Syllabus for SOC-315-OL

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Social Gerontology provides an understanding of the processes of aging. It discusses the concept of old age as a stage of life, covering issues such as optimal quality of life, cross-cultural considerations, and access to resources. The course also deals with the impact of aging on society.

After completing Social Gerontology, you should be able to:

• Identify the four types of aging.
  
  
• Discuss theories of aging and models of adult development.
  
  
• Recognize biological, physiological, and psychological, and social aspects of aging.
  
  
• Discuss issues of resiliency and economic status in regard to the aging.
  
  
• Examine family issues (such as caregiving) involved in the aging process.
  
  
• Examine issues surrounding chronic illness, dying, and bereavement.
  
  
• Identify and describe government programs for the aging.

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COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to complete the work of the course.

Required Textbooks

• Growing Old in a New Age Telecourse Study Guide, 5th ed. (for Hooyman and Kiyak Social Gerontology 8th ed.), by Kathryn L. Braun and Michael Cheang (Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2005).

• Social Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective, 8th ed., by Nancy R. Hooyman and H. Asuman Kiyak (Boston: Pearson Allyn & Bacon, 2008).

Note: SOC 315 has moved from the 7th edition of the text book Social Gerontology to the 8th edition. However, the supplement telecourse study guide, Growing Old in a New Age, will remain a 5th edition release. You should be aware that there are some minor references to text book pages directing one to those that correspond to the 7th edition release. To save you time we have identified the areas within the study guide that reference the seventh edition text book and provide the equivalent 8th edition pages.

*Open then print reference sheet (PDF)

Video Programs

• Growing Old in a New Age, 13 one-hour programs on 7 VHS tapes produced by the Annenberg/CPB Project.

Note: The video programs are being offered via streaming video technology through this course site. Each reading and viewing assignment includes the necessary links for accessing the video stream.

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COURSE STRUCTURE

Social Gerontology is a three-credit online course based on the telecourse Growing Old in a New Age. It consists of six modules.

The course requires you to complete six written assignments and take two examinations: a proctored midterm and an unproctored, online final. You are also required to participate in six graded online discussions and an ungraded "Introductions" forum.

For the course's assignments, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site. See also the course Calendar for an overview of the assignment schedule and for all due dates.

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ONLINE PARTICIPATON

In addition to an ungraded "Introductions" forum, Social Gerontology requires you to participate in six graded class discussions.

Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a posted question (discussion thread) and subsequent comments on classmates' responses.

You will be evaluated both on the quality of your responses (i.e., your understanding of readings, concepts, and ideas as demonstrated by well-articulated, critical thinking) and quantity of your participation (i.e., the number of times you participate meaningfully in the assigned forums). Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

Meaningful participation in online discussions is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement.

For additional information on online discussions, see Online Discussions in the Online Student Handbook.

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WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

Social Gerontology has six (6) written assignments. For the assignment topics and questions, see the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.

The written assignments are the primary means for you to express yourself verbally, controlling content and meaning. Due dates for each assignment are listed in the Calendar area of the course Web site.

Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

When satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor by means of the

>>View/Complete Assignment

link provided at the bottom of the respective assignment page. Use the Browse button within this link to locate and submit your assignment file.

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EXAMINATIONS

This course requires you to take two examinations: a proctored midterm examination and an unproctored, online final examination.

Midterm Examination

The midterm is a closed-book, proctored exam. It is two hours long and covers material in Modules 1 through 3. It consists of essay questions that are similar but not identical to the ones found in the written assignments.

A good way to test whether you are ready for an exam is to look over the objectives at the beginning of each Study Guide lesson. Then be sure you can answer the self-study questions and that you can support your answers with details.

You may take the examination only during the designated exam week, at an approved location, and with an approved proctor. In this regard, you need to schedule your exam and submit your "Proctor Request Form" with the necessary documentation no later than the end of the first week of the semester (see Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site).

If you are on a course extension and have not yet taken the midterm exam, you must let your examination proctor know when you plan to take the exam and contact the Office of Test Administration (609-984-1181) two weeks in advance to request that your exam be sent to the proctor.

For more information on scheduling a proctored examination, see the section Examinations and Proctors in the Online Student Handbook.

Final Examination
The final is a closed-book, unproctored exam. It is two hours long and covers material in Modules 4 through 6. It consists of essay questions.

The final exam is taken online in Blackboard. An exam link will be activated and made available to you in the Tests & Quizzes area of the course site at the beginning of the final week of the semester. You may take the exam at any time during that week, but no later than midnight Saturday (eastern time). If you are on a course extension, you will need to arrange with your mentor a time to reschedule the final exam.

Sample Examination
You will find a sample online examination in the Tests & Quizzes area of this course site. Use this sample exam to familiarize yourself with the online testing setting and format before you take your online exam. Keep in mind the following potential differences between the sample exam and your online exam:

• The content of your exam will match the content of your course; the sample exam has some generic questions on art history, world history, and environmental science.
• Your exam will include only essay questions. The sample exam includes all the types that you might encounter in an online assessment at Thomas Edison State College.
• You will be able to enter and take your exam just once—once you have entered the exam you must complete it. The sample exam may be taken as often as you like.
• There will be a penalty for exceeding the time limit in your actual midterm and final exams (see the "Statement about Cheating" below), whereas there is no corresponding penalty with this sample exam.

Statement about Cheating
The final examination in this course is an unproctored exam. That means you will not be supervised while taking the test. You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:

• Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find the answer.
• Copying and pasting or in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your online test. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.
• Plagiarizing answers.
• Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take the exam.
• Copying any part of the exam to share with other students.
• Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at the exam because your connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true.

If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.

Please also note that the exam is time-limited. That means you only have the allotted time in which to complete the exam. If you exceed the time limit on the exam, you will be penalized by having two points deducted for every minute that you exceed the time limit. This may also result in your failing the course.

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GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

Letter grades for online participation, written assignments, and the final examination are based on the following numerical grades:

Note: To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of D or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, projects, papers, etc.). You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted.

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STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.
   
   
2. Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule your midterm exam and arrange for proctors, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.
   
   
3. Arrange to take your midterm examination by following the instructions in the Online Student Handbook. Then complete the "Proctor Request Form" and submit it to the Office of Test Administration (OTA). You must make arrangements to take your examination and send in your "Proctor Request Form" to OTA before the end of the first week of the current semester. (See Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site.)
   
   
4. Familiarize yourself with the Blackboard environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.
   
   
5. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning, or specifically with the Blackboard platform, be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success:

1. To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and scheduling and taking your examinations. For details on each assignment module and a complete listing of learning activities, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.
   
   
2. Check the Announcements page and class Discussion Board regularly for new course information.
   
   
3. Note that the textbook reading assignments that are listed in the Study Guide do not always match exactly with those listed in the Assignment Modules. When that is the case, follow the information in the Assignment Modules.
   
   

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