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PL 406 / PL 506 - Planning Analysis and Presentations

SYLLABUS - FALL 2005

Credit Hours: 3
Instructor: Alan A. Lew

Office Location: Southwest Forest Science Complex (Bldg 82), Room 120
Mailing Address: Dept. of Geography Planning & Recreation, NAU Box 15016, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5016
TEL: 928-523-6567 (office); 928-523-2650 (dept.)
FAX: 928-523-2275 (attn: Dr Lew)

FORMAT: WebCT - The Class Homepage is http://webct.nau.edu
You must log in using your NAU Dana or Jan account. The class will not appear until until you have registered for it AND the Instructor has manually added you to the WebCT class roster. You should bookmark this website.

IMPORTANT NOTE/DISCLAIMER: Registered students will not be able to access the WebCT version of this class until August 29th, 2005. The Syllabus & Schedule on this non-WebCT will not be finalized until that date.

Office Hours: As the Department Chair, I am in my office most days between 9am and 4pm. My meetings schedule is irregular, so please contact my Administrative Assistant, Debbie Martin (928-523-2650) to make an appointment.
Off-campus students: if you want to talk by phone, send an e-mail I will call you from Flagstaff. I can also meet you in the WebCT CHAT ROOM during to address your questions.

EMAIL POLICY: All Correspondence starting August 29, 2005 must take place through the WebCT website (www.nau.edu/webct). Correspondence prior to that date may be sent to Alan Lew@NAU.EDU

To Send an Email from WebCT: Click On MAIL on the left sidebar menu; Click on COMPOSE MAIL MESSAGE; Click on BROWSE and click on Alan Lew; click on DONE; Compose your message and SEND

Technical Questions about WebCT - DO NOT EMAIL DR. LEW, instead:

Contact the NAU Dana Help Desk at:
Flagstaff: 523-9294
Toll free: 1-888-520-7215
On the web: http://www.nau.edu/its/achd
Via e-mail: help@dana.ucc.nau.edu

This syllabus is subject to revision as necessary at any time during the semester.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Students will:

1. Be able to find demographic and economic data for a community
2. Be able to use a spreadsheet to analyze data on a community
3. Be able to use presentation software to present information in a logical and clear manner
   

ASSUMPTIONS/PREREQUISITES: Students are expected to have:

1. Good familiarity with personal computers, the Internet and World Wide Web, and some prior exposure to Spreadsheets and Word Processing software.
2. Access to a recent version of Microsoft Excel, Powerpoint and Word (i.e., Microsoft Office -- the 2003 or XP versions are preferred). All of the NAU computer labs have these programs on them. You might be able to get a good discount on your own student version, as well.
3. Access to a Video Recorder to record a presentation. VHS and MiniDV tape formats are preferred. If you have other formats, let me know as soon as possible.
4. Access to the WWW --- for obvious reasons, I hope...
   

CLASS FORMAT:

This is a 100% web-based class. All of the material and assignments will be on the WWW. You will mostly be working on your own in the class and you will be entirely responsible for your own work. This class requires an enormous amount of SELF DISCIPLINE.

If you drop this class, you need to let me know. While the system will somewhat automatically add you to WebCT after you register, it will not remove you from WebCT automatically (even if you have dropped the class through the registrar). The instructor needs to do that manually.

PL 506 Students will take the same class as PL406, but will have an additional major assignment. PL 506 Students must CLICK HERE for additional information.

TEXTBOOK:

All material will be available on the WWW. You may wish to purchase an Intro to MS Office book for the version of MS Office you are using for reference purposes, but this is optional.

We will be using several online tutorials, at least at the start of the class. Later we will make extensive use of the EconData website (http://www.econdata.net/), which provides access to all forms of US Government and nongovernmental demographic and economic data.

Another major data source that we will use is the of the State of Arizona's Department of Economic Security, (http://www.de.state.az.us/links/economic/webpage/), which compiles its own demographic profiles and population projection for Arizona's communities.

ASSIGNMENTS & POINT SYSTEM

ALL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT WILL BE CONSIDERED LATE IF RECEIVED AFTER 11:59 pm (BEFORE MIDNIGHT) ON THE DATE DUE.

