INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

OFFICE HOURS - MSU building Room 137 or by appointment

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES  From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Ed. Course Manual/NCTC Catalog

COURSE SUBJECT OUTLINE  (Major Assignments, Due Dates, and Grading Criteria)

See the tentative course schedule uploaded into CANVAS.

GRADING CRITERIA

GRADING SCALE:  89.5 – 100% = A, 79.5 - 89% = B, 69.5 - 79% = C, 59.5 – 69% = D, Below 59.5% = F       

**I do not accept late work and missed assignments/exams cannot be made up.

EXAMS:  There will be 4 regular exams and 1 comprehensive final offered during the course of the semester. All exams will be conducted in Canvas using Lockdown Browser – see below.  As noted previously, the lowest exam grade will be dropped and for this reason, make-up exams will not be offered for any reason except for approved college sponsored activities.

Any student caught cheating during an exam will be given a zero for that assignment. Any use of unauthorized electronic devices or materials during exams will be considered cheating.

Lockdown Browser:  is an application/browser that will be used to monitor student activity during on-line exams. It will record your image and activity for the duration of the exam and you will be unable to leave the Canvas site or access other applications during the exam until you have submitted your responses.

COURSE STRUCTURE:  This course is a blending of face-to-face and online learning. The lecture and laboratory will meet on the Midwestern State University campus. Refer to your class schedule for meeting times and room numbers. Attendance in lecture and laboratory is required and assignments cannot be made up, therefore please make sure your schedule is clear each week during the entire scheduled meeting times.

COURSE COMMUNICATION:  Announcements/class cancellations will be posted using the Remind application. You can set this up with the Remind app or through text message push notifications. It is your responsibility to join the class to receive announcements from your instructor.

Follow the link to sign up: https://www.remind.com/join/hkbio2406  

QUESTIONS:  It is normal to have questions about things that relate to the course, such as clarification about assignments, due dates, course materials, or assessments. Often, students send questions that are similar in nature or repetitive to the instructor via email. In order to get answers to you in a more efficient way, I will have an FAQ discussion board in Canvas where you can post questions and receive responses/clarification from other students and/or myself. All questions of a personal nature should be sent directly to your instructor via email or Canvas message.

NETIQUETTE:  When posting on discussion boards as well as sending private messages, it is important to understand how to interact with classmates/instructors online. You should plan to read about the rules of netiquette as a requirement for this course at  http://www.gadsdenstate.edu/elearning/netiquette This will be an assigned reading during the first unit of this course and assignments will follow to test your understanding.

LEARNING TEAMS:  You will be assigned to a learning team the first week of class, which you will work with for the duration of the semester in lecture and lab. In-class team work will take place during the first 15-30 minutes of class, so for that reason please plan on arriving on time to each class and sit with your team members. You are expected to come to class prepared to work with your team and actively participate. You are encouraged to exchange contact information with your team members within the first week. Your team members will evaluate your participation efforts in the middle and end of the course.

PARTICIPATION:  Students are expected to participate by attending lectures and labs, asking questions, commenting (respectfully) on subject matter, engaging in the discussions and taking appropriate notes.  The required textbook is a valuable resource of information and students will be expected to keep up with its reading. Students are expected to participate in all lab exercises and attend all field trips unless arrangements are made with the instructor beforehand. Students must take responsibility for their own learning.

Since the goal of this course is to engage students in active discussions utilizing critical thinking skills, there will not be adequate class time to cover all the course material in lecture format.  Note however, that approximately 60 -80% of the tested material will come from the brief verbal lectures, class discussions/assignments, and PowerPoint lectures.  The remaining material will come from the required textbook readings and completion of textbook outlines and Canvas material. 

ATTENDANCE POLICY:  Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered. Approved college sponsored activities are the only absences for which a student should not be held liable and only when provided by a college official ahead of the absence.

Students may be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives. Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered sufficient cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL)

Last day to Withdraw for the Fall 2019 semester with a “W” is November 1^st, 2019

For other important dates visit: https://www.nctc.edu/_documents/academics/2019-2020-academic-calendar.pdf

If a student cannot complete all the requirements of this course due to illness or some unavoidable conflict, they must request in writing a grade of “I” (incomplete) in order to be allowed to finish the requirements at a later date. When the instructor receives the request, he/she must reply in writing to the request, explaining why the grade of “I” will or will not be assigned.

DISABILITY SERVICES - THE OFFICE FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES (OSD):  provides support services for students with disabilities, students enrolled in technical areas of study, and students who are classified as special populations (i.e. single parents).  Support services for students with disabilities might include appropriate and reasonable accommodations, or they may be in the form of personal counseling, academic counseling, career counseling, etc.  Furthermore, OSD Counselors work with students to encourage self-advocacy and promote empowerment. The Counselors also provides resource information, disability-related information, and adaptive technology for students who qualify.

If you feel you have needs for services that the institution provides, please reach out to either Wayne Smith (940) 498-6207 or Yvonne Sandman (940) 668-3300.  Alternative students may stop by Room 170 in Corinth or Room 111 in Gainesville. For more information, visit the NCTC Office for Students with Disabilities: https://www.nctc.edu/catalog/student-services/office-students-with-disabilities.html

CORE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREA (For classes in the Core)        

• Communication
• Mathematics                     
• Life and Physical Science
• Language, Philosophy & Culture
• Creative Arts
• American History
• Government/Political Science
• Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Component Area Option

REQUIRED CORE OBJECTIVES

• Critical Thinking
• Communication
• Empirical and Quantitative
• Teamwork
• Personal Responsibility
• Social Responsibility