- Watch the video introduction.
- Read the course information below.
- Complete Assignment #1 described at the bottom of this page.
Thank you for your interest in the Critical Thinking and Logic class. My name is Brad Boydston and I have been teaching PIU classes since 2006. When my wife Cheryl and I were missionaries, we lived for three years on Guam and taught on campus. I was also the Academic Vice-President for Pacific Islands University.
I have been a local church pastor, church planter, and chaplain. In 2022 I retired from serving as a chaplain at a senior adult community in Florida, USA — Covenant Living of Florida. My wife Cheryl and I then moved into the community where I had served. However, I didn't retire from one of the most important (and fulfilling) things I am doing with my life — teaching PIU classes. By choice, I am a volunteer teacher (that is, I don't get paid to do this). I am also the executive minister of SEEDS for PIU, a small mission organization that supports the ministry of PIU. I am an ordained minister in the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Please feel free to address me as “Brad” unless you are uncomfortable with that level of informality. I’ve been known to answer to titles such as “Pastor,” Chaplain," “Doctor,” “Professor,” or “Teacher” — but am most comfortable being on a first-name basis with my students.
My wife Cheryl and I met in junior high school, and we have been married for over 40 years. We have three adult children, two grandchildren, and one more on the way. If you're curious to find out more visit about.boydston.us.
This semester, summer 2024, is my second time teaching this particular course for PIU and I'm still trying to determine what works best for everyone. I'm using a newer edition of a textbook that I find very useful, They Say / I Say. I am a fairly flexible person and am open to making adjustments if needed.
CONTACT INFORMATION
If for some reason there is a crisis and you cannot send email, call me on the phone or send me a note in the regular mail. Please explain what is going on and how I can help you. Here is my contact information:
Brad Boydston
9102 W Broward Blvd Apt C114
Plantation FL 33324 USA
Phone: 1-602-903-5085 (If you call or text, make sure you know the time in Florida.)
email: bboydston@piu.edu
OFFICE HOURS
I maintain online office hours using Google Meet. You are not required to visit the office hour but you will be rewarded if you do. An invitation is emailed during the weeks when I am available.
COURSE INFORMATION
The course will be delivered online through this blog. The focus will be on reading and writing — lots of writing — and rewriting. While there will be video presentations and occasional online group chats, your primary interaction will be with me, the teacher. Assignments can be submitted by email, by using the share button on your Google Doc, or through Populi, our favorite "Learning Management System." There are no established classroom hours — although as I mentioned above, I plan to maintain an online video office hour most weeks utilizing Google Meet. Drop by if you have questions or just want to talk with me.
Assignments will be posted on the class blog site.
This isn't the kind of course where you can do all the work at the very end of the semester and expect to get a good grade. And because this is an online class, I, the teacher, am a distant guide and encourager. Ultimately, you, the student, are responsible for learning what is presented. If there is something that you do not understand do not feel embarrassed to send me an email and ask for help. While you have to take responsibility for your success I am here to help you.
This course is designed so that most people should spend about 8-10 hours per week to do the work right. Some sections in this class involve more work — some a little less. Please plan to spend 8-10 hours each week working on Critical Thinking and Logic assignments.
Even if a particular assignment seems difficult, do it anyway. Sometimes you are asked to answer difficult questions so that you begin to understand the complexity of a situation. (That's how we learn — by struggling with questions greater than our current understanding.) If an assignment is extra hard I’ve adjusted the grading expectations. (That is, I grade easier.) If I see that you are doing the work and are struggling to come up with answers — you will do well — even if you don't yet fully grasp all the concepts.
You are welcome to work at your own pace as long as you regularly submit assignments. I also expect you to email me a Monday Check-In each week. In that email briefly tell me what you are working on for the course, what you hope to accomplish in the course, on which days you plan to submit assignments, and anything else I should know. You will receive 5 points for each Monday Check-In.
You will be required to write a “Persuasive Paper” on an assigned topic. (6-8 pages with proper citation, cover sheet, and bibliography. Page total does not include the cover sheet and bibliography.)
