Instructor Contact Information

  • Instructor: Rich Becker
  • Office: TEC-203 (Bremerton)
  • Office Hours: 1530 – 1630 MTWTh or appointment
  • Phone: 360.475.7370 (office) 575.496.1557 (preferred)
  • Mail: Rich Becker (B&T), 1600 Chester Ave, Bremerton, WA 98337-1699
  • Skype ID: r2becker
  • Email: rbecker@olympic.edu
    Note: Use the Canvas Inbox for course topics, do not send email. I generally provide a 1-day turnaround on Canvas messages. Do not send assignments to my Canvas Inbox or email address, they must be submitted through Canvas in the appropriate assignment location. Please note: I can only respond to email sent from your student.olympic.edu account - this is OC policy, and for your privacy.
  • Instructor: Amelia Garripoli
  • Office: TEC-210 (Bremerton)
  • Office Hours: Tue & Wed 1-1:50 (on-campus or online)
  • Office Phone: (360) 475-7588 (M-Th)
  • Mail: Amelia Garripoli (B&T), 1600 Chester Ave, Bremerton, WA 98337-1699
  • Website: faculty.olympic.edu/agarripoli
  • Skype ID: ameliagarripoli@gmail.com (Prof. Garripoli,, Bremerton, WA)
  • Email: agarripoli@olympic.edu
    Send Course questions through the Canvas Inbox.
    Do not send assignments to my email or Canvas Inbox, they will not be accepted for grading. All assignments must be submitted through Canvas. I do not monitor email or Canvas during weekends, holidays, or breaks. Resend if you get no response from me within one business day during the term; your message may not have reached me.

Course Detail

  • Catalog description: Students do intensive and self-directed research that results in an original scholarly paper or other product that can be formally presented. Students set goals and objectives that help form their own professional development strategy, and that clearly define the research project, reflect original research question(s), and deepen technical knowledge in specific area of interest.
  • Prerequisite:Acceptance into the BAS program.
  • Credits: 5 (ratio is 2 lecture hours to 6 lab hours)
  • Class dates: April 2 - June 11, 2017. School holiday: May 28 (Monday).
  • Class format: This is a hybrid class with on-ground activities. Evening lab attendance is required.
    • Class: Wednesday 7-9 pm
    • Recordings: Inclement weather may result in course availability through Panopto Recordings or Blackboard Collaborate; see the course shell for announcements should that be needed.
  • Location: Class: BUS 106.
  • Final Exam: June 13 7-9 pm
  • Technology required:Active OC Canvas account; campus lab access or a PC or MAC with sufficient capabilities and for installing and using course software; Internet access; Microsoft Word software.
  • Text Required: The Information Literacy User’s Guide: An Open Online Textbook
    Published by Open SUNY Textbooks, Milne Library (IITG PI)
    Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
    Copyright 2014
    ISBN: 978-0-9897226-2-9
  • Resources: Lab and library resources will be provided.
  • Strongly recommended:a reliable, high speed Internet connection; a home PC or laptop; 16GB thumb drive; headphones and webcam
  • Core Abilities: IS 390 meets the Core Abilities of Communication, Thinking, Information Literacy and Technology, and Lifelong Learning.
  • Learning Outcomes:

    By the end of this course, students will be able to:

    • Identify formal research methods and discuss how research methods will support the project goals
    • Select and integrate information from various sources, including electronic and print resources, community resources, and personally collected data, to answer the question(s) chosen
    • Critique online sources of information, assessing strengths and weaknesses
    • Analyze, critically evaluate, and articulate implications of research findings
    • Communicate technical ideas, procedures, results, and conclusions using appropriate formats
    • Formulate on-going professional development strategies

Schedule

Visit the course Web site often for current assignments information, due dates, and messages.
The Grades section will show you the work you have submitted and the feedback for it.

See the Canvas Course or your Canvas Calendar for the current schedule of assignments.

All work is to be submitted on Canvas using posts in Discussions, submissions in Assignments, and by submitting Quizzes; these can be found directly in the "Assignment" section of the course Canvas site, or in module context using the "Module" link on the Canvas course navigation to access the modules for this course.

