OLD Syllabus

Syllabus: EGEE 299 - Foreign Studies

This syllabus is divided into several sections. You can read it sequentially by scrolling down the length of the document or by clicking on any of the links below to “jump” to a specific section. It is essential that you read the entire document as well as material covered in the course Orientation. Together these serve as our course "contract."

• Instructor
• Course Overview
• Required Course Materials
• Assignments and Grading
• Course Schedule
• Course Policies
• Technical Requirements

Instructor

Haley Sankey
Lecturer, Department of Earth and Mineral Sciences, John A. Dutton e-Education Institute

• Office: 415 Earth and Engineering Sciences Building
• Office Phone: 814-863-1009
• Home Phone: 814-577-7760
• E-mail: hjs142@psu.edu
• Office Hours: By appointment

NOTE: I will read and respond to e-mail at least once per day during the work week (Monday through Friday). I will check email on the weekends, but cannot guarantee prompt responses.

Course Overview

Description: Study Abroad

EGEE 299 is an international study experience where a student completes 3 credits in a Penn State, or equivalent, education abroad program. ("Abroad" is broadly defined and may vary on a student-by-student basis. In situations where this may be unclear, please consult the EGEE 299 course coordinator.)

Credit is awarded through the following options:

• by taking a Penn State class abroad, using listings available through the Penn State Office of Global Programs
  • See Programs with an Emphasis on Sustainability and Environmental Issues
• by taking a course abroad with an alternate accredited higher education institution, and then transferring 3 or more credits through the Penn State Office of Admissions, or
• or by completing a Credit by Portfolio Assessment, through the ESP program. The student's portfolio will demonstrate learning equivalent to 3 credits of study obtained through an educational/work experience in an international setting.

Students who complete EGEE 299 should be able to:

• Document pertinent insights gained from an international trip or other relevant international experience.

What I Expect of You

Communication is very important. Please keep in regular contact. If you are experiencing difficulty, or your travel plans aren't coming to fruition, I need to know as soon as possible so that we can address the issue appropriately. Failure to adequately complete the agreed upon travel may result in a grade deferral for the semester. A grade deferral will provide a limited window of time for the travel requirement to be fulfilled.

Required Course Materials

You do not need a text book for this course. Use this course website and ANGEL as resources for the course. In order to take this course, you need to have an active Penn State Access Account user ID and password (used to access the online course resources). If you have any questions about obtaining or activating your Penn State Access Account, please contact the World Campus.

Assignments and Grading

This course will rely upon two main assessment and evaluation methods. Grading will be completed by the ESP Coordinator or designee. The following standards will apply:

Journal/Blog

Students must keep a daily journal while traveling. The Costa Rica trip is 12 days in length; students are required to journal 10 of the 12 days. The Iceland trip is 10 days in length; students are required to journal 8 of the 10 days. Journal entries are to be at least 500 words in length. All journal entries are to be uploaded to the student’s PSU personal blog within the first week that the student is enrolled in EGEE 299 (unless alternate arrangements have been made). See the Travel Journal link in the menu to the left to learn more about this requirement.

Portfolio

You must also complete a final submission called a Portfolio Paper. The contents of the Study Abroad Portfolio are outlined in the Portfolio section of the website (link in menu to the left).The purpose of the portfolio is to help you articulate and record the learning that occurred and the experience you gained during your study abroad experience. Of course this will help you earn a grade for the course, but it can also be used to demonstrate to future employers and instructors your accomplishments, approach to work and quality of communication. You may also find the contents to be a useful reference for future projects and research. Submit your portfolio as an attachment using the designated dropbox in Angel. PDF, Word Doc, and Google Docs are all acceptable formats for the portfolio.

These assignments are outlined in the chart below (see Course Schedule). Final overall grades will be determined based on your grades on each course assignment, using the weighting information also shown in the chart provided in the Course Schedule section.

Letter grades will be based on the following percentages:

Percentages refer to the proportion of all possible points earned by the student.

NOTE: Grades are not rounded or curved during or at the end of the semester. Put your best effort into all of the assignments as you complete them.

