LEWIS & CLARK COMMUNITY COLLEGE ECON 151 - PRINCIPLES OF MACROECONOMICS Internet Class Outline (Syllabus) Spring 2018 Instructor Information Name: Bob DiPaolo Hours: By Appointment Only Phone: Office - (618) 468-4533 Home - (618) 377-5592 E-mail: bdipaolo@lc.edu (Outside of Blackboard) Website: http://www2.lc.edu/business/bdipaolo.htm Materials of Instruction (Same materials used for both ECON 151 and ECON 152.) Required Text: The Economy Today by Bradley R. Schiller, 14e (Loose-leaf text with Pass Code to the Connect premium resource web content) Support Materials in LRC Note: The Connect access code must be used from within the Blackboard course. Therefore, you must log in to Blackboard first and then follow the registration procedures provided. Multimedia on One-Week Reserve: Thinkwell Great Lectures - Macroeconomics CD Videos by Steven Tomlinson Course Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course, a student should be able to: 1. Demonstrate the understanding of fundamental economic concepts and terminology 2. Describe economic institutions and practices 3. Identify and explain the problems facing all economies 4. Discuss alternative methods of solving economic problems 5. Relate current events to economic theory 6. Demonstrate basic techniques of economic analysis and prediction 7. Analyze the causes and effects of economic change 8. Explain social and political trends from an economic perspective 9. Contrast conflicting economic opinions and ideas Assignments and Course Activities While working with others in the class is encouraged, the work submitted by each student must be based on his or her own efforts. Plagiarism must be avoided. Please refer to the section on academic dishonesty in this syllabus. It provides you with a link to a web site that should clarify any issues related to this matter. It also refers you to the school catalog which is very specific about the consequences of such behavior. Orientation Week (Bonus Points): There is a series of four very brief introductory activities planned during the first week of class. These exercises are aimed at providing us with the opportunity to get acquainted with one another and to get some exposure to the procedures that will be used in the class. Two of these activities provide students with the opportunity to earn bonus points for the course. They are the Introductory Quiz and the Introductory Assignment. Upon successful completion of these two activities, up to five bonus points each will be granted for a total of ten possible bonus points. The only other opportunities for bonus points or extra credit in this course are two very brief comprehensive fifteen-point timed bonus quizzes to be taken sometime during the week just before the midterm and the final exams. During the orientation week each student is asked to complete the following: (1) send a message within Blackboard to the instructor acknowledging your arrival into the course website and include your current phone number and e-mail address, (2) post a public message in the Introductory Discussion forum (always select the correct forum first) that provides a link to a useful website of your choice (by copying and pasting the URL from the address box of your browser at the very beginning of your message) followed by a brief description of the chosen site and finally the listing of five facts about yourself for the rest of the class, (3) complete a five-question introductory quiz on this syllabus and other course content, and (4) submit an introductory net
assignment by following the instructions provided in the assignment section of the course. Again, you will be given up to five bonus points for successfully completing each of the two latter activities listed. Course Activity Schedule and Deadlines: A detailed semester schedule of the following course activities and the related study assignments is provided at end of this document, the instructor web site and within Blackboard. With the exception of the two exams, all assignments have a deadline of 11:59 p.m. on Saturday evenings. Also, with the exception of discussions, the two bonus quizzes, and the two proctored exams, assignments can be completed as soon as you wish to do so. However, they must be done by the specified deadlines unless late submission is pre-approved. Late Submissions: If, at the discretion of the instructor, an assignment is approved for late submission due to justified extenuating circumstances, the assignment grade will be subject to a possible reduction of 20% of the original points earned. Any request must be made within three days of the initial due date and the late activity must normally be completed within one week of the original due date. Any late work submitted without prior instructor approval or after the approved extended deadline will be given a grade of zero. Please note this policy will be strictly followed and that no late submissions or deadline extensions will be approved for any reason during the last two weeks of the class. Discussion Forums in Blackboard: Each of the eight regular class discussions will begin with a general statement or question from the instructor. Each discussion will last approximately one week, and students must post a minimum of at least one message on three different days during the calendar week. It is strongly recommended that students click on the Expand All button on the right of the screen each time any discussion is entered. Although more than the minimum is encouraged, the three required messages must be posted on different calendar days. Whenever more than one message is posted on any date, they will simply be treated as one combined message for grading purposes. The minimum word count must be met by one of the messages since the word count of multiple messages on a date will not be combined to meet the minimum word requirement. Since discussions end on Saturday, it is important that students enter the discussions early in the specified weeks, and obviously no later than Thursday of the discussion week in order to meet the separate day message requirement. The minimum length of an acceptable posting for grading purposes is about 75 words. No partial credit will be given for any submissions that do not meet the minimum word length. Messages should be specifically related to the forum topic and should consist of new comments or responses to earlier messages. At least one message must be in reply to another student s posting. Replying to an instructor s posting will not meet this requirement. This