Dr. Vicars American Sign Language ASL

SYLLABUS: "American Sign Language 2" DEAF 52, Section 4, Monday / Wednesday 9:00AM-10:15AM EUR307G

Fall 2014 Dates	SacCT Quizzes Due before 11:59pm	Points	Other:
Mon. Sept 01			Labor Day
Wed. Sept 03
Mon. Sept 8
Wed. Sept 10	Quiz 16 Video	10
Mon. Sept 15	Quiz 17 Video	10
Wed. Sept 17	Quiz 18 Video	10
Mon. Sept 22	Quiz 19 Video	10
Wed. Sept 24	Quiz 20 Video	10
Mon. Sept 29	Review & Practice
Wed. Oct 01
Mon. Oct 06		100	Exam 1
Wed. Oct 8	Quiz 21 Video	10
Mon. Oct 13	Quiz 22 Video	10
Wed. Oct 15	Quiz 23 Video	10
Mon. Oct 20	Quiz 24 Video	10
Wed. Oct 22	Quiz 25 Video	10
Mon. Oct 27	Review & Practice
Wed. Oct 29
Mon. Nov 03		100	Exam 2
Wed. Nov 05	Quiz 26 Video	10
Mon. Nov 10	Quiz 27 Video	10
Wed. Nov 12	Quiz 28 Video	10
Mon. Nov 17	Quiz 29 Video	10
Wed. Nov 19	Quiz 30 Video	10
Mon. Nov 24	Review & Practice
Wed. Nov 26
Mon. Dec 01		50	Culture Test
Wed. Dec 03
Mon. Dec 08		300	Exam 3
Wed. Dec 10
Wed. Dec 17		300	Final Exam

	Total:	1000

http://webpages.csus.edu/~vicars/index-quizzes50q.htm

2014 Fall Final Exam Information for Dr. Bill's M/W 9:00AM class
Final Exam Day	Start Time
Wed., Dec. 17, 2014	9:00 AM in Eureka 307G
Check your other Final Exams to make sure they don't conflict. If so, let me know and we will work it out.

Welcome to Class!
I'm glad you are here! You can do this! I'll be your guide as we travel into the world of ASL. I've been teaching ASL for over 20 years and I am passionate about it. You've picked a great topic to be studying. ASL is an exciting subject that can open for you a new world of relationships and understanding.

Instructor:
William Vicars, Ed.D. ("Dr. V" or "Dr. Bill") BillVicars@aol.com
Office Hours: As posted by my office door (EUREKA 308) or email me for an appointment.

Course description:
You will learn basic vocabulary and the basics of the grammar of American Sign Language. Upon completion, you will be able to share information about yourself and your family such as your name, where you live, and your interests. You will learn about aspects of Deaf Culture and the Deaf community.

Course Format:
We will enjoy a combination of classroom practice and interaction as well as the convenience of online study and testing. We will do several in-person signing exams, a cultural knowledge test, and will have a comprehensive final exam. You will use the SacCT system to submit your answers to online quizzes. If you need help with your SacLink Account, see: https://www.saclink.csus.edu Use your saclink user name and password to log into SacCT from the SacCT Home page. See: http://www.csus.edu/sacct/ Once you are logged in you will see a list of courses in which you are currently enrolled. Simply click on the title of this course to access the SacCT portion of this course. To learn more about how to use the various tools in SacCT, begin by exploring some of the Tutorials, Student FAQs.

How to get an "A"

   Study lessons 16 - 30 at http://lifeprint.com If needed, review lessons 1 - 15. Click on each vocabulary link. Watch each sentence video.
   Watch the videos for your level at: http://webpages.csus.edu/~vicars/index-videos-studio.htm
   Watch the video quizzes at http://webpages.csus.edu/~vicars/index-quizzes50q.htm and write down (or type out) your answers.
   AFTER you've typed out your answers for a quiz, go to http://www.csus.edu/sacct/ and sign into this class, find the appropriate quiz, click on it and submit the answers for the quiz video you just watched.
   Show up to the class sessions, learn, practice, and ask questions. For more exposure, watch the online lesson videos (see the link above)..
   Show up for the various in-person exams. (Duh.) (See the schedule for the times and dates).

