CCT Competency 1: Developing Discipline-Related Teaching Strategies

CCT Competency 1: Developing Discipline-Related Teaching Strategies

CEP 820: Teaching and Learning Online (Summer 2025)

Competency Description

Competency 1 focuses on selecting appropriate pedagogical approaches to teach threshold concepts and research methods specific to marketing education. For marketing, this means developing effective strategies to teach business concepts, consumer behavior, and strategic marketing frameworks while fostering collaborative learning skills essential for professional practice.

Course Overview \& Artifacts

CEP 820 “Teaching and Learning Online” provided comprehensive training in online pedagogy through eight units covering course design, learner analysis, inclusive instruction, and digital assessment. I completed all major assignments with excellent feedback from Dr. Anne Heintz. I also get $\mathbf{4 . 0}$ for this class, and I have attached at the end of this document.

Key Artifacts Created:

1. Online Learning Manifesto (Website Link)

• Articulates my teaching philosophy integrating marketing education principles with evidence-based online pedagogy
• Emphasizes organization, clear communication, and collaborative learning
• Revised iteratively based on course learning (Units 2 \& 8)

2. Alignment Table for Marketing Course Design

• Demonstrates systematic course planning connecting learning objectives, activities, and assessments
• Applied specifically to marketing course contexts with focus on case-based learning
• Integrates group work with individual accountability measures

3. Learner Inventory/Survey Tool

• Systematic approach to assess student backgrounds, group work confidence, and marketing familiarity
• Addresses diverse preparation levels and collaboration comfort in marketing courses
• Informs inclusive teaching adaptations and group formation strategies

4. Humanizing Strategy \& Communication Tools

• Inclusive teaching practices supporting diverse learners in online environments
• Clear communication frameworks and organized course structure
• Digital content creation strategies for marketing case studies

Artifact Rationales

These artifacts demonstrate my ability to apply discipline-specific pedagogical strategies to marketing education. The manifesto reflects my commitment to organized, well-structured courses that support collaborative learning - directly aligned with what my students valued most. The alignment table shows systematic instructional design for marketing’s case-based approach, connecting real-world business scenarios with learning objectives. The learner assessment tools recognize that marketing students have varying levels of group work experience and business knowledge.

Interpretation \& Reflection

Why This Matters for Marketing Education

Marketing education requires balancing theoretical knowledge with practical application through real-world case studies. Students must develop both individual analytical skills and collaborative abilities that mirror professional marketing environments. CEP 820 helped me understand how to design systematic approaches to support both individual learning and group dynamics.

Key Learning Outcomes

• Course Organization: Learned to create clear, well-structured learning experiences that students can navigate confidently
• Collaborative Learning Design: Developed strategies for managing group case studies with individual accountability
• Communication Excellence: Enhanced ability to provide clear expectations and feedback
• Inclusive Design: Understanding how to support students with different comfort levels regarding collaboration

Application to Teaching Practice

These strategies directly informed my MKT 327 course design:

Course Structure (Based on Student Feedback):

• Clear weekly expectations and organized timeline
• Fair workload distribution across assignments
• Excellent communication about requirements and deadlines

Assessment Design:

• Group case studies ( 400 points, $40 \%$ ) with structured format options
• Individual reflections ( 140 points, $14 \%$ ) ensuring accountability
• Multiple survey points ( 40 points) to monitor student progress
• Flexible exam structure (best 2 of 3 exams, 400 points total)

Collaborative Learning Framework:

• 14 groups of 5 students each analyzing marketing case studies
• Structured roles: Team Leader, Company Analysts, Editor/Integrator
• Multiple format options: written analysis, video, or infographic
• Individual reflection requirement after each group project

Evidence of Achievement

Student Evaluation Results (Summer 2025):

• Organization: 4.33/5.0 (“Overall, the course was well organized”)
• Clear Expectations: 4.42/5.0 (“I understood what was expected of me”)
• Supportive Learning Environment: 4.33/5.0 (“Created atmosphere that supported my learning”)
• Overall Instructor Quality: 4.33/5.0

