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Graduate Course Proposal Form Submission Detail - SPA7497
Tracking Number - 5418

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Current Status: Approved by SCNS - 2016-08-01
Campus: Tampa
Submission Type: New
Course Change Information (for course changes only):
Comments: Required for PhD in CSD Cat Copy rec. to GC. Approved 5/23/16. Emailed to confirm repeat as 0. To USF Sys 5/23/16. to SCNS after 5/31/16. Effective 8/1/16


Detail Information

  1. Date & Time Submitted: 2016-03-16
  2. Department: Communication Sciences and Disorders
  3. College: BC
  4. Budget Account Number: 121900
  5. Contact Person: Jennifer Lister
  6. Phone: 8139749712
  7. Email: jlister@usf.edu
  8. Prefix: SPA
  9. Number: 7497
  10. Full Title: Proseminar in Communication Sciences and Disorders
  11. Credit Hours: 1
  12. Section Type: D - Discussion (Primarily)
  13. Is the course title variable?: N
  14. Is a permit required for registration?: Y
  15. Are the credit hours variable?: N
  16. Is this course repeatable?: Y
  17. If repeatable, how many times?: 2
  18. Abbreviated Title (30 characters maximum): Proseminar in CSD
  19. Course Online?: C - Face-to-face (0% online)
  20. Percentage Online: 0
  21. Grading Option: R - Regular
  22. Prerequisites:
  23. Corequisites:
  24. Course Description: Professional development seminar. Prepares doctoral students for a successful career in communication sciences and disorders. Topics include developing a research agenda, building a CV, teaching in higher education, balancing career and family, etc.

  25. Please briefly explain why it is necessary and/or desirable to add this course: Needed for program/concentration/certificate change
  26. What is the need or demand for this course? (Indicate if this course is part of a required sequence in the major.) What other programs would this course service? 5-10 Ph.D. students plus a few M.S. or Au.D. students each year.
  27. Has this course been offered as Selected Topics/Experimental Topics course? If yes, how many times? No
  28. What qualifications for training and/or experience are necessary to teach this course? (List minimum qualifications for the instructor.) Ph.D. in CSD or related area.
  29. Objectives: Course Objectives: This course will primarily consist of discussion with some lecture components. The major goal of this course is to help doctoral students with their career planning process. The content of the course will vary by semester and will include the following objectives:

    1. Identify competencies for teaching, supervising, and mentoring in university settings

    2. Identify research competencies and strategies for capitalizing on research opportunities including funding and publication/presentation

    3. Identify strategies to effectively manage an academic career in Communication Sciences and Disorders including career planning and work-home life balance

  30. Learning Outcomes: Student Learning Outcomes:

    At the end of this course, students will be able to:

    1. Develop a 3-5 year research plan for an area of interest that reflects career goals during and beyond graduate school.

    2. Develop an application package including a CV and teaching portfolio

    3. Identify appropriate employment opportunities given the student’s aspirational career plans.

  31. Major Topics: The Scientific Path

    Vita Workshop

    Keys to Success in Scientific Training

    Dissertation Research and Beyond

    Job Prospects and Search

    Balancing Career & Family

    Evaluating & Selecting Research Topics

    Post-Docs & Private Practice

    Presenting Your Research

    Teaching & Supervising in University settings

    Applying for NIH Grants

    Job talk presentations

    Research Mentoring

    Reviewing & Professional Service in your Career

  32. Textbooks: Required Texts:

    Prinstein, M. J. (Ed.) (2013). The portable mentor: Expert guide to a successful career in psychology (2nd edition). New York: Springer.

    Ludlow, C. L., & Kent, R. D. (2011). Building a research career. San Diego: Plural.

    Additional Recommended Resource:

    Ezell, H. K. (2002). Guide to success in doctoral study and faculty work. Rockville, MD: ASHA.

  33. Course Readings, Online Resources, and Other Purchases: http://www.quintcareers.com/curriculum_vitae.html
  34. Student Expectations/Requirements and Grading Policy: A Program of Studies is a first attempt to define anticipated professional areas of expertise and devise a tentative semester-by-semester plan to be undertaken during one’s doctoral program. We will discuss decision making related to that tool. To augment that process, students will complete three projects:

    1. Vita Development. Students will develop two versions of their current vitae (a standard academic vitae and an NIH Biosketch). Students also will prepare an expanded vita that reflects expected accomplishments at the time they graduate. (35% of grade)

    2. Job Prospect Identification. Students will explore advertisements for academic or research positions in the Chronicle of Higher Education and elsewhere to select jobs that they think might be of interest to them when they graduate. Students will draft a cover letter for an advertised position of interest. (20% of grade)

    3. Research Plan Development. Students will be asked to identify three different research areas that they would be interested in pursuing. Through a series of activities we will evaluate how one decides what constitutes a “good” research area. Many prospective employers are asking for applicants to provide a research plan. Students will draft such a plan for one of their proposed research areas. (35% of grade)

    4. Attendance and participation in class discussion (10% of grade). Attendance and participation is expected each week. Participation should reflect preparation in the form of reactions to weekly readings and assignments. Each student will be expected to guide one topic discussion during the semester. Each class period will be graded on a Pass/No Pass basis for that week.

