- Tentative Syllabus Bio 11
Spring2017 16 Week Course
Instructor: Judith R. Tate
Contact Information: E-mail: jtate@peralta.edu – you may E-mail me anytime. I check my E-mail frequently. It is the best way to contact me
Telephone: 464-3472 (message) I don’t check as often Class Code: 22714 Course Credit Hours: 3
Required Text: “Campbell Essential Biology With Physiology” by Eric J Simon, Jean L. Dickey, Hogan and Jane B. Reese. 5th or latest edition
Online Office hours: Online office hour chats are by arrangement – contact me by email to arrange a time. You may reach me by e-mail any time you have a question. I check my e-mail frequently. Please don’t email me from Moodle. You will reach me more quickly from your Peralta address. jtate@peralta.edu
Always include your name and class in your email. I teach two separate online classes, with lots of students and this saves time.
Recommended Preparation: Experience using current versions of Firefox Mozilla. Other internet providers may have problems with Moodle. Have Adobe reader on your computer for PDF files. Have access to a reliable Internet connection/high-speed internet access like cable, DSL, or LAN networked T1 lines. Experience downloading and uploading files. Experience using email, online asynchronous discussion forums. Have basic typing skills. Be able to drag, drop, insert and use the html editor in the forums. Be able to copy and paste using Ctrl C and Ctrl V.
Make sure the pop-up blocker is off for the Moodle site. Go to tools on your browser menu
Take time to become familiar with the Moodle Biology site and this syllabus
1) Be able to check and see if all your grades are recorded, etc. Give me one week after the final date of assignment to be submitted to do this. I do not start grading until all assignments are in(except at the end of the semester). You will see “grading” before assignment when I am grading and “graded” when I am finished.
2) Be sure and check the assignments and due dates each week on the Moodle site
- Note:
Turning in assignments on time and complete is part of your grade. Don’t wait until Sunday night to turn assignments in! Assignments are due Sunday the week of due date. Monday is a day of grace until around 11:50 pm. Note there is no forgiveness on Monday. If anything happens online or to your computer or you are too late, you get no points.
3) Assume there will usually be at least one assignment each week or two unless told otherwise. Again, be sure and check the Moodle site at least once a week to be sure nothing is due. The due dates are listed weekly in front of the assignment on Moodle ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
On-campus computer availability: Computers on the Laney campus with internet access are available in the Library and F170. You will need to check the times available. The James Oliver Community Writing Center is in rooms B260, B261 and B262 – The office is in B258. One-on-one tutoring is provided for the writing of papers.
Dropping the class: Be sure and drop the class officially if you decide you do not want to continue. It is difficult for me to keep track of your attendance in an online class. This is particularly true for the first month when problems may occur with financial aid and/or book availability.
It is your responsibility to check each week and see what assignments are due and to turn the assignments in on time. This is a part of your class grade and is considered in the same manner as your quiz and forum grades.
Set up a schedule: Check each assignment week on the course web site early in the week to see what assignment is due and when – with few exceptions there will be at least one or two assignments each week. Exceptions will be in the beginning of class for the first month to compensate for problems with financial aid and books. Do not depend on the class Schedule (found in the first frame at the top of the Moodle site), it is tentative. Always check the weekly assignments and due dates on the Moodle site in front of the specific assignment for the latest information.
Become familiar with the syllabus and the Moodle site and how to use it. There is an “Intro to the Site” quiz to help you become familiar with the site.
Team up with your classmates to form study groups and to discuss the group assignment and questions you might have (there is an online discussion forum and an online chat room where you may do this –feel free to ask me about this)
If you have questions you need answers to, email me (jtate@peralta.edu) or set up a meeting in the online chat room. I check my email often.
Internet Etiquette: Click on internet etiquette for information. This is important. For example, all caps is interpreted as screaming in the online environment. It is much easier to offend in the online environment where there are no other clues such as facial expression, etc.
Class Assessment: In an on-line class you do not depend on long comprehensive tests. It is important that work be submitted on time in order to get credit and that you take on the responsibility for finishing quizzes, exercises, and discussion assignments and turning them in on time. This is a part of your grade. I urge you not to wait to the last minute.
Always submit your submissions directly into the forums and finish editing them there. You have 30 minutes to edit. Be sure and check before you leave forum.
Always submit your work in a form that does not need to be opened by others.
Quizzes are worth 25 points each and can be taken only once (except for the quiz to help you become familiar with the site). You may use your book. Be sure and find a quiet time and place to take them. You have 55 minutes to finish. Your work will automatically be entered when your time is up.