Student Comments on What Worked Well:

• “very organized and well put together”
• “expectations to excel in the course were clearly outlined and feedback on assignments allowed for improvement”
• “Teacher was amazing with communication”
• “The team work building exercises”
• “I like how it was extremely clear what we were responsible for each week, and that it had a fair workload”

CEP 820 Instructor Feedback:

• Initial manifesto: “Excellent work! Your prose is clear, student-centered, and your stance is open to revision”
• Final manifesto: “A fantastically strong manifesto…much of this prose could be siphoned straight into a publication”
• Alignment table: All criteria successfully completed

Areas for Improvement

Student feedback also highlighted challenges with group work implementation:

• “Group projects over the summer don’t work… people have very different schedules”
• “The group work was hard to navigate due to people not doing their part”
• Free-rider problem in some groups

This feedback directly connects to my Mentored Teaching Project research on pre-course attitudes and group performance, showing how disciplinary teaching strategies must account for collaborative learning challenges.

Conclusion

CEP 820 provided essential preparation in developing discipline-specific teaching strategies for marketing education. The course helped me understand how to create well-organized, clearly communicated learning experiences that support collaborative learning while maintaining individual accountability. My high student evaluation ratings in organization, communication, and learning environment demonstrate successful application of these pedagogical strategies. In the future course, I am planning to test both individual and group works and to see the difference between groups.

The integration of case-based learning, structured group work, and systematic assessment design reflects marketing education’s need to balance theoretical knowledge with practical collaborative skills. This competency foundation continues to inform my teaching practice and research into effective marketing pedagogy.

Teaching and Learning Online

Spring 2025 Syllabus

Table of Contents

• Your instructor
• Name: Dr. Anne Heintz
• Communication with your instructor $\bigcirc$ Office Hours
• Email
• Important Dates
• Equity and Inclusion
• Course Information $\bigcirc$ Course Objectives $\bigcirc$ Course Topics and Schedule $\bigcirc$ Major Assignments/Creations $\bigcirc$ Participation: Question and Sparks! $\bigcirc$ Creations $\bigcirc$ Text $\bigcirc$ Required $\bigcirc$ Provided for you
• Unit Structure $\bigcirc$ Course Expectations
• MAET Assessment Philosophy $\bigcirc$ MAET Ungrading Practice $\bigcirc$ Reflection and Iteration $\bigcirc$ Due Dates $\bigcirc$ Late Work Policy $\bigcirc$ Our Expectations of You
• Key Grade Benchmarks
• Saving Your Work for Later
• When You Need Help $\bigcirc$ Communicate with your instructor $\bigcirc$ Communicate with your academic advisor $\bigcirc$ Technical Assistance $\bigcirc$ Accommodations for Students with Disabilities $\bigcirc$ Grief Absence Policy $\bigcirc$ Requests for Deferred Grade $\bigcirc$ Office of the University Ombudsperson
• Class and Program Policies $\bigcirc$ Public Work and Privacy
• MSU Minimum GPA Policy $\bigcirc$ MSU Minimum Course Grade Policy $\bigcirc$ Instructor and Student Communication Policy $\bigcirc$ Attendance Policy $\bigcirc$ Drop for Non-Attendance $\bigcirc$ Academic Honesty and Integrity $\bigcirc$ Academic Integrity (AI) and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Al Use
• Al Non-Use
• Citing Your AI Use Formally
• Citing Your AI Use Informally $\bigcirc$ Use of Media Derived from the Class $\bigcirc$ Limits to Confidentiality $\bigcirc$ Course Acknowledgements

Your instructor

Name: Dr. Anne Heintz

Email: heintza1@msu.edu

Anne’s Website

Anne’s Zoom Room (password: 271383)

My pronouns: she/her

Please call me: Anne

Communication with your instructor

Office Hours

In the spirit of asynchronous learning, office hours will be held as needed. Please email any time if you need to check in. I am happy to email, talk on the phone, or connect on Zoom based on your needs and schedule.

