Technology Partnerships in Urban Schools, CSC 379-401
                  class number: 32456
 
Mon and Wed: 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Room: Lewis 1105 : loop campus

Course Goals and Objectives < shortcut to outline/assignments >

Community-based Service Learning courses are designed for students to experience serving the marginalized, disenfranchised and under-served populations of our community.  With the gap increasing between the wealthy and those living in poverty, the need to address current issues becomes increasingly relevant.  Nowhere is this more evident than in the technology arena.  Students will have the opportunity to assess urban community needs in the technology arena and develop skills in assisting and developing methods for "bridging the digital divide" that exists.  As a result, the student will be able to make a substantial difference in an underprivileged academic community group.  Goals and objectives include:

1.  To increase students' knowledge of urban community technology status and needs;
2.  To apply class-gained concepts from readings and lectures to an analysis of on site experiences;
3.  To construct and articulate the impact of student experiences to course content;
4.  To increase students' understanding of not-for-profit community organizations and agencies;
5.  To effect decision making and problem solving techniques relating to technology assistance.

With these goals in mind, the course provides the student with Junior-year Experiential Learning as outlined in the Liberal Studies Program.

Prerequisites

There are no course prerequisites for this course.  The student must have an interest in technology and a desire to make an impact on education which uses technology.  Other attributes: good imagination, ability to work and plan well with others, above average insight, and a zeal to help the underprivileged.

Attendance

Attendance will be taken for each of the 10 scheduled class meeting days.  This is usually taken within the first 10 minutes of class.  It is now required of all instructors to make a first week report of attendance.  This means that I will submit an online statement to DePaul administration as to whether or not each student was present for the first week of classes.  This is for the purpose of complying with new federal regulations regarding students who are receiving financial aid.   The new undergraduate student handbook will include a description of this requirement.  Also, the handbook will include a description of when an FX grade can be assigned.  The definition includes this text: a student should be assigned a grade of FX when the “Student stopped academic activity before the end of the sixth week (or the equivalent of the first 60%) of the term.”  The instructor will record the last day that the student attended class.  The purpose of this is to assure that the student will avoid any possible tuition reimbursement issues.

Means of Achieving Goals and Objectives

Several means will be utilized to achieve the goals and objectives, such as: class lectures; application review and practice; participation in discussions; experimental exercises; guest speakers; reading and writing assignments, and audio-visual material.

Reading and other Sources

The instructor will make materials available in class and online.  In addition to various references and handouts, the following reading sources are helpful:

Warschauer, Mark (2003). Technology and Social Inclusion: Rethinking the Digital Divide.  MIT Press, ISBN 0-262-23224-3

Schon, Donald A., Sanyal, Bish and Mitchell, William J. (1999). High Technology in Low-Income Communities: Prospects for the Positive Use of Advanced Information Technology.  Cambridge: MIT Press.

Required Workshop and Documentation Forms

Since you will be considered a volunteer at an archdiocese of Chicago school you will need to complete a workshop sponsored by one of many parishes or schools in the area.  All schools require that you attend a Virtus Training program identified as part of the Protecting God's Children Program.  There are other forms that you must complete and submit before you begin your service hours at any of the partner schools.  See link to Protecting God's Children in the first week of the calendar below.

Means of Evaluation

Student evaluation will be based on the following three components:

Group Presentation (20%): Students are required to complete a group project with their respective teams based on an aspect of technology and the 'digital divide.'  The instructor will approve the topic. Each team will be required to conduct research (a minimum of ten articles or books) on the chosen topic and submit a 10- to 15-page paper on the research results.  Class articles and references may be used, but only as a supplement to the ten or more articles of your own choosing.  The paper should include three specific parts:

1. Research related to the subject matter with detailed analysis of the problem.
2. Interviews with at least three persons from a community-based organization, school or agency related to the area of interest.  The individuals must include: an administrator (program director, executive director, principal, etc.), a line-staff person (teacher, counselor, case-manager, etc.), and a person that the organization serves (students, clientele, etc.).
3. Expression of solutions to problems that exist.

The group presentation must be 30 minutes in length.  All group members must equally participate.  Quality and creativity are expected.  Only one paper is to be submitted per group.

