The purpose of Critical Thinking and Study Skills (CTSS) is to help you harness the power within you and use it to meet your goals. Along the way, you will learn how to recognize and strengthen your learning skills and apply these to situations outside the classroom. Additionally, you will develop writing skills that will be useful to you both in the academic sphere and the workplace. Most importantly, this course will introduce you to critical thinking and how it is used by everyone to navigate the world, overcome obstacles, and make decisions on a daily basis.
Course Overview
Many of the lessons in this course will help you to improve the skills you already have, even those you are unaware of, and connect them to real-world situations. While this course is graded and an integral part of your academic career, our intention is to provide you with the power to meet your goals after graduation by implementing several useful techniques, resources, and processes introduced in the lessons. More than just another course on the path toward graduation, CTSS provides you with tools to achieve lifetime success.
Course Objectives
The objective of this course is that students will be able to
Develop goal-setting skills and their application to academic learning
Understand metacognition, how it can be used in their learning goals, and apply it to their lives
Learn and practice critical thinking skills both in and out of the classroom
Develop paragraph and essay writingskills
Learn how to use the Learning Library
Use a rubric to meet assignment expectations
Required Materials
There are no outside materials required for this course.
Technical Requirements
The most up-to-date requirements can be found here:
audio and video recording capabilities (e.g. smartphone, camera)
Quizzes & Assignments
There are submitted assignments after Lessons 1,3,7, and 9. The midterm exam has two parts: objective and performance. The objective portion covers information from Lessons 1-5. The performance portion is a Dream Board Project that incorporates all the skills and concepts you have learned in the first half of this course. The final exam also consists of two parts: objective and performance. The objective portion covers information from Lessons 6-10. The performance portion is an original essay. You begin work on this in Lesson 10 and use what you have completed as a part of your final exam submission.
You should submit all assigned work in sequence (Lesson 1, then Lesson 2, etc.) Assignments for the course are listed at the bottom of this syllabus.
Quizzes
Quizzes are taken online. After you submit them, you’ll quickly receive a report on how you did. Unlike exams, you may use any assigned readings, your notes, and other course-related materials to complete graded quizzes and assignments. Please note that graded quizzes cannot be retaken.
Assignments
Assignments may require you to submit your completed work in the form of a file (such as a text document, image, audio or video recording, or multimedia presentation) or a hyperlink for grading. Please ask questions if you need help converting a file or do not understand the expectations.
Reading and Using Feedback
After your work has been graded, you will receive a report that provides individualized feedback and comments on your work. Look carefully at what you missed and read any corresponding feedback. Then study the lesson materials to make certain that you can accomplish the associated learning objectives.
Each lesson provides step-by-step instructions on how to submit your work. Be sure to check submitted work carefully for errors (e.g. spelling, grammar, and punctuation) as they may result in points being deducted. Our policy does not allow for resubmissions after a grade has been awarded.
Exams
You are required to take two proctored exams for this course.
See the "About Exams" in the policies section for additional information on exams at Mizzou Academy.
Grades
Your final grade will be based on the number of points you earn on assignments and exams.
Grading Scale
Grade
Percentage
A
90–100
B
80–89
C
70–79
D
60–69
F
0–59
After completing the course, unofficial transcripts will be available in the Tiger Portal. See this page for information on requesting official transcripts.
Getting Started Resources (Canvas and Other Resources)
View the content below to learn more about each of these elements and how they work in your Mizzou Academy Canvas course.
If you are on a mobile device, download the Canvas mobile apps. With the apps, you can access all your courses using the Canvas mobile app, "Canvas By Instructure." Go to Google Play to download the Android version and iTunes to download the iOS version.
The Citing Sources Interactive Tutorial to help you with learning how to cite your sources as well as inform you about what plagiarism is, what it isn't, and how to avoid it.