Email

All official course communication will happen with your MSU email account. Please check your MSU email daily throughout the course. Make sure you have your D2L email forwarding to your MSU email account. Our email norms include:

• If you email your instructor, you can count on a response within 24 hours.
• Please include all instructors on email messages if you have multiple instructors.
• If you receive an email from your instructor, please respond within 48 hours with your best and most thorough response. Sometimes that might be a “I see this email, I can respond on Tuesday.”
• If you are having difficulty with the course, please reach out right away. It’s hard for us to know if you are stuck unless you tell us. We will work to develop a plan with you to help you complete requirements.

Important Dates

• Our class begins on 5/12/25
• Open add ends at 11:59 pm ET on 5/16/25
• The last time to drop with a refund is $\mathbf{1 1 : 5 9}$ pm ET on $\mathbf{6 / 4 / 2 5}$
• The last time to drop with no grade reported is $\mathbf{1 1}: 59 \mathrm{pm}$ ET on $\mathbf{6 / 3 0 / 2 5}$
• Our class ends on $8 / 15 / 25$

Equity and Inclusion

We are firmly committed to equity and inclusion in the MAET and Graduate Certificate (GC) programs. In this course, we will foster an experience that is free from discrimination, bias, and harassment. In this, our learners are expected to adhere to standards covered in MSU’s

Student Guide for Civil Discourse in the Classroom. We will work to create and promote an inclusive environment that foregrounds social justice and actively works against systems of oppression. Each of us has the right to be addressed in a way that aligns with our personal identity. We will have the opportunity in this course to indicate the name that we prefer to be called and, if we choose, to identify pronouns with which we would like to be addressed. As the instructor, I will do my best to address all students accordingly and support classmates in doing so as well. If you feel that we fall short of this commitment, please reach out to us (askmaet@msu.edu) or the CEPSE Department Chairperson (xiekui@msu.edu).

We have a feature called Ally available in D2L that allows you to download your course files in different formats, such a MP3 or a mobile-friendly version. Next to your course files, you’ll find an icon for a dropdown menu. Select the dropdown icon and then select “Alternative Formats.” Choose the formats that work best for you. For a complete description of the Available Formats and how they can support your learning, visit Alternative Formats for Students.

Course Information

In CEP 820, you will learn about a variety of aspects that go into designing and instructing in online spaces. We will focus on historical foundational aspects of online teaching, course management systems, Universal Design for Learning, creating communities in online spaces, and assessing learning online. We will use research and theory to critically examine the uses and abuses of online learning. You will engage in several explorations and creations in each unit. We hope this course helps better your online teaching or better prepares you to be an online designer and educator.

The course is asynchronous with $\mathbf{2}$ required Zoom sessions. This is an intentional choice based on our knowledge of online education best practices and the logistics of having working, adult learners across many time zones. There will be four, 1 -hour interactive Zoom sessions and you’ll be required to attend at least 2 of them. When you attend, you will be able to omit some other coursework. Your instructor will communicate the dates of the Zoom sessions well in advance.

Course Objectives

At the completion of CEP 820, you will be able to:

1. Design thoughtful, intentional, and creative online learning environments to support a wide variety of learners.
2. Critique elements of online learning.
3. Successfully teach - prepare, facilitate, and iterate - online learners.

Course Topics and Schedule

• Unit 1: Course Foundations (May 12-18)
• Unit 2: Online Learning Overview and Practices for Critical Understanding (May 19 June 1)
• Unit 3: Identifying the Learner at the Micro Level and Preparing for all Learners at the Macro level (June 2-15)
• Unit 4: Humanizing Online Instruction (June 16-29)
• Unit 5: Modes of Online Instruction (June 30 - July 13)
• Unit 6: Structures and Tools for Online Course Building (July 14-27)
• Unit 7: Discussions and Communications (July 28 - August 10)
• Unit 8: Assessment and Synthesis (August 11-15)

Major Assignments/Creations

Participation: Question and Sparks!

