Grading: Grades will be assigned according to the quality of work presented by the students.Projects will be graded on the basis of rubrics developed for each project. Writing quality is expected to be at the graduate level. Several broad categories will contribute to the student's final grade: 

Class attendance, participation, & discussion	15%
BB Discussion participation	15%
Research Project Paper	20%
Research Project Presentation	10%
Final project	25%
Reflective Journal	15%

Grades will be based upon the following scale:

92.5 - 100	A
90 - 92.4	A-
87.5 - 89.9	B+
82.5 - 87.4	B
80 - 82.4	B-
77.5 - 79.9	C+
72.5 - 77.4	C
70 - 72.4	C-
below 69.9	F

Brief Descriptions of Assignments:

On-line Discussions: Students cannot pass this class without participating in the online discussion forums. Periodically one (or more) of your colleagues  - or even the instructor - will facilitate a class discussion on the week's topic. You are expected  to post a substantive  contribution to the discussion at that time.  Simply saying "hello"  or "I agree" is not considered to be a substantive contribution. Students must support their positions or begin a related topic or somehow add to the discussion when responding to each other's facilitations. Specific discussion topics will be posted in BB.

Reflective Journal.  Learning is a very personal endeavor; often the level of learning is not revealed through course assessment processes. The reflective journal is one tool that taps the more personal dimensions of learning. It is not a diary and it is not a log of daily events, although some elements of each may be present to ground the writing in the reflective journal. The reflective journal, for a course, should have as its focus the primary topic of the course. For example, a course on leadership should focus on leadership, one on the community college on community colleges, etc. The entries are dated and are more personal than in a formal paper. The general outline below may be used as a guide, but the student should not feel constrained by it. Use the SUBMIT HERE function in BB to submit the journal to the instructor by NOON on December 14.

Reflective journal basic outline:

* Introduction - opening comments, including the intent of the author

* Entries by date (entries for each day are not required)

- Topic for the entry.

- Thoughts

- Feelings

- Behaviors (observations of other's and one's own behavior)

- Key Learnings

* Summary of Key Learnings

Research Project: Each student will research the budget planning and appropriation process at a two-year public institution. This will include interviews of key personnel as well as a review of the planning and process documents utilized. Particular attention should be paid to the connection between institutional planning and budgeting. A project outline, assignment guidelines, and sample interview questions are provided in BB. Due Week 8, October 19

Research Project Presentation: Students will present their research project findings orally in class using Adobe Connect. Any powerpoints are to be submitted the day prior to the presentation.  Due Week 9, October 18, with presentation on October 19.

Final Project::  Each student will complete a budget for a two-year public college. A case study-type outline will be distributed and discussed during November. Pay particular information to justifying every decision you make. There are no absolute right or wrong answers. Again, the key is the justification you use to support your decision. Due Week 15, December 7

E-Mail and Blackboard Account: Students must activate and use their ODU student e-mail accounts. You will be responsible for checking your ODU account regularly during the semester and checking Blackboard at least twice a week for posted announcements and handouts. All students must have an activated ODU e-mail account and must appear on Blackboard no later than the first Friday of the semester. Since all class handouts are only available through Blackboard, it is imperative that each student confirms that his or her Blackboard account is working. It is the student's responsibility to work with OCCS in correcting any problem as the instructor is unable to correct these errors for the student. Students with problems activating their Blackboard account should immediately send an e-mail to OCCS at: occshelp@odu.edu. Blackboard can be accessed at: http://blackboard.odu.edu

Class Attendance & Participation:  In this course, students will become important resources for each other. Therefore, full class participation and completion of each reading assignment as well as each BB assignment are required. Students are expected to log in at the Adobe Connect class website 15 minutes prior to the beginning of class to allow time to troubleshoot any possible technology problems that might interfere with a student attending and participating in the class.

In this course, students will become important resources for each other. Therefore, full class participation and completion of each reading assignment as well as each BB assignment are required. Students are expected to arrive at the TTN broadcasts on time; attend entire class meetings; contribute to class discussions; and actively participate in activities, exercises, demonstrations, and practice sessions.  Videostreaming students are expected to log into class early to let the the instructor know you are there.