Netiquette—short for "network etiquette" or "Internet etiquette"—is a set of guidelines for how to communicate appropriately on the web. As a Mizzou Academy student, you will be expected to follow these guidelines in your interactions with your instructor and fellow students.
Be respectful. Online, as in life, the Golden Rule applies: Treat others as you would like to be treated. There are effective ways to disagree with someone without being insulting. Keep in mind that sarcasm can sometimes be misinterpreted.
Use appropriate language. Avoid foul language and rude or vulgar comments.
Use proper grammar and spelling. Typos and spelling mistakes are bound to happen, but excessive errors are distracting. Use a browser with a built-in spell checker if you need help!
Respect others' privacy. Do not quote or forward personal messages or information without the original author's permission.
Avoid plagiarism. It is never acceptable to copy and paste the work of others and call it your own. Be sure to cite your sources correctly.
Some assignments will provide templates for you to complete, and the templates may be available as a Word file (.docx, .doc). Even though these .docx or .doc files are native to Word, it is possible to open them without owning the program. You can still work with Microsoft Office files even if you don't have Office installed by using Google Docs.
Open with Google Docs
Navigate to docs.google.com in your Web browser. Log in with your Google account. If you do not have a Gmail address or some other type of Google account, select the Create account link. Once you create your account, log in.
Select +New > File Upload
Navigate to the location of the Word document on your computer and select the file. Alternatively, you can drag and drop a file from your computer directly into the web browser for an easy upload.
Once the file uploads, you will be able to access it in Google docs.
Select File > Save As Google Docs
Google then converts the Word file into a Google doc and you can begin editing.
After you've finished editing your file, download and export your document back into a Microsoft Word or PDF Document format by selecting File > Download > select the Microsoft Word I.docx) or PDF Document (.pdf) option.
Turnitin is a plagiarism detection service that is integrated with Canvas. It allows instructors and students to view an Originality Report of written work or other homework assignments. The system is designed to facilitate feedback between instructors and students on written work.
The University of Missouri has a license agreement with Turnitin.com, a service that helps detect plagiarism by comparing student papers with Turnitin's database and Internet sources. Students who take this course agree that all required papers may be submitted to Turnitin.com.
Students who submit papers to Turnitin retain the copyright to the work they created. A copy of submitted papers is retained in a Turnitin database archive to be compared with future submissions—a practice that helps protect and strengthen copyright ownership. Use of the Turnitin service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on Turnitin's website at https://help.turnitin.com/Privacy_and_Security/Privacy_and_Security.htm.
Mizzou Academy uses Turnitin, which provides tools for assignments. One of these tools is the "originality check." Note that it is not called a "plagiarism detector." That is because ONLY an instructor can determine plagiarism.
For example, it could be that you get a 100% match (in red) on your submission. However, perhaps you are working in a group or your instructor had you submit something multiple times to different assignments within the same course. Or perhaps your class is filling out a worksheet, so all of the worksheet components would be "not original" but your content would be.
If you are concerned about any results that you are confused about, feel free to discuss this with your teacher.
Turnitin Guide - Accepted File Types and Size
Turnitin has restrictions on file types and size. The Turnitin Guide will outline things to consider before submitting a file, such as its size, word count, and format.
There are many ways you can submit audio and video recordings for a Mizzou Academy course in Canvas. Your course content may refer to Audacity. (Links to an external site.)However, you don't need to use Audacity to make an mp3 recording for your course. After all, there are many programs and apps on computers and mobile devices that will do just that!
The only way for you to present quality speeches (and other multimedia) to your Mizzou teacher is by uploading a video of yourself. Therefore, it's incredibly important that the audio and video quality is good enough that your instructor can see and hear everything clearly. You might all be in different environments using various types of cameras, so rather than attempting to teach you about specific cameras, we're going to concentrate on things like lighting, background, setup and stabilization, and audio.
