University of Texas at El Paso

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY AND SPECIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENTSPED 3340/31645

Students with Severe/Profound Disabilities I. Descriptive Information:

a.Course number: SPED 3340-will be 100% online, no classes will be held virtually. All work will be done online at student pace.

b. Course name: Students with Severe/Profound Disabilitiesc. Catalog Description: This course is designed to focus on characteristics,

history, and educational implications concerning teaching students with severe and profound disabilities. Includes topics concerning “best practice” teaching methods; collaboration with school, home, and agencies; assessment, generalization, inclusion; health and related services, and transition into community settings.

d. Instructor: Georgina Miramontes, M. Ed RPED 1826 email: gmiramontes@utep.edu

Office Hours: Wednesdays from 5:00-5:30 viz Zoom https://utep-edu.zoom.us/j/86051364567?pwd=dS9iRmZJb3I2SGhBK2JTNm9OalBzdz09 Meeting ID: 860 5136 4567Passcode: 6eA1m6rpContact via: Remind no set hours as long as I am not in a meeting during the day, I will reply within a couple of hours, see below for directions

II. Specification of Course Goals and Objectives: a. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the definition, characteristics, and

educational history of persons with severe/profound disabilities.b. Students will demonstrate knowledge of “best practices” for teaching

students with severe/profound disabilities, including acquiring and generalizing skills, teaching self-care, communication, academic, leisure, and community skills.

c. Students will develop knowledge of inclusion, assessment, collaboration, behavioral change programs, and health/medical programs for students with severe/profound disabilities.

d. Students will develop skills in planning for transitioning students with severe/profound disabilities into community settings

Special Education StandardsStandard 1. Understands and applies knowledge of the philosophical, historical, and legal foundations of special education. (This course will have a focus on the general issues on this standard within the special education field and have particular emphasis on issues of services for those with severe disabilities.)

Standard 2. Applies knowledge of professional roles and responsibilities and adheres to legal and ethical requirements of the profession. (This course will discuss the liability issues related to working with individuals with severe disabilities.)

Standard 3. Knows how to communicate and collaborate effectively in a variety of professional settings. (This course will have a focus on: effective communication and collaboration with professionals, families/caregivers, and other individuals within the school and community; and assisting families and/or caregivers to use appropriate resources and to address their concerns and priorities for their child.)

Standard 4. Understand and applies knowledge of the characteristics and needs of students with disabilities. (This course will focus on the characteristics of individuals with severe disabilities; the affects on developmental processes across domains; normal and abnormal communication patterns; the impact physical, sensory, and health impairments have on the individual’s development; impact on development of dysfunctional behaviors; adaptive techniques for instruction; medial complications and implications for student services; legislation regarding specialized health services, and educational implications for those with severe disabilities.)

Standard 5. Understand formal and informal assessment procedures and knows how to evaluate student competencies to make instructional decisions. (This course discusses the purpose, appropriate uses, and limitations of various types of assessment instruments; methods of monitoring daily progress of young children; the relationship of assessment and instruction and how evaluation data leads you to the development of a child’s program.)

Standard 6. Understands and applies knowledge of procedures for planning instruction and managing teaching and learning environments. (This course will have a focus on : appropriate behavior management techniques for individuals with severe disabilities; the impact of the environment on learning and behavior; using the child’s IFSP or IEP outcomes/ objectives to plan intervention for the individual ; environmental considerations and the

impact on learning; use of assistive technology to enhance learning; curricula for the development of functional life skills; transition and vocational programs; community issues that promote individual acceptance. )

Standard 7. Understands and applies knowledge of issues and procedures for teaching appropriate student behavior and social skills. (This course will have a focus on teaching appropriate techniques for behavior management, with an understanding of how our adult behaviors may positively or negatively influence the behavior of the individual with disabilities and how to complete a functional analysis on challenging behaviors.)

Standard 8. Understands and applies knowledge technology as defined by state and federal regulations. (This course will discuss the variety of assistive technology, devices, services, and resources.)

Standard 9. Understands and applies knowledge of transition issues and procedures across the lifespan. (This course will discuss: the federal laws pertaining to transition plans for individual moving from the school to out-of-school settings, facilitate and implement transition activities as documented in the IEP; and supports needed to facilitate transitions across programs and placements.)

Standard 10. Promotes students’ academic performance in all content areas by facilitating their achievement in a variety of settings and situation. (This course will have a focus on: instructional techniques for developing skills in the major domain areas; using assessment results to help design, monitor and modify instruction; techniques for motivating students; and the impact of language development on domain areas.)

III. Required Text: The lastest edition can be found at https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/teaching-students-with-severe-disabilities-4th-edition_david-l-westling_lise-fox/266592/#edition=4600496&idiq=2667882

Westling, D. L, and Fox, L. (2009). Teaching Students with Severe Disabilities (4th ed.). New Jersey : Prentice-Hall, Inc.

