Instructor / Angela Mclendon MA, PhDc
Phone / (727) 537-9008 Pleasetryto contact me within the course communication first. If it is urgent and cannot wait for a response via email, feel free to call. Leave a message as to the nature of the situation and I will get back to you.
Cheryl Kerr (727) 341-3736 email:.
OfficeAddress / Online:Iwill respond to your communication within 48 hours.
I am available and will respond to students Monday through Friday (regular business hours).
PhoneHours / Use only in emergency
E-mail / Please email me within the course under the communications tab. It is also helpful if you include a subject for easier tracking.
Location / Course format is online
REQUIRED TEXT
Fundamentals of Perinatal Social Work-A Guide for Clinical Practice with Women, Infants, and Families.Authors: Regina Furlong Lind, MSW, LCSW & Debra Honig Bachman, MSW, LCSWISBN:9780789000439
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to increase student competency in supporting families during the preconception, pregnancy and immediate postpartum periods. Course content will focus on human reproduction, pregnancy, birth and infant care, with an emphasis on the adjustment of the family and its individual members during the perinatal period. The course will present both factual information and skills for promoting healthy behaviors. Students will apply their knowledge within the theoretical contexts of human and family development gained in previous coursework.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. Develop an understanding of basic terms and issues associated with this subject both from a physiological perspective as well as a social/emotional perspective.
2. Understand the adjustment and dynamics that can be a part of pregnancy and birth in a family.
3. Develop an understanding of Human Services technique and application of technique when working with clients.
TEACHING METHODS
We will be using online format to deliver the course. While it is online, it is meant to be interactive and creative. We will use discussions to interact with each other, challenge and learn from each other, and to support each other.
As we read, we must begin to read and interact; we must begin to think critically about the information. What is critical thinking?
It…. raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely; gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards; thinks open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences; and communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems. (Paul, R and Elder, 2006)
Throughout the course, there will also be an emphasis on application. What does the material mean to you as a professional? How will you apply this information in every day life while working with clients?
LESSONS
· Lessons consist of a combination of assignments and discussion postings.
· All parts of a project need to be completed before the project is accepted forcredit.
· Students should follow the due dates on the Course Calendar.
· Projects should reflect the quality and integrity of college level work.
· Failure to successfully complete any part of a project results in no credit being assigned for that project, which may result in a lower grade at the end of the course.
· Assignments and activities are subject to change at the instructor’s discretion. Pay attention to the message area on the Homepage of this course whenyou first log in and email within the course.
PLEASE CHECK YOUR CALENDAR TAB IN MYCOURSES TO SEE WHEN ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Instructors will verify that students are in attendance at least once each week during the first two weeks of class. Students classified as “No Show” for both of the first two weeks will be administratively withdrawn.
Immediately following the 60% point of the term, each instructor will verify which students are actively participating in class as defined in the course syllabus.Students classified as not meeting the criteria for active class participation will be administratively withdrawn with a “WF”. Students will be able to withdraw themselves at any time during the term.However, requests submitted after the 60% deadline will result in a “WF”.Students and instructors will automatically receive an e-mail notification to their SPC email whenever a withdrawal occurs.
Regular online class participation is required and essential for the successful completion of this course. Your attendance in this class will be monitored by your weekly activity. If you do not complete the lesson IN ITS ENTIRITY you will be marked absent for that week.If you are not going to be able to log in to the course for a week or more, you need to notify the instructor. Students will be considered not in compliance with the attendance policy for this course if they have more than two absences during the semester.
SUMMARY OF ATTENDANCE
Due to recent changes in federal laws with regard to financial aid, SPC now requires instructors to record student attendance in each scheduled on-campus class and to record student participation in online educational activities in online and blended classes..
If you do not attend and participate in class during the first two weeks of the semester, you will automatically be withdrawn from a course by the college registration system.
If you are inactive in this course for more than two weeks before the college Drop Date and if your course grade point average is less than 50% on the Drop Date, you will be assigned a grade of WF immediately after the Drop Date by the college registration system.
It is the student's responsibility to notify the instructor of ANY absence.Please review the college Attendance Policy (Revised December, 2007)
Please be aware that if you withdraw yourself from or discontinue participation in ALL of your courses on or prior to the college Drop Date, you are responsible under federal law to return all financial aid payments that you may have received during the semester.
Absences in excess of 10% of the total class meetings may result in failing grade.
