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Instructors:
Dan
Friedman (Fri., 2-3:30pm), Beth
Marsh (Wed., 3:30-5pm), Lindsey
Mitchell (Mon., 5-6:30pm)
Phone:
262-2028
Office:
1114 Old Belk Library
Office
hours: Students are encouraged to make appointments to discuss any
aspect of the course or experience.
Required
Reading:
New Connections: A Handbook for Freshman Seminar, 4th ed., Friedman,
Marsh, and Brantz (free)
Power Learning, Custom Edition (rental)
Course Reading Pack (available on WebCT)
Purpose:
You have been selected to participate in a leadership program that
focuses on helping freshmen succeed at Appalachian. Your academic
success, personal involvement, leadership, and commitment to university
service make you a model of successful student behavior. Your willingness
to work closely with a Freshman Seminar instructor to encourage
student success is reflective of the caring spirit that characterizes
this institution. Our seminar will focus not only on helping you
be an important support person in your Freshman Seminar class, but
also on developing leadership and communication skills that will
be useful in other settings. Your willingness to participate is
crucial to the success of the class. We will endeavor to:
1.
Continue to explore and develop the role of the peer leader.
2. Strengthen communication, helping, and leadership skills.
3. Build community within the class.
4. Develop tools and ideas for specific course activities/discussions.
5. Explore ways to deal with challenges associated with the role.
Course Requirements:
Assessment by FS instructor 30%
Attendance and participation in PLS 20%
Instructor Interview 5%
Journal One 5%
Journal Two 5%
Journal Three 5%
Final Project 30%
TOTAL 100%
Peer
Leader Responsibilities and Expectations:
A)
Role in Freshman Seminar - Peer Leaders are expected to attend every
session of the Freshman Seminar class they are assigned and assist
the instructor on a regular and planned basis. This may include
assisting with syllabus planning, arranging for guest lecturers
or tours, moderating class discussions, introducing materials, communicating
with class members outside of class, providing feedback to your
instructor, evaluating student work, serving as an advocate for
freshmen, supporting computing in the class, etc. Your sponsoring
teacher will evaluate your performance in these areas and will assign
30% of your grade.
B)
Attendance & Participation - You are expected to attend all
class meetings and events. As a seminar class, your participation
and attendance is vital to both your success and class cohesiveness.
I will deduct ten points from your attendance grade for each absence.
If you know you will need to miss class, you may attend the other
section’s class meeting on Mondays at 5:00. Check with me
or Beth Marsh for class dates. These dates are also available on
WebCT.
Tardiness
to class/events can be disruptive. Please do your best to avoid
being tardy!! However, we would prefer that you come in a few minutes
late as opposed to not at all. Please slip in quietly and respectfully.
If tardiness becomes disruptive or repetitive, you will lose participation
points. Attendance and participation in Peer Leader Seminar are
worth 20% of your final grade.
C)
Homework & Class Assignments - There will be several in-class
and short out-of-class assignments. Each of these assignments will
be worth 5% of your grade. All assignments are due at the beginning
of class on the due date. Late work will be subject to a penalty.
These assignments will constitute 20% of your final grade. These
assignment guidelines will be distributed in class and will also
be available on WebCT.
D)
Reflection Paper - You will be required to write a final assessment
paper for this class. You will be graded on content, structure,
grammar, and overall exploration of the topic. Be prepared to turn
in a copy of your paper, stapled, at the beginning of the class
period that it is due. We will provide you with more specific details
for the assignment before the due date. Late papers will be subject
to a penalty. This assignment will constitute 30% of your final
grade. The assignment guidelines will be distributed in class and
will also be available on WebCT.
E)
Speaking Designator & Corresponding Assignment - This course
carries a Speaking (S) designator. As a peer leader, you will be
leading class discussions, presenting relevant information, and
teaching certain topics to the freshmen in your Freshman Seminar
class. We will spend time in this class discussing effective oral
presentation skills to prepare you for this aspect of your role.
You will then be expected to make at least two oral presentations
to your Freshman Seminar class during the semester. You must ask
your FS instructor and students to provide you with feedback concerning
one of these presentations. You will use this feedback to address
your speaking experience in your final reflection paper. In this
paper, you will be addressing what went well, what you would change,
and what you learned about your speaking habits.
Grading Scale:
94-100 = A 74-77 = C
90-93 = A- 70-73 = C-
88-89 = B+ 68-69 = D+
84-87 = B 64-67 = D
80-83 = B- 60-63 = D-
78-79 = C+ Below 60 = F
Class
Expectations: Please turn off all cell phones during class. Disrespect
of any one in the class is also not tolerated and can result in
a low participation grade and/or dismissal from class. Disrespectful
and vulgar language (written or verbal) will not be tolerated and
could also result in a low participation grade.
E-mail:
We will send all communications via e-mail to your appstate.edu
account. Please check this account on a daily basis.
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