COURSE OBJECTIVES

There are no specific prerequisites for this course other than the desire to learn more about youth organization management. This section of the course is designed specifically for those interested in managing 4-H organizations.

TEXT/WEB RESOURCES

There is no comprehensive textbook for this class. All of the class readings will be posted on the web site. However, this does not prevent one from using a variety of other resources. There are hundreds of books and other library resources available on the topics studied in this course.

If you are enrolled for this course through North Carolina State, you have complete access to the NCSU library. The URL that explains all the library resources available to you is http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/distance/ If you need help logging into the library please contact the NCSU course instructor.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Weekly assignments.  Most weeks you will complete an assignment that will allow you to apply the knowledge you gained from the week's lesson.  Many of the assignments are also geared toward skills that will help you complete your term project.  Your weekly assignments will be submitted via Vista WebCT.  These assignments are due by midnight on the Sunday after each lesson begins unless otherwise noted.

The weekly assignments will account for 30% of your grade.

2. Self-Assessment, Competency, and Short Course.  During Week 5 you will complete a series of assignments that will help you understand your own strengths and weaknesses as a youth organization manager, thoroughly understand the PRKC Model, and access professional development resources that could be useful to you in the future.  This assignment involves more work and thought than other weekly assignments, so it is weighted more heavily than other weekly assignments.  Details for this assignment can be found on the Week 5 webpage and here.  This assigment is due by midnight on Sunday Feb. 22.


This assignment will account for 10% of your grade.


3. Interview.  During the week of February 23rd you will complete an interview with a person involved with 4-H in order to evaluate a particular delivery mode used in his/her program.  Details for this assignment can be found on the Week 7 webpage and here.  This assignment is due by midnight on Sunday March 15.


This assignment will account for 10% of your grade.


4. Bonus Lesson.  Sometime during the semester you must complete the bonus lesson that is located on the course main page.  It can also be viewed here.  This assignment is due by midnight on Sunday April 19th.


This assignment will account for 10% of your grade.


5. Term Project. You will complete a term project which involves using the skills and knowledge gain from this course to create a 4-H program plan.  Details for this assignment can be found here.  This assignment is due by midnight on Sunday April 19th.


This assignment will account for 40% of your grade.

This course is graded using the + and - system. The breakdown of the grading system is as follows

A+ = 97%
A =  94-96%
A- =  90-93%
Bt =  87-89%
B =  84-86%
B- = 80-83%
C+ = 77-79%
C = 74-76%
C- = 70-73%
D+ = 67-69%
D = 64-66%
D- = 60-63%
F = 59%

Graduate level work should be:

A. Neat - There is no excuse for sloppy work at the graduate level. You can have fantastic ideas and thoughts but if your work is sloppy, colleagues will think your thoughts and ideas are sloppy also. Hundreds of resumes are thrown into the trash every year because they aren't crisp and sharp.

B. Use Proper Grammar - words should be spelled correctly, sentences should be complete, paragraphs should be paragraphs, rules of correct English usage should be followed, etc.

 Both faculty and students at North Carolina State University have a responsibility to maintain academic integrity. An informational brochure about academic integrity is available from the university and students are encouraged to obtain a copy. Additional information is contained in the NCSU Code of Student Conduct. Academic Dishonesty Scholarly activity is marked by honesty, fairness and rigor. A scholar does not take credit for the work of others, does not take unfair advantage of others, and does not perform acts which frustrate the scholarly efforts of others. The violation of any of these principles is academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty includes the giving, taking, or presenting of information or material by a student with the intent of unethically or fraudulently aiding oneself or another person on any work which is to be considered in the determination of a grade or the completion of academic requirements.

The Honor Pledge - The students and faculty of NCSU believe that the willingness of students to affirm and adhere to the essential values of honesty and integrity in all their academic endeavors is exemplified in the Honor Pledge: I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this test or assignment. It is university policy that all students sign the Honor Pledge on tests and assignments for each course as specified by the instructor

LABORATORY SAFETY

This course does not have a laboratory. However, you will be working on your computer during the lessons. Thousands of computers are damaged each year because of power surges, and most of these come through the phone line and damage the modem. You are strongly encouraged to get a modem surge protector and/or to unplug you computer include the modem/phone connection during stormy weather.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 mandate that the faculty provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities.  These accommodations are based on the premise that students with disabilities need an equal opportunity to acquire information and demonstrate what they have learned; not have an advantage over others in the class.  This does not mean lowering class standards, but it may mean having students learn and express knowledge in a different mode.

All students registered with the NC State Office of Disability Services for Students (DSS) will provide the instructor with an accommodation letter.  This letter verifies that appropriate medical documentation is on file and that the student has a substantiated disability requiring effective reasonable accommodations. Accommodations for which the student qualifies will also be included in the letter.  If you have not registered with the DSS and have a learning disability, you should register in Suite 1900, Student Health Center.

If you have a documented disability, please schedule an appointment with the course instructor to discuss academic accommodations.

There are no group field trips or field trip costs associated with this course.

HOW DOES A WEB COURSE WORK?

1. Each Monday you will click on the class link that corresponds to that week. You should complete the lesson some time during that week.

2. When you go the the weekly lesson, you are to first view the list of topics for the lesson. This is your guide as to what you should learn.

3. One of the benefits of taking a course on-line is the opportunity to experience a multitude of varied materials found on the Internet. Under the list of learning activities there will be a list of web sites, journal articles, papers and other materials to be reviewed. In this class we try to utilize the power of the World Wide Web (WWW). You are to visit each site that is listed under the learning activities and read or view the materials. For some of the materials, you night  need to have the Acrobat Reader on your computer. If you don't have this program, it can be downloaded for free from Adobe.

4. On most weeks you will complete a worksheet that relates to the weekly lesson. That is to be completed and submitted via Vista WebCT.

5. You should establish a standard time every week to work on this class and then do it if you are taking the course on the web. You don't want to get behind because it will be hard to catch up. In a typical on-campus class you would spend 3 hours in the classroom and 6-9 hours reading and doing assignments during a week. This class will take similar time commitments.