ONLINE ACCESS ONLINE ACCESS
BIOLOGY 204
DR. ANNE HEMSLEY
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Check here that your computer has the necessary capacities for creating an effective online learning environment for you.
ONLINE LECTURE MATERIALS
You can access the online course materials by clicking on the PowerPoint Lecture Notes links. You will access copies of the PowerPoint lectures delivered by Dr. Hemsley to the students who attend lecture. Online students also need to download and print off the Class study notes (use the link here to access them) and complete any gaps in these notes. The information you need will be in the PowerPoint lectures which are accessible from this page and, of course, in the text book!
Reading the Lectures Online
The information that you will find in these pages is not intended to be a total duplication of the text in the book, rather it is intended to guide you towards the concepts that are considered most important. You should read the chapter first and then visit the lecture pages so that their outlines will be presented in the context of your background reading. To take full advantage of this class, you will need to do both. The Study Guide should be completed as you watch the PowerPoint lectures and listen to the audio materials.
Checking your progress
The best way to test whether you are up to par with your study will be to take one of the past exams provided within the syllabus for the class. Ideally, you will take the test under realistic exam conditions, namely sitting in a quiet room with no distractions and with all text books closed! Give yourself two hours to complete the test, then look up the answers in your text book or study guide to see how completely and accurately you were able to write your responses. For the answers to some of the critical thinking questions, you may need to check with your instructor or SI leader.
Monitoring your participation in the Lecture Class
You will be required to show that you are keeping up with your studies on a regular basis, just as a traditional student would have to sign the roll sheet each day at lecture. The instructor will be asking to see the printed study guide with all the blank spaces filled in with the correct words and terms you would glean from studying the textbook and checking the PowerPoint notes. Failure to keep these notes current may be grounds for a student drop for "non-attendance". The link to Lecture Schedule allows you to check where you should be from week to week in your studies.
GENERAL NOTES
Here are some general notes that I would like to pass along for this class. Read them carefully as there is information in here that may affect your grade. They were compiled by an instructor whose main area of interest is online study, so they are sure to assist you with achieving your goals.
Participation
Because this is a hybrid course, there are many opportunities for students to interact with one another or with the instructor during lab time. Email may also be a useful way for distantly located students to form a Study Group. Please let the instructor know if you are wishing to set up a chat session and experiencing any difficulties.
This online course is viewable with Netscape 3.0 or above and Internet Explorer 3.0 or above. Some of the animated features may require the latest version of each browser. The best viewing resolution is 800 x 600. Also, if you come across a link that does not work correctly, please supply me with the information so that I may correct the error. I have tried to test this site as thoroughly as possible, but I may still have missed something.
I call upon you to look at this class in a different light than those who might attend in the classroom. For instance, when you post a question or send an email, the person on the other end who will be responding may not be connected at the same time you are. Therefore, you may not get an answer immediately. If you post a question and can continue with another part of the class, do so and check back periodically for a response. If your question stops you completely, post the question then take a break. Go for a jog or a bike ride and enjoy life, then check back later for the response.
You are always welcome to email me with questions about class materials or course structure. Please make sure that you
enter a subject heading into the appropriate box when you email me. Just like you, I get a lot of "junk" email, and usually discard emails with no subject heading. Better yet, add BIOL 204 into your email's title and you will definitely get my priority attention.
In some respects, taking a class online may be a little tougher than the classroom. It can be hard to stay motivated without the loud voice of the instructor keeping you awake! Try to network with the students you meet in lab class and form study groups to add interest to your study regime.
As is the case with all classes, the work that you do and submit for a grade MUST be your own work. Any class work or assignment that is submitted and is a duplicate of another student's work or a download from the internet or a published article or book, is cause to reject BOTH assignments. Simply changing a couple of words to make the presentations different is not acceptable. You should learn the concepts and then reiterate them in your own words. Working in groups and/or with other students is okay, just be sure that what you submit is in your own words. I will NOT accept the claim that the work performed in the group is exactly what each of you wants to say.
When you submit projects that have references to external resources, you must place the proper reference in the bibliography. Failing to cite your resources using MLA or APA format will negatively affect your grade. Also, it is not acceptable to simply copy text from a resource into your paper. You need to learn to paraphrase your work. I will check resources and if your information is a copy of what is in the resource (without a proper citation), I will reject the assignment.
Browsers
A New Look
Emailing the Instructor
The Best and the Worst
Student Work