Fall 2014 – Second 8 Weeks October 20 – December 9, 2014 HCCS Distance Education Biol 1308 - Introductory Biology I CRN 29663 Audrick M. Lewis, Professor GENERAL INFO Course Platform: Course Intent: Prerequisites: Course Credit: Email communication: For Technical Assistance: Textbook:

Course Layout:

We will be using EAGLE 2.0 (http://eo2.hccs.edu) for this course. Health Science Professions, General Studies None 3 Semester Hours We will communicate through Eagle email only. Do not use the college email for this course. I will check Eagle regularly and will answer as soon as possible. desupport@hccs.edu Campbell: Essential Biology with Physiology, Vol 1 (customized for HCC) by Eric Simon, Jane Reece and Jean Dickey. You can purchase the custom HCC edition from Southeast College Bookstore – 713-640-1441. This course covers Chapters 1 through 13 and fulfills the following core intellectual competencies: •Reading •Writing •Speaking •Listening •Critical Thinking •Computer Literacy

*Please note that there are NO make ups on assignments and exams for no reason. Please note that details of this syllabus may change as needed. ASSIGNMENTS, EXAMS, and GRADING Assignments: There is one required assignment/quiz for this course. • Getting Started Assignment: This REQUIRED assignment is a 10-item quiz that covers information found in the syllabus and “Important information” document. It is worth 5% of your grade and should be taken by October 26, 2014, at 11:30pm. Two attempts are allowed and the higher grade is posted. Exams: There are 4 chapter exams (worth 20% each) scheduled for this course, and 1 final exam (worth 15%). • Chapter Exams: Chapter exams consist of 25 True/False or multiple choice questions and are based on the material in your textbook. You will have 30 minutes to complete each chapter exam on the days shown next to the exam. Two attempts are allowed and the higher grade is posted.

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o Exam #1 (Chapters 1-4): Friday, October 31 at 8AM – Saturday, November 1 at 11:30PM o Exam #2 (Chapters 5-6): Saturday, November 8 at 8AM – Sunday, November 9 at 11:30PM o Exam #3 (Chapters 7-9): Tuesday, November 18 at 8AM – Wednesday, November 19 at 11:30PM o Exam #4 (Chapters 10-13): Saturday, December 6 at 8AM – Sunday, December 7 at 11:30PM • Mandatory On-Campus Final Exam: DECEMBER 12-13, LOCATIONS & TIMES TO BE ANNOUNCED BY THE DISTANCE EDUCATION OFFICE (CHECK EAGLE 2.0 SITE). The final exam will be cumulative and standardized, so it will cover chapters 1-13 and all sections of 1308 will take the same exam. There will be 50 questions with a 2-hour time limit (one attempt only). You are required to take the final exam ON CAMPUS unless you have permission to have a proctored exam (see below):

ON-CAMPUS TESTING Note: With DE courses you have quite a bit of testing flexibility. Students have the option to take exams at any of the following times and locations that will be announced later in the semester. There is a two-hour time limit for each exam. DROP-IN BETWEEN THESE HOURS: (Do NOT bring children to the testing campus.) Times and Dates To Be Announced by the Distance Education Office Drop-in means that you can take the test any time between the designated hours. The last admittance times are strongly upheld. You must pick up your test by this time. A picture ID (driver's license, HCC ID, work ID, passport, etc.) is required before students are allowed to test. If you do not have one, you must call the DE Department, 713-718-5275 and select Option 1, during the following office hours: • Monday – Thursday: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. • Friday: 8:00a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Proctoring Information: Students living outside the Houston area and cannot take a test at one of our testing locations MUST make arrangements for a proctor. An acceptable proctor is someone employed as an administrator or as a faculty member at a local community college, a university, a high school, or a public library who is not a friend or relative of the student. Please note that you are only allowed to take the exam by proctor if the registrar has your address officially listed as being outside of the Houston-metro area. The name of the proctor and the affiliated institution must be furnished in writing to DE@hccs.edu in the DE office by the end of the first week of classes (see Proctoring Information Form). The proctor will need to provide a secure testing

