[COURSE]: Course Syllabus

Syllabus Menu
General Information | Course Description | Required Text | Additional Requirements
Technical Information | Course Goals & Objectives | Course Committments
Participation Expectations | Academic Integrity & Responsible Use Policies
Privacy | Assistance | Grading Policies

Module Information
Module 1 | Module 2 | Module 3 | Module 4


General Information Course ID:
Course Section:
Credit Hours:
IAI Code:
Prerequisite(s):

Course Description Course Description Here

Required Text Required Textbook:
ISBN:
Instructions for purchasing Textbook(s)

Additonal Requirements Additonal Requirements list such as software, memberships, etc.

Technical Information Technical Requirementes
Internet Access (56K modem minimum, broadband preferred); Windows users are encouraged to use Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6 or higher, Netscape Navigator version 7 or higher, or Firefox version 1 or higher; Mac user should use Firefox verison 1.5 or higher; basic Web-surfing and computer skills; word processing (Microsoft Word strongly recommended)

NOTE: If you are an AOL customer and use the AOL browser, you will have difficulty using Blackboard. It is recommended that AOL users connect to the Internet with AOL as usual, then minimize the AOL browser screen, open one of the recommended Web browsers independently, and connect to your course site.

Technical Competencies
Students wanting to take this course should be able to navigate the Internet, send/receive E-mails with attachments, navigate, post, and reply to threads within a discussion forum, and be able to install required computer applications to their personal computers.

Technical Support
For technical assistance, contact the 24/7 support center at [URL] where you may find a solution to your problem, as well as support through chat and E-mail. Support technicians are available by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to help you at [Phone]. Personal face-to-face help is available in the Distance Education Technology Center for Teaching & Learning in Room [Room] on the main campus from Monday through Thursday, 8am to 8 pm, and on Fridays from 8am to 4:30pm. Help is available in the Tech Center either on a “drop-in” basis or by appointment by calling [Phone].

Course Goal & Objectives Course Goal Here

Course Committments Instructor
As an online faculty member, I am committed to providing a quality learning experience through thoughtful planning, implementation, and assessment of course activities. I am also committed to being readily available to students throughout the semester by returning E-mails and phone calls within 24 to 48 hours and to returning graded course work within a week. Furthermore, I am committed to selecting appropriate course materials and making them available in an organized and timely manner in our virtual classroom. Within our Discussion Board, it is my job to initiate thoughtful, on-topic discussions, encourage student-to-student communication, and mediate when necessary. Therefore, I will not respond to every post, but encourage students to take ownership of the learning process by responding to each other.

Students
By registering for this online course, you commit yourself to self-motivated study, participation in online course activities, and the submission of all assignments and exams on time. Furthermore, you commit to accessing the course website and checking your E-mail at least four times a week and to devoting at least as much time to this online course as to a comparable traditional class on campus. In other words, since this is a 3 credit hour course offered during a 16-week semester, you commit to spend a minimum of 9 hours per week on this class.

Participation Expectations Discussion Forums
Discussion Board (Required): Student attendance – even virtual attendance – and participation in class discussion are important to the success of any class. Since this course in conducted online, active participation by all class members is essential for generating meaningful discussions related to course material. Participation in the class will count 20% toward your final course grade and will be based on the quality and quantity of postings to the class Discussion Board. A minimum of three weekly postings is required to receive maximum credit for participation.

Grading a discussion forum is admittedly a subjective process. Generally, there are no right or wrong answers as long as they are thoughtful and relevant. At the end of each course module, after I have closed the forum for that module, I will assign points for your participation. Your entries should be substantive and relevant to the material in that module. Responses to entries of fellow students that help clarify or synthesize other group members' ideas will count well, as they indicate that you have read and thought about what other students are saying. Disagreements with another group member should be stated clearly, yet politely, in a manner that does not offend another person. When confronted with conflict, initiating an immediate resolution and apologies for personal contribution to the situation is required.

As long as you approach the discussion forums seriously and put some thought into your responses, you will find that I grade them generously. The important thing is to participate, as if it were a discussion in the classroom. I look for the quality of comments rather than the number of words, so it’s best to avoid long and ponderous entries. In most cases, a few well-chosen, well-written, thoughtful lines of text is sufficient.

Cyber Lounge (Optional)
For casual conversation and social interaction with other students, you are encouraged to visit the cyber lounge. The lounge offers students the opportunity to engage in friendly and fun conversation by posting asynchronous messages to a non-academic area of the class Discussion Board. This is not a course requirement, and points are not awarded for posting messages in this area. Please, also note, that any off-topic conversations occurring inside a content specific forum will be asked to move to this forum.

Diversity
As your instructor, it is my intent that students from diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well-served by this course and that the diversity which students bring to this class be viewed and used as both a resource and a strength. It is also my intent to assign materials and plan learning activities that are respectful of diversity, be it gender, race, socioeconomic status, culture, linguistic background, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, physical ability, perspective or any other such characteristic. Any suggestions for improving the value of diversity for you personally or for other students or student groups in this course are encouraged and appreciated.

Netiquette
In any social interaction, certain rules of etiquette are expected and contribute to more enjoyable and productive communication. The following tips for interacting online in e-mail and/or Discussion Board messages are adapted from guidelines originally compiled by Chuq Von Rospach and Gene Spafford.


