Credit Hours: 2
Instructor: Dr. James Fitch
Telephone: (334) 844-9600
Fax: (334) 844-4585
Email: fitchjl@auburn.edu

Delivery Systems:

This course requires a computer with Internet access. You will need to be able to adjust settings, install software and plug-ins, and be able to create files on the computer you will be using. Please be advised that public\lab computers often prevent these types of activities. You should check to ensure that you have these capabilities before participating in this course.

Instructor's unpublished manuscript (on CD).

This general studies course is designed for individuals who are pursuing careers that will bring them into contact with the general public. Six percent of the general public has communication differences that can make it difficult for them to interact with persons who are not familiar with the difference. This course will teach learners how to recognize the various communication differences such as speech problems, language disorders, disfluency, voice disorders, and hearing loss. It will help the learner understand how it feels to have such differences by experiencing simulations and by watching videotaped interviews of persons with communication differences. It will also help how to interact effectively with persons with communication differences.

The objectives/purpose of the course are/is:

1. To acquaint the learner with the various types of communication disorders, including disorders of speech, language, fluency, voice, and hearing.
2. To develop an understanding the underlying bases of these disorders so the learner can appreciate the complexity of communication problems.
3. To observe individuals with the disorders above and become familiar with the communication patterns.
4. To understand how to approach communication with persons with the different types of disorders.
5. To develop a sensitivity to the problems of persons with communication disorders.

The class format will be a combination of lectures, quizzes, and activities. There are eight chapters on the CD. The course will include required chapter readings, audio lectures to listen to, an activity to be completed, review questions, and an online quiz for each chapter. The activities are built in to the lectures on the CD. Each quiz will be a random sample of 25 questions from a bank of questions for each chapter. There is a proctored midterm examination and a proctored final examination. They will be of 50 multiple choice and true/false questions from the review questions and quizzes of each chapter. The midterm will cover material learned from chapters 1-4 and the final with that of chapters 5-8. Both will be proctored exams. The proctor should be recognized by the DLOT office of Auburn University. More information about the proctors is given in the Midterm and Final Examination Process item in this syllabus. The learners will use email to communicate among class members and with the instructor. There are five extra credit activities built into the lectures on the CD for learners to complete and submit.

The eight chapters of the online text book are as follows:

1. The Importance of Communication in Society
2. The Wonder of Spoken Language
3. Communication Disorders-What, How, When, and Why They Happen
4. Fluency Differences
5. Speech Differences
6. Language Differences
7. Voice Differences
8. Hearing Impairment

You will need to have basic computer skills, such as word processing, and minimal basic experience using email and the internet.

In order to do the coursework, a computer with an internet connection is necessary. The access could be in labs at Auburn University or could be at home or at work. (If a computer at work at work is used, the access should be tested, because some organizations have protective "firewalls" that limit full internet access.)

1. Quizzes:

There will be a quiz after the completion of each chapter available in WebCT. You should use the information provided to you by DLOT at the time of enrollment to access the webCT materials. Before taking the quiz, do the review questions available on the CD.

2. Activities:

There will be an activity for each chapter. The instructor will put the learners into email groups of 4-5 individuals. The learners will email their responses to the groups. The instructor will be in each group, so as to receive all the assignments. For each assignment 10 points are awarded if the instructor judges that it was done appropriately and completely, and less points if not - 2 points off if late, 2 points off if not complete, 2 points off for significant deviation from subject. Due dates for submission will be assigned for students who are registered for CMDS 2503.

3. Midterm Examination:

The learners are required to take a proctored midterm examination. This midterm examination is designed to give an opportunity to review all that was learned until this point in time i.e. from Chapters 1-4. It includes multiple-choice questions mainly taken from the review questions and quizzes. More information about the proctors is given in the Midterm and Final Examination Process item in this syllabus.

4. Final Examination:

There will be a proctored final examination at the end of the term. This final is designed to give an opportunity to review all that was learned until this point in time. The exam will mainly cover material from Chapters 5-8. More information about the proctors is given in the Midterm and Final Examination Process item in this syllabus.

During the first week of the course, a proctor must be selected to supervise the exam. Distance Learning and Outreach Technology (DLOT) approved proctors are academic administrators in the learner’s locale: school superintendent or principal, academic dean or department head at a college, another independent learning office test supervisor at a college, or an education officer at a military installation. All proposed proctors are verified for appropriateness by DLOT learner service staff at Petrie Annex at (334) 844-3106. Examinations are given under the same circumstances as they would be on campus, e.g. closed book, no notes, 50 minutes. The learners are expected to get the Examination Proctor Information form properly filled in and signed by the proctor, just before sending it to the DLOT office. Then the DLOT office will verify the proctor and sends the exam to the proctor. Once the proctored exam is over, the proctor collects the examination materials, seals them in an envelope and drops them in the mail, immediately. When the exam is received by DLOT, it is handed over to, the instructor. Copies of the completed grade report form are distributed to the faculty member, the DLOT office, the registrar, and the learner.

The class will be fully web-based and semi-self-paced. This means that the learners will conduct all work online with each other and with the instructor. This type of course allows quite a bit of freedom, for instance, in determining at what time of day and where you do your coursework. It does, however, as you can see, entail quite a bit of self-discipline and determination in order to keep up with assignments.

The final grade will be the average of the quizzes (lowest two quiz scores thrown out), averaged with the midterm and final examination, plus any additional credit. Activities will be graded on the basis of completeness and degree to which the learner addressed the purpose of the activity. The percentage of the total grade for each method of evaluation will be:

Activities - 20% (Average of highest six of eight activities)

Quizzes – 20% (Average of highest six of eight quizzes)

Midterm Examination – 30%

Final Examination – 30%

TOTAL 100%

Grades will be assigned on the basis of the following percentages of total points:

A = 90 - 100 points
B = 80 - 89 points
C = 70 - 79 points
D = 60 - 69 points
F = 0 - 59 points

Extra credit may be obtained through five different activities built in the lectures on the CD. Each of the extra credit projects will add two points to the final average for the class. Therefore, a maximum of ten points can be obtained through extra credit projects.

Changes may be made as needed during the quarter. Learners will be notified as early as possible if a change is to be made.

Auburn University is committed to providing accommodations and services to students with documented disabilities. Any learner with a qualified disability which requires accommodations should contact The Program for Students with Disabilities, 1244 Haley Center, Auburn University, AL 36849, 334-844-2096 PH, 334-844-2099 FAX, haynemd@auburn.edu. More information is available on their website at www.auburn.edu/disability. The office will fax or mail the required forms to learners to apply for services. Learners who have questions to participate in this course should contact the above office in advance to ensure proper accommodations.

Plagiarism is the act of presenting directly or indirectly someone else’s work as your own. Plagiarism is a major type of academic dishonesty and will not be tolerated. Similarly cheating on tests in any way, falsifying bibliographies, fraudulent quotes, and similar practices are intolerable forms of academic dishonesty. The University’s policy for academic misconduct in the Learner Code of Conduct will be followed for this course (Tiger Club, pp. 83 and 92). If you have any questions regarding its contents, please contact the instructor.