Psychology 3224B-001 (Online for 2020-21)

Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience

If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.

1.0    CALENDAR DESCRIPTION

Neural mechanisms in human perception, spatial orientation, memory, language, and motor behavior.

 

Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.

Antirequisite: Psychology 3227A/B.

 

Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.

3 lecture/discussion hours; 0.5 hours. 

2.0    COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor: Dr. Laura Batterink

Office: Western Interdisciplinary Science Building 6124

Phone Number: 519.661.2111, ext. 85409

Office Hours: Friday, 11-12 (held on Zoom), or by appointment

Email: lbatter@uwo.ca

 

Teaching Assistant: Gregory Brooks

Office Hours: By appointment

Email: gbrook5@uwo.ca

 

Time and Location of Classes: Monday, 2:30 – 3:30 PM online

Course Delivery Format: Virtual Blended (1 hour synchronous, 2 hours asynchronous content)

                                                                                   

Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western

http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.

Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.

3.0  TEXTBOOK

Required: Marie Banich & Rebecca Compton. (2018). Cognitive Neuroscience. Cambridge University Press.

 

Physical copies of the text are available through the Western bookstore, or you may also purchase an e-copy of the text at this link:

https://www.cambridge.org/ca/academic/subjects/psychology/cognition/cognitive-neuroscience-4th-edition?format=AR

 

On most weeks, additional readings will be required and they will be posted on OWL in PDF format (see Lecture Schedule).

 

4.0    COURSE OBJECTIVES

1. To familiarize students with the human mind as a phenomenon whose biological basis can be studied in scientific research; to explore and appreciate the limits of current scientific knowledge in the field.

2. To provide a comprehensive overview of the methodology, research findings, theories, and contentious issues in the study of cognitive neuroscience.

3. To encourage the reading of primary source material on research in cognitive neuroscience; to encourage critical thinking and discussion of contentious issues.

Any course of this sort contains material that must be learned from both lectures and readings. Some material from the text will not be covered in lectures; similarly, some material from the lectures will not be covered in the readings. Therefore, it is necessary that students view the prerecorded lectures, attend synchronous virtual sessions, and do the readings regularly for successful completion of the course.


   4.1    STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 

Learning Outcome Learning Activity Assessment

Explain major concepts, theoretical perspectives,

empirical findings, and historical trends in

neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience Pre-recorded “mini” lectures Assigned textbook readings Assigned primary article readings Synchronous Q&A sessions with instructor Quizzes Final exam

Describe the basic anatomical/functional systems of

the human brain, including sensory, motor, language,

executive function, memory systems Pre-recorded “mini” lectures Assigned textbook readings Assigned primary article readings Synchronous Q&A sessions with instructor Quizzes Final exam

Define key concepts that characterize cognitive

neuroscience as a field of scientific inquiry Pre-recorded “mini” lectures Assigned textbook readings Assigned primary article readings Synchronous Q&A sessions with instructor Quizzes Final exam

Apply basic research methods in psychology to

investigate cognitive neuroscientific questions. Identify

relevant neuropsychological mechanisms/issues and

apply to real-world contexts. Assigned primary article readings Synchronous group work and group assignments Written review paper Group assignments Written review paper Quizzes Final exam

Critically analyze published research, including

methodology, results and conclusions in the field of

cognitive neuroscience/neuropsychology Assigned primary article readings Synchronous group work and group assignments Written review paper Group assignments Written review paper

Articulate some of the central questions and issues in

contemporary neuropsychology/cognitive

neuroscience Data blitz presentation Assigned primary article readings Synchronous group work and group assignments Written review paper Group assignments Written review paper Data blitz presentation

Clearly communicate cognitive neuroscientific material

and principles to a scientifically literate audience Data blitz presentation Synchronous group work and group assignments Group assignments Data blitz presentation

 

5.0     EVALUATION

This course is exempt from the Senate requirement that students receive assessment of their work accounting for at least 15% of their final grade at least three full days before the date of the deadline for withdrawal from a course without academic penalty.

Note that grades will NOT be rounded. My advice to students is to leave a “margin of error.” If you “need” a certain grade to graduate or to apply to a particular program, you should ensure you do well enough that your desired grade will not depend on one exam question. Deal with problems early, not at the end of the semester. If your grade is much lower than you hoped, talk to me or the TA as soon as the problem is apparent. There’s nothing I can do at the end of the term to help you. 

Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:

70%     1000-level and 2000-level courses
72%     2190-2990 level courses
75%     3000-level courses
80%     4000-level courses
   
The Psychology Department follows Western's grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf):

A+  90-100      One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A    80-89        Superior work that is clearly above average
B    70-79        Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C    60-69        Competent work, meeting requirements
D    50-59        Fair work, minimally acceptable
F    below 50    Fail

 


6.0  ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE

Course performance will be evaluated based on the following sources:

1. Quiz 1– 15%

2. Quiz 2 – 15%

3. Written Mini Review – 22%

4. Final Exam – 36%

5. Participation in Synchronous Class Discussions and Small Group Assignments - 7%

6. Data Blitz Presentation – 5%

 

The dates of these assessment components are as follows:

Quiz 1 Feb 1

Quiz 2 March 8

Mini-Review April 2

Data Blitz Presentations April 5

Final Exam TBA – scheduled by Office of the Registrar

 

All students should be familiar with the basic neuroanatomy of the central nervous system upon entering the course. However, the lectures will review basic terminology and major features of the brain and associated tissues

 

7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

PowerPoint Notes will be posted on OWL, either before or after each day's lecture. Textbook readings refer to the course textbook, Cognitive Neuroscience (5th ed.). Additional required readings

not found in the course textbook and journal articles will be posted on the OWL website.

 

Week Date Topic Readings to Complete Prior to Class # of textbook pages Synchronous Group Work

1 Jan 11 Course Introduction Review of brain anatomy Chapter 1 (1-18, 26-38 [from beginning up to and not including Neurotransmitters; beginning again at Closer Look at Cerebral Cortex to end] 39 Escape (the Zoom)Room Neuroanatomy Game

2 Jan 18 Methods of Understanding the Brain Chapter 3 29 “Method Experts” Worksheet + Research Scenarios Activity

3 Jan 25 Brain Development, Neuroplasticity and Critical Period Effects Chapter 15 (pp. 455-468 [from beginning up to Developmental Disorders]; 476-485 [Brain Plasticity in Adulthood up to Aging]) Read one of the following 2 articles (as individually assigned). Fill out Journal Article Worksheet (posted under Resources in OWL) and bring to class. Articles posted on OWL. Bedny et al., 2011, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science Bola et al., 2017, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 23 Modified Jigsaw + Class Discussion

Feb 1 In Class Quiz 1 Quiz will be held synchronously and will take up to 2.5 hours

4 Feb 8 Object recognition The “what” ventral visual stream Spatial cognition and the “where” Chapter 6; Chapter 7 (pp 199- 201 (beginning up to Coding For Three Dimensions, 210-214 (Space and Action 35 Present a Patient: Clinical Case Presentations

dorsal ventral stream section) Read one of the following articles (as individually assigned). Be prepared to discuss your article in detail in your small group and present it to the class. Sahraie et al., 2010, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science Heywood et al., 1987, Journal of Neurology Zeki et al., 1999, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science Schenk et al., 2000, European Journal of Neuroscience Jakobson et al., 1991, Neuropsychologia Riddoch et al., 2008, Cognitive Neuropsychology Servos et al., 1993, Neuropsychologia Persaud et al., 2011, NeuroImage

Feb 15 Family Day/Spring Reading Week No class held

5 Feb 22 Attention Chapter 10 (beginning up to p. 328 -- Processing of Unattended Stimuli) Cukur et al., 2017 “Dissect a difficult journal article” exercise

6 March 1 Long-term Memory Amnesia and Memory Disorders Chapter 9 (everything except working memory section pp. 287-291) Bayley et al., 2005 33 Case study of patient EP

Isausti et al, 2013 (each group member to focus on one section of results; specified in OWL).