means that for at least one message in each regular discussion, you must be viewing a student s message and use the Reply button to enter your posting of 75 words or more. Any contributions that do not add meaningful content to the dialogue will be ignored for grading purposes. If you state an opinion or express agreement or disagreement with another posting, you must include support for that opinion or position. At least one of the student s postings per forum must include information from an identified outside web source. You must cite any sources used by showing the URL (web address) of the source at the top of your message by copying the http://... from the address box at the top of the browser window and pasting at the top of your posting. This gives other students and the instructor access to the full article if they wish to get additional information. You should also provide a short paragraph or two that recaps the content of the source and how it is relevant to the discussion. Generally, discussions will be graded on the basis of five points for each of the three required postings and an additional five points for the citation of relevant online content shared with the class in one of the required postings. However, a unique grading rubric will be made available later for special use with the fourth discussion in this course. Student Resources (Connect): Students are encouraged to follow a specific strategy to achieve optimal results in this course. Connect is used as the source of extensive resources to support the learning experience. Perhaps its most valuable component is called LearnSmart. In LearnSmart, a student reads a SmartBook online that already has the most important content of the text highlighted for them, and it integrates a system to verify student learning as the text is being read. Details concerning the use of these resources are described within Blackboard. After completing this process for two chapters, students will be adequately prepared to complete a two-chapter quiz as described below. LearnSmart (Graded) Practice Chapter Reading Question Sets: Within LearnSmart, students are expected to read previously highlighted portions of each chapter of the text online. The highlighting identifies the most important sections of the chapter needed to meet the learning objectives of the course. At various points of a chapter, an icon will flash on the screen that suggests that it is time to practice what you have just read by answering various topic-related questions. Once enough questions have been properly answered for an area of the chapter, the yellow highlighting will turn to green. This is confirmation that you have demonstrated your understanding and will not have to spend any more time in that section of the chapter. This is a graded activity, and once all yellow highlighted areas have been converted to green, you will be given the maximum points possible for the chapter.
Partial credit will be given for incomplete question set submitted, but you can work on areas an unlimited number of times until you have answered all the questions correctly. Although not recommended, students who prefer to read the printed text can complete this course requirement by accessing LearnSmart through the link on the Resources (Connect) page, and clicking a chapter listed, and clicking on the Practice link on the menu to the left of the page. Any warning message that may appear can be disregarded if you wish to proceed. Chapter Quizzes: A total of eight regular open-book quizzes are included in this course. The quizzes in this course are actually the equivalent of homework assignments. Each quiz covers two chapters and consists of twenty questions, ten for each chapter. The quizzes are not timed, therefore you are encouraged to take your time and look up each answer as needed. However, you will not have access to any resources for the timed mid-term and final exams. Therefore, in order to prepare for the later exams, you should be thorough in your determination of appropriate answers on quizzes. This applies to the optional self-study quizzes in each chapter of Text Resources and the Quick Quizzes that are available in the Quizzes/Exams section of this course as well. You are strongly encouraged to view the correct answers on graded quizzes and the optional practice quizzes, and to use both as important resources for reviewing for later exams. Again, most quizzes are not timed, but you must submit each quiz within Blackboard on or before the specified deadlines. Blackboard will not accept all or part of them after the specific date and time. You can access the screens for taking a quiz as many times as you wish. The answer to each question must be saved separately or you can use the Save All Answers button before closing the window. After saving the answers, simply close the window by clicking on the X in the far upper right corner if you wish to return to the quiz later. However, you can only submit a quiz once for grading by clicking on the Save and Submit button and then click on OK for Confirm Assessment Submission. Therefore, a thorough review of your responses should be completed first. Students whose performance falls below an average grade of 70% may be required to submit the results of practice quizzes to the instructor prior to the taking of a regular graded quiz. Since each of the graded quizzes covers two chapters, practice quizzes from both would be included. Quick Quizzes: Quick quizzes are optional timed practice quizzes. You are given five minutes to complete each quiz. It is suggested that you take as many quick quizzes as possible without the use of any resources after you have read an assigned chapter and again just before an exam. This will give you a realistic assessment of your mastery of course content, and it will simulate the experience you will encounter during the mid-term and final exams. They have been designed specifically to prepare you for these exams. Each quiz randomly chooses five questions from an extensive bank of questions for each chapter. The proctored mid-term and final exam questions are taken from the same question banks. Theoretically, if you took enough quick quizzes, you would probably address most of the questions on the exams. Net Assignments: You are to submit one introductory and two regular net assignments in this course, each to be completed on or before the specified due dates. For each of the regular net assignments, follow all instructions found in Net Assignment Options within