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environment and possibly (depending on the course) a computer with Internet access. Proctor information, the proctoring contract, and the proctor approval form MUST be received 2 weeks prior to the scheduled exam. All fees associated with proctoring are the responsibility of the student. Distance Education and or the instructor must approve the proctor before exams will be sent. We will send the exam via fax, email or US mail directly to the proctor with instructions for administering the exams; however, the fees associated with returning the exams to the instructor are the responsibility of the student. (It is important to note that in some cases, i.e. the final exam, students might be required to send exams back via overnight express, etc) A valid picture ID must be presented to the proctor when taking the exam. The proctor must include a copy of his/her business card or letterhead stationery. Once completed, the form may be returned by fax to Distance Education at 713718-5388. NOTE: Friends, colleagues, or relatives, regardless of the position with any institution, WILL NOT be permitted to proctor exams under any circumstances. NO EXCEPTIONS. Online Exam Policy: • All exams are mandatory: All examinations are mandatory and students are expected to complete all exams. Any exam that is not completed on time will be considered a missed exam. Students will receive a grade of zero for a missed exam and this will significantly affect your final grade. Exams #1-4 are online; the final exam is held on-campus. If you are not able to attend on-campus, you will have to fill out a Proctor form. Please note that you are only allowed to take the exam by proctor if the Registrar has your address officially listed as being outside of the Houston-metro area. • Technical difficulties are not an excuse: Technical problems are not an acceptable excuse for missing an exam. If your computer has a history of problems, please use a computer at the HCC computer lab to complete your exam. • Manage online time limits: All exams have time limits, so please pay attention to the amount of time that exams will be available and the amount of time that you have to complete an exam. • Check calendar regularly: It is your responsibility to check the calendar and note any testing dates shown. This is a very short, intensive class, so please do your best to study hard, master the concepts, and keep up with materials. • No makeups: Please be advised that no make up exams will be given for any reason. WEEK Wk1: 10/20 – 10/26 ASSIGNMENTS Ch. 1-2; Getting Started Assignment DUE GRADING INFORMATION Grade Calculation:

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Wk 2: 10/27 – 11/2 Ch. 3-4; EXAM #1 Wk 3: 11/3 – 11/9 Wk 4: 11/10 – 11/16 Wk 5: 11/17 – 11/23 Wk 6: 11/24 – 11/30 Wk 7: 12/1 – 12/7 Wk 8: 12/8-12/14 Ch. 5-6; EXAM #2 Ch. 7-8 Ch. 9; EXAM #3 Ch. 10-13 EXAM #4 DECEMBER 12-13: FINAL EXAM (On Campus OR by Proctor)

*Getting Started Assignment (1 @ 5%) – 5% *Chapter exams (4 @ 20% each) - 80% *Final exam (1 @ 15%) – 15% Total - 100% Grading Scale: 90 – 100 = A 80 – 89 = B 70- 79 = C 60-69 = D 60 –below = F

HCC POLICIES AND INFORMATION Important dates: Friday, Oct 17, 2014: Sunday, Oct 19, 2014: Monday, Oct 20, 2014: Monday, Oct 27, 2014: Friday, Nov 21, 2014: Tuesday, Nov 27, 2014: Tuesday, Dec 9, 2014: December 12-13, 2014: Last day for 100% refund Last day to drop/add/swap classes online / Registration ends (online only) Classes begin Official Date of Record Last day for Administrative / Student Withdrawals (4:30 PM) Thanksgiving Last day of instruction On campus Final Examination (see Eagle 2.0 site for locations & times)

