Course Lecturer Name(s): Ms. QueenAnnie Gill
Course Director Name: Ms. QueenAnnie Gill
Course Lecturer(s) Contact Information: agill@sgu.edu
Course Director Contact Information: agill@sgu.edu
Course Lecturer(s) Office Hours: By Appointment
Course Director Office Hours: By Appointment
Course Lecturer(s) Office Location: Ballsier Building Upper Floor
Course Director Office Location: Ballsier Building Upper Floor
Course Support: NA
Course Management tool: To learn to use Sakai, the Course management tool, access the link https://apps.sgu.edu/members.nsf/mycoursesintro.pdf
Course Description:
The information provided in this course is vital to the freshman student’s success at St. George’s University. Some modules in this eight (8) week course will be facilitated by various departments of the University.
Course Objectives:
- Explain university services that enhance students’ academic experiences.
- Identify and apply key aspects of professional behaviour that are applicable in the university setting.
- Describe avenues for active participation in the life of the University and surrounding communities, and their value to all-round student development.
Student Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this course, students should be able to:
- Initiate responsible and self-directed learning as academic citizens.
- Utilize the university services that enhance students’ academic experiences.
- Explain the importance of health and wellness to the overall success of the university experience.
- Identify and apply key aspects of professional behaviour that are applicable in the university setting.
- Seek opportunities to actively participate in the life of the University and surrounding communities, and appreciate its value to all-round student development.
Program Outcomes Met By This Course:
- Effective communication of information by extracting and constructing meanings through analysis and critical thinking.
- Effective application of perspectives to an ethical question and demonstrated ability to consider full implications of the application in the decision-making process.
- Effective application and integration of appropriate qualitative and quantitative techniques as supportive pillars of analysis and argumentation.
SAS Grading Scale: Grades will be assigned as follows:
A = 89.5% or better
B+ = 84.5 - 89.4%
B = 79.5 - 84.4%
C+ = 74.5 - 79.4%
C = 69.5 - 74.4%
D = 64.5 - 69.4%
F = 64.4% or less
Course Materials:
Text: NA
Supplementary Readings/Resources: Student Manual
Course Grading Requirement:
This is a pass/fail course. Grades will be assigned as follows:
Pass/Satisfactory – 69.5% or better
Fail/Unsatisfactory – less than 69.5%
Course Requirements:
Assignments/Activities : 20%
Met assignment with DES: 20%
Attendance : 60%
Total: 100%
Course Schedule:
Week 1: 17th Jan, 19th Jan
- Welcome to University Life Expectations, Overview of
- Student Manual, Developing Help-Seeking Skills
Week 2: 24th Jan, 26th Jan
- Academic Preparation 101
- DES Session: time management, learning styles, note-taking etc.
- CAE Session: What is it? It’s importance to your academic success.
Week 3: 31st Jan, 2nd Feb
- Guidelines to Writing a Research Paper Using the Library Databases
- APA and Avoiding Plagiarism
Week 4: 7th Feb, 9th Feb
- Pofessionalism in the academic environment Pt.1 - Professional behavior:
- Responding to emails
- Teamwork/group learning
- Punctuality
- Cell phones for mobile learning
- Writing to professors (respecting boundaries)
Week 5: 14th Feb, 16th Feb
- Professionalism in the academic environment Pt. 2
- Caribbean language vs. Academic English
- Operating responsibly in an academic online environment
- Improving critical thinking skills
Week 6: 21st Feb, 23rd Feb
- Preparing for exams Pt. 1
- Test-taking strategies
- MCQs
- Strategies for coping with test anxieties.
Week 7: 28th Feb, 2nd March
- Preparing for exams Pt. 2
- Examination policies
- Preparing for exams: face-to-face, written, e-exams
- The importance of completing Course Evaluations
School of Arts and Sciences Master Syllabi — Info for All Sections
Academic Integrity
The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:
“Plagiarism is regarded as a cardinal offense in academia because it constitutes theft of the work of someone else, which is then purported as the original work of the plagiarist. Plagiarism draws into disrepute the credibility of the Institution, its faculty, and students; therefore, it is not tolerated” (p. 48).
Plagiarism also includes the unintentional copying or false accreditation of work, so double check your assignments BEFORE you hand them in.
Be sure to do good, honest work, credit your sources and reference accordingly and adhere to the University’s Honor Code. Plagiarism and cheating will be dealt with very seriously following the university’s policies on Plagiarism as outlined in the Student Manual.
Your work may be subject to submission to plagiarism detection software, submission to this system means that your work automatically becomes part of that database and can be compared with the work of your classmates.
The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:
“Students are expected to attend all classes and or clinical rotations for which they have registered. Although attendance may not be recorded at every academic activity, attendance may be taken randomly. Students’ absence may adversely affect their academic status as specified in the grading policy. If absence from individual classes, examinations, and activities, or from the University itself is anticipated, or occurs spontaneously due to illness or other extenuating circumstances, proper notification procedures must be followed. A particular course may define additional policies regarding specific attendance or participation” (p. 9).
The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:
“All matriculated students are expected to attend all assigned academic activities for each course currently registered. Medical excuses will be based on self-reporting by students. Students who feel they are too sick to take an examination or other required activity on a specific day must submit the online SAS medical excuse, which is available on Carenage. Students are only allowed two such excuses a year. Upon consultation with the Director of University Health Service, the third excuse will result in a mandatory medical leave of absence. The policies regarding make-up examinations are at the option of the Course Director” (p.46).
For additional specific examination policies and procedures, refer to the St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020), pages 31 through 37.
The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:
“A student with a disability or disabling condition that affects one or more major life activities, who would like to request an accommodation, must submit a completed application form and supporting documentation to the Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services (SAAS) located in the Dean of Students Office. It is highly recommended that students applying for accommodations do so at least one month before classes begin to allow for a more efficient and timely consideration of the request. If a fully completed application is not submitted in a timely fashion, an eligibility determination may not be made, and accommodations, where applicable, may not be granted prior to the commencement of classes and/or examinations” (p. 8).
It is the responsibility of the student to read and understand the policies, laws, rules and procedures that while they could affect your grade for a course, have not been specifically outlined in the course syllabus. These are contained in the St. George’s University Student Manual.