DOWNTOWN CAMPUS: PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION DEPARTMENT
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INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY |
PHI 2010 |
Summer 2010 – Reference #388762 |
Table of Contents
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Faculty
Contact Information
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Name: |
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Professor Tonietta A. Walters |
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Office Phone: |
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954-554-4810 |
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Cell Phone: |
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305-299-0100 |
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Department Phone: |
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954-201-7396 |
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Email: |
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twalters@broward.edu (All communication should be through Blackboard email. Use this BC email only if you have an emergency.) |
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Website: |
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Office Hours: |
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By
appointment , Downtown Campus - Bldg 33, Room 425 or my office in |
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Virtual Office Hours: |
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By appointment through Blackboard Chat or anytime asynchronously online |
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BC's Emergency Hotline#: |
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954-201-4900 |
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the nature of philosophy, philosophical thinking, major intellectual movements in the history of western philosophy, and specific problems in western philosophy. This is a web-enhanced course. Lecture notes, assignments, assessments as well as links to additional references and resources will be posted within the college e-learning system.
General Course Outcomes
It is the objective of this course to acquaint the student with philosophy both as a way of enriching students’ daily living as well as giving them a deeper appreciation of the philosophical issues that inform our literature, art, politics, religions, sciences, psychology, the criminal justice system, medicine, and even movies and advertising. The successful student should be able to effectively analyze and evaluate arguments and to reason with more accuracy, clarity, and completeness. Finally, it is the aim of this class to equip students with the tools necessary to make informed and intelligent judgments. Students will need to hone their skills in both analytic and synthetic reasoning as well as their observation and communication skills. This course will involve experiential practice by thinking, communicating and ultimately writing about philosophical issues and through thought experiments.
Unit 1. Introduction to Philosophical Inquiry
The students should be able to identify branches & problems in philosophy.
Unit 2. Basic Concepts of Logic
The students should be able to identify the basic components of logic.
Unit 3. Epistemology
The students should be able to identify and discuss major theories of knowledge.
Unit 4. Metaphysics
The students should be able to identify and discuss some of the major theories of metaphysics.
Unit 5. Philosophy of Religion
The students should be able to identify and discuss the major problems in the philosophy of religion.
Unit 6. Ethics
The students should be able to identify and discuss the main theories of ethics.
Course Prerequisites
Students: To maximize your chances for success in this course, make sure that you meet the following course prerequisites:
- Course Prerequisites and Co-requisites:
- Computer Knowledge and Skills:
- Students in this course should be familiar with the following computer skills.
- File Management - You should be familiar with finding and saving files on your computer.
- The Internet - You should be familiar with connecting to the Internet through an Internet Service Provider or Network Connection.
- Web Browser Software - You should be familiar with using web browser software to navigate the Internet and locate information.
- Email - You should be familiar with sending and receiving email messages.
- Discussions - You should be familiar with posting and reading discussion messages in a threaded format.
- Attachments - You should be familiar with sending email messages with attached files.
- Word Processing - You should be familiar with creating, editing, saving, and printing documents using Microsoft Word.
- Other Requirements
- You'll need a BC email address to access the online portion of this course.
Course Requirements
To complete the online segments of this course, you must have access to computer hardware and software that meets or exceeds BC's minimum hardware and software standards for e-learning courses. It is strongly recommended that you check your computer to verify that its hardware and software configuration meets or exceeds the BC standard.
- Is your computer ready for e-learning? Click here to check it out.
- Additional Software required
for this Course (optional) Assignments that require word processing must
be submitted in Microsoft Word format. Documents
created using Microsoft Works, or files that have [.txt], [.pdf], or [.asci] extensions
will not meet course requirements. If you do not
have proper software on your computer, you can use the Microsoft Word
program on any of the "open lab" computers at any BC
- If you are using Microsoft Office 2007 please read here for assistance with uploading assignments.
- Only word processing documents in Microsoft Word format will be accepted. Please virus check documents before sending them. Panda Software offers a free online virus check.
Required Course Materials
This course will require the material described below.
- Does the Center Hold? 4th Edition, Donald
Palmer,
- Lecture
notes, website links and other course related material, prepared by your
professor, will be placed in the Blackboard
server for students' perusal.
- Any other material necessary for the course will be indicated
by the professor during the class meetings. There is no course package
for this course to be acquired by the student at
the bookstore.
Methods of Instruction
This is a 3-credit hour course. Normally, a 3-credit hour course would meet two or three times each week (during a 16 week term) for a total of 3 hours per week or 48 hours per term. In this web-enhanced class, we will never meet on campus approximately once a week and you will engage in structured online activities. See the Course Schedule of Assignments for a detailed description of learning activities for scheduled online assignments. Students are responsible for regularly reviewing the Course Calendar and completing all required in-class and online assignments.
Learning activities will be focused on reviewing the topic material designated for the week in the Schedule of Assignments found in the online syllabus. The discussion will be directed toward clarifying the major issues of the subject matter and will presume that the student has already read the assigned material. There will be graded discussion questions and quizzes for each chapter, a midterm and final exam. This is a writing class; therefore students will be required to keep a weekly online journal. It is important that students keep up with the assigned readings and questions. Regular check-in to blackboard and class participation are also expected.
