Technology Requirements
- Internet connection (DSL, LAN, or cable connection desirable)
- Appropriate notebook computer or desktop computer. Suggest your hardware configuration includes a camera, microphone, and speakers.
- Access to COSC programs including Blackboard and MyCharterOak
- Productivity software (Microsoft office provided by COSC)
Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS)
Course material is arranged by week, with each unit containing the relevant content, learning activities, assignments, and resources. Weekly materials are available through the Content area in the course menu. At the start of each week, review that section for an outline of expectations, required readings, learning tools, tasks, and submission deadlines. Detailed instructions are provided for every required component.
Expectations of Students
In the Social Work program, students are being educated as professionals and are expected to treat all classes and assignments as if they were “on-the-job”. For example: students are expected to actively participate in Blackboard classes weekly, unless otherwise specified, read prior to entering the Blackboard class, upload assignments on time, be prepared, and ready participate in the Blackboard Discussion Board and other activities.
Participation and engagement are crucial in this course. Students taking social work courses are expected to engage in online discussions with their peers and the instructor, contributing thoughtful, quality input to the topics discussed. Participation in the threaded discussions is graded to ensure students understand the material and are developing communication skills to convey their knowledge. Original, detailed, and thorough answers are expected in discussion posts. It is highly recommended that students leverage the recommended readings and additional research to acquire sufficient comprehension of the content covered. Students are expected to learn from other students' posts on the topics of discussion for the week.
Do not fall behind as time goes fast in an 8-week course. Be sure to keep track of what week we are in and what is due each week. The expectations are that students will write drafts of all materials and edit the drafts thoroughly before submitting the materials for discussion or grading. Written expressions are very important for informaticists and health information management professionals, thus, and quality of the writing matters in this course.
Original, creative thought is also important. Do external research to learn more about each topic to help develop your mastery of the subjects. Be sure that sentences, paragraphs, structure, and ideas are your own before submitting the work.
Technology is very good at picking up even the most innocent mistakes, much less wholesale copying of sections of other work. All reported similarities are reviewed. Students should edit their papers accordingly to remove any materials that are too similar to their sources.
Email Communication Policy
Students are expected to demonstrate professionalism in their written communication with their instructors, including the use of proper salutations, appropriate using the subject line, and the same level of attention to grammar, spelling, and syntax, as would be expected for written assignments.
Students are expected to read the emails sent by their instructors and are responsible for the information contained therein. Further, when emailing professors, ample time must be given to the instructor to respond, which is generally a minimum of 48 hours – or two business days - before sending a follow up email. Please note that, whether it is with your professors, site supervisors, or in any other professional setting, it is inappropriate to send multiple follow-up emails without allowing ample time to reply. Students can expect longer response times on weekends, holidays, or college breaks.
Social Work Program & Cengage
The Social Work Program has partnered with Cengage to provide all e-texts, MindTap activities, and other resources through the Cengage Unlimited Yearly Subscription. All Social Work courses will use Cengage Unlimited and MindTap content activities. You will only need to purchase this product one time for the year. Please do not purchase this product multiple times within a subscription year. In addition, this subscription allows students to rent textbooks through the Cengage website for $9.99 per book. Students will have access to all materials for their social work courses from the day of purchase. The subscription expires 365 days after students access and opens their first e-text link.
MindTap Assignment Instructions
- A "take" starts when you click the Start button and ends when you submit the assignment for grading. You are limited to one (1) attempt for assignments.
- If your computer loses its connection to the server during a take, you will be able to resume if you return to the assignment within a few minutes.
- To avoid submission issues, do not open an assignment in more than one internet browser window or tab or on more than one computer or mobile device.
Assignment Due Dates
Unless otherwise noted in the course, all assignments are due by 11:59 PM ET, Sunday of the respective week.
Late Work Policy
As a social worker you will be called upon to be self-motivated and organized. It is expected that you will have read and thought about the assigned readings each week. This will allow you to actively participate and contribute to discussions board messages/questions, group projects and other online interactions. It is also expected that you will turn in all assignments and related requirements on time.
See the institutional Late Assignment Policy, which is available through the "Assist" link in the main course menu. If a late policy discrepancy occurs with any assignment in this course, the institutional late policy takes precedence. Note, however, that the institutional late policy does not apply to discussions. When an extenuating circumstance occurs, appropriate arrangements must be made in advance. Only in extraordinary circumstances will late work be accepted.
Discussion Policies
There are discussions in this 8-week course. Participation in these activities is mandatory. Each student is expected to post a thorough, well thought out, and grammatically correct response. It is also required that each student post a response to one different peer’s initial post for each reflection discussion. All posts should be free of bias or offensive language. Students are also expected to comfort themselves according to the NASW Code of Ethics.
The Reflection Discussion assignments must be completed by Thursday at 11:59 PM ET each week. Responses to one peer must be completed in the Reflection Discussion forum by Saturday at 11:59 PM ET. Initial posts must have a minimum of 150 words. Response posts must have a minimum of 100 words.
Participation Policy
You should log in to the course several times a week to participate in the discussion board. Each week you must also submit any assignments that are due. If you do not submit a graded item for 14 days, you will be sent an email from the Registrar’s Office letting you know that you will be academically withdrawn from the class if you do not submit a graded item by the next day. Be sure you are always checking your Charter Oak email as well, since that is the only email address, the college will use to send you information.
Grading and Feedback Policy
All assignments will be graded and returned to students within 7 days after submission. Please remember that students will be graded on content, grammar, and spelling for each of these. Written expressions are important! Discussion posts, essays, blogs, papers, PowerPoint presentations, etc. must contain complete sentences that are grammatically correct and void of spelling errors. Grammar and spelling errors will result in the deduction of points, even if the content is correct.
Written Assignment Policies
Written work should show thoroughness, accuracy, clarity and professionalism. Such writing generally requires first, writing, then reviewing, then editing and rewriting. Writing is a critically important aspect of social work. Spelling, grammar, punctuation, accuracy, objectivity, thoroughness, critical thinking and coherence are all crucial in documentation in social work practice and demonstrate the competency level of the professional. Please be sure to thoroughly proofread your assignment before submission. The quality of the assignment will be graded on the areas defined in the grading rubric for this course.
Students are expected to follow writing formatting and style guidelines as set forth by the American Psychological Association (APA). The following exceptions will apply to all written submissions in this program:
- The primary focus of the usage of APA falls in the areas of the inclusion and proper formatting of citations and references in all written submissions.
- APA formatted title pages, running headers, and abstracts will not be used in the program. Instead, students must include their name, course number, and project title on the first sheet of the assignment.
- Students will submit all papers or reports using a size 12 Arial font.
- All papers are to be double-spaced, with margins set at one inch around the entire page.
- The first reference always starts on a new page with the title References (title is center justified).
Maintain Professional Conduct Both in the Classroom and Online
The online classroom is a professional environment where academic debate and learning take place. Your instructor will make every effort to make this environment safe for you to share your opinions, ideas, and beliefs. In return, you are expected to respect the opinions, ideas, and beliefs of other students. Students have the right and privilege to learn in all courses, free from harassment and disruption.