IV. Course Requirements:a. Academic Requirements: Students are required to complete all

course assignments and examinations. This will include midterm and final exams, in-class projects, and individual assignments. Additionally, students are expected to be prepared to participate in class discussions from assigned readings and class activities. Late assignments will NOT be accepted. There will be no make-up work for assignments that are missed, or quizzes missed. No incomplete grades will be assigned. Extra credit work is not given and re-do assignments are not provided.

b. Administrative Requirements: Please notify the instructor if you are unable to attend class via Remind.

V. Course content is delivered via the Internet through the Blackboard learning management system. Ensure your UTEP e-mail account is working and that you have access to the Web and a stable web browser. Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox are the best browsers for Blackboard; other browsers may cause complications. When having technical difficulties, update your browser, clear your cache, or try switching to another browser.

You will need to have access to a computer/laptop, scanner, a webcam, and a microphone. You will need to download or update the following software: Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Windows Media Player, QuickTime, and Java. Check that your computer hardware and software are up-to-date and able to access all parts of the course.

If you do not have a word-processing software, you can download Word and other Microsoft Office programs (including Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and more) for free via UTEP’s Microsoft Office Portal. Click the following link for more information about Microsoft Office 365 and follow the instructions.

IMPORTANT: If you encounter technical difficulties beyond your scope of troubleshooting, please contact the UTEP Help Desk as they are trained specifically in assisting with technological needs of students. Please do not contact me for this type of assistance. The Help Desk is much better equipped than I am to assist you!

VI. Course Calendar

Date Topic Assignment Quiz/Midterm/Final

7/6/2021 Syllabus & Chp. 1 & 2

Chp 3 & 4 Discussion question on Blackboard-due 7/9 at end of day

7/8/2021 Chp. 10 & 5 July 10th Quiz7/13/2021 Chp. 6 & 9 Chp. 19, 20, & 21

Discussion question on Blackboard

7/15/2021 Chp. 7 & 8 July 17th Midterm7/20/2021 Chp. 11 & 12 Medically Fragile

Discussion Question

7/22/2021 Chp. 13 & 14 July 24th Quiz

7/27/2021 Chp 15 & 167/29/2021 Chp. 17 & 18 July 28th

Questions on Project

8/2/2021 Monday NO CLASS FINAL Due by 5 pm8/3/2021 Tuesday

Project

8/5/2021 grades due

VII. Grading Scale:Assignment Total Points = 360Exams (Midterm & Final) 2 @ 100

200

Quizzes 2 @ 10 pts each 20Task Analysis/Lesson Project 30Discussion Questions @ 5 pts. Each

30

Chapter activities (each chapter 5 pts)

80

INCOMPLETE GRADE POLICYIncomplete grades may be requested only in exceptional circumstances after you have completed at least half of the course requirements. Talk to me immediately if you believe an incomplete is warranted. If granted, we will establish a contract of work to be completed with deadlines.

Course Assignments:1. Online Midterm/Final: Students will complete their Midterm/Final

online. The exams will be due by 5:00 p.m, if the exam is received at 5:01 p.m. it is late and will not be scored. You will have 24 hours to complete the quiz through Blackboard, the quiz will open at 5:00 p.m. the day before it is due and close at 5:00 p.m. the day it is due. No late assignments will be accepted, 5:01 is late.

2. Project: There are two options for the project The task will require a task analysis of a skill a student needs to learn; how will you keep data to show that the skills has been learned/generalized/maintained; and what will your data tracker form look like. Your presentation will be a recording of how you will show a student a skill, what and how you will use a data tracker to demonstrate if the student has learned/generalized/maintained the skill taught submitted by 5:00 p.m. 8/3/2021

a. Choose a skill to teach a child with a Severe Disability, it can be an academic skill or functional skill. Keep in mind the ability of the student this skill is for and provide a brief introduction, for example teaching a student that uses a wheelchair for ambulation and you are teaching the student how to make a sandwich. Be sure to break down the skill enough to develop a lesson.

b. Choose a Recreational/Leisure activity to teach students in your classroom with severe disabilities. How will you introduce/teach the activity? What skills are necessary? Will you use Task Analysis? Develop a chart/data tracker to document success with the skill.

3. Chapter activities: These activities are based on the information from the chapters read.

Please Note:NETIQUETTEAs we know, sometimes communication online can be challenging. It’s possible to miscommunicate what we mean or to misunderstand what our classmates mean given the lack of body language and immediate feedback. Therefore, please keep these netiquette (network etiquette) guidelines in mind. Failure to observe them may result in disciplinary action.

o Always consider audience. This is a college-level course; therefore, all communication should reflect polite consideration of other’s ideas.

o Respect and courtesy must be provided to classmates and to the instructor at all times. No harassment or inappropriate postings will be tolerated.

o When reacting to someone else’s message, address the ideas, not the person. Post only what anyone would comfortably state in a face-to-face situation.

o Blackboard is not a public internet venue; all postings to it should be considered private and confidential. Whatever is posted on in these online spaces is intended for classmates and professor only. Please do not copy documents and paste them to a publicly accessible website, blog, or other space.