LATE ASSIGNMENT POLICY: 15% (7 pts on a 50 pt assignment) will be will be deducted for each day that an assignment is late. Late assignments will not be accepted after 7 days. You are also more likely to receive a delayed response to your assignment if it is late, since we need to move on with the class and cannot devote as much time to late assignments.

EARLY SUBMISSIONS OF ASSIGNMENTS ARE ENCOURAGED AND ALWAYS ACCEPTED.

All Assignments will be submitted through WebCT.

COMMON ASSIGNMENT TYPES:

• REGULAR WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS (most are 50 points each): You will work your way through these assignments on a weekly basis. These are due mostly on Thursdays by 11:55pm (before midnight). Please see the Calendar in WebCT for any exceptions to the Thursday due dates. The first assignment is due on Friday of the First week of class and is only worth 20 points. The last assignment is due Finals week.
  • The reason for the 11:55pm deadline is that WebCT will not allow setting a time closer to Midnight on the due date in its Assignment Dropbox.
    
    
• MIDTERM & FINAL REVIEW ASSIGNMENTS (50 points each): There are no tests in this class - just a midterm and final review assignment. These are more reflective in nature, though could also include an applied assignment similar to the the Regular Weekly Assignments. Their purpose is to review material presented previously in the class (they will be somewhat comprehensive). These assignments will not be released until about a week before they are due, and will only be released to students who have completed all of the assignments up the the review assignment time.
  • The Midterm Review will include a a videotaped oral presentation that you will submit to my office. You can drop it off, mail it to me, or upload it and email it to me. This is the first time that I am including this requirement. Depending on how it goes, the Final Prject might also include a video presentation of some kind.
    
    
• CHECK-INs (5 points each): You are required to Check-In with the Instructor about every three weeks (see the WebCT Calendar) by sending an e-mail message in which you indicate:
  (1) What is working especially well for you in the class.
  (2) What is NOT working for you in this class; and
  (3) Any initial suggestions for how we (you and I together) can begin to improve what is not working.
  The word "Check-in" MUST appear in the Subject Line
  
  
  The purpose of these weekly Checkins is to prevent small problems from becoming major problems. It is perfectly acceptable to simply tell your Instructor in your e-mail that "everything is OK" and leave it at that -- just so long as you are sending the e-mail. Silence from you is an indicator that something is wrong and you may be headed for trouble in this class.
  
  These are DUE on Fridays (No later than 11:59pm) on the dates indicated in the WebCT Calendar. You can email this at anytime during the week prior to the due date - you do not need to wait until Friday. Do not email the Check-in more than one week in advance of its due date -- you will not get any points for it. Late Check-ins will also not be accepted for credit.
  

• ONLINE DISCUSSION (50 points possible) - Students are expected to participate online discussions in WebCT (Click Here for Instructions).  During the semester each student should post at least two questions and reply to no fewer than two questions posted by others.  There is no time constraints in posting or replying to questions.  You can post any course-related questions or ideas in the discussion area on WebCT.  If you have posted a question, you should check the discussion area frequently to see if it is answered.  By the end of the semester (before the Final ExamWeek), I will check if you have met the minimum requirements and how actively you participated in discussions.
  
  
• FINISHING THE CLASS EARLY
  
  Web-based students often ask about finishing the class early. While you can get well ahead of the class in parts, you cannot complete the entire class because (1) some assignments require feedback from other students, and (2) the Final Review Assignments will not be posted until a week before it is due.
  • If you do manage to complete ALL of the assignments early (except the Final Review Assignment, which cannot be taken early), you will no longer be required to send Check-in emails. You will, however, still receive the 5 points for the remaining Check-ins.
    