Course Attendance and Participation Policy
Regular, active, and meaningful participation in online learning activities is a critically important component of this course and is essential to your success. It is recommended that you log into the course several times during each week. Frequency and quality of participation may affect your grade. Everyone is expected to take the exams and turn in assignments on the scheduled dates. Permission for make-ups may be granted only on condition that you request and receive permission before the due date or exam date.
- Participation:
o Class attendance, regular login to the online section of the course and completion of assignments are an integral part of a being able to achieve a satisfactory grade.
o There will be no make-ups for assigned work after the due date. A documented emergency will be dealt with on an individual basis.
- Active participation is expected of all students in this course.
- Check your email and course discussions regularly. Ask questions.
- Post and respond to messages.
- BC Attendance Policy: Please familiarize yourself with BCC's Attendance Policy.
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It is very important for you to actively participate in this online class. If you stop participating in class discussions, submitting assignments or fail to take quizzes or tests prior to the withdrawal date, you will be administratively withdrawn from class and receive a W or, if it is your third attempt, an F. If you stop participating after the withdrawal date, you will receive a WF that will then be computed as an F in your GPA. To avoid this situation, you should remain an active learner in this class and always communicate extenuating circumstances to me. Ongoing communication with the instructor is critical to your course success. I will use completion of tests, assignments, and other class activities as indicators of your participation in order to satisfy this reporting requirement. |
Course Schedule and Assignments
Students: Read and refer to this document regularly. It will tell you what assignments you should complete, how and when you will be assessed and the possible points for each type of assignment or assessment.
· Written Assignments [200 points]
- Students are required to keep a weekly Online Journal to be graded at the Midterm point and at end of the semester. [200 points]
- Students are expected to make weekly entries of at least 2 or 3 paragraphs into the private journal section of the discussion boards.
- These journal entries are expected to be a personal synthesis and analysis of the topics covered during the course.
- The student should take a position on the chosen topic, be able to defend it rationally by making good supporting arguments that are not fallacious.
- Only the professor and the individual student will have access to the journal entries.
- There is no preferred method for citing sources.
- Hardcopy or email submissions for the journals will not be accepted or graded.
- 5 points will be deducted from the Midterm or Final Journal Entries grade for each late or missed weekly journal entry.
- Students are required to demonstrate college-level writing skills in order to successfully complete PHI 2010 and must demonstrate college level writing, by averaging at least a 60% pass rate on the written component of the course.
- Discussion Boards/Review Questions [200 points]
- There will be a “Meet Your Classmates” [10 class participation points] and an assigned set of review questions for each chapter within the Learning Units [25 points each].
- Each assigned question should be answered thoroughly and in detail referring to the appropriate information in the textbook chapter.
- Students are expected to post their response to the appropriate discussion board and respond to at least two of their classmates in their discussion group [5 class participation points each topic].
- Remember that responding to your classmates contributes to your class participation grade.
- There will be a general discussion board for discussing course content or asking questions of your classmates including those not in your philosophy group.
- Hardcopy or email submissions for the discussion boards will not be accepted or graded.
- Group Presentation [100 points]
- There will be a group presentation on selected philosophy topics [100 Points, plus 20 class participation points].
- Each group will have an assigned discussion blog and chat room.
- There should be one person in the group assigned the task of submitting the written version of the group presentation through the assignment drop-box in Blackboard.
- Hardcopy or email submissions for the written portion of the presentation will not be accepted or graded.
- Quizzes [40 points] and Exams [200 points]
- There will be an introductory module quiz [10 points] and a quiz for the Basic Logic Learning Unit [30 points].
- Students must pass the introductory module quiz with a 100% score in order to access the Learning units and course content. You will be able to take the quiz as many times as you need until the due date.
- Quizzes will be delivered online via Blackboard and may include multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blank and matching questions.
- There will be three allowed attempts for each quiz.
- There will be two exams, a mid-term and a final [100 points each]. The final exam is not cumulative.
- Exams will be delivered online via Blackboard and may include multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blank, matching and long/short answer questions.
- You will only be allowed to attempt each exam once. Allow time to complete the exam before the closing date and time. Make sure you have a solid Internet connection. If your ISP disconnects you during the exam, that will count as an attempt and you will not be able to repeat the exam.
- These tests can be taken any time prior to the closing date, may be taken via any computer with an Internet connection
- Quizzes and exams will NOT be administered after the dates and times indicated in the syllabus, unless there are extenuating circumstances and you have made prior arrangements with the instructor.
- Collaboration between students and/or discussion of quiz answers is NOT permitted.
- The use of notes, books, binder, texts, etc. is NOT permitted for any test.
- End of Course Survey [10 points]
- There is an end of course survey to be filled out on Blackboard.