This class requires that you participate in scheduled Blackboard Collaborate discussion. The purpose of these sessions are for you to participate in small discussion groups with your classmates. These will not be live session, they will be on Blackboard and will need to be completed weekly as assigned by July 10th, July 17th and July 24th at 5:00 p.m.Students are expected to, at least respond to 3 classmates per discussion question and to participate by providing well developed responses. Which means full sentences and can include additional inquiries and supporting evidence from text, PowerPoint, Nearpod, etc. ALTERNATIVE MEANS OF SUBMITTING WORK IN CASE OF TECHNICAL ISSUESI strongly suggest that you submit your work with plenty of time to spare in the event that you have a technical issue with the course website, network, and/or your computer. I also suggest you save all your work (answers to discussion points, quizzes, exams, and essays) in a separate Word document as a back-up. This way, you will have evidence that you completed the work and will not lose credit. If you are experiencing difficulties submitting your work through the course website, please contact the UTEP Help Desk. You can email me your back-up document as a last resort.   Students with Disabilities: If you have or believe you have a disability, you may wish to self-identify. You can do so by providing documentation to Center for Accommodations and Student Services (CASS) located in Union E Room 203. Students who have been designated as disabled must reactivate their standing with the Office of Disabled Student Services on a yearly basis. Failure to report to this office will place a

student on the inactive list and nullify benefits received from being on the active list of disabled students. If you have a condition which may affect your ability to exit safely from the premises in an emergency or which may cause an emergency during class, you are encouraged to discuss this in confidence with the instructor and/or the director of the Disabled Student Services. You may call 747-5148 for general information about the American with Disabilities ACT (ADA).CLASS RECORDINGSThe use of recordings will enable you to have access to class lectures, group discussions, and so on in the event you miss a synchronous or in-person class meeting due to illness or other extenuating circumstance. Our use of such technology is governed by the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and UTEP’s acceptable-use policy. A recording of class sessions will be kept and stored by UTEP, in accordance with FERPA and UTEP policies. Your instructor will not share the recordings of your class activities outside of course participants, which include your fellow students, teaching assistants, or graduate assistants, and any guest faculty or community-based learning partners with whom we may engage during a class session. You may not share recordings outside of this course. Doing so may result in disciplinary action.TEST PROCTORING SOFTWARE Two course assessments (the midterm and final exams) will make use of Respondus Lock Down Browser and Respondus Monitor inside of Blackboard to promote academic integrity. You are encouraged to learn more about how to use these programs prior to the first test.

Please review the following guidelines:

The assessments will only be available at the times identified on the course calendar.

You may take the test at any time during the 24-hour window. A reliable Internet connection is essential to completing the

exam. If you must go to a location to take the exam (such as the library), be sure to follow their health and safety requirements.

You have 2 attempts to take the test. Once the window closes, your answers will be saved, and no changes can be made. The higher score will be recorded.

Respondus Lockdown Browser will require that all internet tabs are closed prior to the start of the test.

Respondus Monitor requires a webcam and microphone.

You will be required to show the webcam your student ID prior to the start of the test.

Your face should be completely visible during the test. Blocking the camera will disable the test.

No notes or textbook materials are permitted during the test. Respondus Monitor requires you to take a video of your surrounding area (desk, chair, walls, etc.)

You should not have conversations with other people and/or leave and return to the area during the test.

Course Resources: Where you can go for assistanceUTEP provides a variety of student services and support:Technology Resources

Help Desk : Students experiencing technological challenges (email, Blackboard, software, etc.) can submit a ticket to the UTEP Helpdesk for assistance. Contact the Helpdesk via phone, email, chat, website, or in person if on campus.

Academic Resources UTEP Library : Access a wide range of resources including online,

full-text access to thousands of journals and eBooks plus reference service and librarian assistance for enrolled students.

University Writing Center (UWC) : Submit papers here for assistance with writing style and formatting, ask a tutor for help and explore other writing resources.

Math Tutoring Center (MaRCS) : Ask a tutor for help and explore other available math resources.

History Tutoring Center (HTC) : Receive assistance with writing history papers, get help from a tutor and explore other history resources.

RefWorks : A bibliographic citation tool; check out the RefWorks tutorial and Fact Sheet and Quick-Start Guide.

Individual Resources Military Student Success Center : Assists personnel in any branch of

service to reach their educational goals. Center for Accommodations and Support Services : Assists students

with ADA-related accommodations for coursework, housing, and internships.

Counseling and Psychological Services: Provides a variety of counseling services including individual, couples, and group sessions as well as career and disability assessments.

Also, unless an emergency arises, we will be starting class at 5:00. If I will be late, I will send a Remind notice to all of you. Thank you in advance for . . . Your prompt and timely attendance Preparing for active participation in the class Turning off your cell phone and pagers Taking this learning opportunity to make a difference in the lives

of individuals with disabilities and their families.When registering use the name that is used with UTEP, nicknames challenge me to enter your grade correctly. Use an email and not a cell number due to carrier charges.