Lighting and Background
Use a distraction-free background
Face windows with natural light
Avoid overhead lights when indoors
Use a lamp or two for additional lighting
Watch back your video to see how it looks
Keep trying, keep learning, and keep having fun
Setup and Stabilization
Don't shoot handheld
Use anything that can safely hold the camera steady
Shoot video in the quietest room at the quietest time of day
Turn everything off (cell phone, TV, radio, fans, etc.)
Get closer to the camera
Avoid noisy habits (hand rubbing, clapping, etc.)
Use an external microphone
Setting Up Your YouTube (Or Other Video) Account
If you already have a Gmail account, then you have a YouTube account, but in case you don't, getting your account set up is the first step. Just go to gmail.com and create an account to get started. Work with a trusted adult or parent.
Creator Studio
On thing to note is that you can access all of your channel's videos and privacy settings through the Creator Studio. To locate this area in your account, select the icon in the upper right corner (where you logged in) and you should see the option for Creator Studio under your login name. You will be taken to the dashboard area for your account. There are a few different areas available you should be aware of:
Video Manager
This section houses all of the videos on your account. You can also create playlists (lists or groups of videos with a similar topic or theme).
Channel
Your content settings are located with the majority of your video and content settings. It is also where you can determine the privacy of your videos. If you access on Upload Defaults in this section, it will give you the options that you can set for all future uploads. Changing the privacy to Unlisted means that anyone with the link will be able to view your video but it won't be searchable to the public.
Create
This section isn't required, but it's good to be aware that this area provides a basic video editor where you can make minor adjustments to your videos as well as add copyright free background music.
Uploading a Video
Now that your account is setup, you are ready to upload your video. Here are the steps you will need to follow:
Select Upload in the upper right-hand corner of the screen
Either drag & drop the video file into the box or select the gray arrow to select it from your files. You will notice that the privacy box will already be set to unlisted based on your privacy settings
This will automatically begin the upload once the file is selected, taking you to a new window:
Make sure the title box is correctly filled out
Descriptions and tags are usually left blank unless the video is public
Thumbnails This is what viewers will see when they first pull up your video. You can choose from a few automatic image selections, or you can upload your image
Once the video finishes uploading, processing, and you selected the titles/thumbnails, select "Done
The link to share your video will appear. Copy and paste this link to turn in your video.
Getting Your Videos Into the Course: Uploading
If you are comfortable with recording video, transferring the file to your computer, and then uploading, this is the preferred method because some assignments (such as video journals) will have you recording multiple videos for one assignment. One problem you may run into is a camera that creates an incredibly large file. In such cases, you may need to convert the file to make it smaller.
File Conversion
Some cameras record videos that create very large file sizes. Depending on your internet connection, these larger files might have problems uploading. In these cases, you might need to convert the video to a smaller version. Look for a free video converter like Any Video Converter or Format Factory to help you.
Getting Your Videos Into the Course: Direct Recording
Canvas does allow you to record via webcam directly into Canvas. However, this will not be available when multiple videos are required. Another reason to shy away from this method is that if you have a hiccup in your internet connection or your computer freezes, your video will be lost, and you will have to rerecord everything. Just to save the hassle, it's better to either upload a file or provide a link to an unpublished YouTube video.
Images may not appear if you open an .RTF file on a Mac using Pages or other text-editing software. View the macOS User Guide for instructions on how to change the app used to open a file.
For more on taking quizzes and exams, visit Quizzes in the Canvas Student Guide.
NOTE: Read your Syllabus and the Quiz and Exam instructions for your course so that you are aware of the policies and how a quiz and exam is setup. The Quizzes link may not be in the course navigation menu in your course and only accessible by accessing Modules and selecting the pertinent lesson.
What is an "objective examination?" Objective means that there IS a right answer (or answers), and you either get things right or wrong. An example is a multiple-choice quiz or exam. This section is here to provide you with tips on how to take objective examinations, or "exams."
Many people worry about how to do well when taking objective examinations. What does What follows are some simple suggestions that should help you to do your best.