In each unit, you will respond to the ideas that spark your mind from both the Explore and Critical Perspective sections of the unit. These responses will be made using Flip. These responses will form the basis of our constructive dialogue. This is where you’ll take in, connect to, and build upon ideas of your peers to further strengthen your own understanding.

Creations

Below are the major artifacts you’ll create during this course. You may submit these via a website or by including links into your Developer’s Notebook. Rubrics for each creation are found in the Developer’s Notebook.

• Unit 2: Manifesto
• Unit 3: Learner inventory/survey
• Unit 4: Humanizing strategy
• Unit 5: Alignment Table and a Roles, Rules, Time, Task, Turns, Steps, and Language creation
• Unit 6: Screencast lecture, and quiz for online content
• Unit 7: Communication Policy
• Unit 8: Assessment and Revisited Manifesto

Text

Required

Please procure either: American Psychological Association (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th Ed.). or American Psychological Association (2020). Concise guide to APA style (7th Ed.).

Provided for you

All other readings are provided for you in D2L.

Unit Structure

Each unit consists of explorations, creations, and sharing.

Explore activities will include readings and media to support your growth during the course. In accordance with the principles of universal design for learning, explore activities will be presented in at least two ways so that we all have access to the ideas via multiple modalities. These activities also include opportunities to play with technology tools. This will generally require you to channel your inner six-year-old. Unbridled curiosity required.

Create activities ask you to make products that both synthesize and represent what you have explored. Creations are the “major” projects of the course and are explained in greater detail later in this syllabus.

Share activities require you to communicate what you have explored and created. You will leverage social media and web-based platforms to communicate and contribute to your growing Professional Learning Network (PLN).

Course Expectations

Readings. You should read each unit’s content and all assigned readings and media. Materials will be provided within the course’s content page. You are expected to follow all hyperlinks and engage with all materials unless otherwise noted.

Participation. This is a master’s level graduate course emphasizing critical engagement with course content. Your full participation in course readings, assignments, discussions, and activities is expected. This means doing all readings and explorations in the given time frame, attending all scheduled and required meetings, asking questions when you are stuck, and being a resource for others, when possible.

Assignments. Course assignments should be completed by their scheduled due dates. Written assignments should use appropriate academic and APA style for tone, voice, citations and references. We have support resources in your course, but it is your responsibility to make sure that all your work has been checked for excellence.

MAET Assessment Philosophy

MAET and Graduate Certificate (GC) students bring a vast and powerful array of expertise to our learning community. You may be taking this course because you want to build foundational technology skills; alternatively, you may already feel quite proficient with a wide range of technologies, and you are taking this course to develop your understanding of learning through technology. No matter what your skills and knowledge, you’re welcome in this course, and we’re excited to help you reach your goals. We are most interested in your growth and learning-and you will be assessed on the basis of how far you go, not from where you started. This doesn’t mean that different standards apply to different students. On the contrary, we hold each student to a very high standard of academic and professional excellence. We expect each of you to push your limits-whatever those limits are-and to contribute your own unique learning experiences and perspectives to our learning community. We expect each of you to communicate and write effectively and in accordance with the elements of style outlined in the American Psychological Association (APA) manual. We expect each of you to meet due dates. We expect each of you to ask good questions in order to extend your own thinking as well as the thinking of your peers, colleagues, and instructors. We expect each of you to seek out answers by leveraging all of the resources at your disposal. We expect each of you to adhere to professional standards of academic integrity, to respect the work of your peers, and to offer thoughtful, constructive suggestions that sharpen our collective understanding and focus. We have high expectations and it is our goal to help you reach those expectations.

MAET Ungrading Practice

In this course we will work on a variety of creations and projects that are designed to help elevate your thinking and practice as a technology educator, designer, and leader. To that end, we will engage in ungrading.