Due Modules Assignments
Week 1 Module 1-Setting up the research Lab activity; journal entry; progress report
Week 2 Module 2-Surveying sources Lab activity; journal entry; progress report
Week 3 Module 3-Gathering and analyzing sources Lab activity; journal entry; progress report
Week 4 Module 3-Gathering and analyzing sources
Module 4-Integrating research
Lab activity; journal entry; progress report
Week 5 Module 4-Summarizing findings/ethics Lab activity; journal entry; progress report
Week 6 Module 5-Preparation of research Lab activity; journal entry (Summary of Findings); progress report
Week 7 Module 5-Preparation of research
Module 6-Trends in Research
Lab activity; journal entry; progress report
Week 8 Module 5-Preparation of research Lab activity; journal entry; progress report; rough draft of paper
Week 9 Module 5-Preparation of research Journal entry; progress report; final draft of paper; presentations; peer review of 2 papers; presentations; peer review of 2 presentations
Week 10 Module 5-Preparation of research Journal entry; progress report; final paper; publication; presentations; peer review of 2 publications; peer review of 2 presentations
Finals Week presentations; peer review of 2 presentations

See the Canvas Course or your Canvas Calendar for the current schedule of assignments. Modules may span several weeks, as noted above. Make progress each week to ensure timely completion of your work. If you wait to start the research, you may find it very difficult to complete it on time with sufficient depth and content.

Each week you will have the opportunity to develop your research skills; work for each module is spread out during the module. Each module contains a series of activities around a lab and its concepts.

The course has a final project; rather than the prior lab activities, in the last few weeks you will complete a paper, presentation, and publication, as well as evaluating your peers' deliverables.

Grading & Assignments

There are 1000 possible points in this course. Refer to Canvas for specific points on each assignment.

Even with sufficient points, you may be administratively withdrawn from class if you do not demonstrate participation for two or more consecutive modules.

Point Distribution:

  • Journal entries—20%
  • Lab activities—20%
  • Progress reports and mentor sessions—10%
  • Peer reviews—10%
  • Paper—20%
  • Presentation—15%
  • Publication—10%
  1. 10 journal entries — 20 points each for 200 points

    Beginning in module 1 and continuing throughout the course, students will post reflective and ongoing journal entries that document their observations, thoughts, and progress. Journal entries will be shared on your blog and reviewed by the instructor as a means of providing dialogue that will help guide the student through his or her experiences. These are due each Sunday.

  2. 8 research-related lab activities—25 points each for 200 points

    Students will participate in discussions and lab activities for the first half of the term, and ongoing discussions of each others' research for the second half of the term. This will include open floor discussions relevant to your research and hands-on research-related activities. We're doing this rather than having online Canvas discussions so that you can participate in a free-flowing discussion not directly measured by word-count; however, you will each need to speak up and contribute. For some of you, this is easy; if you are a talker, encourage the more reticent to participate as actively as you rather than taking over the discussions. These are due at each lab night; the drop box for those with submissions remains open until midnight the next night, but you will be given the opportunity to submit work during the lab. If you cannot attend a lab, please contact Rich at least 24 hours prior to determine an appropriate alternative activity.

  3. 10 progress reports and mentor sessions—10 points each for 100 points

    Students will prepare a written progress report and also spend 15-30 minutes each week with the instructor, reviewing their progress, issues they've hit, and their planned outcomes for their research. With a long, free-form goal of a large paper, it is important to make regular, steady progress — starting the research in the final week will not be sufficient. So, completing regular progress reports and mentor sessions that show the work is on target will be critical to ensuring your success. Prepare each report using the assignment description provided, prior to attending your weekly mentor session. Show up or Skype-in on time for your mentor session. If you need to reschedule a mentor session, recognize that my schedule will be fairly full with the class's mentor sessions so it will be difficult to reschedule. You can reschedule a session to sooner than your normal one, if there is a slot available, without a late penalty being applied; any scheduled for later than your slot will have the penalty applied. Your progress report is due one hour before your mentor session each week (the course shell has then assigned as due on Fridays until the schedule is put in place).

  4. Peer reviews—30/30/40 points respectively for 100 points

    At the conclusion of the research, you will be reviewing 2 of your peers' research papers, 2 of your peers' publications, and 2 of the presentations. Submit a peer review for the assigned items on Canvas by filling out the rubric against that item for your peer and giving some concrete feedback based on your rubric scoring for them. Your scoring and feedback need to reflect upon each other, and also on the actual presentation delivered. All assigned reviews must be completed on time, the rubric filled out appropriately and matching, concrete feedback supplied to peer.

  5. White Paper—200 points

    Based on research, data, and information gathered, students will prepare a professional white paper to be shared with the class. White paper content will reflect the student's own thinking, be grammatically correct, be fully cited, and follow standard guidelines for formatting — see instructions in the Canvas classroom for this assignment. White papers will undergo a peer review process. See the associated rubric for more information. The white paper is due June 4, so that it can be peer-reviewed in the final week. The peer review is due June 8. Your final version of the paper can be resubmitted for instructor grading on June 11.

