Frequently Asked Questions - please read through these completely!

What are the Pre-requisites for your courses?

* Psyc 100, General Psychology: English 101 is recommended.
* Psyc 200, Lifespan Development Psychology: General Psychology or a bachelor's degree.
* Psyc 222, Physiological Psychology: General Psychology or General Biology is required; English 101 is strongly recommended.

How do I get an entrance code for the class next quarter?
The instructor does not give out entrance codes. Please go to the Advising Office and determine how to become eligible for a class requiring an entrance code. If you are attempting to get into Lifespan Psychology (Psyc 200), Introduction to Psychology (e.g., psych 101) is required. If you have successfully passed Intro to Psych, please send your official transcripts to the school, NSCC Registration, and they will let you enroll for the class without an add-code.

Is there room available in the course?
You can find the current enrollment for classes in Psychology taught by me at North Seattle CC here.

May I overload a class that has filled?
With the unemployment rising, more students are enrolling in college.  For Autumn 2009, our College was 100% enrolled the week before classes began, which means most sections were full with long waitlists.  If you are low on the waitlist you should expect to not find room in the course.  At best I'll be accepting the first 2 or 3 students on the waitlist.  Typically I don't allow overloads and so chances are that if you are on the waitlist, you will not be enrolled in my courses.

What is the textbook and is it required?

For all courses, the textbook is required.

• For General Psychology (Psyc 100): Psychology: Making Connections, 1^st ed. By Gregory Feist and Erika Rosenberg.
• For Lifespan Development Psychology (Psyc 200): The Developing Person Through the Life Span, 7th ed. by Kathleen Stassen Berger. 
• For Physiological Psychology (Psyc 222): Biological Psychology, 5^th ed. by Breedlove, Rosenzweig and Watson.

If you order a book online, you may want to pay extra for expedited shipping.  It can take weeks for a book to arrive via mail, and you are expected to keep up with the reading from the first day of the course. 

Do papers have to be submitted in person?

All exams and assignments will be submitted online, using WebCT courseware.

Where can I find a syllabus?

The syllabus will be available at least one day prior to the start of the quarter, on the front page of the course website.

How should I study for this course?

I strongly recommend taking notes as you read the textbook.  Specifically, I tell students to outline the readings.  This practice will help you to review and think about what you have read, while also helping to mentally organize the material.  Writing an outline by hand is particularly helpful, as it engages several parts of your brain, helping you to encode stronger memories for the material.

When it comes time to study for a test, you should review the learning objectives and/or review sheet provided, to determine whether you have fully reached a complete understanding of the material.  Be sure you can explain, in detail, each of the terms and concepts listed.  (Hint: recognizing the terms is not sufficient!  You must be able to explain each one, in detail!)

May I get started and study before the class begins?

If you can get the textbook early, you may get a head start by reading Chapter 1.

My financial aid needs verification; how do I get a signature?

Your instructor will send an email to the financial aid office upon request after the course has started.

I am a tuition waiver student. May I get early permission to register or have space saved for me?

Tuition waiver students are only able to enroll on the 6th day of the quarter so that paying students have first shot at getting a seat in the class. With the economy as it is, there is a larger number of tuition paying students that will probably fill up the class.  Tuition waiver students may not bump paying students. What I can do is have the Distance Learning Staff create an online account for you in so that you can participate in the course while you wait to enroll. Keep in mind, however, that having an online account in no way means that you are or will be officially registered in the course.

How do I find out what grade I received on a test or assignment?

All grades will be posted in your grade book, on WebCT, accessible through the course website.  Specific details on how final grades are calculated are provided in the syllabus.

 Why won't my computer work with WebCT?

One problem with WebCT is that it interacts differently with different computer operating systems and configurations (e.g., security).  Most of the commercial software for online courses is written with the assumption that you use Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer.  Unfortunately, your professor is neither a computer scientist, nor any more tech-savvy than the average person.  If you don't understand your computer’s operating system or security settings, it's is likely that I won’t be of much help, and contacting me about computing problems will really only delay getting the help that you need.  Luckily, the Distance Learning department can help trouble-shoot computing issues, as they are well-versed in the workings of online course software.  If you have trouble accessing parts of the course, it is up to you to contact Distance Learning directly for help with the issue. 

Do I need to go to class?

Statistically speaking, those who attend class regularly have the highest course grades.  That said, if you cannot attend a class for any reason, you should contact another student ASAP to get the notes and any other important information that you have missed in class.

I come to class every day, but my grade is not as good as I would like.  Why?

Just coming to class won’t magically give you good grades.  If you are not getting the grades you are aiming for, something is still missing.  Examine your behaviors in class and out.  In class are you: paying attention?  Taking notes?  Asking questions?  These are steps in the right direction.  Texting, surfing the internet, talking to your neighbors, reading the newspaper, doing work for another class, while in class are not likely to improve your understanding of the course material any more than if you were not in class.

Outside of class, you should review your notes daily and keep up with the reading.  It is strongly recommended that you take extra steps to organize the information into your own words.  Creating outlines of the material to combine the information from the lectures and readings is a very effective way to review and organize the vast amount of information provided in this course.

How will I be graded?

Specific assignment and test requirements change periodically.  Please see your syllabus for accurate information for the current quarter's requirements.  The standard grading equation remains the same from quarter to quarter.  To determine GPA, calculate your percentage grade, subtract 55, and divide by 10.  According to this equation, a 95% or better results in a 4.0, and grades below 62% receive a 0.0.

Is this grading scale standard?

Yes, this is a commonly used grading scale at the college level.

My test grade(s) is/are not as good as I would like, can you help me?

Absolutely!  Your instructor is available to help you examine and revise your study skills to come up with a study plan that is efficient and effective.  Please make an appointment to see me if you are having trouble with the course.  Do not wait until you have done poorly on 2 or 3 tests… contact me early to get help!

I didn't do very well on the first exam.  Will I do better on the next exam?

All of the course exams are very similar in their level of difficulty, and the class average on each exam is typically within a few points of the average for every other exam.  How you do on one exam is highly indicative of how you will do on the other exams, if you employ the same study strategies.  If you did will – keep doing the same thing!  If you didn't do so well, please talk to your instructor for help in revising your study strategy in order to bring up your future grades.

Is the course graded on a curve?

No.

I didn't get the grade I wanted for the course.  Can you change the grading scale or my grade for me?

No.  The grading scale is printed in the syllabus, posted prior to the first day of class.  Your grade is based on the points earned in the class.  It is in no way impacted by how much your professor likes you, how stressful your life is, how badly you want to get into University X, how sad your story is, etc.  Your grade, like everyone else’s grade, is based solely on points earned in the course.

I don't like a course policy.  Can you change it for me? 

No.  The syllabus posted prior to the first day of class outlines the course policies for the quarter.  By remaining enrolled in the course, a student signifies that he/she agrees with the policies of the course.  It is the student's option to either accept these boundaries and participate in the course, or to remove themselves if they are unable to accept the way that the course is run.  Policies will not be changed to meet the needs of an individual.