Course Schedule

ATTENTION: Travel dates may vary for individuals based on personal schedules and program availability, therefore, individual due dates will be provided for each person, each semester based on travel itineraries. Before you depart for your trip you will be asked to review the the course requirements and agree to the assignment due dates provided. If you have any concerns with due dates, they must be addressed prior to your departure. Once you have agreed to the due dates, they will stand, and one percentage point will be deducted from your final semester grade for each day each assignment is late.

Below you will find a summary of the primary learning activities for this course and the associated time frames. This course is twelve weeks in length for the Summer semesters and fifteen weeks for Spring and Fall semesters.

NOTE: The final grade earned from the portfolio will be awarded at the end of the semester, however, one percentage point will be taken off of your final semester grade for each day any/all assignments are late.

Course Policies

Penn State E-mail Accounts

All official communications from the Penn State World Campus are sent to students' Penn State e-mail accounts. Be sure to check your Penn State account regularly, or forward your Penn State e-mail to your preferred e-mail account, so you don't miss any important information.

Deferred Grades

If you are prevented from completing this course within the prescribed amount of time, it is possible to have the grade deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. To seek a deferred grade, you must submit a written request (by e-mail or U.S. post) to your instructor describing the reason(s) for the request. It is up to your instructor to determine whether or not you will be permitted to receive a deferred grade. If, for any reason, the course work for the deferred grade is not complete by the assigned time, a grade of "F" will be automatically entered on your transcript.

Missing Work

Students must complete all of the assigned items in the course syllabus. If course assignments/items are not completed and submitted, semester grades will be held until the missing work is received.

Late Policy

All course-related submissions must be provided by the assigned date. One percentage point will be taken off of your final semester grade for each day any/all assignments are late. Late completions must be by prior arrangement.

Academic Integrity

This course follows the guidelines for academic integrity of Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Penn State defines academic integrity as "the pursuit of scholarly projects in an open, honest and responsible manner." Academic integrity includes "a commitment not to engage in or tolerate acts of falsification, misrepresentation, or deception." In particular, the University defines plagiarism as "the fabrication of information and citations; submitting other's work from professional journals, books, articles, and papers; submission of other student's papers, lab results or project reports and representing the work as one's own." Penalties for violations of academic integrity may include course failure. To learn more, see Penn State's "Plagiarism Tutorial for Students." I cannot overemphasize the importance of academic integrity. DO NOT copy and paste from unreferenced sources. Without exception: if you use a direct quote from any source, as part of any submitted assignment, the quote must be clearly noted and properly referenced. (In-line references are fine.)

Citation and Reference Style

Please use APA citation and format style. Info can be found at Purdue's Online Writing Lab.

Accommodating Disabilities

Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities. The Office for Disability Services (ODS) website provides contact information for every Penn State campus. For further information, please visit the Office for Disability Services Website.

In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus’s disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.

Military Personnel

Veterans and currently serving military personnel and/or spouses with unique circumstances (e.g., upcoming deployments, drill/duty requirements, disabilities, VA appointments, etc.) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor in the case that special arrangements need to be made.

Inclement Weather

In case of weather-related delays at the University, this online course will proceed as planned. Your instructor will inform you if there are any extenuating circumstances regarding content or activity due dates in the course due to weather delays. If you are affected by a weather-related emergency, please contact your instructor at the earliest possible time to make special arrangements.

Netiquette

The term "Netiquette" refers to the etiquette guidelines for electronic communications, such as e-mail and bulletin board postings. Netiquette covers not only rules to maintain civility in discussions, but also special guidelines unique to the electronic nature of forum messages. Please review Virginia Shea's "The Core Rules of Netiquette" for general guidelines that should be followed when communicating in this course.

Connect Online with Caution

Penn State is committed to educational access for all. Our students come from all walks of life and have diverse life experiences. As with any other online community, the lack of physical interaction in an online classroom can create a false sense of anonymity and security. While one can make new friends online, digital relationships can also be misleading. Good judgment and decision making are critical when choosing to disclose personal information with others whom you do not know.

Technical Requirements

For this course we recommend the minimum technical requirements outlined on the Dutton Institute Technical Requirements page, including the requirements listed for same-time, synchronous communications. If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the Outreach Helpdesk (for World Campus students) or the ITS Help Desk (for students at all other campus locations).

Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus can be changed at any time, and you will be responsible for abiding by any such changes. Changes will be posted to the course discussion forum.

END OF ORIGINAL COURSE POLICY SECTION