    As long as your paper satisfies the research paper rubric for this course, it may use substantial portions of work from your concurrent courses IS 438, Information Security II, and OLRM 320, Leadership in a Digital Economy. You may not submit a previously submitted paper from another course, and all papers will be submitted using Turn It In.

  6. Presentation—150 points

    Using the same research, data, and information gathering, students will prepare an oral presentation that encapsulates and summarizes their results. Presentations will involve the entire class and additional interested faculty and OC students. All IS students will be in the audience for presenters. Students will provide feedback for their peers. See the associated rubric for more information. Presentations are due June 6 and will be delivered that week; sessions will be scheduled based on your availability, we will use additional daytime and evening labs if needed (May 30 and June 13).

  7. Publication—100 points

    Using the same research, data, and information gathering for the report, students will prepare an original infographic or pamphlet. Publications will be peer-reviewed by classmates. See the associated rubric for more information. The publication is due June 11, and the peer review is due by June 15, the final day of finals week.

Your grade for the class will be assigned by converting your total points to a percentage grade, by dividing them by 10. So if your total points was 900, your grade would be 90%, which is an A-, GPA 3.7 in our chart. If a student fails the course with a 0.0 or is assigned a NC, WP, or WF, the instructor must report a last attended date. The last attended date used in this course will be the date of the last submitted work accepted for grading.

Percent

Grade

GPA

Percent

Grade

GPA

95 - 100

A

4.0

74 - 76.9

C

2.0

90 - 94.9

A-

3.7

70 - 73.9

C-

1.7

87 - 89.9

B+

3.3

67 - 69.9

D+

1.3

84 - 86.9

B

3.0

64 - 66.9

D

1.0

80 - 83.9

B-

2.7

60 - 63.9

D-

0.7

77 - 79.9

C+

2.3

59.9 -LESS

F

0.0

Points on work submitted on-time are posted as soon as possible, usually within 7 days of the due date; a bit more during exams or if my schedule gets impacted. Our goal is to give reasonable feedback to as many students as possible in the shortest time possible. For discussions, grading is done after the replies are due. If we have a larger than normal grading load, we will notify you of any delays in grading. See Policies for information on getting assistance, submitting work, academic honesty and more.

Monitor your course progress and see what you have submitted by clicking on "Grades" on the course navigation on the course website.

Rubrics are supplied for assignments in the course shell.

Expectations for Success

Please note the following guidelines and approaches to success in this course:

  • Contribute to the class by attending regularly and engaging in discussions.
  • Set up a plan and actively pursue each course milestone to ensure you complete your assignments on time.
  • Demonstrate a level of engagement through careful listening and attention to details and due dates.
  • Apply a professional level of communications throughout the course both verbally and in writing.
  • Adhere to proper spelling, grammar and punctuation as if communicating in a professional setting.
  • Stay current with course materials and observe, read, experiment, and otherwise absorb course content.
  • Take ownership for learning, and deliver quality products worthy of portfolio content.
  • Maintain access to sufficient equipment and internet bandwidth to complete course work.
  • Seek help immediately when problems or challenges arise.

Policies

  1. Ask for Help:

    First, if you need help, get help early and often - if you wait until it is a crisis, it will be too late.

    Here are some resources to get help in this class:

    • Contact me through Canvas or email for help - please give sufficient detail, including which assignment you are asking about and your issue.
    • Call, skype, or stop by during my office hours - hours and number stated above. I am available outside of the listed hours by arrangement as well, online or phone. Skype can be used if screenviews are needed.
    • Bring up any issues in your weekly mentor session.
    • Haselwood Library has LibGuides, an assortment of online CIS texts.
    • The Writing Center offers assistance with writing online and by appointment.
    • BUS-106 will be available during class time and also at other times. A schedule will be posted on the course Canvas site once it is available.

    If you need help outside of class material, there are a wide variety of resources available to you. See Campus Resources for assistance.

  2. Assignments:

    By taking this class, you are stating that you will be making appropriate time in your schedule to ensure success and have access to the resources required for this class. Research can be very time-intensive, so budget accordingly. Expect to spend 12-15 hours outside of class per week for every class credit to ensure success. If you usually take more time on coursework, be sure to allocate additional time. Start your research early and be proactive. Make regular progress on the research itself.