March 8 In Class Quiz 2 Quiz will be held synchronously and will take up to 2.5 hours

7 March 15 Sleep and Memory Consolidation For students wishing to participate in the optional peer review process for the Mini-Review, a draft of your paper is due on March 19. No readings from course textbook. Fundamentals of cognitive neuroscience, 2nd ed (Gage & Baars), Chapter 12 -- Sleep and levels of consciousness (posted on OWL) Pages 393-398; 405-422 Only. Read both of these articles (second is only a single page). Fuentemilla et al., 2013, Current Biology Rudoy et al, 2009, Science 33 Journal Club Activity

8 March 22 Language processing; aphasia and language disorders Chapter 8 (up to and not including p. 242 – Neurological Bases for Visual Language Processing) Read one of these two articles (as assigned individually). Fill out Journal Article Worksheet (posted under Resources in OWL) and bring to class. Be prepared to explain your article to your classmates. Articles posted on OWL. Group 1,2,3: Chang et al., 2010, Nature Neuroscience 17 Modified Jigsaw + Class Discussion

Group 4,5,6: Levy & Wilson, 2019, Cerebral Cortex

9 March 29 Consciousness Mini Review Due Friday This Week – April 2. Chapter 14 Gazzaniga chapter posted on OWL (EXCEPT for sections 14.4 and 14.8) Read one of these articles (as individually assigned). Fill out “Consciousness Article Worksheet” posted on OWL and bring to class. Coleman et al., 2007, Brain Sharon et al., 2013, Plos One Yu et al., 2013, Neurology Perrin et al., 2006, Archives of Neurology Naci et al., 2014, PNAS Naci et al., 2013, JAMA 37 Exploring experimental paradigms to measure consciousness What does it mean to be conscious? How can we measure consciousness in the vegetative state?

10 April 5 Final Data Blitz Presentations No assigned readings but come to class prepared to ask questions! The class will be divided into small groups ahead of time. Each small group will be assigned a different 1.5 h timeslot. We will watch the presentations live together via Zoom screensharing. After each presentation, the presenter will answer questions live.

TBA Final Exam


8.0  STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES

 

Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offences. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offences because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offence are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf

 

As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offences. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com (http://www.turnitin.com).

 

Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams will be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.

 

In classes that involve the use of a personal response system (PRS), data collected using the PRS will only be used in a manner consistent to that described in this outline. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make every effort to ensure that data remain confidential. However, students should be aware that as with all forms of electronic communication, privacy is not guaranteed. Your PRS login credentials are for your sole use only. Students attempting to use another student’s credentials to submit data through the PRS may be subject to academic misconduct proceedings.

 

Possible penalties for a scholastic offence include failure of the assignment/exam, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.

 

9.0  POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR ILLNESS OR OTHER ABSENCES

 

Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12

 

The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf

 

If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:

  1. Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
  2. For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
  • For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.

 

Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form must be submitted before the exam/coursework deadline in order to be valid. It may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html

 

Students seeking academic consideration:

  • are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;  
  • are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
  • must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hoursafter the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence

 

10.0      Contingency Plan for Return to Lockdown

 

In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence during the course that necessitates the course delivery moving away from face-to-face interaction, all remaining course content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at the times indicated in the timetable) or asynchronously (e.g., posted on OWL for students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change. Any remaining assessments will also be conducted online as determined by the course instructor.

 

11.0      STATEMENTS CONCERNING ONLINE ETIQUETTE

 

In courses involving online interactions, the Psychology Department expects students to honour the following rules of etiquette:

  • please “arrive” to class on time
  • please use your computer and/or laptop if possible (as opposed to a cell phone or tablet)
  • please ensure that you are in a private location to protect the confidentiality of discussions in the event that a class discussion deals with sensitive or personal material
  • to minimize background noise, kindly mute your microphone for the entire class until you are invited to speak, unless directed otherwise
  • In classes larger than 30 participants please turn off your video camera for the entire class unless you are invited to speak
  • In classes of 30 students or fewer, where video chat procedures are being used, please be prepared to turn your video camera off at the instructor’s request if the internet connection becomes unstable
  • Unless invited by your instructor, do not share your screen in the meeting

 

The course instructor will act as moderator for the class and will deal with any questions from participants. To participate please consider the following:

  • If you wish to speak, use the “raise hand” function and wait for the instructor to acknowledge you before beginning your comment or question.
  • Please remember to unmute your microphone and turn on your video camera before speaking.
  • Self-identify when speaking.
  • Please remember to mute your mic and turn off your video camera after speaking (unless directed otherwise).

 

General considerations of “netiquette”:

  • Keep in mind the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students in the course.
  • Be courteous toward the instructor, your colleagues, and authors whose work you are discussing.
  • Be respectful of the diversity of viewpoints that you will encounter in the class and in your readings. The exchange of diverse ideas and opinions is part of the scholarly environment. “Flaming” is never appropriate.
  • Be professional and scholarly in all online postings. Use proper grammar and spelling. Cite the ideas of others appropriately.

