This is a "living document" subject  to change

Dr. Kenneth M. Steele

310F Smith-Wright (But teaching from an undisclosed location)

Office Hours: M W 1-2:30 (Obtain the calendar link for a Zoom meeting in AsULearn)

Phone: 262-2272 (main office, leave a message)

email: [email protected]

Textbook: Powell, R. A., Honey, P. L., & Symbaluk, D. G. (2017). Introduction to Learning and Behavior (5th ed.)

 Topics located on web site, http://www.appstate.edu/~steelekm

Description of the course:

This course is a survey of early and modern work on classical conditioning and operant conditioning. The course is divided roughly into four portions. The first quarter will cover the basic procedures to produce and talk about classical conditioning effects. The second quarter will cover interpretations and explanations of classical conditioning effects. The third quarter will cover basic procedures and terminology of operant conditioning. And the fourth quarter will cover modern theory and research in operant conditioning. A list of topics and assigned readings is found on the web site.

Structure of the classes:

The course will be on-line for this semester.  I hate to do this for several reasons.  The in-class experience is the best for you and the most fun for all of us.  I use a variety of technologies in class including chalkboard, PPT, web-sites, and interactive videos.  I don't know how they will translate to on-line teaching because I typically customize the classroom computer to my needs.  You may expect things to fail or blow-up but we will muddle through because we have to do so.

Most of the material I will use in class is contained on my web site. Go to http://www.appstate.edu/~steelekm and click on the link to this class. The "Topics" link will take you to the in-class material. Each cell contains a variety of links. Some links are central to the topic and some links are there because they prove useful should certain questions pop up in class. Some links are there because I am experimenting with different ways of presenting material. The important point is that you should not treat the links as a Powerpoint slide show, to be viewed from from first to last for an equal amount of time. You will learn in class which are the important links to understand.

The class is taught in synchronous mode.  This means that you will need to log into my zoom room (or room of Doom or whatever it is called this week) at the scheduled time for the class.  The reason is that you will get the opportunity to ask me questions, even simple ones.  Learning material is not like watching a TV show.  Also I can give you suggestions or alternatives if something blows up or your specific machine.  One good thing is that the material is permanently housed on http://www.appstate.edu/~steelekm.  If technical gremlins invade your machine then you can get the material later.

You may be asking yourself whether the classes will be recorded for your later viewing pleasure.  The basic answer is No.  There is a technical reason.  Each recording would require about 200 Mb per class and I am allocated 1Gb of space on the Zoom cloud server (5 classes maximum).  Since I teach more than 5 sessions per week then there is not a weeks worth of storage time for me per week.

You should have received the zoom link by email to your official appstate address.  You also received a link to connect to me for a virtual office meeting.  It is there for your use and there is no requirement to meet with me.

Usually I use multiple-choice tests during the semester.  These tests have been calibrated to what I can expect of you if we had an ordinary classroom experience.  These questions can't be used since everything is being thrown out to maintain the ASU goal of floating some form of instruction.  (Think of us faculty as musicians on the Titanic.)

This semester, tests will be in the form of 4 at-home essay exams.  The exams will be presented and collected on AsULearn (or AsUBurn or AsUChurn or AsUYearn, as it is known to some.) This is good for you in that you are given time to prepare a high-quality answer.  (And creative snark is always appreciated.)

Essay exams are bad for you if you need to know your exact grade the moment after you click on the "submit" button.  I read all questions and provide feedback to let you know where I saw problems in the quality of your answers.  That is a lot of reading and commenting time.

I will drop your lowest grade in the computation of your final grade.  The final letter grade will be assigned on a 10- point scale (100-90, A; 89-80, B; 79-70, C; 69-60, D; below 60, F). Pluses and minuses will be assigned for averages that are 2 points from a higher or 2 points from a lower grade (e.g., C+ for a 78 or 79, C- for a 70 or 71).

This is a synchronous course and attendance is required.  I can check attendance in a couple of ways. You are participating in a grand experiment.  How much can you learn using this mode of presentation?  If you are having systematic problems of access then let me know.  If you spend class time sleeping or playing Fortnite then don't expect much help.

Please, Please, Please ask questions. I know the online format will be intimidating for all of us but don�t let the moment of confusion pass by. Don�t worry about the rest of the class, your job is to make sure that you understand the material.  My job is to help all of you to succeed.