What do you do when you know the answer? Silly question, right? You mark it!
What do you do when you don’t know the answer? This is what you want to hear!
First, you need to remember that our quizzes and exams are based on the number of right answers out of the total possible. So you should answer every question, even if it’s a guess. There are four answer choices, so your odds when you guess are 1 in 4. That is, on average, you should get 1 out of every 4 guesses correct.
How do you narrow the odds, to make them more in your favor? If you are able to eliminate one or more of the answers as definitely wrong, you have done just that. When you are guessing which answer is correct out of 3, then you could get one-third of your guesses correct. When you are guessing between two, you could get half of them right.
What if you see an answer choice that you absolutely have never seen before? There is a very good chance it is a wrong answer, and you can eliminate it. Remember, you’ve read over and studied the material. Most of the time you will know if something doesn’t belong.
Does the answer make sense? A correct answer always makes sense. Incorrect choices may, or may not. So if a choice does not make sense in relation to the question, it is probably a wrong answer.
Do not spend a lot of time on a question that is giving you trouble. Move on, and come back to it later. Many times, you will find something in a later question or answer choice that helps you to select the answer to a question you skipped over. This is known as making the test work FOR YOU.
Above all, relax! You have been over the material. It is all in your head. Just take a deep breath and go at it. YOU CAN DO IT!
Many students develop their own tricks to help themselves on objective tests. What you see above can assist you. But you may also rely on whatever works for you.
It is not unusual for people to be nervous about taking an essay exam. You will have to decide what the question means, search through the memory banks of your brain, recall information that relates to the question, and then write something that is well organized and clear. What follows are some tips that just might make this process a little less scary.
Let’s start with an essay question.
An essay question may be fairly short, perhaps only one paragraph. They may also be longer, requiring several paragraphs to answer. No matter how short, or long, the essay needs to be, the process is the same. As an example, we’ll use a topic that is “medium.”
The framers of the Constitution of the United States established the Electoral College system, which provides an indirect method of electing the President. This system should be changed to permit the direct election of the President, so the candidate who receives the greatest number of the popular vote to win election. Agree or disagree.
Great! Now what?
This may seem pretty long. But you need to remember that you do not have to deal with everything in the statement. The first thing you need to do is identify what you have to answer, and what you can ignore. The question statement is reproduced below, with the parts you have to consider highlighted.
The framers of the Constitution of the United States established the Electoral College system, which provides an indirect method of electing the President. This system should be changed to permit the direct election of the President, so the candidate who receives the greatest number of the popular vote to win the election. Agree or disagree.
While everything else in the question is relevant to the topic, you are being asked to support the Electoral College system (indirect election) or the popular vote (direct election).
Next?
Write down a brief outline of what you need to do. It would be best if you did this in order.
Introduction: State your position. Do you agree or disagree. Give an explanation of why you have chosen your position.
Body Paragraph: Explain your first reason for your position. You might also want to state why the method you did NOT choose falls short.
Body Paragraph: Explain your second reason for your position. Again, you could state why the method you did NOT choose falls short.
Body Paragraph:Explain your third reason, if you have one, along with why the method you did NOT choose falls short.
Conclusion: Restate your reasons for your position. This is when you drive your arguments home.
What are we saying here?
There is a very simple way to look at essay writing. No matter if the essay is one paragraph, or five, or ten. You do the same three things.
Tell the readers what you are going to tell them (introduction).
Tell them (body).
Tell the readers what you told them (conclusion).
And in conclusion….
This process can be very helpful. You need to remember: you are probably not going to be expected to respond to every word in the essay topic. That’s why it’s important to identify what you need to consider. While essays from different classes will look different, the approach to them is pretty much the same. You can even practice this skill on your own, creating topics on things with which you are familiar. The more you practice, the easier it becomes.