Blackboard. Each net assignment consists of completing all specified tasks for two different we-based activities. Separate your report into two sections, one for each of the required web activities for the chapter you have chosen. Each web activity may have more than one question or directive. If so, please separate them so that each can be followed immediately by your response to that specific question or directive. Many of the chapters provide specific links with information needed to address the assignment questions or directives. However, you must find a minimum of one additional web source for each activity (for a minimum of two per net assignments) that will enable you to add additional related content to the report. The additional sites must be properly cited at the end of your report. Refer to the section below for specific information on proper citations. If you encounter any dead links or modified sites that do not provide you with access to needed information, you are to use a search engine to find alternatives sources. If this is done, provide a brief explanation of what you did and include the alternatives in your source citations. Make sure that your name and the chosen chapter number and title are shown at the top of your report. You must show each numbered question or directive from the site. Place your appropriate responses immediately after each question or directive. Each completed assignment should contain a minimum of 750 words. To verify adequate length, a word counter will be used by the instructor. Points will be deducted if your complete report does not include the minimum of 750 words. The questions you include from the assignment instructions and your responses to these questions will be included in the word count. Any quoted material should be placed in quotation marks. Total quoted content should not exceed 10% of the total word count of student responses. Quoted words in excess of the 10% of the total responses will be ignored for the purpose of establishing the graded report word length. In addition to length, a grading rubric will be used that also addresses the following: proper heading, question and answer format, spelling, grammar, proper citations, relevance of additional sources, appropriateness of content, and originality. The rubric is shown below. Plagiarism will result in a zero grade for the assignment and other possible consequences that may include failure of the course and further disciplinary action. The net assignments must be submitted within Blackboard. When saving your document, use only a-z, A-Z, 0-9, - (hyphen) and _ (underscore) in the file name. Using such characters as # and & will make it impossible for you or the instructor to open the file that has been uploaded to Blackboard. To upload your completed assignment, scroll down the page and click Attach File area and click on
Browse for Local File. Once you have found the file on your drive, click on it once, and then click on the Open button in the dialog box, and then click on Attach File. However, this does not complete the process. You will see the file listed and ready for submission. At this point you still have the opportunity to delete the file and upload a corrected or improved version if you wish. Then, if you wish to return to the assignment later, click on Save as Draft. The last step can only be done once. After you have uploaded your completed assignment, you must click Submit. Then click on OK to verify your wish to finally submit it for grading. The screen will refresh and you can scroll down to see the confirmation that the assignment file was submitted. Once assignment grades are posted, usually within one week after the due date, the comments section will provide an explanation for any points deducted. Since grading is done in phases, a grade of zero may be temporarily posted. If this is done, an explanation will be provided in the comments as well. Chapter Options for Net Assignments First Economics on the Net Assignment Second Economics on the Net Assignment Choose one of the following chapters: 1, 3, 4 or 5 Choose one of the following chapters: 6, 7, 8, 9. 10, 11, 13 or 14 Procedures for Submitting Graphs There are a few assignment options in this course that may require the submission of one or more graphs. A link to online drawing utilities with instructions is available in the graphing Tools area of the Net Assignments page in Blackboard. A good choice is to use the "Grapher" link provided. Fairly simple procedures, which can be found in the Help section provided, enable you to create a labeled graph and save it as a graphic (.gif) file. To start, simply click on any tool button and follow the instructions given at the bottom of the graph. Use the Edit command to label the graph and the axes. Once your graph is saved using the File command, you can then insert it into your document or you can upload it as a second file to complete your assignment. Procedures for Citing Additional Resources The Columbia Guide to Online Style by Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor (Columbia UP, 1998) presents a guide to locating, translating, and using the elements of citation for both a humanities style (i.e., MLA and Chicago) and a scientific style (APA and CBE) for electronically-accessed sources. Humanities Style To cite files available on the WWW, give the author's name, last name first (if known); the full title of the work, in quotation marks; the title of the complete work (if applicable), in italics; any version or file numbers; and the date of the document or last revision (if available). Next, list the protocol (e.g., "http") and the full URL, followed by the date of access in parentheses. Burka, Lauren P. "A Hypertext History of Multi-User Dimensions." MUD History. 1993. http://www.utopia.com/talent/ lpb/muddex/essay (2 Aug. 1996). Scientific Style Give the author's last name and initials (if known) and the date of publication in parentheses. Next, list the full title of the work, capitalizing only the first word and any proper nouns; the title of the complete work or site (if applicable) in italics, again capitalizing only the first word and any proper nouns; any version or file numbers, enclosed in parentheses; the protocol and address, including the path or directories necessary to access the document; and finally the date accessed, enclosed in parentheses. Burka, L. P. (1993). A hypertext history of multi-user dimensions. MUD history. http://www.utopia.com/ talent/ lpb/muddex/essay (2 Aug. 1996).