This means that you begin with a 4.0 . When you submit creations, your instructors will provide qualitative feedback-support on things you did well, suggestions for improvements, and ways to connect and move forward. This may come to you in a variety of ways: rubrics, written feedback, recorded video feedback, or synchronous meetings. You will not receive points, scores, or other types of quantitative evaluation. We will expect you to iterate your creations based on feedback provided.

If at any time, your instructor feels that you are not working to your potential, meeting MAET/GC expectations, or are at the risk of falling below a 4.0, they will contact you immediately to discuss your work with you.

This is a non-traditional approach to grading, but we believe it will help increase equity of assessment, decrease assessment bias, and reduce barriers of grades which may stifle your creativity. We employ this practice to demonstrate our values of risk-taking, creativity, boundary-pushing, ownership of work, and iteration. There is a collection of research around ungrading that we encourage you to consider at Ungrading - Human Restoration Project. There is a book published in December 2020 by Dr. Susan Blum titled Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead). We encourage you to explore it.

We realize that this may make some of you feel unsure about your progress. If, at any time, you have questions about how you are doing in the course, please reach out to your instructor.

Reflection and Iteration

We believe in the power of reflection and iteration for learning. We want you to join us! Throughout this course, we expect you to revise all work based on the feedback you receive to produce the highest quality work you can. We encourage you to reach out to your instructor for an additional round of feedback if you make substantial changes that significantly alter your creation. In this case, please clearly communicate with your instructor about the changes you made and what kind of feedback would be helpful to you. Please do this within 2 weeks of receiving your initial feedback. This policy is intended to help you continue to produce high-quality work, stretch your learning, and keep you moving forward in the course. It’s based on the assumption that your initial submission is your best work at the time, and revisions will improve the quality even further.

Because of end of semester expectations, your instructor will let you know when revisions can no longer be accepted. This is likely to be Units 7 and 8.

Due Dates

Due dates will be shared with you via the ShareTracker and D2L, and will primarily be on Sundays at 11:59 pm Eastern Time (ET). We indicate due dates and due dates with bold, green text. Our ungrading practice includes the expectation that you meet all posted due dates.

Late Work Policy

We understand that life happens-getting sick, busy times at work, technology troubles, global pandemics—and things don’t go according to plan. If something happens that will prevent you from completing work on time, we expect you to communicate with your instructor before you miss a due date. In this communication, let your instructor know when you will have the work completed. If you aren’t sure, communicate the uncertainty and then communicate again when you do know. We are happy to work with you, but it is your responsibility to proactively communicate. You can expect flexibility from your instructor on 1 or 2 instances of late work. However, more than that will potentially impact (decrease) your end of course grade.

Our Expectations of You

We expect your work to meet our MAET and GC standards described above. Therefore, it’s important that we name the following situations to help bound this experience and set clear expectations. The following are situations that will alert your instructor to check in with you about your progress and potential grade lowering:

• Not submitting a creation
• Not revising your creations
• Submitting materials late without communicating beforehand (this is especially detrimental if others in the course are depending on that work)
• Lack of communication and contribution to discussion and collaborative projects

Key Grade Benchmarks

While we are ungrading, the University still has some thresholds of which you should be aware. Specifically, please note:

• 2.0 is the minimum grade to receive credit for a graduate-level course at MSU
• 3.0 is the minimum GPA to carry for a MA or GC

Saving Your Work for Later

All MAET and MAED students will take the Capstone Seminar (CEP 807 or ED 870, it’s the same course). This serves as a synthesis of your master’s program and will require you to curate your best and most favorite work. We will support you doing this at the end of the course, but please get into the habit of saving and backing up your work. We know it takes a little more time up front, but it’s time well spent.

When You Need Help

Communicate with your instructor

Your first round of support should be with your instructor. Please get in contact with them (email, text, call, Zoom, etc) as soon as you can to let them know you’re struggling.

Communicate with your academic advisor

If you are unable to get sufficient support from your instructor or need further support, your second round of support should be with your academic advisor. Please get in contact with them (email, text, call, Zoom, etc) as soon as you can.