    1. Due dates: Assignments are due on time / date as noted in the Canvas classroom. Online postings are due by 11:59:00 pm of the due date. You can post assignments any time during the current module. Please do not wait until the last minute to post. All assignments are due by 11:59:00 pm of the due date listed for a given item using the appropriate drop box. No assignment will be accepted for grading after the last scheduled day of classes. See the late policy for grading on late work.
    2. Monitor Your Progress: You can monitor your progress by going to the Grades area in the Canvas classroom. Contact your instructor right away if you notice any discrepancies between an expected assignment grade and what is reported in the gradebook.
    3. Deliverables: You must do your own work; consultation with others is fine, but the end-products must be your work; don't copy the work of others, or have others to do your work. You will be asked to evaluate your peers' work in the final module.
    4. Attendance: Regular progress is strongly recommended for success in this class. The modules build on each other; you will not be able to succeed in this class by cramming in each module in an hour a week or by researching and writing a paper in the final week. Check in with the Canvas shell on a regular basis each week, and participate in all lab meetings. Material will be provided in labs that is not available in Canvas, and vice-versa. You are responsible for accessing and using all required resources provided, and doing so will be important to your success in this course.
    5. Submitting Work: Journal entries must be blog posts; Google and Wordpress both offer free blogging services. Your blog must be public, so you can submit the Web URL of each blog post to Canvas for your journal entry and progress report assignments. You do not have to use your real name or an existing google account on your blog if you do not wish to.

      All work must be submitted on Canvas. Ensure that all assignments are attached/deposited properly. It is your responsibility to ensure that all student submissions are in their proper place by their deadlines. Open a new browser window to check your submission, and do it early enough that you can resubmit before the due date if needed.

      Submissions submitted on time will be graded within one week of their due date, unless we have heavier than normal professional obligations, in which case you will be notified of the delay. Your grade will be based on the content, quality, accuracy, and timeliness of your assignment. Additional rubric detail is available in the course shell.

  3. Late Policy:

    Lab discussions and activities must be participated in at the time they occur. If you cannot attend a lab, please contact us at least 24 hours prior to determine an appropriate alternative activity and completion time for it.

    Progress reports and mentor sessions need to be completed in the week they are scheduled, as timely interaction is required to ensure steady progress on your research. Rescheduling must be agreed upon with your assigned instructor no later than 24 hours prior to your regular meeting time.

    Other work will only be accepted up to one week late, up to the last regular class meeting of the quarter. There is a 10% penalty for late work, prior to grading. Work over one week late will not be accepted for grading. No late work is accepted for grading after the last regular class meeting for the quarter, even if it is less than one week away.

    Any exceptions to this late policy must be agreed upon no later than one day prior to the due date; exceptions will only be made with verifiable proof of your inability to do so (for example, an accident report or emergency hospital admission), no exceptions.

    Late submissions will be graded at the instructor's discretion as time permits.

  4. Connectivity:

    Everyone experiences technical difficulties including the Canvas website, the K-20 network, your Internet service provider, or hardware issues. Have an alternate plan in the event of technical difficulties, and do not wait until the last minute to submit your work. Know where your local WiFi hotspots and computing resources are and be prepared to get to them to submit your work on time. There are labs on each Olympic College Campus. Please notify us immediately if the issue cannot be handled by your alternate plan (i.e., wide area power outages or Canvas outages).

  5. Etiquette/Netiquette:

    This is a college level class. It is expected that the instructor and the students will be tolerant of others' views, be respectful in dealing with others, and use standard professional English in their communications, both written and verbal. Swearing is not respectful. Remember that capitalization and exclamation points are considered yelling, and texting lingo is not professional. Any violations of this policy may result in lowering of an assignment grade or your overall course grade, reporting the violation to student services, or administrative withdrawal from the course. Ask first if you are not sure if your note is offensive, and respect the opinions of others. Refer to the applicable WAC on student conduct.

  6. Email: Netiquette applies to email text as well. Please follow these guidelines:
    1. Send course email through Canvas, not to my OC email. You will get faster turn-around, as Canvas takes priority during the term.
    2. Use an appropriate Subject line, change it if you are starting a new topic in a reply. If you send multiple replies before I respond, note that I may not see the earlier replies due to the way Canvas presents messages.
    3. I will respond to all Canvas messages within one school day during the term; on weekends, holidays, and breaks I am generally not checking messages and may not respond until the next school/contract day. If I have not answered your message within this timeframe, please re-send it and let me know as it may not have been received.
    4. Never assume email is private; others may be able to read or access your email, or it may be forwarded.
    5. If you do send email about the course to our @olympic.edu addresses, we generally aim to respond within 2 school days to emails from olympic.edu addresses during the term; on evenings, weekends, holidays, and breaks we are generally not checking email.
    6. We cannot respond to student inquiries from non-olympic.edu email addresses. This is per OC policy. We can respond to all Canvas messages, and you can set Canvas up so it forwards messages to, and accepts replies from, your non-OC email.
  7. Academic Honesty:

    Plagiarism and cheating are serious offenses and may lead to a failing assignment grade; failure in the course; and/or expulsion from the College. For more information refer to the Student Code of Conduct. Academic dishonesty includes cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, and facilitating academic dishonesty. Facilitating academic dishonesty includes providing your own work to someone else for their solution; do not put others in this situation, they cannot provide you with solutions, only guidance. Fabrication includes making up sources that do not exist; you must be able to produce all of your sources if requested.

