Communications Studies (COMS) 407 - Lecture 01
Experiential Learning in Communications
Winter 2007
No set meeting times.   

Instructor:	Dr. Doug Brent
Office Location:	SS110
Office Phone:	220-5458
E-Mail:	dabrent@ucalgary.ca
Web Page:
Office Hours:	By appointment

Additional Information

Students will meet in person with staff of Calgary Reads as required, likely every two weeks. Students will be expected to meet with other members of their project team as often as needed to complete the work. They should be prepared for at least one meeting per week (on campus or off) and more toward the final stages of the project.

Whenever you perform research with human participants (i.e. surveys, interviews, observation) as part of your university studies, you are responsible for following university research ethics guidelines. Your instructor must review, and approve, your research plans and supervise your research.

Calgary Reads is located at 4105 - 26 Ave. SE.

Course Description

This section of Communications Studies 407 will involve a community service learning project with Calgary Reads.

Calgary Reads describes its mission as follows:

"Calgary Reads is five years old. Its mission is to improve the confidence and ability of struggling readers and promote literacy as a benefit to our community. This is accomplished by using trained volunteers to work one on one with struggling grade one and two readers during the school day - 16 weeks of twice weekly tutoring. Calgary Reads is the principal support for this niche market of grade one and two readers.

Our volunteers receive 6 hours of training in a framework for literacy acquisition that has been found to be extremely successful. On average, struggling readers make a year's gain in their reading ability. This success is felt very deeply in the short term by the children and their families, and over the long term has enormous impact on social costs savings and a more vibrant economy.

Calgary Reads operates during the school year throughout all four quadrants of the city, with particular emphasis on schools in high needs locations. We are presently located in 60 schools, working with 600 children using 350 volunteer tutors."

COMS 407 students will work in two teams to assist Calgary Reads with one of two projects:

1. A market study and development of a strategy to recruit more volunteers in high-needs areas of Calgary.

2. A market study and preliminary development of materials to be used by parents of children needing development in reading skills (Calgary Reads@Home).

These projects will be discussed in more detail at our first meeting with Calgary Reads staff, and students will be invited to select which project they prefer. I will assign students to projects if the group preferences do not divide evenly.

Objectives of the Course

To give Communications Studies majors a chance to deploy their communications skills in a hands-on environment. Students will sharpen their skills at teamwork, marhket analysis, project planning and execution, and design of communication materials. They will also learn more about community involvement and volunteerism.

The course will count as one half-course equivalent Communications Studies major option. The project will be unpaid.

Textbooks and Readings:

None.

Assignments and Evaluation

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each submitted assignment.

February 25 - Brief interim report: 10%

April 18 (last day of classes) - Final reflection report: 30%

April 18 - Overall quality of all products prepared for Calgary Reads: 40% (this mark may be individual or a collective group mark depending on how the work ends up being divided).

Throughout - Participation: 20% This will be largely based on a report from your supervisor at Calgary Reads at the end of the project plus my subjective impression of your ongoing commitment.

Notwithstanding the 20% figure for participation, I will reserve the right to award a final mark all the way down to F to anyone who genuinely does not put a reasonable effort into the project. I will give you plenty of warning if this seems possible.

A word on group marks. Unless it turns out that a project can be broken into separate pieces (highly unlikely), your project mark will normally be the same for each member of the team. Some members will likely have spent more time on it than others; this is life and you should not expect to have your mark adjusted to reflect reasonable differences in personal commitment and available time. HOWEVER, if one member of a team consistently shirks responsibility (missing a lot of meetings, leaving work undone by agreed-upon deadlines, etc.) I will reconsider this policy and award different project grades. I will only be able to do this if members of the group can document exactly what was agreed to and what was left undone. This means that the onus is on you to keep careful notes, save e-mails, etc. I also expect you to inform me of any group interaction problems as soon as it becomes evident that you can't solve them yourselves.

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination: No

Please note: If your class is held in the evening, the Registrar's Office will make every attempt to schedule the final exam during the evening; however, there is NO guarantee that the exam will NOT be scheduled during the day.

Policy for Late Assignments

Assignments submitted after the deadline may be penalized with the loss of a grade (e.g.: A- to B+) for each day late.

Writing Skills Statement

Faculty policy directs that all written assignments (including, although to a lesser extent, written exam responses) will be assessed at least partly on writing skills. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Writing skills include not only surface correctness (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc) but also general clarity and organization. Research papers must be properly documented.

If you wish help with your writing at any stage, including drafts, you are invited to contact the Writing Centre, SS110, 220-7255.

Grading System

The following grading system is used in the Faculty of Communication and Culture:

A+/A (4.0); A- (3.7); B+ (3.3); B (3.0); B- (2.7); C+ (2.3);
C (2.0); C- (1.7); D+ (1.3); D (1.0); F (0)

 

Plagiarism

Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offense. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Consequences include failure on the assignment, failure in the course and possibly suspension or expulsion from the university.

You must document not only direct quotations but also paraphrases and ideas where they appear in your text. A reference list at the end is insufficient by itself. Readers must be able to tell exactly where your words and ideas end and other people’s words and ideas begin. This includes assignments submitted in non-traditional formats such as Web pages or visual media, and material taken from such sources.

Please consult your instructor or the Writing Centre (SS110) if you have any questions regarding how to document sources.

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a disability who may require academic accommodation, it is your responsibility to register with the Disability Resource Centre (220-8237) and discuss your needs with your instructor no later than fourteen (14) days after the start of the course.

Students' Union

For details about the current Students' Union contacts for the Faculty of Communication and Culture see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info

"SAFEWALK" Program -- 220-5333

Campus Security will escort individuals day or night -- call 220-5333 for assistance. Use any campus phone, emergency phone or the yellow phone located at most parking lot booths.

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

No set meeting times or readings (see "Additional Information" above)