    Grading Scale

    The plus/minus grading system will be utilized. Grades will be assigned on the basis of total points accumulated on the graded activities and assignments. The following grades are possible:

    Letter GPA Final grade

    A 4.0 93-100

    A- 3.7 90-93

    B+ 3.3 87-89

    B 3.0 83-86

    B- 2.7 80-82

    C+ 2.3 77-79

    C 2.0 73-76

    C- 1.7 70-72

    D+ 1.3 67-69

    D 1.0 63-66

    D- 0.7 60-63

    F -- below 60

  35. Assignments, Exams and Tests: 1. Vita Development. Students will develop two versions of their current vitae (a standard academic vitae and an NIH Biosketch). Students also will prepare an expanded vita that reflects expected accomplishments at the time they graduate. (35% of grade)

    2. Job Prospect Identification. Students will explore advertisements for academic or research positions in the Chronicle of Higher Education and elsewhere to select jobs that they think might be of interest to them when they graduate. Students will draft a cover letter for an advertised position of interest. (20% of grade)

    3. Research Plan Development. Students will be asked to identify three different research areas that they would be interested in pursuing. Through a series of activities we will evaluate how one decides what constitutes a “good” research area. Many prospective employers are asking for applicants to provide a research plan. Students will draft such a plan for one of their proposed research areas. (35% of grade)

    4. Attendance and participation in class discussion (10% of grade). Attendance and participation is expected each week. Participation should reflect preparation in the form of reactions to weekly readings and assignments. Each student will be expected to guide one topic discussion during the semester. Each class period will be graded on a Pass/No Pass basis for that week.

  36. Attendance Policy: Regular attendance in class is required, which is essential to ensuring a balanced and comprehensive discussion of course materials and to maintain continuity in group discussions. Any absences should be discussed with the instructor in advance, and they should be well justified and kept to a minimum. Students are expected to arrive at class on time and remain in the classroom until class is completed. If there are special circumstances in which a student needs to arrive late or leave early, these should be discussed with the instructor in advance.

    Course Attendance at First Class Meeting – Policy for Graduate Students: For structured courses, 6000 and above, the College/Campus Dean will set the first-day class attendance requirement. Check with the College for specific information. This policy is not applicable to courses in the following categories: Educational Outreach, Open University (TV), FEEDS Program, Community Experiential Learning (CEL), Cooperative Education Training, and courses that do not have regularly scheduled meeting days/times (such as, directed reading/research or study, individual research, thesis, dissertation, internship, practica, etc.). Students are responsible for dropping undesired courses in these categories by the 5th day of classes to avoid fee liability and academic penalty. (See USF Regulation – Registration - 4.0101,

    http://usfweb2.usf.edu/usfgc/ogc%20web/currentreg.htm)

    Attendance Policy for the Observance of Religious Days by Students: In accordance with Sections 1006.53 and 1001.74(10)(g) Florida Statutes and Board of Governors Regulation 6C-6.0115, the University of South Florida (University/USF) has established the following policy regarding religious observances: (http://usfweb2.usf.edu/usfgc/gc_pp/acadaf/gc10-045.htm)

    In the event of an emergency, it may be necessary for USF to suspend normal operations. During this time, USF may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that include but are not limited to: Blackboard, Elluminate, Skype, and email messaging and/or an alternate schedule. It’s the responsibility of the student to monitor Blackboard site for each class for course specific communication, and the main USF, College, and department websites, emails, and MoBull messages for important general information.

  37. Policy on Make-up Work: Make-up work will be allowed per instructor approval.

    As in other professional disciplines, the reputations of the fields of behavioral and community sciences hinge on the collective integrity of persons working in them. It is assumed that graduate students taking this class will live up to the highest levels of academic honesty. If the instructor has reason to believe a student is cheating or being academically dishonest, proceedings may be instituted to have the student dismissed from the program and/or the University (see current USF catalog). An F received as a result of academic dishonesty can automatically provide grounds for dismissal from graduate programs at USF. A class cannot be repeated in which a student receives an F as a result of academic dishonesty is not repeatable. To ensure academic integrity, plagiarism tracking software (Turnitin) will be used to examine all written assignments, including required papers. USF has an account with this automated plagiarism detection service, which allows instructors to submit student assignments to be checked for plagiarism. Written materials are automatically compared with a very large database of journal and web articles and previously submitted papers. The instructor will receive a report for each set of written material submitted, indicating the precise proportion of a student's paper that has been plagiarized or duplicated from another source. Students are required to be familiar with the Academic Integrity of Students Policy (document # USF3.027: (http://regulationspolicies.usf.edu/regulations/pdfs/regulation-usf3.027.pdf)

  38. Program This Course Supports: Ph.D. in CSD
  39. Course Concurrence Information:


- if you have questions about any of these fields, please contact chinescobb@grad.usf.edu or joe@grad.usf.edu.