    You are encouraged to work with one another to understand and discuss general concepts and approaches, but your work must be your own, and your writing must be in your own words. Except for group work, the assignments are to be completed individually, and as such you are expected to work on your own. I reserve the right to refuse to accept any assignment if you cannot demonstrate the ability to perform similar work when asked, if you cannot explain your answer or the approach that you have used, or if you cannot produce a source when requested. You need to develop and internalize the work yourself.

    This is particularly important with research -- whenever you use material from a source, that source must be immediately, properly cited and then a full reference supplied at the end of your paper/presentation. Please note: cut and paste of another's words is plagiarism. Quoting in a limited amount with a citation noted on the quote is permissible. Your words must be your own. Images must be appropriately sourced and cited as well.

  8. Recordings:

    All recordings provided for this course through Canvas are © Copyright Olympic College. If you have copied or downloaded any of the recordings, you must delete them once the term completes. Olympic College does not grant permission to retain recordings of class material. See the OC Copyright Policy.

  9. Internet Safety:

    It is your responsibility to be aware of the impact of your actions when using the internet, with respect to managing your privacy, using the information you access, and maintaining machine security. For more information on this topic, see Thinking about Online Safety.

  10. WAC Regulations:

    Please review Olympic College's WAC 132C regulations. The various WACs have been passed by the state of Washington and are Washington State law that govern the behavior of the administration, faculty, and students.

  11. Any failure to comply with these policies may result in lowering of an assignment grade, your course grade, or reporting to Student Services.

Non-discrimination

Olympic College provides equal opportunity in education, employment and college activities regardless of race, color, national origin, age, perceived or actual physical or mental disability, pregnancy, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, creed, religion, honorably discharged veteran or military status, use of a trained guide dog or service animal, or any other unlawful basis. If you witness or encounter any such discrimination, including any sexual misconduct, you are encouraged to report it to the Title IX Coordinator, Cheryl Nuñez (CSC 317A; 360-475-7125; cnunez@olympic.edu) or the Equal Employment Opportunity Officer, David Slown, Executive Director for Human Resource Services at dslown@olympic.edu/306-475-7300, who will assist you in connecting with all possible resources. You may also report it online (and anonymously) at Report It, OC! or seek confidential counseling from Counseling Services at 360-475-7530 or at HSS 203. See also https://www.olympic.edu/nondiscrimination-title-ix.

 Faith or Conscience Absences

Student Absences for Reasons of Faith or Conscience, OC Policy 300-03: Under this Policy, OC students may request absences from classes two (2) days per academic year for reasons of faith or conscience without adverse impact on their grades. A request for absence must be submitted 21 days in advance of the absence or as soon as reasonably possible. Find the required form “Student Absence Form: Reasons of Faith or Conscience” in order to request the absence. Upon verification of the absence, notify instructors so that they may develop adjustments for assignments and tests.

Accommodations

Any student who feels they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability or a medically necessary absence due to pregnancy or childbirth should contact the Access Services office in HSS 205, by email at AccessServices@olympic.edu or by phone at (360) 475-7540. More information may be found on the Access Services website. Access Services must be contacted at least two weeks before the accomodation is needed.

Please contact me via Canvas or see me during office hours concerning your accommodation request(s) after you have submitted them to Access Services, so I can meet your needs in class.

Note that about 10% of all OC students have some type of disability, often invisible (like PTSD or asperger syndrome). As instructors, we cannot disclose a student's disability. The decision to share with others is a choice of the student.

Success

Your success is both your goal and our goal! This class gives you an opportunity to develop and practice professional skills. We are here to support your efforts. If you have a problem or situation that is affecting your schoolwork, please let us know. Olympic College has many services to help students be sucessful. You can contact us by Canvas, e-mail, voice mail, office hours, or talk to us right before or after class.

Welcome to IS 390, we look forward to seeing your research. ~ Amelia & Rich.

Note: Syllabus content, course due dates and assignments may change at any time. Canvas will notify you of any changes during our course.