology, classifications, methods,
trends) 4.
Students will learn to analyze and to apply course-specific material to
improve rational thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills as
well as evaluate the value of 5.
Students will learn to develop time managements skills in addition to a
sense of personal responsibility (self-reliance,
self-discipline). 6.
Students will gain a broader understanding and
appreciation of intellectual and cultural activity of the State of
Last updated
November 3, 2005.
|
|
| |