Technical Assistance

If you need technical assistance at any time during the course or to report a problem you can:

• Visit the Distance Learning Services Support Site
• Visit the Desire2Learn Help Site
• Call Distance Learning Services: (800) 500-1554 or (517) 355-2345

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Michigan State University is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services and activities. Requests for accommodations by persons with disabilities may be made by contacting the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at 517-884-RCPD or on the RCPD website. Once your eligibility for an accommodation has been determined, you will be issued an Accommodation Letter. To make an appointment with a specialist, contact (517) 353-9642, TTY (517) 355-1293, or through the RCPD website through My Profile.

Please share your Accommodation Letter with your instructor(s) at the start of the course and at least two weeks prior to the accommodation need (test, project, etc.) so that your instructor can meet your needs. Accommodation Letters can not be used retroactively.

Grief Absence Policy

The faculty and staff should be sensitive to and accommodate the bereavement process of a student who has lost a family member or who is experiencing emotional distress from a similar tragedy so that the student is not academically disadvantaged in their classes or other academic work (e.g. research).

For undergraduate and master’s (Plan B) students without research responsibilities, it is the responsibility of the student to: A. notify the Associate Dean or designee of their college of the need for a grief absence in a timely manner, but no later than one week from the student’s initial knowledge of the situation, B. provide appropriate verification of the grief absence as specified by the Associate Dean, and C. complete all missed work as determined in consultation with the instructor.

It is the responsibility of the Associate Dean or designee to: A. determine with the student the expected period of absence - it is expected that some bereavement processes may be more extensive than others depending on individual circumstances, B. notify the faculty that the student will be absent, and C. receive verification of the authenticity of a grief absence request upon the student’s return.

It is the responsibility of the instructor to work with the student to make reasonable accommodations and to include appropriate language describing such accommodations in their course syllabus, so that the student is not penalized due to a verified grief absence.

Students who believe their rights under this policy have been violated should contact the University Ombudsperson.

Students wanting to request a Grief Absence should complete the Grief Absence Request Form.

Requests for Deferred Grade

If you have been doing satisfactory work and something emerges in your life and you are struggling, please contact your instructor(s) about the potential of receiving a deferred (DF) grade. DFs extend your timeline on the course by 190 days of the original course completion date.

Your instructor will work with you to grant a DF if all of the following criteria (based on University language) are met:

• You have submitted all creations up to the point of the challenge.
• All course creations prior to the challenge have been revised as needed and/or requested by your instructor(s) and are currently satisfactory.
• Your course grade at the point of the challenge is 3.0 or higher.
• There is a valid reason that is acceptable to the instructor why you cannot complete the course by the end of the course.

You and your instructor will work together to put a plan in place for you to finish the course. You will continue to work with your instructor to finish all course content.

Office of the University Ombudsperson

Conflicts, disagreements, and issues sometimes arise during the course of a graduate program. If you find yourself in this situation and have exhausted the internal resources for resolving the issue, you may contact the Office of the University Ombudsperson.

The Office of the University Ombudsperson provides assistance to students, faculty, and staff in resolving University-related concerns. Such concerns include: student-faculty conflicts; communication problems; concerns about the university climate; and questions about what options are available for handling a problem according to Michigan State University policy. The University Ombudsperson also provides information about available resources and student/faculty rights and responsibilities. The office operates as a confidential, independent, and neutral resource. It does not provide notice to the University - that is, it does not speak or hear for the University.

Contact the Ombudsperson at any point during an issue when a confidential conversation or source of information may be needed. The Ombudsperson will listen to your concerns, give you information about university policies, help you evaluate the situation, and assist you in making plans to resolve the conflict.

Contact information:

Office of the University Ombudsperson 129 N. Kedzie Hall (517) 353-8830 ombud@msu.edu Office of the University Ombudsperson Website

Class and Program Policies

Public Work and Privacy

Instructors will provide their feedback to you privately. Constructive suggestions, grades, and all other communications are conducted privately and individually via your FeedbackNotebook, MSU email, and in D2L. However, MAET and GC courses require you to create work and share work publicly on the web. Sometimes, this work will be in draft form. Sometimes this work will be openly reviewed by peers who will provide thoughtful and respectful feedback. Usually, work will be hosted on your blog. Often, we ask you to share links to your work with your professional learning network (PLN) via social media.

