BIOLOGY 130L Online SYLLABUS

Fall 2009

 

Instructor:                Hank Snider
Office:                        Kokio 202K, Kapi‘olani Community College
Office Hours:           Contact instructor anytime via email
Office Phone:          808-734-9869
Email:                        rsnider@hawaii.edu
Web Page:               http://www2.hawaii.edu/~rsnider/

REQUIRED TEXT:
Biology 130L: Broyles, Jr., Robert. Workbook to Accompany Anatomy & Physiology Revealed 2.0. 1st ed. New York: McGraw Hill. 2009.

Book packaged with Anatomy & Physiology Revealed 2.0 CD-ROM.

Off island students may order the text from the U.H. Outreach program (http://www.bookstore.hawaii.edu/uhkcc/home.aspx) or by calling the KCC bookstore (808-734-9589).

GENERAL COURSE OBJECTIVE: To learn the basic gross and microscopic anatomy of the human body, with special emphasis upon the skeleton, muscles, heart and blood vessels, and the nervous system.

COURSE COMPETENCIES: Upon successful completion of this course the student should be able to:

·        Identify the anatomical structures of the muscular, skeletal, nervous, hormonal, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems.

·        Describe the position and structural relationships of the anatomical components of the muscular, skeletal, nervous, hormonal, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems.

THIS IS AN ONLINE COURSE!

·        Student discipline and motivation play a major role in success in this online course. If this is your first online course, make sure you schedule times for studying, and stick with your schedule.

·        Is an online course right for you?

·        An orientation for students taking online courses and variety of other information is available at http://www.hawaii.edu/uhcc.e-learn/.

·        This course uses the UH System’s version Sakai courseware called Laulima to deliver content to you and assess your understanding of the presented content. You can enter Laulima by following these directions:

-Go to UH’s Laulima login page.

-Login to your Laulima account using your UH system ID and password.

-The online courses for which you are officially registered for the current semester will appear on a blue bar near the top of the page.

-Select the appropriate course to enter the Biology 130L class.

·        You must have a UH email account and check it regularly. If you don’t already have such an account, you may create one at http://www.hawaii.edu/infotech/username and select “Get UH Username.” You can use this email account to contact the instructor at rsnider@hawaii.edu.

LEARNING: The components of the course are:

·        The Anatomy and Physiology Revealed CD-ROM and associated workbook. Anatomy and Physiology Revealed CD-ROM is now in its second version and has improved dramatically. Through structured exercises, the workbook guides the student to the appropriate views of the cadaver based material on the CD. Many anatomical structures are readily identifiable.

·        Each lab is linked to various locations on the web. These supplement the CD-ROM and guide, and some allow self-evaluation.

·        Online interactive software, Essential Study Partner, by McGraw-Hill Publishers.

·        Successful students stay on schedule and methodically work through exercises and assignments for the week well before the quiz/exam scheduled for the beginning of the following week. It cannot be overemphasized that success in this course depends on you entering the course regularly, probably daily, and studying consistently.

ASSESSMENT (grading) of your performance in the course is based on the following:

·        Lab Quizzes: Weekly quizzes are typically scheduled on Mondays and Tuesdays through Laulima. These will cover the preceding week's assigned work according to the lab schedule. There are no quizzes during the weeks lab exams are scheduled.

·        Lab Exams: Five exams are scheduled. These are online, but must be taken at a testing center at a community college near you. You should locate your local testing center and determine its hours of service. Each exam covers about 3 weeks' of work.

·        All assessments will be timed. Answers to questions must be submitted before the set time expires for them to be counted. Since quizzes are not proctored, they should be considered open-book. However, the limited time will allow you to look up only a few answers, so be prepared.

·        Online Discussion: Online research relating to and discussion of contemporary, applicable readings will be assigned several times throughout the semester. Participation is required. The discussions will be via a bulletin board (asynchronous) within Laulima. You will be notified of a new reading in the Laulima announcements.