Required textbook: None (However, if you FEEL like spending money you are welcome to donate to "The 'Dr. V' Recreational Improvement Fund.")
Optional textbook: "Vista Signing Naturally." Other optional textbook: "For Hearing People Only"

Links:
The Homework Video & Quiz Links: http://webpages.csus.edu/~vicars/
The CSUS site for turning in your online quiz answers: http://csus.edu/sacct
The course home page link: http://www.lifeprint.com/2014 (You can access this syllabus from there.)
Place to learn fingerspelling: http://asl.gs
Place to improve your ability to read fingerspelling: http://asl.ms
Place to improve your ability to recognize numbers: http://asl.bz
Culture study guide, see: Culture guide

Examinations and assignments:
There are 1000 points possible in this class.

Assignments	Points
Study Quizzes	150 points
Exam 1	100 points
Exam 2	100 points
Culture Exam	50 points
Exam 3	300 points
Final Exam	300 points
Total =	1,000 Points

Culture Exam:
Throughout the semester I will be sharing various cultural information with you. Near the end of the semester we will do the culture exam based on what we covered in class or in assigned readings online. [I will provide a study guide prior to the culture exam].

Lesson Quizzes (online)
Study the lessons at Lifeprint.com. Then watch the video quiz for each lesson. The links to the right video quizzes are in the schedule section of this syllabus. Use only those quiz links! Why? Lifeprint is full of many various resources, videos, and practice quizzes. So make sure you are watching the right video quiz by using the links in THIS SYLLABUS in the "schedule" section (below). Watch the video quiz for the lesson you are on, write down your answers (or type them). THEN you go to http://csus.edu/sacct and find your course and look for the quiz links and click on the quiz for the lesson you are on and input your answers THERE.

Exams:
All quizzes and exams may be cumulative. I will sign to you sentences and vocabulary from the lessons. The sentences will be composed only from the vocabulary covered in the lessons (either online or in person) but will not necessarily be the same sentences as in the practice sheets. The vocabulary may be combined into new sentences. Hint: Don't just memorize the sentences in the practice sheets.

You are to write down what you see me signing. (If my sentence is a question don't "answer" the question, just write the sentence.) You can write either English sentences or just write down the ASL concepts in the order that I sign them (as long as it is clear that you understand the concept.) Pay attention to my facial expressions. These are explained in some of the links such as those at the top of Lifeprint.com lesson 2. For example, if I sign "TIME" while using a "WH-question expression" it means "What time?" Thus if you just write "time" and not "What time?" it tells me you didn't study enough and did not click on the link that describes the "wh" facial expression.

Note: During "in-person" tests I will show the sentences a limited number of times (I usually limit it to just three times). The only reason I'm showing the sentences more than once is in case you blink or sneeze. If you need to see the sentence more than once to "get it" and the person sitting next to you only needs to see it once to "get it" that indicates his performance is "excellent" and yours is "poor" which means the test is doing what it is designed to do: Divide students into excellent, good, fair, poor, and failure categories. If you ask to see the sentence repeatedly, that tells me you are in the poor or failure category. As an instructor, part of my job is to find out who is ready to go on to the next class and who is not. It is my responsibility to protect (via assignment of "F" grades) those who are not ready to move up to the next level from being frustrated if they move on to a level for which they are unprepared.

Final Exam:
The final exam is a receptive ASL test. The day, time, and location are listed in the syllabus's schedule. When you arrive for the test sit in such a way as to make it difficult for your neighbor to see your answers. (We wouldn't want him or her to copy your wrong answers and fail the test now would we?) Cell phones are to be put away, headsets taken off, baseball caps turned backwards, two sheets of paper are to be used -- one of which to cover your answers.

I will sign any of the following to you:
* Various sentences composed from the vocabulary lists in the lessons.
* Various individual vocabulary items from the lessons.
* Numbers between 0 and 9,999,999 (study at http://asl.bz)
* Fingerspelled words (study at http://asl.ms) (I recommend you get to the point where you can catch 9 out of 10 at "medium" speed and/or 7 out of 10 at "fast" speed).

So, to summarize: The final exam is cumulative. I will sign various items (signs, spelled words, numbers, or sentences) to you. You can translate them to English or just string the labels of the ASL signs together. If you miss one concept or change the meaning of a sentence you may lose points for the whole sentence so practice hard and don't try to bluff your way through this test. These sentences will be similar to the ones on the website. Becoming familiar with the sentences on the website is a good way to practice for the test. But, the test sentences may use different combinations of vocabulary, so watch closely.