DROPPING THE COURSE
It is the responsibility of the student wishing to withdraw from the course to do so by the withdrawal date.Any student wishing to withdraw from the course must do so his or herself online in the MY SPC registration area found at as well as contact the instructor.All students registered in the course after the withdrawal date will receive a grade as outlined in this syllabus. Students who abandon the course or do not withdraw themselves by the withdrawal date are subject to receive a grade of F.By SPC Policy (enacted February 2005), student cannot withdraw from a course after the withdrawal deadline.
If this is your third time taking the course, you cannot withdraw from the course. (State of Florida regulation)
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
You will have 1 week to complete all activities that go with a lesson. Our week runs from SUNDAY TO SUNDAY. Extensions will NOT be allowed except under certain circumstances and will be determined on a case by case basis. One circumstance might include MYCOURSES outages or maintenance. Students will not be allowed to make up work unless there is an extenuating circumstance as well. This will be the exception and not the rule. This will be tied to an excused absence. Some examples of excused absences are military duty, extended hospitalization, other. You will more than likely be asked to provide documentation to verify your absence. Once you have communicated with me, I will advise you as to where to send the verification.
PLEASE CHECK YOUR CALENDAR TAB IN MYCOURSES TO SEE WHEN ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION.
TECHNICAL LITERACY REQUIREMENTS
Students of must feel comfortable performing the following tasks on the computer:
·launching and closing various applications (i.e., Ms Word, Internet Explorer)
·downloading and saving files to folders created on the hard drive or disk
·sending, receiving, and opening attachments
·using the Internet to locate and save information
Some tutorials are available to assist you in the getting started folder under the content tab. Students taking online courses should be highly motivated and well disciplined.Learning is not a spectator sport. You are required to think and work in an independent and scholarly manner during this course. You are responsible for your learning experience.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
If you are experiencing technical challenges in the course, first review the information, resources, and FAQ at
Help Desk Hours - Subject to change
Daily -7 A.M. to Midnight
Email:
Phone:(727) 341-4357
(727) 341-HELP
If your computer goes down, you are expected to find and use an alternative computer. I will also do this myself. We all have technical issues from time to time but we have to make adjustments if we want to continue in the course. Some options for users who are having technical difficulties are the computers at the local libraries or at SPC. Please make sure you have the proper equipment to successfully complete this course.
Always save your work! Should a “technical error” occur, you can pull the work back up and reference it. If you choose NOT to save your work, should something happen, I more than likely will NOT be able to assist you.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
***Instructor reserves right to make modification to syllabus at any time***
Please note: I will strive to stand by the syllabus and I realize that it may be necessary to make modifications. You are responsible for accessing the course and being aware of assignments and changes. I will also be communicating online with you ongoing during the course. You should use the communication tab to conduct most of your communication with me as well.
Required Plug Ins, OtherThroughout the course, there may be streaming videos that support our course material and goals. You may need to install flash player or another media device if your computer does not already have a viewer. This may include, but not necessarily, real player, windows media player, etc.
If you are interested, there is a roadrunnerSt. Petersburg College Discount Students and faculty members may request a discount for Road Runner High Speed Online. Restrictions apply. You may certainly use whatever service you currently have.
GRADING POLICY
Weekly Activities: There are 2 main activities per learning module. These are typically a discussion board and a reflection/assignment however at times this might not be the case. Each assignment per module is:
50 points: i.e. 50 for discussion/other 50 for reflection/other for a total of 100 pts per lesson.
Module Activities: 1100 pts Final Paper: 100 pts Final Exam: 100 pts
TOTAL 1300 POINTS
90 -100 = A
80- 89= B
70- 79= C
60- 69= D
0 – 59= F
A minimum grade of "C" is required for successful completion of the course.
If you are doing all of your weekly work, you should do well in the course. I have found that most either do really well or fail the courses. Most poor outcomes seem to mostly be connected to a lack of attendance and participation.
This is mentioned in the attendance area but I will mention it again. You must complete the discussions for the week in order to be counted present for that week. The point values of each are the same but I use the discussion reports to run the attendance for the course which is required of me.
State policy specifies that students may not repeat a college credit course for which a grade of “C” or higher has been earned except by appeal to the campus Academic Appeals committee. You may repeat a college credit course one time without penalty. At the third attempt, you will pay the full cost of instruction.In addition, at the third attempt you may NOT receive a grade of “I,” “W,” or “X,” but must receive the letter grade earned. This grade will be averaged into your overall grade point average.
