FCS 101
Introduction to Family and Consumer Sciences

 Overview

This course is an introduction to the field of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS). It is designed to help students discover career options within the field of Family and Consumer Sciences, begin their professional network, and develop a professional development plan. This course is 2 credit hours.

NOTE: This course was primarily designed for first and second-year students enrolled in an FCS major or exploring FCS majors. However, even if you are not an FCS major, you will find information in this course that will apply to and be helpful to anyone in any major.

  Requirements

Prerequisites

No prerequisites.

Required Resources

• No textbook is required.
• A webcam & microphone (or smartphone) are required.
• Computer Recommendations and Requirements For Students.

  Course Structure

Course Outcomes (CO)

1. Explore the history of Family and Consumer Sciences.
2. Discover career options in the Family and Consumer Sciences field.
3. Network with professionals in their desired career field.
4. Create a professional electronic portfolio.

Major Assignments

The table below is meant to help you understand the relevance of each major assignment to the course outcomes (CO).

Weekly Patterns

The table below displays typical weekly activities, due dates, and activity descriptions.

*Set your time zone within user preferences so the dates and times for course activities will display correctly for your time zone.

Learning Model

• Students will prepare by reading the required materials.
• Students will teach one another by discussing various assignments and questions throughout the course.
• Students will ponder and prove what they have learned by writing papers explaining their learning through reading, assignments, and interviews. 

  Expectations

Workload

The BYU-Idaho standard for the student workload in courses is about three to four hours per week per credit hour (for example, this two-credit course will require approximately 6–8 hours of work per week). Set time aside in your daily schedule to work on the course.

Your instructor will expect you to do the following: 

• Stay informed! Review all course announcements and emails.
• Follow directions! Carefully read and follow all course instructions.
• Review and improve. Read over and utilize the feedback given. 
• Submit coursework by the assigned due date. Late work will not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor.
• Complete your own work. Do not use work from current or past students. Do not reuse work from other courses or this course if you have taken it before.
• You can email your instructor if you have questions, cannot find feedback, or need additional help with coursework.

You can expect your instructor to do the following:

• Communicate with you through weekly announcements and/or emails.
• Reply to emails promptly.
• Grade and provide feedback on all coursework within seven days of the assigned due date. Instructors always provide feedback on assignments. If you don't see it, contact your instructor so they can help you find it.
• Be willing to meet with you one-on-one (on the phone or through Zoom) by appointment.

Group Work

This course requires weekly synchronous (live) group meetings. You will work together in these small group meetings on the Our Company group project. You will be allowed to choose a field of interest and coordinate a day and time to meet with your group. 

Synchronous group assignments begin in Week 08. You can easily identify these group assignments as each has the word Group Project in the assignment title—for example, W08 Group Project: Our Company—Part 1.

You and each group member will be required to evaluate their contributions at the end of each part of the Group Project. This evaluation will impact your grade on the project. 

Some weeks include a small group asynchronous discussion. You will be asked to make your first post midweek and responses by the end of the week.

Late Work

You should complete your work on time as a sign of professionalism and respect. However, if you have an emergency, please get in touch with the instructor as soon as possible and let them know your situation. 

Retries

The course has no retries, though you will be asked to resubmit the résumé assignment. Plan to do your best work the first time.

Extra Credit

Extra credit may not be earned in the course. 

Grading Scale

  Technical Support

If you need technical assistance, use the I-learn Help button located on the left side of your screen to contact the BYU-Idaho Help.

  Department Policy Regarding Intellectual Property and Course Materials:

All of the materials in this course are covered by fair use and copyright law and are proprietary (intellectual property). Students are not permitted to sell, post, trade, share, distribute, or send any information contained in this course (including outlines, handouts, syllabi, exams, quizzes, PowerPoint presentations, lectures, audio and video recordings, or images of the same, and so on, including your own work for this course) to any parties outside of this course (in other words, Course Hero, Quizlet, Google Docs, and so on) by any means (for example, posting, uploading, attachments, and so on) without the express written permission from the creator of these works and the Department Chair.

Any of these actions violate the Academic Honesty policies of Brigham Young University-Idaho (please see CES Honor Code: Academic Honesty) and will be dealt with as such. The materials in this course are also intellectual property, and taking any materials from the course and posting them outside of this course in any manner will be construed as theft and distribution of intellectual property. If you engage in any of these actions or use any of these materials without authorization, the instructor has the right to impose an appropriate academic sanction (for example, give you a failing grade for the assignment and/or fail you from the course). Additionally, the respective Course Lead, Program Lead, and/or Department Chair also reserves the right to impose appropriate academic sanctions regardless of any imposed by the instructor.

  University Policies

Students with Disabilities

Brigham Young University-Idaho is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have a disability and require accommodations, please contact the Accessibility Services Office at 1-208-496-9210 or visit their website. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified documented disabilities. Services are coordinated with students and instructors by the Accessibility Services Office.

This course includes required synchronous meetings. If you are registered with the Disability Services Office and need an interpreter or transcriber for these meetings, please contact the deaf and hard of hearing coordinator at 1-208-496-9219.

Student Honor and Other Policies

Please read through the document called University Policies. It gives important information about the following topics:

• Student Honor
  • Academic Honesty
  • Student Conduct
    • Sexual Harassment
  • Student with Disabilities
  • Complaints and Grievances
  • Copyright Notice

Go to the Student Resources module to review further resources and information.