Grading:
Scale: 100-95%=A, 90 = A-, 87=B+, 84=B, 80=B-, 77=C+,74=C, 70=C-, 67=D+, 64=D, 60=D-, 59=F.

No-Voicing Policy:
This is a no-voice class. During class time (unless I give you specific permission) you should keep your voice off and not whisper nor rely on "exaggerated mouthing." If another student voices to you, you should respond as if you couldn't hear them and ask them (by signing) to communicate with you by signing or fingerspelling (or even writing on paper or the board). I can reduce your grade, require you to wear ear plugs, or ask you to leave class for participating in voicing either as a participating listener or the one using voice. (But, usually I'll just ask you to sit somewhere else.)

Make-ups:
No make-ups without an obituary of a close relative and a copy of the "program" from the service or note on the funeral home's stationary, or a note from your medical professional specifically stating that you were too sick to take the test, or from school administrator on school letterhead. INCLUDE THE PHONE NUMBER so I can have my Teacher Assistant call the doctor, mortician, or other administrator and verify. You are expected to attend if you want to get full credit for the quizzes and tests. Traffic, sickness not requiring a doctor's visit, family responsibilities, and so forth do not count as "excused absences." However, if you are required to miss a quiz in order to participate in pre-approved pre-scheduled, non-optional school events -- such as being on an athletic team -- show me the letter from your coach and then send me an email regarding your alternate availability for testing. Even if you do have an excused absence, I reserve the right to either give you a different but equivalent test, to assign the percentage of your most recent equivalent test, or to use the score of a future test.

Ethics, Attendance, Disabilities, and Class Environment: You may be asked to leave class for checking your email or texting during class or accessing websites other than lifeprint.com or asl.ms during class. You may be asked to leave class or have points docked for using your voice or whispering during class. Turn cell phones to vibrate or silent settings. Do not wear baseball caps during quizzes. No reading newspapers in class or other distracting behavior. No videotaping the lecture or bringing visitors or guests without permission. Students are always expected to work independently on graded quizzes and/or assignments unless specifically directed otherwise by the instructor in writing. Assignments turned in late for any reason may receive no credit. For information on the University's policy regarding cheating and plagiarism, refer to the Schedule of Courses: "Legal Notices on Cheating and Plagiarism" and the University Catalog: "Policies and Regulations." Penalties for cheating and plagiarism may be levied to the maximum extent allowable by University guidelines. Upon identifying themselves to the instructor and the university, students with disabilities will receive reasonable accommodation for learning and evaluation. For more information, contact the office of Services to Students with Disabilities. This syllabus and the schedule are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances. If you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to check on announcements made while you were absent. My lawyer made me say all that. Sorry.

Correspondence:
If you email me make sure to include in your subject line your first and last name, the name of this class, and the hour of your class. I get an outrageous amount of email due to the popularity of Lifeprint.com and thus that particular subject line is your best bet for a prompt response. I'll strive to get back to you within 48 hours. If you think I've overlooked your email, feel free to send your question again--I won't feel bothered--rather I'll be grateful for the communication (sometimes email doesn't arrive) because it is important to me that you get taken care of.

Pep talk:
You can do this. I have near infinite patience. I love teaching and explaining. If there is something I can do to make the class better for you please do suggest it. This class may be one of your more challenging accomplishments but I know if you work hard and put in the time--you will succeed.

Remember: After studying the lessons online at Lifeprint.com, come here to the syllabus and click on the link for the quiz you want to take. Don't just click the quiz links at the bottom of the Lifeprint lessons. Those go to "practice" quizzes -- not the official quizzes for this class. Watch the videos at quiz link at: http://webpages.csus.edu/~vicars/ then write down your answers then go SacCT to input your answers under the corresponding MySacCT (Blackboard) course.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY: Hey, sometimes the internet breaks. If your computer goes down, then you need to go to one of the computer labs at CSUS capable of playing videos in Flash format and take the quizzes from there. Your computer breaking down is NO EXCUSE for missing an online quiz. Now, on the other hand if MY server breaks down and the quiz videos don't play at the links above I just happen to have a backup system in place at my official quiz backup link. See: Quizzes Remember, that is a "backup" copy of my quiz videos in case my Lifeprint.com server goes down. (Which I don't even want to think about, but here I am thinking about it ahead of time so now we have a backup in place if we need it.) - Dr. Bill