We ask you to engage in this type of public activity for several reasons germane to the MAET philosophy. Sharing work in draft form with others instills a design mindset; showcasing professional learning on the web highlights skill development for multiple stakeholders in your PLN; using multiple technologies to explore, create, and share work helps you develop advanced skills and dispositions for technology integration in learning contexts. Participation in these activities is essential. Managing your online presence and identity is a critical aspect of this process.

We want you to think critically and deeply about the online identity and boundaries you want and need to establish for yourself. Then, please make choices accordingly. We encourage you to think carefully about the degree to which you want your work to be identifiable as your own. Many students create social media accounts and websites that include their real names. Others choose to create an online persona - a name like “Tech Teacher” - that is less personalized. This option is a way to remain anonymous to the world, and to also participate actively in your courses. Many students create accounts for technology tools using a personal email address. Many students keep personal information out of their blog posts. If you teach students, please think about the extent to which you make their identities public through your own choices around online identity too. You can always choose anonymity.

MSU Minimum GPA Policy

MSU, the College, the CEPSE Department, and the MAET program all have a policy that requires MA students to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA. “If, upon completion of 18 or more graduate credits, the student has not attained a grade-point average of 3.00 or higher, he or she becomes ineligible to continue work toward the master’s degree in the College.” - from Academic Standards, University Graduate Policy - Education, p. 1.

MSU Minimum Course Grade Policy

According to MSU policy, students cannot receive credit for any course with a grade below 2.0. You will have to take an extra course if you earn below a 2.0 grade in any course.

Instructor and Student Communication Policy

All course-related email communications should be sent through official MSU email addresses. The MSU email is an official university ID and provides an additional layer of security.

You should expect email replies from instructors within 24 hours. If we email you, please respond within 48 hours. If an out of office assistant is on, indicating that you are unavailable, I will certainly take that into consideration.

Attendance Policy

Attendance may seem like an odd issue to address in an online course that is designed so that working professionals can complete their work asynchronously, according to their own needs. That said, as part of this course, you become part of our learning community. As a member of our community, we expect certain courtesies if you are unable to attend prearranged meetings or participate as expected. For instance, it is expected that if you make an online appointment with me, or are expected to work with colleagues on a group assignment, that you attend. If you are going to miss a meeting, please provide advance notice to all concerned. If you are traveling and know that you’ll be out of contact for a few days, or won’t be able to respond to incoming messages as quickly as normal, please give advance notice to me and colleagues. Generally, our online classes are designed to give you flexibility - but this flexibility also comes with the assumption that you will participate actively as required by the course. If you do not attend an event, expect me to contact you so that you can productively resolve any issues that result. Repeated “attendance” issues will result in a penalty of up to 1 full grade point, assessed by me in consultation with program administration. I will make decisions after full consideration of each case.

Drop for Non-Attendance

The University’s Attendance Policy gives instructors the responsibility to drop students from a course for non-attendance after 1 week of the official course start date. Examples of non-attendance in our online course may be:

• Not signing into the course in D2L
• Not completing the About Me Information
• Not creating or submitting creations
• Not participating in any introduction or class collaboration activities
• Not responding to instructor communications about your inactivity

If you are not attending our course based on the list above after the first week, your instructor will email your MSU address to let you know they are starting the process to drop for non-attendance.

Academic Honesty and Integrity

Academic integrity is something we take very seriously, and it is also an important factor in your success as a graduate student. If an instructor believes you may have violated the academic honesty policy (for example, by representing someone else’s ideas as your own), they will inform the Program Director, contact you to discuss their concerns and, if necessary, may involve program or College leadership in making a determination. Consequences for violations of academic honesty will depend on the severity of the alleged misconduct; instructors and the MAET program will use MSU’s resources on academic integrity as a guide in their decision-making process.