Mizzou Academy offers the convenience of 100% online proctoring through the Examity platform. This innovative virtual proctoring solution allows you to easily schedule proctoring appointments instead of searching for an in-person proctor for your exam.
Please note that Examity requires a fee for its services. Explore the Online Proctoring with Examity module in the course for additional information.
Examity v5 Proctoring System Requirements
Browser: Google Chrome – please disable your pop-up blocker. Ensure that the machine you are using, whether it be Windows, Mac, or Chromebook, has the ability to install Chrome browser (current stable and first preceding version).
Operating System: macOS X 10.5 or higher, Windows Vista or higher, ChromeOS. Examity does not support Linux
Hardware: Desktop, laptop, or Chromebook (tablets and mobile are not supported) ► Built-in or external webcam ► Built-in or external microphone ► Built-in or external speakers
Internet: A required upload and download speed of 2Mbps, with 10Mbps preferred. Hot spots are not recommended.
The calendar video introduces you to the Canvas Calendar and shows you how you can stay organized by scheduling your own events.
Mizzou Academy Policies Policies
Academic Integrity
Our academic integrity policy at Mizzou Academy is based on our values of ethical behavior, learning, and giving all stakeholders the benefit of the doubt. Collaboration, research, and technical literacy are vital 21st-century skills when combined with academic integrity.
Definitions
Mizzou Academy's academic integrity policy is aligned with the University of Missouri’s academic integrity policy. The definitions of what constitutes "cheating" and "plagiarism"are posted on the Provost’s Advising Council’s webpage which can be found here: https://advising.missouri.edu/policies/academic-integrity.
Issues Involving Violations of Academic Integrity
If, when completing any of your assignments or exams for this course, you are found to have demonstrated cheating or plagiarism as defined above, this is a violation of academic integrity. At your teacher's discretion, violations of academic integrity may be subject to either or both of the following actions:
receiving a zero for the assignment or exam
receiving an F for the course
Accessibility
If you anticipate barriers related to the format or requirements of this course, please let Mizzou Academy know as soon as possible. If disability-related accommodations are necessary (for example, a scribe, reader, extended time on exams, captioning), please contact Mizzou Academy.
About Exams at Mizzou Academy*
*This section describes the policies of exams at Mizzou Academy. This section only applies if you have exams in your course. See the section above to see if you have exams.
ABOUT EXAMS
Your exams are online. It is your responsibility to schedule your exams.
During exams, unless otherwise noted, you are not allowed to navigate away from the exam or use any other resources. If you deviate from the exam guidelines without proper prior permission, it is considered cheating on an exam.
SCHEDULING EXAMS
Global Courses
Mizzou Academy values fair testing and assessment to determine that students master essential course concepts and skills. During a proctored exam, tests are supervised by an impartial individual (a proctor) to help ensure that all exams maintain academic integrity. You will need to use a Mizzou Academy approved proctor. Please see the Exam Proctoring webpage for more information.
Choose a proctor and make arrangements for taking the exam.
At least 2 weeks prior to taking your exam, submit your proctor information to Mizzou Academy
You will be sent an email notice indicating if your chosen proctor has been approved or denied.
Arrive at your proctor’s testing site at the scheduled time with a photo ID. At testing time, you will log into your Mizzou Academy account and select the exam for your proctor to access and administer.
Global Classroom Courses
If you are taking a global classroom course, work with your local teacher to identify your date of the exam and how you will be proctored. You do not need to request an exam date with the above form.
HOW TO PREPARE FOR EXAMS
Complete and review all assignments.
Review the learning objectives; make sure you can accomplish them.
Be prepared to explain any key terms and concepts.
Review all the lessons, exercises, and study questions.
Review any feedback and/or comments on your assignments and previous exams; look up answers to any questions you missed.
The syllabus page shows a table-oriented view of the course schedule, and the basics of
course grading. You can add any other comments, notes, or thoughts you have about the course
structure, course policies or anything else.
To add some comments, click the "Edit" link at the top.