Syllabus for EUT-401

REGULATORY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES


COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course provides learners with an understanding of regulatory policies and procedures in the electric and natural gas energy utilities. Electric utility operations consist of producers and delivery organizations responsible for transmission and distribution to customers. Natural gas operations include well drilling, transportation pipelines, storage, and local distribution organizations. Course topic areas will include types of utilities, natural utility monopolies versus deregulation, decisions involving socioeconomic responsibilities and profitability, and the impact of current trends on utilities.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing this course, you should be able to:

  1. Compare operating characteristics of regulated public utilities with non-regulated industries in the areas of utility types, natural monopoly, and socioeconomic impact.
  2. Analyze the regulatory responsibilities of energy utilities in service availability, quality, and impact on operating policies.
  3. Differentiate between justifications for profits based on natural monopoly in accordance with federal and state regulatory requirements.
  4. Identify the impact of current regulatory trends—including deregulation, co-generation, and the independent power market—on the operating polices of utilities.
  5. Through a report, analyze the operation of a particular utility using research, interviews, and other means of investigation.

COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the University's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

Required Textbook

ISBN-13: 978-0910325318

COURSE STRUCTURE

Regulatory Policy and Procedure is a three-credit, online course, consisting of twelve modules. Modules include topics, learning objectives, study materials, and activities. You are required to participate in graded online discussions and an ungraded "Introductions" forum, which occurs during the first week of the semester. There are four quizzes, seven written assignments, a final examination, and a capstone project, in which you apply your knowledge to analysis of a particular utility. Module titles are listed below:

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, take quizzes, complete a capstone project, and take a proctored online final exam. See below for more details.

Consult the Course Calendar for assignment due dates.

Promoting Originality

One or more of your course activities may utilize a tool designed to promote original work and evaluate your submissions for plagiarism. More information about this tool is available in this document.

Discussion Forums

In addition to an ungraded "Introductions" forum, Regulatory Policy and Procedures requires you to participate in weekly graded class discussions--in some weeks there are two topics and in others just one.

Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a posted question (discussion thread) and subsequent comments on classmates' responses.

You will be evaluated both on the quality of your responses (i.e., your understanding of readings, and concepts as demonstrated by well-articulated, critical thinking) and quantity of your participation (i.e., the number of times you participate meaningfully in the assigned forums). Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

Meaningful participation in online discussions is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement.

Capstone Written Assignments

You are required to complete seven written assignments. The written assignments are all related to your capstone project.

For the assignment topics and questions, see the Modules on the course Web site. Each of the assignments requires you to apply course content to the operation of a particular utility, and all assignments can be used as building blocks in your capstone project. Due dates for each assignment are listed in the Course Calendar.

Your answers to the assignment questions should be well developed and convey your understanding of the readings and concepts. They should also adequately answer the questions posed. If you need help in writing, take a look at The Writing Center: University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Also, formulate responses in your own words. Do not merely copy answers from your reading materials. When quoting or paraphrasing from the text or other sources, be sure to cite the source of information properly according to APA guidelines (see also Basic Documentation Rules). If you have further questions, your mentor will guide you in accordance with the correct style of documentation.

Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your activity as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

Final Examination

This course requires you to take an online final comprehensive examination during the last week of the semester.

Final Examination

The final is a closed-book, proctored online exam. It is one hour long and covers material from all modules of the course. It consists of 30 multiple choice questions.

For the final exam, you are required to use the University's Online Proctor Service (OPS). Please refer to the "Examinations and Proctors" section of the Online Student Handbook (see General Information area of the course Web site) for further information about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures. You are strongly advised to schedule your exam within the first week of the semester.

Online exams are administered through the course Web site. Consult the Course Calendar for the official dates of exam weeks.

Sample Examination

You will find a sample online examination in the Tests & Quizzes area of this course site. Use this sample exam to familiarize yourself with the online testing setting and format before you take your online exam. Keep in mind the following potential differences between the sample exam and your online exam:

Statement about Cheating

You are on your honor not to cheat during an exam. Cheating means:

If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in an exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.

Capstone Project

In addition to a final exam, this course includes a capstone project to be submitted near the end of the course. (See the Course Calendar.) A full description of this project and guidelines for completing it are in the Guidelines and Evaluation Rubrics folders on this course site and also in the Final Project area.

The rubric for grading this project is also available in these areas of the course site. The capstone project will provide you with the opportunity to apply what you learn to a real-world situation: a utility of your choice. You will do your research through the Internet, published reports, and interviews. If you are an employee of a utility you may want to study your present employer. Or you could study an employer for whom you hope to work in the future. Alternatively, you might choose to research your local utility supplier, either electric or natural gas.

Throughout Modules 1 through 8 you will answer questions that require you to apply concepts to a particular utility or situation. You will use these activities, along with additional research as noted above, to create a 7- to 12-page (1500- to 3000-word) report. The report should include references to the data you have researched and the interviews you have conducted.

Refer to the Guidelines as you compose your report. You may begin work on this project at any time during the course, but you must submit it by the due date indicated on the course Calendar.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

A

=

93–100

C+

=

78–79

A–

=

90–92

C

=

73–77

B+

=

88–89

C–

=

70–72

B

=

83–87

D

=

60–69

B–

=

80–82

F

=

Below 60

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or better (for an area of study course) or D or better (for a course not in your area of study), based on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.).

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Thomas Edison State University is committed to maintaining academic quality, excellence, and honesty. The University expects all members of its community to share the commitment to academic integrity, an essential component of a quality academic experience.

Students at Thomas Edison State University are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.

All members of the University community are responsible for reviewing the Academic Code of Conduct Policy in the University Catalog and online at www.tesu.edu.

Academic Dishonesty

Thomas Edison State University expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the University insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty can take the following forms:

Plagiarism

Thomas Edison State University is committed to helping students understand the seriousness of plagiarism, which is defined as using the work and ideas of others without proper citation. The University takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing are subject to discipline under the academic code of conduct policy.

If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, or without identifying it as a direct quote, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > “Citing Sources.”)

Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else’s. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.

Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.

Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.

For examples of unintentional plagiarism, advice on when to quote and when to paraphrase, and information about writing assistance, click the links provided below.

Examples of Unintentional Plagiarism

When to Quote and When to Paraphrase

Writing Assistance at Smarthinking

Disciplinary Process for Plagiarism

Acts of both intentional and unintentional plagiarism violate the Academic Code of Conduct.

If an incident of plagiarism is an isolated minor oversight or an obvious result of ignorance of proper citation requirements, the mentor may handle the matter as a learning exercise. Appropriate consequences may include the completion of tutorials, assignment rewrites, or any other reasonable learning tool in addition to a lower grade for the assignment or course. The mentor will notify the student and appropriate dean of the consequence by e-mail.

If the plagiarism appears intentional and/or is more than an isolated incident, the mentor will refer the matter to the appropriate dean, who will gather information about the violation(s) from the mentor and student, as necessary. The dean will review the matter and notify the student in writing of the specifics of the charge and the sanction to be imposed.

Possible sanctions include:

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