Academic Integrity (AI) and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We believe it is important to use AI in order to think critically about it. At times in this course, we may specifically ask you to use generative AI. At other times, you may choose to use it to support your learning. If you are ever unsure about your use of generative Al (or any other technology), please contact your instructor(s) for clarification. Any misuse will result in an academic integrity violation.

AI Use

You may use generative AI:

• As a thought partner to explore possible directions for a creation and/or approaches to a creation as you get started.
• As a collaborator to generate alternate perspectives and to build on your own learning.
• As an artist to generate accompanying images instead of using Creative Commons images or your own in your creation.
• As an editor to check your grammar and/or to self-assess against the rubric before you submit a creation.

AI Non-Use

Below are guidelines around you not using generative AI:

• You may not submit something that is completely AI-generated unless that is an explicit direction within the creation, such as copying and pasting from ChatGPT or any other generative AI program.
• You may not use generative AI for the core purpose or learning goal of a creation. For example, if the goal of the creation is to develop your video production skills, you cannot use generative AI to produce your video (but you could use it to brainstorm a script). Additionally, if your creation is to create a lesson plan, you may not use generative AI to write the lesson plan (but you could use it to give you some assessment ideas).
• We will make it explicitly clear when you are not permitted to use generative AI.

Citing Your AI Use Formally

If you use generative AI to create any of the following, you must cite it and include it in your reference list:

• Media (e.g., art or music)
• A quote
• Ideas that are not yours that AI has written for you
• Something created by Al that you have not revised or edited

Citing Your AI Use Informally

If you use AI in the following ways, you should acknowledge “I used AI” somehow in your work. You do not need to include a formal citation or reference list item.

• Use generative AI to brainstorm for a creation or an activity
• Use generative Al as prompted by your instructor or course directions

Use of Media Derived from the Class

As a member of a learning community, you are expected to respect my intellectual property. All course materials presented to students are my copyrighted property and are subject to the following conditions of use:

1. Students may record lectures or any other classroom activities and use the recordings only for their own course-related purposes.
2. Students may share the recordings with other students enrolled in the class. Sharing is limited to using the recordings only for their own course-related purposes.
3. Students may not post the recordings or other course materials online or distribute them to anyone not enrolled in the class without my advance written permission and, if applicable, any students whose voice or image is included in the recordings.
4. Any student violating the conditions described above may face academic disciplinary sanctions.

Limits to Confidentiality

Essays, journals, and other materials submitted for this class are generally considered confidential pursuant to the University’s student record policies. However, students should be aware that University employees, including instructors, may not be able to maintain confidentiality when it conflicts with their responsibility to report certain issues based on external legal obligations or that relate to the health and safety of MSU community members and others. As the instructor, I must report the following information to other University offices if you share it with me:

• Suspected child abuse/neglect, even if this maltreatment happened when you were a child,
• Allegations of sexual assault or sexual harassment when they involve MSU students, faculty, or staff, and
• Credible threats of harm to oneself or to others.

These reports may trigger contact from a campus official who will want to talk with you about the incident that you have shared. In almost all cases, it will be your decision whether you wish to speak with that individual. If you would like to talk about these events in a more confidential setting you are encouraged to make an appointment with the MSU Counseling Center.

Course Acknowledgements

This course evolves, incorporating the work and thinking of all the people who have taught it. The creations, explorations, and sharing activities (including the content of this syllabus) were developed by various groups and individuals and subsequently revised and reconfigured to result in the current version. The primary responsibility for this version rests with Brittany Dillman. Others who deserve credit (and none of the blame) are, in alphabetical order: Madison Allen Kuyenga, Liz Owens Boltz, Edie Erickson, Michelle Schira Hagerman, Anne Heintz, Charles Logan, Swati Mehta, Punya Mishra, Candace Robertson, Matthew Schell, Mary Wever, and Leigh Graves Wolf, Marissa Zhu.