ATTENDANCE/ACTIVE PARTICIPATION/WITHDRAWAL POLICIES
Students are required to participate in their on-line course each week as verified by activity within the MyCourses Learning Management System, such as a discussion board posting, submission of an assignment, messaging your instructor, chat, completion of polls, and quiz/test completion.YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO LOG IN EVERY WEEK.If you have an excused absence, you will need to provide this instructor with an excuse as to why the week could not be accessed. This will be assessed and approved on a case by case basis.
Examplesof (but not limited to) an excused absence include the following:
· student hospitalization
· military service duties
You may be asked to submit verification of absence. Please keep in communication with your instructor. This will all be evaluated on a case by case basis.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:
ALL IMPORTANT DATES ARE ON THE COURSE CALENDAR. Please check this OFTEN.
** Refer to the course Calendar in MyCourses for due dates for all assignments.
** Also refer to the SPC College Academic Calendar for important dates:
ACCESSIBILITY
This course is designed to be welcoming to, accessible to, and usable by everyone, including students who are English-language learners, have a variety of learning styles, have disabilities, or are new to online learning. Be sure to let me know immediately if you encounter a required element or resource in the course that is not accessible to you. Also, let me know of changes I can make to the course so that it is more welcoming to, accessible to, or usable by students who take this course in the future.
If you have documentation of a disability or feel you may have a disability:
St. Petersburg College recognizes the importance of equal access to learning opportunities for all students. Accessibility Services (AS) is the campus office that works with students who have disabilities to provide and/or arrange reasonable accommodations. Students registered with AS, who are requesting accommodations, are encouraged to contact their instructor by the first week of the semester. Students who have, or think they may have, a disability (e.g. learning disability, ADD/ADHD, psychiatric, medical/orthopedic, vision, and/or hearing), are invited to contact the Accessibility Coordinator (AC) that serves your campus for a confidential discussion. To find your AC for your specific campus, please go to the college-wide Accessibility Services website:
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER: Spring Semester is January 9 – May 5, 2017
1/13/2017– Last day to drop, receive a refund, or change to audit status,REGULAR
1/20/2017 – Last day to drop, receive a refund, or change to audit status, WEEKEND
2/10/2017 – Last day to drop, receive a refund, or change to audit status, EXPRESS
3/17/2017 – Last day to drop, receive a refund, or change to audit status, 2nd8 WEEK
1/16/2017 – College Closed – Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Day
2/09/2017 - Last day to withdraw with a grade of “W” - 1st8 WEEK MOD
3/20/2017 – Last day to withdraw with a grade of “W’ – WEEKEND
3/22/2017 –Last day to withdraw with a grade of “W” –REGULAR
4/02/2017 – Last day to withdraw with a grade of “W” – EXPRESS
4/13/2017 – Last day to withdraw with a grade of “W” – 2nd8 WEEK
3/05-3/12/2017 - College Closed – Spring Break
3/24/2017 - Deadline for Graduation Application (for name appear in the program)
4/14-4/16/2017 – College Closed – Spring Holiday
5/13/2017 - Commencement
** See this link for other important Financial Aid Dates:
** Refer to the course Calendar in MyCourses for due dates for all assignments.
** Also refer to the SPC College Academic Calendar for important dates:
** Please see the Syllabus Addendum for more information:(link included as well as the entire content is copied and pasted below)
SYLLABUS ADDENDUM
In the event that topics listed in this addendum also appear in your syllabus, please note that you should rely on the addendum information as this information is the most current.
How to Be A Successful Student
SUCCESS FACTORS
Attending classis vital to your success, particularly the first few days of class as you are introduced to the requirements and topics you will be covering. Therefore the college limits when you canadd classes. For online classes, you must be registered the day before the first day of the semester or term. For classes held in the classroom, you can’t add a class if it has already met. You maydrop a coursethrough Friday of the first day of class and be eligible for a refund although withdrawing may affect yourfinancial aid. If you are thinking of withdrawing, please speak with your instructor first and then a financial aid counselor –
Showing up is the first step in ensuring your academic success.Active participationis the next step – whether you are in a classroom or taking classes online. Each of your faculty will give details in the syllabus about theirattendancepolicies. If you are going to miss a session, or be offline for any reason, please let your instructor know in advance. If you don’t attend during the first two weeks of a term you willautomatically be withdrawnfrom the class and this can cause seriousproblems if you receive financial aid. In fact, if you withdraw prior to completing 60% of a class and receive any form of federal financial aid (grants or loans) you will be required to repay a portion. So if you are thinking of withdrawing, please speak with your instructor or a financial aid counselor –