Weekly assignments must be finished by Sunday of the week designated to receive credit. They are graded on 1) content, 2) organization and
3) presentation. This is also true of your research paper. If you turn assignments in on Monday there is no forgiveness if something goes wrong.
Don’t wait to the last minute for submission — anything can happen online and getting assignments in and taking tests early, is the best way to avoid disaster. Remember getting assignments in on time is part of your grade.
General Guidelines for Forums
Copy and paste (use Ctrl C and Ctrl V) your submissions into the Forums
Most forums can be answered without using the textbook by using the internet, etc. Each person contributes once to the forum and responds to two other student submissions in order to get credit for that assignment. This makes a total of three submissions.
Do not turn in your AAF assignments or research paper in as one paragraph. You will lose half of the points for the assignment. Be sure and check and make sure this does not happen.
Assignments must be turned into appropriate forums. I do not accept them as email.
Assignments must be turned in in a form that does not need to be opened by others.
Definitions: Complete, correct and clearly written Use numbering and lettering system as given in assignment Leave a space between your definitions Definition applicable to assignment and not too brief – at least two bits of significant information. Three is safer. Do not use a form of the word to be defined as the main part of your definition You will lose points if your definitions are hard to follow.
Summary of Article: Concise organization and presentation of important facts in your own words. Avoid using lists.
Critical Thinking Question: Answer to the point, discussion encouraged
Presentation: Presentation is part of your grade. Material broken up for easy reading and good presentation of your answer Font not too small or too large (12 is a good minimum font size) Never present all your information in one paragraph (you automatically lose half of points) Use the 30-minute editing time to check and improve your presentation.
Your presentations to forums should be immediately visible to students and instructor. (not needing to be opened)
Organization: Organization is part of your grade. Divide your responses and number them as presented in the forum. All sections of your submission should be clearly separated. Remember your classmates and I will be reading your presentations and you want to make sure your submissions are easy to follow. This makes them much more effective in getting your information across. Use the numbering/lettering format given in assignment
General Guidelines for Adding to Forums Including the Research Assignment Forum
With regards to copying and pasting, Ctrl C and Ctrl V will copy and paste directly into the text editor field, whereas if you right click your mouse to paste the text that action may not be supported depending on your browser.
The ‘correct’ way to copy and paste text into the text editor is to first click on either of the ‘Paste as plain Text’ or ‘Paste from Word’ icons in the toolbar. If the text has been prepared in Word, for example, you click on the ‘Paste from Word’ icon and a box will
open up for you to paste your text into to. This box will permit you to use Ctrl V or right click and paste from your mouse. These icons should be used for copying and pasting as they will help preserve the formatting of the text.
As for the images, these can’t be copied and pasted into the text editor, they need to be inserted. You can go ahead and copy/paste your ‘text’ then where you want the images to appear, you should click on the ‘Insert/edit image’ icon and then either link to the image if it’s online, or upload the image from your computer. Grading 1) Article/Assignment Forums and other forums
(except the research paper forum which has a Total of 40 Points (30 + 10))
a) Submission to forum – 20 points
b) Responses to two other student’s assignment/article submissions – 5 points each). This gives a Total of 30 points
Graded on organization and presentation as well as substance. Points will be taken off if definitions not numbered and lettered according to the given assignment.
Weekly timed quizzes 25 points per chapter quiz Note: The exams are timed and can only be taken once so set up a time when you will not be disturbed while you take them. You may use your book. You have 55 minutes to take each quiz.
Assignments turned in on time
Additional one-time assignments 1) Biography forum: Extra credit – with responses to two other student submissions – Total of 30 points possible
2) Introduction to site quiz- 25 points possible
3) Research assignment –30 points – with responses to two other student submissions. Total of 40 points – topic to be assigned
Grading Scale 90% = A, 80% = B, 70% = C, 60% = D
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About this Course: This course is delivered completely online. You must have consistent access to the Internet. Note that you can reach the course site from anywhere there is internet access. Many libraries and cafes have internet access.
I hope you enjoy this class as much as I enjoy teaching it. Biology is within and all around us. The more you learn in this class the better able you will be to make decisions regarding your health, the environment and more; and the better you will understand your own body and the world you live in.
On a more practical level, you need to take responsibility for the class in order to succeed – You need to set your own schedule, check the online site at least once a week for assignments and due dates and submit your work on time and in good order. If you do this, you will be able to take advantage of the flexibility and succeed in this fully-online class.
Student Learning Objectives 1) Differentiate between a hypothesis and a theory. 2) Discuss the principles of biology as the study of living things including biological hierarchies, classification of living things, chemical processes of the cell and organisms. 3) Read and discuss articles related to current issues in biology. Form opinions on these issues and express and defend those opinions biologically in discussions and written essays.