ASSIGNMENT MARKINGS
I use the following system to mark assignments. You might see any or all of this when you read the assignments that have been scored. This will help you as you improve and prepare to resubmit the assignment to earn additional points.
Magenta/Pink = Excellent! Well said.
Yellow = Look closely at this. Figure out what is wrong with it. It could be a writing mistake.
Green = Add this to your writing.
Red = Remove this from your writing.
Orange/Tan = Instructor's comments.
Blue = Score or grade.
90/100 = You earned 90 points on an assignment worth 100 points.
RESUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS
Once you submit an assignment I will read it, comment on it, and assign points to it. It will then be sent back to you. Once you receive the score and comments you are encouraged to go back over the assignment, make adjustments, and resubmit for a new score. You can do this until you are happy with the score you receive.
GRADING
Your semester grade will be based on the number of points that you earn in the course.
Once you reach 600 points you have earned enough to get a D- grade for the course.
Once you reach 650 points you have earned enough to get a D grade for the course.
Once you reach 690 points you have earned enough to get a D+ grade for the course.
Once you reach 700 points you have earned enough to get a C- grade for the course.
Once you reach 750 points you have earned enough to get a C grade for the course.
Once you reach 790 points you have earned enough to get a C+ grade for the course.
Once you reach 800 points you have earned enough to get a B- grade for the course.
Once you reach 850 points you have earned enough to get a B grade for the course.
Once you reach 890 points you have earned enough to get a B+ grade for the course.
Once you reach 900 points you have earned enough to get an A- grade for the course.
Once you reach 950 points you have earned enough to get an A grade for the course.
Once you reach 990 points you have earned enough to get an A+ grade for the course.
EARNING POINTS
Here is how you earn points in this course:
Completing and submitting weekly assignments — most of which emphasize writing.
Completing and submitting the “Persuasive Paper.”
Submitting Monday Check-in emails.
Completing a quiz or exam. (None are currently scheduled but it’s possible that I may include a few along the way.)
Bonus points are often awarded when you visit me during my video office hours.
I’ve been known to award bonus points if an assignment is exceptionally well done.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND READING
Some of the assignments will have online reading. In addition, there is a textbook which you will need to purchase. This is one of those books you'll want to keep as a reference for your entire college career and maybe even beyond.
- “They Say / I Say”: the Moves that Matter in Academic Writing by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, Fifth Edition (New York / London, N.W. Norton, 2021) ISBN 978-0393538700. This book is currently available as a paperback through Amazon for $24.99. (There are also used copies available for less.) It can be purchased on Kindle for $21 or rented for the semester for $14.67.
SYLLABUS
Please read the official course syllabus for more important details.
WARNINGS
If I do not hear from you for a week, you will be dropped from the class. If it is early enough in the semester you will then receive a "W" (withdrawal) on your transcript. If you withdraw through inactivity after the tenth week of the class you will receive a grade based on the total number of points you have earned. See the current PIU catalog for more information. If there is a crisis and you cannot send me an email, you should call/text my phone or send me a note in the regular mail. Please explain what is going on and how I can help you.ASSIGNMENT #1
Thank you for reading all the introductory information. Based on what you have read on the syllabus, seen on the welcome video, and learned from any other sources, tell me whether you expect this class to be hard or easy for you and summarize what your personal strategy for success will be.This should be in the form of a 300-600 word essay. Follow this general outline:
1. I expect this course to be fairly _____________ for me.
2. I say this because __________________.
A. Present some evidence or opinion about your own personal capabilities
B. Present several pieces of evidence from the syllabus or the welcome video
C. Present any evidence you may have obtained otherwise
3. Summarize your thesis (that is, your main idea or point) in a sentence or two.
4. In light of this information, explain your personal strategy for success in the class.
A. What your study schedule looks like
B. How you plan to keep yourself motivated throughout the semester
Email your essay embedded in an email (that is, no attachments, just copy and paste what you have written into the email) or share it with me as a Google Doc. My email address is: bboydston@piu.edu
You can earn up to 60 points for this assignment.
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