Scholars Forum (HONR 2000)

Overarching Objectives 

  • Scholars Forum seeks to de-mystify the university experience and give outstanding, first-year scholars the cultural, political and social capacity necessary not only to navigate the university system successfully but also to excel.
  • Scholars Forum provides students with a direct link to Central Administration via the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies & Research.
  • Scholars Forum illuminates opportunities for students to undertake hands-on learning such as undergraduate research; to compete for nationally and internationally prestigious scholarships.
  • Scholars Forum serves as a gateway for official entry into the Honors Program and “counts” toward your “Honors Degree.”
  • Because Scholars Forum is an online course, it provides an introduction to using Blackboard, which will be useful in a number of other university courses. 

Course Description

This course is available on Blackboard, a course management system that many classes on campus use, which means you can access it via your own PC or any USU computer lab.  There are no face-to-face class meetings.  This is a 13-week, 1-credit graded course.  To receive an ‘A,’ which is the typical grade, complete the assignments as outlined below in a conscientious manner.  If you complete the course successfully, you will not only be finished by Thanksgiving break, but you will also be prepared to successfully navigate your way through your entire USU experience. 

Course Breakdown

There are a number of interactive assignments in this class; you will complete several required assignments and a few that will be your choice.  Some of these are more intensive than others and will require more time to complete; others can be worked on at any time.  The specific due dates can be found in the Calendar Section of Blackboard with the first assignment due Week One.  Please familiarize yourself with the specific requirements and due dates.  The assignments were designed to help you focus on:

  • Navigating and understanding the university system
  • Choosing a major, planning you academic career, and meeting advisors
  • Participating is social and academic activities
  • Familiarizing yourself with the campus, local area, and the many resources available to students at USU
  • Learning about opportunities for scholarships, fellowships, and hand-on learning 

Assignments

A Sample of Required Assignments

  • Introduce Yourself to your Classmates
  • Treasure Hunt Quiz
  • Develop Your Goals Profile
  • Customizing Your Education
  • Choosing Your Pathway – apply to Honors or decline the opportunity
  • Letter to the Professor about Freshman Experience

A Sample of Possible “Your Choice” Assignments

  • Attend a Forum to Learn about opportunities outside of class in your field of study
  • Focus Groups allow you to meeting face-to-face with the instructor to talk about your freshman experience
  • Paying for College offers information about your options for financing your education
  • Letter to a Teacher is a Thanksgiving activity to express appreciation to a past teacher in grades K-12
  • Letter to a Freshman is advice to help next year’s new freshmen by sharing what you’ve learned
  • Philanthropy, Scholarship, and Responsibility
  • Attend a Student Panel
  • Participate in a Service Activity

Instructors

The instructor of record for this class is Dr. Chrisite Fox, Director of Honors. Contact information: christie.fox@usu.edu 435-797-2715; Old Main 015 (Honors Office)

The Course Manager is Corey Clawson (corey.clawson@usu.edu).  He can be contacted if you have any technical problems or questions about Blackboard.

Three Honors Fellows service as peer mentors to you for this course. The Honors Fellows are “graduates” of Scholars Forum.  They will monitor your work, but more importantly they can be called on for advice and help.  Your Honors Fellow will be contacting you before the first week of classes. 

Whom should you go to with questions?

  • If you have any questions about assignments, grades, or due dates, contact your Honors Fellow.
  • If you are having trouble with the class website or Blackboard, email the Course Manager.
  • If you are having basic technical problems, you can contact the USU Service Desk for assistance.
  • If you have questions about the Honors Program, please visit the Honors website or email Honors at honors@usu.edu.
  • Dr. Fox is the instructor for this class; if you have questions about issues not resolved by the above list, do not hesitate to be in touch with her.

Importance of Frequent Contact and Communication

Because we will not be meeting face-to-face regularly as a class, it is important that you visit the class website often and check your email frequently – daily, in fact.  We will contact you using your USU Aggiemail account, and failing to check it may result in missed opportunities and problems with assignments.  Completing your assignments sooner rather than later is always wise and less stressful.

Getting Started

We plan to give students access to Blackboard beginning the Wednesday of Connections week. In order to gain access to the USU Blackboard system you will need a Blackboard UserID and password.  Your UserID is your BANNER ID (Student ID number, starting with A) and your password is your BANNER PIN. [Banner ‘s USU name is ACCESS.]

Go to http://bb.usu.edu and then enter your UserID and password in the spaces provided. You will then be taken to a page listing all Blackboard courses in which you are enrolled.  If asked if you TRUST the system, always CLICK on TRUST. Do read the information about setting up your computer first.  This is called Please Check Your Browser. There is a CHECK BROWSER button at the top of your Blackboard Log-In page.

Please do not hesitate to contact your Honors Fellow or the Course Manager if you have questions or concerns about using the online classroom environment.  There are a lot of people to help you!