WELCOME TO INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

Fall 2025 PSY-1010-VO07

Mandatta, R. (Photographer). Into the rainforest, Ketchikan AK. [Photograph]. Private collection.

"There is no psychology; there is only biography and autobiography."

--Thomas S. Szasz, M.D.,

Dissident psychiatrist and author, The Myth of Mental Illness

Course Instructor: Robert Mandatta robert.mandatta@ccv.edu

Depending upon how fast you read, it could take over an hour to review and absorb the preparatory course materials. Don't skip this first step -- you must understand how this asynchronous course works to effectively post and participate in it. Start by carefully studying what follows.

Due to America's fascination with psychology, you already bring a wealth of knowledge to this timely subject, making you well equipped to learn more as you share what you already know. In fact much of the learning will stem directly from you and your student colleagues. I follow a teaching model that is based upon the old adage, "The best way to learn something is to teach it." So each week you'll be asked to teach us what you have learned about the assigned topic, using a variety of approaches that include applying psychological theory to case studies and your own experience. If you find this challenging at first, very quickly you'll become an expert at it. You'll also experiment with various learning styles and strategies, including using mixed media.

In fact much of the learning will stem directly from you and your student colleagues. I follow a teaching model that is based upon the old adage, "The best way to learn something is to teach it." So each week you'll be asked to teach us what you have learned about the assigned topic, using a variety of approaches that include applying psychological theory to case studies and your own experience. If you find this challenging at first, very quickly you'll become an expert at it. You'll also experiment with various learning styles and strategies, including using mixed media to enhance your text.

NEW TO ONLINE LEARNING? Several of you will be returning to college after a long break or taking your first online college course. This can be both exciting and intimidating, especially when coupled with learning how to navigate Canvas. So if you're feeling anxious, you are not alone. Many of your course colleagues are feeling the same way, as did most of us at the start of our first online course. I know I certainly did!

The good news is that online learning is quickly mastered, as you'll soon see. The key is to read my instructions carefully and to follow the lead of your more experienced course colleagues. In short, don't let any anxiety you may feel now get the better of you, for soon you'll feel comfortable and confident in this powerful learning medium.

Start by reading "In-Depth Intro to This Course," which is located in the Course Resources Module in Modules (on the left side of your screen). Study carefully this detailed description of how the course works and what you must do each week to succeed. After that, exploring and navigating the course should be both self-explanatory and intuitive.

If you know you have trouble comprehending complex text, which many people do, use ReadSpeaker. This free Canvas tool will read aloud the text to you while you read along with it. This is called multimodal learning--using two or more types of media that present the same content. It's very effective for understanding dense academic text and complex posting instructions. Try it, please, even if you are an advanced text reader. It boosts learning for everyone at every learning level.

Watch my brief tutorial on how to use ReadSpeaker: https://www.screencast.com/t/GiWL1oKPjHg

REVIEW THE COURSE RESOURCES MODULE: Familiarize yourself with each of the documents in the "Course Resources Module" in Modules. You'll use these pages throughout the term since they contain important information about things like "Free Week & Late Passes," as well as guides to embedding media and using AI, along with video tutorials about posting at Canvas.

Even though I've kept it to a minimum, there is a lot of information to retain, so you may want to print some of the documents (e.g., "Online Writing and Posting Tips") to have on hand when drafting your work and posting at our weekly Discussions.

CONSIDER HOW THEY DIFFER--PERSONAL REFLECTION v. CASE STUDY REPORT: Each week begins by posting a personal reflection in which you'll share your own experiences or your observations of others as they relate to the week's overall topic. What do you already know about it, either from an experiential or an observational perspective? References are optional, not required.

Each week you'll also post a formal case study report that focuses on assigned case studies while using different required references.

During the first half of the course you'll discuss and analyze the characters from our course case study novel, Lucky's Dream by Vermonter B.M. Ponzio.

(http://sundogstories.net/audio_frame_silent.htm)

During the second half, you'll find or create your own case studies, many drawn from personal experience.

We will not be using a textbook for this course. Instead, you'll rely on a variety of free online sources, including chapters from scholarly journal articles, instructional videos and lectures, podcasts, and other relevant media. These are the required references.

The case study report is academic with specific requirements, while the personal reflection is more informal with no word requirement, yet both are key to your learning in this course, as is the Discussion Q&A:

POST AT THE DISCUSSION: Plan on posting each week as early as Tuesday mornings and no later than 11:59 PM on the four deadline days:

Thursday: Personal reflection
Saturday: Case study report
Sunday: Responses to others’ work
Monday: Replies to ?s/comments about your work

TIP: You don't need to wait until the due day to post that assignment, but may post it at any time between Tuesday morning and when it's due.

As you'll soon see, by posting your own work at the Discussion, you'll shape and stimulate the week's Q&A. Then by interacting with each other about that work, everyone's learning will be enhanced and more deeply embedded into memory. Obviously, this peer-based, interactive process ends when the week does. For that reason, missed assignments cannot be made up, and you must move on to the new week.

PRACTICE APA CITATION STYLE: Some of you will be familiar with other citation systems (like MLA), but because this is a psychology course, you must include correct American Psychological Association (APA) citations and follow its writing style in your weekly case study reports. If you are new to APA, or need a refresher, go to "APA Citation & Style" in the Course Resources Module at Modules.

While you're welcome to work ahead, this is NOT a FLEX course, it's an asynchronous Online Course (https://ccv.edu/documents/2020/06/ccv-courses-glossary.pdf/) with set start/end days each week. Thus no early posting before Tuesday morning of the new week (or late posting after Monday)!

CHECK YOUR CCV EMAIL: All email messages -- including course announcements, evaluation notices, and personal emails from me to you -- will be sent to your CCV email address. Please start checking this regularly (or download the Outlook app to your devices: https://support.vsc.edu/email-messaging/accessing-your-email/ ).

READ THE COURSE ANNOUNCEMENTS: Each week I'll post one or more announcements to the class, which will be sent individually to your CCV email address. You'll also find them posted at the top of this Home page on personal computers, and in Announcements on all devices (on the left side of your screen).

ADD A PERSONAL IMAGE: If you haven't done so yet, before class starts please add a personal image (a photo, icon, or avatar of your choosing). Seeing an image next to your name will help me and your colleagues remember you more readily. Here are the instructions for adding a personal image: https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-10599-4212710334

DAZED AND CONFUSED? Although it's a bit dated, watch this quick tutorial about where and how to post at our Discussion forum:

There's a lot of information to absorb when the course starts, and it's not unusual for students new to Canvas to feel overwhelmed. If that's you, let me hear from you with your questions, concerns, confusions. I'm here to help. I often reply on the same day, and no later than the next day.

So join the Discussion and let me know about your challenges, personal or academic. Do these things, and no matter where you start the course in terms of skill level, by the end you will have enriched your knowledge of psychology while improving your academic, professional, and life skills.

See you at our Week One Discussion!

--Robert