Course Syllabus

Summer 2024 | COM-1020-VO01 - Interpersonal & Small Group Communication

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Mary Ann Boyd
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Ashraf Alamatouri

General Education Requirements

CCV Communication

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

Theories of effective communication will be examined and practically applied. Emphasis will be placed on active listening, observation, reflective responses, and the use of clear language in interpersonal and small group situations.

Essential Objectives

1. Identify barriers to effective communications and apply strategies for overcoming them.
2. Evaluate communication styles and their relative appropriateness in different situations.
3. Describe and apply, in a variety of situations, reflective listening, assertiveness, and negotiation skills.
4. Describe common roles for participants in small group situations.
5. Identify, describe, and evaluate different forms of decision-making in small groups.
6. Prepare a formal presentation that demonstrates proficiency using the CCV Oral Communication Rubric.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

This course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations.

Summer 2024 textbook details will be available on 2023-11-06. On that date a link will be available below that will take you to eCampus, CCV's bookstore. The information provided there will be specific to this class. Please see this page for more information regarding the purchase of textbooks/books.

COM-1020-VO01 Link to Textbooks for this course in eCampus.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Methods

Hello, Welcome to Interpersonal & Small Group Communication!

First of all, I want to say that I believe you will truly have fun and enjoy what you will be learning in this class: enhancing your personal and professional relationships, at home, work, school, and within our communities.

I'm happy to say that I have had a number of previous students tell me that the strategies, tools and skills which we focused on had significantly reduced the conflict in their lives. They also enjoyed having the opportunity to learn about themselves, recognizing some of the patterns and habits of communication which have NOT been effective in their relationships. Ultimately, the new tools which they practiced in this course really improved their communication overall! Woo Hoo!!!

As for my experience as your instructor, I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and I started my college experience right here...at CCV! I then earned my BSW from Castleton University, and an MSW from SUNY Albany. Over the past 25 years I have worked as a Clinical Case Manager and an Independent Mental Health Clinician within Addison County, and many of the "Non Violent Communication" concepts which you will learn in this class are some of the strategies I have taught my clients to help them effectively communicate.

In addition, to Communication courses, I also teach Psychology and Social Work courses for VTSU.

Again...we're going to have a lot of fun and you will be happy you took this course. I know you will!

These are the Learning Methods and Recourses we will be using:

* Short Lectures and Videos: Every week I will provide the class with weekly guidance and topic content through my own own sharing (text format lecture), as well as online recourses from various, expert speakers via Youtube videos.

* Weekly Forum discussion: This class will be energized and highly interactive with weekly student participation and leadership thought the use of Discussion Forum Posts. Each week you will be asked to provide one original post and reply three classmates posts.

* Weekly Practice Comitments / Journal:I will be asking you to provide a weekly journal entry to describe your use of a particular skill or task, which we will have discussed during the week, and you will have the opportunity to "try" at home. These journal entries are private exchanges with me, to which I respond by providing text feedback.

* WeeklyReading Assignments from your texts, as well as other online sources.

* Study Guides, which will be provided by me, to focus and augment your reading assignments.

* Video Presentations/Discussions: This class will request that you provide three presentations to the class, through our discussion forums. These will be short but informative, and allow you the opportunity to demonstrate your learning. No worries... they will be fun!

Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation and Grading will be based on the following criteria, as well as a 100 point grading system.

*All assignments are expected on the due date. Late submissions will result in deducted points.

Discussion Forum and class Participation: 25 Points. Full participation and active engagement in the forums and all other exercises will be vital to your success in this class; this means posting your original post by Monday, midnight each week, and by being an active member of our class "community" which will be demonstrated by your thoughtful responses to at least three other classmate posts.

Journals/ Study Guide Assignments: 30 Points. A variety of assignments such as reflective essays, study guides, and journal entries, will be assigned to help build your knowledge and skill level in various subject areas, and assist you to self evaluate and apply course concepts in daily life situations.

Oral Presentations: 15 Points. Class presentations will be assigned related to course content.

Final Exam:15 Points. The exam is completely derived from your Study Guides throughout the semester...ie; the more work you put into those study guides, the easier your exam will be!. .

Final "This I Believe" Essay and Video Presentation: 15 Points.

Please review the Rubrics provided to orient you to my grading criteria for all assignment categories.

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

I expect that you will log into the course at least three times per week. Otherwise you will be noted as absent for the week.

Missing & Late Work Policy

Late assignment submissions will be deducted at least 10 points without prior approval from me.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity