Course Description:

*To ensure that we continue to meet our academic standards and your learning expectations, we routinely assess our programs, courses, and instructors. Completion of the end-of-course Student Survey is a required component of this course.
Official University Grading Scale:
The following grades are used on academic records and carry the quality points indicated:

Late Work:
Assignments, including discussion board postings, should be submitted on time per assignment rubric guidelines. If there is an emergency situation, a request for an extension on assignments may be requested of the instructor before the assignment deadline. If no extension request has been made, late assignments will be penalized with a 20 point deduction for each day it is submitted late. Furthermore, discussion boards
Academic Dishonesty:
“Academic dishonesty consists of plagiarism, cheating, unauthorized copying of computer discs, willful introduction of viruses, willful interruption of systems, and may also include unintentional complicity in others’ academic dishonesty. Confirmed dishonesty may result in the assignment of a failing grade of other penalties.” (Post University Student Handbook).
All papers and assignments submitted, including discussion board postings, must be your own work. Instructors have the prerogative of using internet checks for plagiarism. Any quotes or ideas from an outside source must be cited both within text and in full APA reference format at the end of an assignment. In discussion boards, outside ideas/quotes must be author/date-cited within your posting, though. Include your references at the end of your post.
Penalties for Academic Dishonesty:
Post University generally employs a three-strike process for acts of academic dishonesty; however, a flagrant violation of academic integrity may involve immediate dismissal from the University.
Strike One: The student will receive a zero for the assignment in which the act of academic dishonesty occurred.
Strike Two: The student will immediately fail the course in which the second act of academic dishonesty occurred, even if the first incident occurred in a different course.
Strike Three: The student will immediately be expelled from the University and receive an ‘F’ on the final transcript.
The student may appeal the final grade or disciplinary action as stated in the Grade Appeal or Dismissal Policy. Confirmed dishonesty may result in penalties up to and including dismissal from the University and denial of any financial reimbursements.
APA Formatting and Style:
APA (American Psychological Association) 6th edition is the official style guide of the Post
University graduate programs. Visit the APA website at www.apastyle.org for a tutorial. Purdue’s OWL site (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ ) is the most comprehensive source on the internet. Bookmark it in your browser.
It is not necessary for you to memorize the entire APA style guide. Rather, focus on how to do an APA cover sheet, running head & page numbering, in-text citations and a standardized reference list. Remember, the idea is to make it easy for your reader to track your sources of ideas and research.
Discussion Forums:
Students are expected to actively participate in all discussion board questions (by answering all parts of each question) with evidence-backed statements, including sources referenced in proper APA format. Additionally, reply posts must be made to 2 colleagues. Initial posts should be uploaded by 11:59 pm on Wednesdays except when otherwise indicated, to allow for discussion throughout the week. Students who do not meet the Wednesday deadline for initial postings will be penalized with a 15 point deduction. Postings are expected to be professional and in standard written English, with correct spelling and punctuation, and properly cited with a references list. It is expected that students will demonstrate critical thinking and engagement with and reference to the course readings and activities as well as extending information. See the Discussion Board Rubric in the Course Information section of Blackboard for specific criteria.
General comments and questions not germane to a specific discussion thread should be posted at the ‘Water Cooler.’ If you have a question very specific to your own situation, please e-mail the instructor directly
Post University Credit Hour Expectations
Post University takes the integrity of our coursework very seriously. A credit hour is an academic unit earned for engaged academic time, including classroom or online instruction and outside study. This expectation varies based on the type of class in which you are enrolled:
Main Campus Courses: For a 3-credit semester course, you are expected to engage in three hours of in-class learning and six hours of outside study for a total of nine hours of engaged academic time per week for 15 weeks.
Accelerated Online or Hybrid Site Courses: For an accelerated 8-week, 3-credit hybrid site or online course, you are expected to engage in 17 hours of engaged academic time per week; for a hybrid site course, 3 of those hours will be on site.
Blended Courses: Blended courses vary in the balance of classroom and online instruction. For a 3-credit blended course, students are expected to complete a total of 135 hours of engaged academic time, whether it is a semester-long or accelerated format.
What is ‘engaged academic time’? This is the time you are engaging in academic learning activities related to a course. These activities include both in-class, out-of-class, and online activities such as readings, lectures, group work, videos, presentations, webinars, research, writing, surveys, discussions, practice exercises, web development, creating, producing, studying, and any other learning experiences that contribute to the achievement of course outcomes.
Your responsibility as a student at Post University is to fulfill these academic expectations in the time you devote to this class.
For the full Academic Credit Hour Policy, please refer to the Post University Catalog Section 9, the Post University website, or the Blackboard student services portal.
Non-Discrimination Policy
Post University does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, color, national or ethnic origin, or disability, in the recruitment and admission of students and the recruitment and employment of faculty and staff. (For more specific information, please refer to the policy statement available through the Office of Human Resources.)
Americans with Disabilities Act
Students with documented disabilities who need course accommodations, have emergency medical information or require special arrangements should contact the instructor within the first two weeks of class. Verification of any special arrangements should go through Caity Masiewicz at cmasiewicz@post.edu.
Tutoring Resources/Writing Coaches
Tutor.com is available 24 hours a day for any students that need tutoring. Writing coaches in the Post University Learning Center are available to give feedback on your essay by submitting the essay here: http://www.post.edu/maincampus/writingcenterform.shtml
Academic Course Engagement:
Post University considers you to be a student once you have begun a course and engaged in an academic activity within the first full week of a course. Academic activity is defined as posting to a discussion board, submitting an assignment, taking a quiz or a test, or other measurable academic activity. If you have NOT engaged in an academic activity by 11:59PM on the 2nd Monday following the beginning of a module you will be dropped from the course and will be charged a drop fee. Please understand your financial aid may also be impacted by not engaging in each enrolled course. If you happen to be registered in more than one course in a module, the University will evaluate if you did begin each course and you will be dropped only from those courses in which you have not begun.
Unearned F:
Course participation is assessed by faculty when final course grades are determined. Faculty members will assign an unearned F grade to you should you choose not to complete any graded academic activity after the midpoint of a course.
As a result of receiving an unearned F, it is important for you to understand that you may be administratively withdrawn and the University may be required to determine how much financial aid you may owe. Thus, this may result in the return of unearned financial aid to the U.S. Department of Education or other third parties and you may be obligated to pay for charges originally paid by the unearned financial aid and/or return any excess funds paid to you. Receiving an unearned F may also impair future course registrations and financial aid availability. Unearned F grades also count as failing grades in your GPA and pace of completion.
Course Schedule
Units begin at 12:01 a.m. Monday and end at 11:59 p.m. Sunday.