 

Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct.

 

12.0      OTHER INFORMATION

 

Office of the Registrar: http://registrar.uwo.ca 

 

Student Development Services: www.sdc.uwo.ca

 

Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:

http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html

 

- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct

- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations

- Policy on Attendance

- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines

- Policy for Assignments

- Short Absences

- Extended Absences

- Documentation

- Academic Concerns

- 2020-2021 Calendar References

 

Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, videos and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute any course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.

General Class Policies

 

Quizzes and Exam

The quizzes and final exam will cover materials from pre-recorded lectures (videos) as well as all readings, including journal articles. Both quizzes and the exam will include multiple choice questions, short-to-medium answer questions (e.g., fill-in-the-blanks, definitions, or questions that require a short- to medium- length written response), and/or label-the-diagram questions. Quizzes will not be cumulative. The final exam will be cumulative but weighted more heavily with material covered since Quiz 2.

 

The quizzes will be held from 1:30 – 4:00 PM EST, on the dates outlined in the syllabus. This is the same timeslot that was originally scheduled for the course. Please contact me as soon as possible if this timeslot does not work for you.

 

The quizzes and exams will take place online and will be open-book. Question ordering and answer choice will be randomized, and there will be a time limit for the exam. The exam format will be “linear” – you will NOT be allowed to return to a question you have already answered. I realize that this format is

unpopular with many students, because you can’t change your mind once you have answered a question. However, this feature is necessary in an online environment to discourage peer collaboration during the exam and to ensure the integrity of individual student answers, given that in-person assessment is not feasible this semester. Please do not ask me to change my mind about this decision – it is final.

 

You are expected to work individually on the quizzes and exams. To ensure the integrity of the quizzes and exams, they will be conducted via Zoom (see section below for more information). In addition, timing and response patterns will be analyzed. Use of earphones is not permitted during the exam. If you need to get up during the exam for any reason (e.g. bathroom break), please ask for permission before doing so.

 

Use of Zoom for Quizzes and Exams

Tests and examinations in this course will be conducted using Zoom. You will be required to keep your camera on for the entire session, hold up your student card for identification purposes, and share your screen with the invigilator if asked to do so at any time during the exam. The exam session will not be recorded.*

More information about the use of Zoom for exam invigilation is available in the Online Proctoring Guidelines at the following link: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/onlineproctorguidelines.pdf

Completion of this course will require you to have a reliable internet connection and a device that meets the system requirements for Zoom. Information about the system requirements are available at the following link: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us

 

* Please note that Zoom servers are located outside Canada. If you would prefer to use only your first name or a nickname to login to Zoom, please provide this information to the instructor in advance of the test or examination.

 

 

Policy on Missed In-Class Quizzes (In the Case of Self-Reported Absences and Academic Consideration for Missed Work)

No make-up quizzes will be scheduled in this course. If you have received academic consideration for an absence, or have submitted a self-reported absence form, your final exam will be reweighted more heavily to account for the missed quiz. The reweighting will be done such that specific questions representing the material from the missed quiz will count more heavily towards your final grade. Note that questions on the final exam may be more challenging than those on the in-class quizzes, so students should carefully consider the implications of missing a scheduled in-class quiz.

 

Mini Review

A written mini-review is due April 2 by midnight. The mini-review should take the form of a written scholarly essay of ~1200-1400 words (not counting references), which critically analyzes and discusses a topic of current controversy within cognitive neuroscience, or that summarizes and discusses an exciting development in the context of the existing literature. A selection of appropriate topics will be provided, but students may also design their own topic (with the prior agreement of the course instructor). Further instructions will be posted on OWL. You will be required to independently research your topic and synthesize the material into a scholarly critique, citing references to support your arguments. Your mini- review should be submitted electronically to OWL. Turnitin will be used to check for plagiarism. A late penalty of 10% of the assignment’s value per day (2 of the 20-point total value) will be applied to papers submitted after the deadline.

 

Data Blitz Presentations

Also known as “lightning talks,” a datablitz is a series of exciting, fast-paced, very short presentations. Our final class period will consist of a datablitz event, which will provide an opportunity for you to share something interesting learned over the course of researching and writing your mini-review. It usually works best to focus on a single exciting finding, rather than attempting to summarize your entire topic.