GRADING for PL406 - [PL506 Students CLICK HERE]

• 13 Regular Weekly Assignments (50 points each = 650 points)
• 1 Introductory Assignment (20 points)
• 1 Final Project (100 points)
• 4 Check-Ins (5 points each = 20 points)
• WebCT Discussion Board (50 points)

The total points possible are: 840

• To Receive an 'A' = Minimum 756 points (90%)
• To Receive a 'B' = Minimum 672 points (80%)
• To Receive a 'C' = Minimum 589 points (70%)
• To Receive a 'D' = Minimum 504 points (60%)
• Below 504 points (<60%) = ‘F’
  
  The 'A' grade is intended for students who consistently submit work that is both on time and superior to the majority of the rest of the class. You need to demonstrate mastery of the subject matter through the quality and thoughtfulness of your answers. Between 10% and 20% of the class will likely receive and 'A'. (It could be more or less than this, depending on the makeup of the class.)

WARNING: Keep a copy of all of the work that you receive points for in this (and all of your classes)! Keep a copy of all emails that you received in this class -- whether they are general announcements or individual emails. .

Grade Points will be posted online in the WebCT Gradebook.

OTHER POLICIES

ACCESS TO CLASS: Students who fall behind by more than 2 weeks without explanation will be locked out of the class -- i.e., you will not be able to log into class through WebCT. To get back into the class, you need to send an email to the course Instructor and explain why you have not been doing your work and how you are going to catch up.

MAKING UP LATE ASSIGNMENTS

Requests for make up assignments, both written assignments and quizzes, will only be allowed for reasons beyond the control of students. In addition, you must provide:

1. A clear and complete explanation of the reason the assignment is late, including why the assignment could not have been submitted before the problem arose;
2. Written proof, such as a letter from a doctor, minister or funeral home, or a letter from the NAU Dean of Students (or the Associate Dean), supporting your justification
   • Instructor Mailing address and Fax number are at the top of this syllabus.

• You will receive less credit if you could have easily done the assignment before the problem arose.

INCOMPLETES

Incompletes will not be given without written recommendation by the Dean of Students. Low grades can be overwritten in GPA evaluations by retaking this course at a later date. (If you get a low grade in any class at NAU, you can retake that class and if you get a higher grade then the higher grade will be used to calculate your GPA. The lower grade will be ignored. A Petition Form must be completed to enable the grade override - links are below. See the NAU Undergraduate Catalog for details on this policy.)

• Please note that the university policy for an incomplete is that it is only granted to students who have completed most of the work for the class and are only tardy on a couple of assignments that would enable them to pass the class. In addition, the reason for not completing the tardy assignments must be beyond the student's control. Finally, the policy states that "After a grade is submitted to the Registrar, the grade may not be changed as the result of the addition of extra credit work not available to all students in the course and/or work not outlined in the syllabus or an addendum which was distributed during the semester."

Retaking the Class to Raise Your Grade

If you are not receiving the grade that you prefer toward the end of the semester, then the recommended action is to retake the class in another semester and apply for a Grade Replacement using this form: MS Word, .PDF - the form must be submitted at the time that you register for the class the second time. Note that the assignments will probably be different the second time that you take the class.

PLAGIARISM and CHEATING: You are expected to do all of the work yourself, and to properly reference any material that you use from other sources. DO NOT COPY ANOTHER STUDENT’S WORK. DO NOT COPY SOMETHING FROM ANY OTHER SOURCE WITHOUT A COMPLETE REFERENCE TO ITS ORIGINAL AUTHOR (Author, Title, Year, Publisher, Page numbers, and Access date and URL for Web material). If you do either of these, you and the student you copied from will both receive zero (0) points for the assignment, and you may be dismissed entirely from this course.

• The following WWW site on doing research and avoiding electronic plagiarism is recommended reading for anyone doing research on the WWW: http://www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/internet/research.htm

AUDIT Students: NAU policy requires that students taking a course for Audit must attend the class on a regular basis or they will receive a grade of F. In addition, I expect Audit students to do all of the Checkins and to at least 50% of the assignments, including BOTH Review assignments. All of these materials must be turned in and overall, of the work turned in must receive an average grade of D or better. Failure to do these requirements will result in a grade of F.

NOTE: We Will NOT be covering the MS Outlook and MS Access portions of MS Office; MS Word will be used, but will not be taught.

COURSE SCHEDULE

The Course Schedule is also kept in the CALENDAR link within WebCT. You can add your own, private entries into the WebCT Calendar, as well.