"Oh, I can do that later. . ."

I want you to be successful in this course. Each week you will have reading, discussion boards, in-person assignments, and chapter tests to complete. There is a temptation to think that in-person activities are more urgent than your online work. The problem is, then your online assignments pile up and you fall behind. Follow the weekly schedule and stay on top of your assignments.

I recommend that you log in at least three times per week to complete your work. Use the Canvas Calendar and create alerts in your phone or on your computer for lesson due dates or anything else you think you might forget! Set up your Notifications in Canvas as well.

If you are new to canvas and need help navigating, take advantage of the Canvas Student Tour.

Take your tests from a reliable computer, preferably one with high speed. I will not reopen tests if they are missed or lock up after the day they are due so please give yourself enough time to find a solution if there is a problem. Take your chapter tests early, well before the 11:59 p.m. cut-off time, or you risk the test closing and losing your score.

It is your responsibility to get to a computer or tablet to complete your work on time. Go to school, your local library, or a friend’s house if your computer crashes or your Internet goes down. If you need extra time on assignments, contact me before the due date. You have options, so I strongly urge you not to wait until the last minute to do your work.

Course Syllabus

The course syllabus contains important information about class procedures, due dates, grading policies, etc. It's a guideline for what you can expect of me and what I expect of you throughout the term.

Student Activities:

In order to achieve the student learning outcomes you will be evaluated through the following assignments:

Quizzes: To assess general knowledge of course material and critical thinking skills, students will course exams.
Discussion Forums: To make sure students engage each other over the material, each student will be graded on discussion forums dispersed throughout this course worth points. These posts must be professional, meaningful and incorporate specific examples from the text or Learning Modules.
Reading Assignments: In order to understand what psychologists do (interpret, evaluate and educate), students must complete reading assignments for certain chapters our textbook.
Self-Check Quizzes: These quizzes are open book, open note, untimed quizzes that allow you to check your understanding of the reading.
Final Group Presentation: Groups of 4-5 students will pick a chapter from the textbook and present key concepts to the class.

Time Commitment

The time to complete each module may vary from week to week. If you want to get the most out of the materials presented and earn the best grade you can, you should plan to spend at least 5-7 hours on the reading and assignments each week.

Contacting Me

I value an interactive and personal learning environment, and I want to make sure you know that you're not alone in the course. Please contact me with questions, concerns or just to dig deeper into that week's material.

I set aside 2 hours of office hours each week to be available to you if you have questions or concerns. Office hours are available outside of class time via Zoom meeting at 5pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please notify me in advance if you plan to attend office hours. Students may also email me (DianaPerez@cerritos.edu) or message through Canvas to schedule appointments with me outside of typical office hours. To meet via Zoom, you must download Zoom and log in to your Cerritos account. Follow this link for more instructions on Cerritos-EDU Zoom Accounts.

Canvas Mail

If I need to get a hold of you this semester, I'll contact you through Canvas mail. You can access this feature by clicking "Inbox" in the left-hand global navigation bar.

I respond to emails within 24 hours, Monday through Friday.