10 Online Quizzes @ about 10 points each

101 points

5 Lab Exams @ about 30 points each

152 points

Discussion

25 points

·        The final grade will be determined by the total number of points accumulated during the course. Points will be given for quizzes, lab exams, and discussions (see table). The percentage of total points attained by each student is fitted to a class curve which recognizes that "A" is outstanding achievement, "B" is above average, "C" is average, "D" is below average, and "F" fails to meet minimal standards for passing the course. You can be assured of a specific letter grade by achieving the following standards: A=90%, B=80%, C=70%, D=60%. The student's scores for all assessments will be available immediately and continuously within Laulima. An estimate of your “to date” class performance (percentage) is continuously available in the Gradebook under the heading Course Grade. Use this value to track your progress in the class. Please note however, that when Laulima calculates percent scores, any assessments not taken are not included. Thus if you have not taken one or more assessments, your percent scores by section and course grade will be artificially high. All assessments must be completed for the percent scores to be accurate.

GENERAL NOTES:

·        The schedule is subject to change.

·        Online Biology 130 is a very academically demanding course and requires consistent work and study. Using the internet for learning can be somewhat deceiving. A few days of inactivity can easily cause you to fall behind. Don’t let this happen to you. Keep up with your work!

·        Appropriate student conduct as defined by the Kapi‘olani Community College Student Conduct Code will be expected of students at all times. You are expected to take all quizzes and exams independently. Do not provide or receive unfair assistance. Ultimately the person you harm will be yourself and perhaps a future client/patient who may depend on you. When taking proctored exams in a qualified testing center, you may not use any electronic, printed or live supplemental information sources. In addition, you may not participate in any verbal, written or electronic communication. You must rely solely on your own knowledge of the subject material. When sitting down for an exam, you may have a blank sheet of paper and pen/pencil on the table beside you. Absolutely everything else should be securely stored away for the duration of the exam. Any report from a proctor that these rules have been broken will result in a zero score for the exam and a potential failure of the class!

·        KCC Policy Statements:

(a) Kapi’olani Community College is an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action Institution.

(b) If you have a disability and have not voluntarily disclosed the nature of your disability and the support you need, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the Special Student Services Office, 734-9552 (V/TTY), Ilima 105, for assistance.

(c) Students are expected to attend all classes for which they are registered. If a student is unable to attend class, he or she should contact the instructor in advance to give notification of the absence and make the necessary arrangements.

(d) For those students who receive financial aid and fail to attend the first week of classes without making arrangements with the instructor, the instructor will submit the student’s name to the Financial Aid Office. The student will be denied financial aid for the class that he/she is not attending. In addition, it is solely the student’s responsibility to withdraw from the class or attend the class and pay tuition.

·        Math/Science Policy for “Withdrawal” and “Incomplete” Grades:

The Math/Science Department policy on Withdrawals from courses and Incomplete Grades is as follows:

(a) WITHDRAWAL (“W” Grade): After the “last day of withdrawals” which is found on the calendar in the schedule of courses, the instructor will sign withdrawals only in cases of extreme or unusual circumstances. Grade related excuses are unacceptable.

Examples of extreme or unusual circumstances are:

            (a) a certified medical reason, or,

            (b) a death in the family

Students who no longer attend class and who DO NOT OFFICIALLY WITHDRAW from the course will receive “F” grades. The last day for all withdrawals is October 27, 2009.

(b) INCOMPLETE (“I” Grade): Students must present the “Request for Incomplete Grade” form prior to the last day of instruction. “I” grades will be given only to students who are achieving passing grades and are very close to completing the course. In addition, the student must have a very good reason for not being able to complete all the work on time. Examples of good reasons are the same as those listed under the “withdrawal policy” above.

·        If you are unable to access Laulima or the course, go to the instructor’s website page dealing with these issues for initial help. If you are unable to resolve your problem(s), call the instructor at his office (email does not facilitate a rapid resolution). If you have a problem accessing content within the course, select the link “Dealing with Technical Difficulties” on the home page and review the document for resolutions to problems similar to the one you are experiencing. Again, if you need additional help, please call the instructor.