Grading Rubric The following rubric will be used to grade the net assignments. Each assignment is worth a total of 60 possible points. Category Characteristics Very good Good Fair Poor Mechanics Quantity of Effort Quality of Results Proper heading content, Q & A format used, spelling, grammar, proper citations, general preparation and submission instructions followed Word length (minimum of 750), number of additional sources (minimum of two), all elements of assignment addressed Thoroughness of responses, accuracy of content, relevance of information used 18-20 Pts 15-17 Pts 12-14 Pts 0-11 Pts 18-20 Pts 15-17 Pts 12-14 Pts 0-11 Pts 18-20 Pts 15-17 Pts 12-14 Pts 0-11 Pts The following are typical explanations for point deductions: Failure to meet minimum word length requirement of 750 words: (-1 to 20 points) Errors in grammar and/or spelling (Use grammar and/or spell checker to identify.): (-1 to 6 points) Failure to include required number of additional sources and/or properly formatted citations: (Refer to assignment information.): (-1 to 9 points) Failure to provide the prescribed content in the report heading (student name, chapter number, and chapter title): (-1 to 3 points) Failure to follow instructions to use question and answer format: (-1 to 3 points) Failure to address some element(s) of the assignment: (-1 to 20 points) Failure to follow instructions concerning submitted file format which must be Word 6.0/95 or later (.doc or.docx) or Rich Text Format (.rtf). (-3 to 6 points) Excessive use of quoted content. (-1 to 20 points). Failure to follow assignment instructions: (-1 to 20 points) Note that an additional grading rubric will be made available later for special use with the fourth discussion in this course. Comprehensive (Timed) Bonus Quizzes: In addition to the opportunity for bonus points during orientation week, there will also be two very brief timed comprehensive bonus quizzes. There will be a time limit of thirty (30) minutes to complete each quiz from the time it is first opened. Each will consist of a total of fifteen multiple-choice questions that address some of the major concepts of the previous eight chapters covered in the course. Therefore, each must be taken after all related chapters have been covered and the results of the chapter quizzes have been reviewed. That is why each is scheduled for sometime during the week just before the four-day period for each exam. Each of the questions will be worth one point providing an opportunity for earning up to a total of fifteen bonus points per quiz. Proctored Exams: Exams are proctored and timed and must be taken at an approved location. The mid-term exam covers eight chapters (1 and 3-9), and the final exam covers eight chapters (10, 11, 13-16, 35 and 36). Both must be taken at the Main Campus Assessment Center - Haskell, at the N.O. Nelson Center, or at either of the Community Education Centers (listed below) sometime during the four-day period specified for each. The Main Campus Assessment Center in Baldwin Hall is not available for the exams. The Assessment Center Haskell is available and is located downstairs in Haskell Hall in room B25 with hours from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday and Thursday and from 11:00 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. Please be advised that there are no evening hours at the other locations. All exams must be completed no later than 15 minutes before the respective location is scheduled to close. Except for the Main Campus Assessment Center - Haskell, students must contact the chosen location to make the necessary arrangements about a week prior to the taking of the test. Refer to the contact information provided below. Under extraordinary circumstances, other arrangements may be possible with pre-approval from the instructor who must be contacted at least one week before the exam period of
four days begins. Students must bring a photo ID with them in order to take the exams. Each exam consists of 100 multiple choice questions. There is a time limit of two-hours, and you will not be able to use the book or any notes. Therefore, it is important to set aside some time to review. Please refer to the quizzes section above for information on preparing for the exams. In order to guide you through a review process, a list of suggested review topics is provided for each exam. Other recommended sources for review are completed chapter quizzes, key terms, chapter summaries, lecture notes, and the PowerPoint slides. There will be planned review activities scheduled during the week prior to each exam. Assessment Center - Haskell on Main Campus - Haskell Hall - Room B25 (No appointment necessary) N.O. Nelson Campus (Appointment necessary) Edwardsville (618) 656-8800 or (618) 468-5851 Community Education Centers (Appointment necessary) Carlinville (217) 