Your presentation should be no longer than 3 minutes long and contain only a single slide. A 2 min Q&A will follow each presentation. Additional instructions will be posted on OWL.

 

Course Readings

Course readings not included in the main textbook will be available to students via OWL.

 

Email Policy

I will respond to your email within 2 business days (Monday – Friday, 9 AM – 5 PM). If you haven’t heard from me within 2 days, please feel free to send another message. Please include the course reference number in the subject line (Psych 3224).

 

Small Groups

At the beginning of the course, you will be assigned to a small group of 3-4 students. Your group will be the same from week to week. You will complete assignments during synchronous class time in your small group. At two points in the semester (approximately 1/3rd through the class and at the end), you will be asked to complete peer and self-ratings of team members on criteria related to preparation, effort and overall group citizenship. Ratings are used to adjust the final group grade for each student, using an autorating system. This is to encourage full participation and effort in this component of the course, and also to flag any potential problems relatively early on. You can also use your small group outside of the class time as a study group. The hope is that your small group will be able to support you in your learning of all aspects of the course material.

 

Synchronous Online Interactions

Most weeks will involve 1 hour of synchronous instructor Q & A, class discussion and group work, as specified in the Class Schedule. Depending on the week, a scientific journal article may be assigned in addition to reading from the textbook. Students are expected to come to class prepared for the in-class group work by carefully reading the article prior to class. Additional details for each week will be provided on OWL.

 

The grade for this component of the course will be assessed by the following: worksheets to be turned in to the TA (completed either prior to class or during class, depending on the week), and in-class participation. For this component, your lowest weekly grade will be dropped from your overall grade. Therefore, if you miss only one week of synchronous class time, you do not need to worry. No other make-up opportunities will be provided (no exceptions).

 

At the beginning of each synchronous lesson, we will go over any questions that students have on the pre-recorded lectures. You may ask a question either by speaking or by using the chat function in Zoom. You may upvotes classmates’ existing questions if you have the same question to give that question priority.

 

All of the synchronous learning sessions for this course will be recorded. The data captured during these recordings may include your image, voice recordings, chat logs and personal identifiers (name displayed on the screen). The recordings will be used for educational purposes related to this course, including evaluations. The recordings may be disclosed to other individuals participating in the course for their private or group study purposes. Please contact the instructor if you have any concerns related to session recordings. As a security measure, only participants using their UWO credentials will be permitted to access the class. If, for privacy reasons, you wish to use pseudonym, please contact the instructor for pre-approval.

 

Participants in this course are not permitted to record the sessions, except where recording is an approved accommodation, or the participant has the prior written permission of the instructor.

 

Online Etiquette

 

Some components of this course will involve online interactions. To ensure the best experience for both you and your classmates, please honour the following rules of etiquette:

· please “arrive” to class on time

· please use your computer and/or laptop if possible (as opposed to a cell phone or tablet)

· because we will be using breakout rooms, you’ll need to be signed in to your UWO Zoom account. Please do not join from a web client or the breakout assignment won’t work

· please ensure that you are in a private location to protect the confidentiality of discussions in the event that a class discussion deals with sensitive or personal material

· to minimize background noise, kindly mute your microphone for the entire class until you are invited to speak, unless directed otherwise

· please be prepared to turn your video camera off at the instructor’s request if the internet connection becomes unstable

· unless invited by your instructor, do not share your screen in the meeting

The course instructor will act as moderator for the class and will deal with any questions from participants. To participate please consider the following:

· If you wish to speak, use the “raise hand” function and wait for the instructor to acknowledge you before beginning your comment or question.

· Please remember to unmute your microphone and turn on your video camera before speaking.

· Self-identify when speaking.

· Please remember to mute your mic and turn off your video camera after speaking (unless directed otherwise).

General considerations of “netiquette”:

· Keep in mind the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students in the course.

· Be courteous toward the instructor, your colleagues, and authors whose work you are discussing.

· Be respectful of the diversity of viewpoints that you will encounter in the class and in your readings. The exchange of diverse ideas and opinions is part of the scholarly environment. “Flaming” is never appropriate.

· Be professional and scholarly in all online postings. Use proper grammar and spelling. Cite the ideas of others appropriately.

Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct.