BES 301A

My commitment to you

I am here to support you as you learn how to engage in scientific research. We'll collaborate to build a positive learning community in which “joy can be present along with hard work” (hooks Teaching to Transgress 1994: 154). To prepare for class, I grade your previous homework, and I build on what you know and how you can improve. So, what I teach is based on how I see you can grow. I try to work with each of you one-on-one as much as possible. I am available to meet at our student hours or at a time that we set up.

I do my best to create a comfortable environment for class discussion, encouraging questions of all sorts. I strive to be approachable, clear, organized, prepared, patient, and easy to communicate with. I encourage questions. I recognize you as a group of diverse learners, and, as such, I will use a variety of assignments and interactive class sessions that use different learning strategies. I will avoid lecturing. I hope to minimize the stress you feel over big assignments. I do this in part by creating assignments that build on each other, so that the big assignments are actually the accumulation of lots of work that you have already done and have received feedback about. The feedback is designed to help you identify what you are doing well, but also how you need to improve.

How we'll learn

My basic assumption, in the words of bell hooks, is “that everyone in the classroom is able to acte responsibly” (1994: 152) and contribute to our supportive learning community. Our classes are a series of workshops. You prepare for the workshop by completing homework, and then I study the homework to celebrate what you’ve achieved and to see how you can make your work even stronger. In class, then, we’ll complete a series of activities to prepare for and, if there's time begin, the next assignment.

Class meetings and homework

We’ll meet in person once a week. Because our class sessions are tailored to you, they will help you complete the next assignment. Class is a time to practice work and get feedback about it. It’s a time for figuring out your way through challenges in the course.

Please bring a laptop or tablet to each class meeting. That will help you complete our in-class activities. That said, if you prefer to write with pen or pencil on paper, that is fine, too! Please take snapshots of your paper work, and add them to your lab notebook so I can see your work each day. This is a great way for us to work through questions you have together.

What if I don't have a device to bring or internet access?

No worries at all. We've got you covered. Please check out a laptop or wifi hotspot from the library, following the instructions here.

Because I prepare for class by grading your homework, it’s important for you to turn things in on time. Homework assignments are due by end of the day every Sunday. I describe my late policy under "Grading".

I recognize that some of you may need to miss class meetings. Therefore, all the work that we do in class will be accessible to you. We’ll record classes and post them through Canvas, so you’ll be able to complete the activities for the day on your own time.

Computers

We will be using computers regularly in this course. Please refrain from (1) activities without a direct connection to what is happening in class and (2) disturbing other students.

Materials

You will need three browser tabs open for each class session:

• Our password-protected Canvas site.
• Class notes. Access these through Canvas.

I will provide all of the materials for the course to you through Canvas. No need to purchase anything.

The nature of a hybrid course

Hybrid courses combine face-to-face meetings with extensive learning opportunities orchestrated through the course website. This course is 50% hybrid, meaning that class meets in person only once a week, and that you have more homework to complete than you would have in a fully in-person course. Our face-to-face meetings will help you succeed in this course. Active participation in both the face-to-face and online activities is required.

Hybrid courses require more time doing assignments than courses that are completely face-to-face. To succeed, you should:

• organize your time well.
• schedule times to work on class material, making good use of the Open Learning Lab, the Quantitative Skills Center, and the Writing and Communication Center. You may find it helpful to find a group of people with whom to work weekly—either in person or remotely at one of these centers, or working together remotely through a platform like Zoom.
• be prepared to read and write a lot, especially in an online setting.
• be comfortable with using the Internet, email, and various software applications.
• have easy access to computers and fast-speed Internet.
• be willing to discuss and interact with others online.
• be self-motivated enough to finish assignments on deadline with little to no supervision.

Our face-to-face class sessions help you complete the activities in the course. You are responsible for any material presented or announced in class sessions. If you miss a class, you can catch up on the material from our class notes and by watching the video. Please pay attention to course announcements. If you have questions about material you may have missed you can see me during office hours or schedule an appointment.

In the Classroom

Please bring your curiosity to class and be prepared to work. Class meetings are workshops designed to help you complete your assignments. During class meetings, I encourage you to ask questions and participate in discussion. During collaborative time, as you work in groups on analyzing and interpreting data, let's aim for a quiet and conversational working environment.

Online etiquette

As you know, it's easy to miscommunicate online. In this class, we'll adopt the following netiquette policies (adapted from Madison College) to minimize miscommunication and foster a respectful and supportive online environment.

• Respect. Respect each other's backgrounds, feelings and opinions.
• Talk gently. It's easy to be abrupt, and unintentionally hurt someone's feelings when writing. So, talk without strong language. Try not to be sarcastic or funny, as these are easy to misinterpret. If you're writing something that is emotionally charged, start by writing a draft, let it sit for a while, and re-read a few hours later to make sure the tone is appropriate. Send it only after you are sure it is courteous.
• Allow for mistakes. Despite best intentions, sometimes you might be hurt by something that someone in the course says. Please talk to the instructor about this, as she can help resolve the conflicts. Remember that usually—but certainly not always—the writer does not intend to be hurtful.
• Respect privacy. Please don't share people's work or email messages.
• Write well. Be clear and concise, use good spelling and grammar. Stay on topic. To check clarity, read your message aloud to yourself before sending it.
• Read thoroughly before you write. Read other people's comments before making your own.
• Conventions. Avoid caps, exclamation points, acronyms (wrt, btw, b/c, etc) and emojis.

In the Classroom

Please bring your curiosity to class and be prepared to work. Class meetings are workshops designed to help you complete your assignments. During class meetings, I encourage you to ask questions and participate in discussion. During collaborative time, as you work in groups on analyzing and interpreting data, let's aim for a quiet and conversational working environment.

Syllabus Revisions

You are responsible for all materials, updates and announcements covered during class sessions. The course calendar will most likely change due to unforeseen circumstances; please be sure you are using the most recent version. I also expect you to use your UW e-mail account regularly, so that I can communicate with each of you electronically between classes. If you wish to use another e-mail address as your primary account, set up your UW account to forward to your other address.