New DE Student Userid: Your new student login userid will be your HCC User ID (sometimes referred to as the “W” number). All HCC students have a unique User ID. It is the same number you use for class registration. For students who have taken DE classes in previous semesters, the login will no longer be “firstname.lastname” + the last 2 digit of your SS #. If you do not know your User ID you can look it up using the following links: • From the HCC home page, click on “Register Here” On the Student Web Services page, click on “Registration (Online)” Click on “Retrieve User ID” and follow the instructions. Or use the direct link: https://hccsaweb.hccs.edu:8080/servlets/iclientservlet/sauat/?cmd=start The default student password will still be “distance.” As always, students will then be prompted to change their password after their first login. These new student login procedures apply to classes taught in both WebCT and Blackboard.
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Students with Disabilities: "Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the appropriate HCC Disability Support Service (DSS) Counselor at the beginning of each semester. Faculty are authorized to provide only the accommodations requested by the Disability Support Services Office. Students who are requesting special testing accommodations must first contact the appropriate DSS Counselor for assistance. Please contact the Distance Education Counselors at 713.718.5275, option #4 or at de.counseling@hccs.edu in order to be referred to the appropriate HCC DSS Counselor. Students who require testing accommodations need to schedule an appointment for testing to ensure that staff will be available for proctoring and to arrange for any adaptive equipment that may be required. Students should contact the distance education instructor's "Instructional Support Specialist" (ISS) the week prior to each exam throughout the semester to confirm that the requested testing accommodations will be met. If you need assistance in determining your instructor's ISS, please contact your instructor or the Distance Education Counselors for assistance." Education Advising and Counseling Services: Advising can be accomplished by telephone at 713/718-5275 - option # 4, via email at de.counseling@hccs.edu, by visiting the Distance Education Office at the HCC Administration Building, 3100 Main Street, 3rd floor and/or by on-site advising at other HCC locations upon request. Confidential sessions with the distance education counselors will help students understand admissions, registration, entrance testing requirements, degree planning, transfer issues, and career counseling. Houston Community College counselors also maintain a local referral base in order to provide appropriate referrals to students with personal or family issues that may require long-term solutions. Course Repeater Policy: Beginning in the Fall 2006, students who repeat a course for a third or more times will face significant tuition/fee increases at HCC and other Texas public colleges and universities. Please ask your instructor and/or counselor about opportunities for tutoring/other assistance prior to considering course withdrawal or if you are not receiving passing grades. HCC Course Withdrawal Policy: The State of Texas has begun to impose penalties on students who drop courses excessively. For example, if you repeat the same course more than twice, you have to pay extra tuition. Beginning in Fall 2007, the Texas Legislature passed a law limiting students to no more than SIX total course withdrawals throughout their educational career in obtaining a certificate and/or degree. To help students avoid having to drop/withdraw from any class, HCC has instituted an Early Alert process by which your professor will “alert” you and distance education (DE) counselors that you might fail a class because of excessive absences and/or poor academic performance. You should visit with your DE professor or a DE counselor to learn about what, if any, HCC interventions might be available to assist you – online

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tutoring, child care, financial aid, job placement, etc. – to stay in class and improve your academic performance. If you plan on withdrawing from your DE class, you MUST contact a DE counselor or your DE professor prior to withdrawing (dropping) the class and this must be done PRIOR to the withdrawal deadline to receive a “W” on your transcript. **Final withdrawal deadlines vary each semester and/or depending on class length, please visit the online registration calendars, HCC schedule of classes and catalog, any HCC Registration Office, or any HCC counselor to determine class withdrawal deadlines. Remember to allow a 24-hour response time when communicating via email and/or telephone with a DE professor and/or counselor. Do not submit a request to discuss withdrawal options less than a day before the deadline. If you do not withdraw before the deadline, you will receive the grade that you are making in the class as your final grade. Early Alert Notification: The Distance Education (DE) Department utilizes an Early Alert system managed by the DE counselors to provide outreach and intervention to students who may be at risk of withdrawal or failure. Referrals to this system are typically made by a DE faculty member. If a DE professor is concerned about a student's performance in class, that student may be referred to Early Alert for counseling intervention. Classroom Conduct: VIRTUAL As with on-campus classes, all students in HCC Distance Education courses are required to follow all HCC Policies & Procedures, the Student Code of Conduct, the Student Handbook, and relevant sections of the Texas Education Code when interacting and communicating in a virtual classroom with faculty and fellow students. Students who violate these policies and guidelines will be subject to disciplinary action that could include denial of access to course-related email, discussion groups, and chat rooms or being removed from the class. International Students: Receiving a W in a course may affect the status of your student Visa. Once a W is given for the course, it will not be changed to an F because of the visa consideration. Since January 1, 2003, International Students are restricted in the number of distance education courses that they may take during each semester. ONLY ONE online/distance education class may be counted towards the enrollment requirement for International Students per semester. Please contact the International Student Office at 713-718-8520 if you have any questions about your visa status and other transfer issues. Browser Tune Up: Please make sure you have completed the browser tune up before proceeding through the course. This tune up will ensure access to all course related information. If you have any technical problems, please call IT at the distance education office: desupport@hccs.edu

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