Sexual Harrasment
Since learning is best achieved in an environment of mutual respect and trust, the college has adopted a clear and firm policy prohibiting sexual harassment. Even though this is an online class, sexual harassment can, nonetheless, occur. Such conduct will not be tolerated in this class, and victims are encouraged to report any unwelcome sexual advances to appropriate school authorities. (See the College Catalog and/or Student Handbook for more information.)

Academic Integrity & Responsible Use Policies Academic Integrity
It is expected that students in this course will maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. Anyone involved in dishonesty—i.e. plagiarism, granting or receiving assistance on exams, etc.—will minimally receive a failing grade on the assignment and, at the instructor’s discretion, may possibly receive a failing grade in the course. If you have any questions about how and when to cite references, please ask for clarification before submitting written assignments. Intellectual honesty and integrity are essential attributes of an educated person. (See the College Catalog and/or Student Handbook for further information on academic misconduct.)

Responsible Use
Students are responsible for knowing and following the terms and conditions of our institution's policy for “Responsible Use of Information Technology.” This policy may be found online at [URL] as well as in the College Catalog, Student Handbook, and posted in computer labs on campus.

Privacy To protect your privacy, we follow principles in accordance with worldwide practices for customer and participant privacy and data protection. Please note that because of the nature of the online environment, all participants, including guest lecturers, have access to the names of all students within a course. All participants are expected to keep this information confidential. By accepting registration in a our course, you are providing your permission for the access to the course by guest lecturers. Furthermore, you grant permission for access to the course by our technical support personnel when necessary. While all copyright information you post is maintained by you, registering for a course grants our institution and its designated parties permission to access the course archives for educational research purposes and administrative reporting. In such cases, your name and personal information will not be transmitted through insecure means or used for purposes beyond administrative requirements or educational research. With the above exceptions, our program will stringently comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Assistance Academic Assistance
In addition to the assistance provided by your instructor, the Academic Skills Center provides a variety of academic services on Main Campus in J-2013. For example, some students may wish to schedule appointments with tutors, who are available at no cost to provide academic assistance. Information regarding the services of the ASC is available at [URL] or by phone at [PHONE].

Our institution is also a partner institution with the Illinois Virtual Campus, which provides virtual tutoring services to our students using synchronous and asynchronous conferencing to providing tutoring services to students. To learn more about this service, visit the IVCTutor Web site at http://ivctutor.illinois.edu/.

Special Needs
In accordance with college policy, students with a documented disability for which special arrangements or accommodations may be needed should contact their instructor and/or the office of Student Accommodations and Resources (StAR) in J- 2025 at their earliest convenience to discuss how their educational needs can best be met. The StAR office provides an array of academic support services to students with documented physical or learning disabilities, to students with limited English proficiency, and to students enrolled in career and technical majors who are at risk academically. For more information regarding StAR’s services, visit http://www.jjc.edu/star/ or call (815) 280-2230.

Grading Policies Extra Credit
Extra credit opportunities are not available in this course. Students should devote their time and energy to doing well on the course requirements, and final grades will take care of themselves.

Withdrawl Policy
If a student determines that he/she will be unable to complete the course, it is the student's responsibility to initiate procedures leading to a formal withdrawal ("W") in order to avoid a failing ("F") grade in the course. To receive a "W" grade, a student must withdraw before the deadline established by the college. Contact the Registrar’s Office at [PHONE] for further information on withdrawal procedures and deadline dates.

Incomplete Grades ("I")
Incomplete (I) grades and deadline extensions are not options in this course. Students are strongly encouraged to complete their work before deadlines approach. Waiting until the “last minute” to submit assignments and to take quizzes and exams is inadvisable since deadlines are fixed and “I” grades are not awarded.

Assignment Deadlines
Due dates and deadlines have been established for each graded assignment. In this course, deadlines are taken very seriously. Please do not wait until the last day to submit assignments or to take quizzes and exams. In most cases, graded course work and exams can be completed before the deadline dates.

Deadline extensions are rarely, if ever, granted in this course. However, if an emergency should arise, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor prior to the deadline to discuss the matter. A deadline extension will be considered only if all of the following conditions are met:

* Extreme emergency
* Instructor contacted prior to the deadline date

Since deadline extensions are almost never granted, students are responsible for dropping the course if assignment due dates cannot be met.

Disclaimer
The course schedule and class procedures set forth in the syllabus are subject to modification in the event of extenuating circumstances beyond the instructor’s control. Any changes to the syllabus will be announced in the online course site, and students will be give ample opportunity to adjust accordingly.

Module 1: Orientation Brief Overview
The purpose of this module is for us to spend some time getting to know each other.

Assignments
Bio Assignment
Ice Breaker Survey Assignment

Time Estimates
It should take approximately 1-3 hours to complete this module depending on your background and how familiar/comfortable you are with our Course Management System (Moodle) and its navigation. This is a .5 week module that will be available through Sunday of week 1.

Readings
There are no readings for this module. However, you might consider looking over the reading list for Module 2 to get ahead.

Tips For Success
Here are a few tips to help you be more succesful in this module:

* Use this time to look around inside the course and become familiar with the environment
* Read the Syllabus, Assessment Criteria, Instructor's Office, and other general course forums
* Respond to classmates and begin getting to know them and the things you have in common
* Have FUN!