Reflective Journals (20%): Being able to express one's self in writing is an important expectation in any experiential learning course. A personal weekly journal is an excellent way to develop such writing skills.  A good journal should relate concepts from course content to lived experiences.  Course concepts for this CDM (School of Computer Science and Digital Media) course are derived from any and all courses the student has taken especially those that relate directly to technology (including programming and problem solving). 
For this purpose, each student is required to submit weekly reflective journals to D2L concerning processing of class information (readings, assignments, guest speakers), on-site school visits (relating to work done, problems encountered, persons interacting with), and other work that is coordinated through this class. A journal is expected and due each Friday beginning with the second week of the quarter (total of 9 journals).  It is very important that the journal reflect your own personal reaction or response to the subject; journals lacking this reflection will be returned for rewriting.  Note: the first few journals may not relate to work done on site.  In this case, you can reflect on material provided in class or online and describe your anticipations relating to upcoming on site work.  Journals must be received by the due dates to receive full credit for this component of your grade.  Any journal received late will result in a reduction in overall points and result in a reduction of final grade.  No journal will be accepted if more than one week past the posted due date. Students should observe the following format:

• observation - describe what was actually observed (on site and in the classroom or other work area)
• reaction - how did you feel during observations?
• analysis - relate your experience to the content of the course
  

Journal points total is 20, 2 points for each of the 9 journals and 2 points for non-profit in-class presentation (presented in the 6th week).

Class/Field participation (60%):  Students will be required to participate in activities within the classroom and outside the classroom in activities that relate to and benefit the participating schools.  This course, as a junior-year experiential learning course, requires a total of 25 hours of participation.  At least 15 of those hours must be engaged with the partner schools by making on site visits to assist with classroom projects, activities, by assisting the instructors in the class work, especially with computer-specific applications (word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and presentation applications).  The on site work will also involve troubleshooting of hardware and software.  Additional hours involve meeting with representatives of the partner schools, digital divide personnel, work in computer labs preparing software/hardware, procuring and testing hardware for use at the schools, and meeting with Chicago instructors/administrators who are engaged in technology for schools.  Service hours projects are also available throughout the quarter such as assisting a school on a one-time basis in setting up wireless network, server, maintenance, etc.  These additional hours will take place in the classroom or at another DePaul location.

Academic Integrity

Violations of academic integrity, particularly plagiarism, are not tolerated.  Plagiarism is defined by the university as:
"..a major form of academic dishonesty involving the presentation of the work of another as one's own.  Plagiarism includes but is not limited to the following:

1. The direct copying of any source, such as written and verbal material, computer files, audio disks, video programs or musical scores, whether published or unpublished, in whole or part, without proper acknowledgement that it is someone else's.
2. Copying of any source in whole or part with only minor changes in wording or syntax, even with acknowledgement.
3. Submitting as one's own work a report, examination paper, computer file, lab report or other assignment that has been prepared by someone else.  This includes research papers purchased from any other person or agency.
4. The paraphrasing of another's work or ideas without proper acknowledgement.

Plagiarism, like other forms of academic dishonesty, is always a serious matter.  If an instructor finds that a student has plagiarized, the appropriate penalty is at the instructor's discretion.  Actions taken by the instructor do not preclude the college or the university from taking further punitive action including dismissal from the university" (DePaul Student Handbook).

Incomplete Grades

Grades of Incomplete are given only in cases of medical emergency or other highly unusual emergency situations. Please note that university guidelines require that you must be earning a passing grade at the time you request an incomplete grade. You should have completed most of the course, with at most one or two major forms of evaluation missing. Incompletes revert to an F if they are not resolved by the end of the second successive quarter. If such a situation should occur, please inform the instructor as soon as possible in the quarter. A grade of FX is assigned if the student quits attending class but never officially drops the course.

Important Dates

First class: Wed, Sept 7; first day of quarter Sept 6, Tuesday
Sept 13: last day to add course for fall quarter
Sept 20: last day to drop without penalty
Sept 21: "W" assigned if classes dropped on or after
Oct 17: begin DQ/GI 2016 and WQ 2017 registration
Oct 25:  last day to withdraw from AQ 2016 classes
Nov 15: last class day AQ 2016
Nov 16-22: exam week, Wed to Tues
Dec 1: Thursday, grades due Autumn Quarter

Note on class evaluations:
       Course and instructor evaluations are critical for maintaining and improving course quality. To make evaluations as meaningful as possible, we need 100% student participation. Therefore, participation in the School’s web-based academic administration initiative during the eighth and ninth week of this course is a requirement of this course. 

Course Outline and Assignments [ please check weekly for updates ]