854-5400 or (618) 468-2275 Jerseyville - (618) 498-6500 or (618) 468-2273 Evaluation of Student Achievement: A standard grading scale (90% or above for an A, etc.) will be used with adjustments for unusual score distributions. The final grade will be based on (possible points in parentheses): bonus points from two orientation week activities (5 points each), eight class discussion activities (20 points each 5 points each for the first three acceptable postings and 5 points for submitting a recap of information from a cited web source that is related to the discussion topic), sixteen LearnSmart practice chapter reading question sets (10 points each), eight two-chapter quizzes (20 points each), two web-based activities (60 points each), two brief comprehensive bonus quizzes (15 points), and two examinations (200 points each). All scores will be added together (1040 possible points total) to determine your final semester total. The basis for the final grade determination will be 1,000 points. Other than up to 10 bonus points which can be earned during the orientation week and the 30 bonus points from the brief comprehensive quizzes, no other opportunities for extra credit will be made available in this course. PA Preliminary Activities 2 2 @ 5 = 10 (Bonus) DN Discussions 8 8 @ 20 = 160 Note: Although 1040 LS LearnSmart Practice Question Sets 16 points are possible in this 16 @ 10 = 160 QZ Quizzes 8 course, 1000 points will 8 @ 20 = 160 be used as the basis for NA Net Assignments 2 determining the final 2 @ 60 = 120 percentage and letter BQ Bonus Quizzes 2 2 @ 15 = 30 (Bonus) grade. XM Exams 2 2 @ 200 = 400 TP Total Points --- 1000 + 40 (Bonus) Accommodations: If you need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability, inform me as soon as possible, giving us time to discuss the course format, anticipate your needs and explore potential accommodations. I rely on the staff of Student Development and Counseling for assistance in verifying the need for accommodation and accommodation strategies. Contact Student Development and Counseling in Caldwell Hall 2320 (618-468-4211). Counseling: Counseling is by appointment and on an emergency walk-in basis. Visits are confidential, free of charge, and include counseling for crisis intervention, brief therapy, academic issues, text anxiety, community resources, and referrals. Contact Student Development and Counseling in Caldwell Hall 2320 (618-468-4211). Veteran Services: We support our veteran and service member students and their families by providing a Veteran Services Department and a Veterans Resource Center. This department supplements the assistance provided by Enrollment, Advising and Financial Aid. You can confidentially discuss academic or personal issues. Referrals will be made as needed to campus and/or community assistance. Contact Veteran Services in Baldwin Hall 2418 (618-468-5500). Academic Dishonesty (Plagiarism): Assignments that have been copied from another student or another source will not be scored. As stated in the L&C catalog, "Violations of the Student Conduct Code are subject to disciplinary
action up to and including expulsion. Student conduct which is subject to disciplinary action includes...academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, and forgery." The following website will give you indepth information on the definition of plagiarism and more: http://www.plagiarism.org/article/what-is-plagiarism. Please visit this site if you need clarification. Academic Continuity: In the event of a major campus emergency, course requirements, deadlines and grading percentages are subject to change when necessitated by revised course delivery, semester calendar or other circumstances. Information about changes in this course can be obtained on the Blackboard course homepage or by contacting my email address: bdipaolo@lc.edu or office phone: 618-468-4533. If a face-to-face course is not able to meet, students should immediately log onto L&C Blackboard, https://blackboard.lc.edu, and read any announcements and/or alternative assignments. Students are also encouraged to continue the readings and other assignments as outlined on this syllabus or subsequent syllabi. As is the case with all of the activities in this course, if you are having difficulties, you are encouraged to simply contact the instructor or the technical staff for help. You are also encouraged to visit the instructor website listed above for additional information. Very thorough assignment details including a schedule of activities and assignment deadlines are available within the Blackboard course. The procedures for accessing and using Blackboard are available from the web site at http://blackboard.lc.edu. While every effort will be made to adhere to the details of this syllabus, they are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.