- Class Participation [120 points]
- Meet Your Classmates Discussion [10 points]
- Discussion responses [40 Points]
- Group Presentations [20 points]
- Professor Determination [30 points]
Course Schedule of Assignments
This Course Schedule of Assignments is tentative and
subject to change. Please check the course
calendar, email & course
announcements regularly for
due dates & updates. Assignment submission boxes will be inaccessible
the day after the due date and time. There are no make-ups!
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Week/ Unit Learning Outcomes |
Learning Materials |
Learning Activities |
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Week 1 | Introduction Orientation Learning Outcomes
Students completing the orientation will be able to:
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Read all the material in the Orientation Module
Familiarize yourself with the format & content for the online portion of the course, and then set a study schedule for yourself.
In Class Activity:
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Review the course syllabus
Participate in one online discussion “Meet Your Classmates” - This activity is worth 10 class participation points. Sign up for a Discussion/Presentation Group Take a short quiz relating to the orientation - This activity is worth 10 points.
IMPORTANT: In order to gain access to the course content, you must complete all of the above activities and receive a perfect score on the quiz. You may take the syllabus quiz as many times as you need until the due date. Students should contact the instructor with questions. |
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Week 2 | Basic Logic Notes Unit 2. Basic Concepts of Logic
Upon successful completion of this unit, the students should be able to:
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Read:
In Class Activity:
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Review the Learning Outcomes & Materials Do Practice Exercises Take one online quiz - This activity is worth 30 points. Complete 1st Journal Entry – “Why am I here?”
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Week 3 | Chapter 1 Unit 1. Introduction to Philosophical Inquiry
Upon successful completion of this unit, the students should be able to:
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Read:
In Class Activity:
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Review the Learning Outcomes & Materials
Post your Chapter Review Question to the Discussion Board - This activity is worth 25 points.
Discussion Responses - This activity is worth 5 class participation points.
Complete a Journal Entry |
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Week 4 | Chapter 2 Unit 3a. Epistemology: Rationalism
Upon successful completion of this unit, the students should be able to:
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Read:
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Review the Learning Outcomes & Materials
Post your Chapter Review Question to the Discussion Board - This activity is worth 25 points.
Discussion Responses - This activity is worth 5 class participation points.
Complete a Journal Entr |
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Week 5 | Chapter 3 Unit 3b. Epistemology: Empiricism
Upon successful completion of this unit, the students should be able to:
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Read:
In Class Activities:
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Review the Learning Outcomes & Materials
Post your Chapter Review Question to the Discussion Board - This activity is worth 25 points.
Discussion Responses - This activity is worth 5 class participation points.
Complete a Journal Entry |
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Week 6 | Chapter 4 Unit 4a. Metaphysics
Upon successful completion of this unit, the students should be able to:
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Read:
In Class Activities:
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Review the Learning Outcomes & Materials
Post your Chapter Review Question to the Discussion Board - This activity is worth 25 points.
Discussion Responses - This activity is worth 5 class participation points.
Complete a Journal Entry |
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Week 7 | Mid-Term Review and Exam |
Read: · Midterm Review Module |
Turn in Midterm Journal Summary [100 points] – Due Take the Midterm Exam [100 points] – Due |
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Week 8 | Chapter 6 Unit 4b. Free Will
Upon successful completion of this unit, the students should be able to:
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Read:
In Class Activities:
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Review the Learning Outcomes & Materials
Post your Chapter Review Question to the Discussion Board - This activity is worth 25 points.
Discussion Responses - This activity is worth 5 class participation points.
Complete a Journal Entry |
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Week 9 | Chapter 5 Unit 5. Philosophy of Religion
Upon successful completion of this unit, the students should be able to:
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Read:
In Class Activities:
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Review the Learning Outcomes & Materials
Post your Chapter Review Question to the Discussion Board - This activity is worth 25 points.
Discussion Responses - This activity is worth 5 class participation points.
Complete a Journal Entry |
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Week 10 | Chapter 7 Unit 6a. Introduction to Ethical Theories
Upon successful completion of this unit, the students should be able to:
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Read:
In Class Activities:
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Review the Learning Outcomes & Materials
Post your Chapter Review Question to the Discussion Board - This activity is worth 25 points.
Discussion Responses - This activity is worth 5 class participation points.
Complete a Journal Entry |
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Week 11 | Chapter 8 Unit 6b. Problems in Ethics
Upon successful completion of this unit, the students should be able to:
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Read:
In Class Activities:
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Review the Learning Outcomes & Materials
Post your Chapter Review Question to the Discussion Board - This activity is worth 25 points.
Discussion Responses - This activity is worth 5 class participation points.
Complete a Journal Entry |
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Week 12 | Final Review and Exam |
Read: · Final Review Module |
Turn in Final Journal Summary [100 points] – Due Take the Final Exam [100 points] – Due |
Grading and Exam Policy
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Assessment |
Graded Points |
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Quizzes |
40 |
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Journal Entries 2@100 pts |
200 |
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Review Questions 8@25 pts |
200 |
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Group Presentation |
100 |
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Midterm |
100 |
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Final |
100 |
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Class Participation |
120 |
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End of Course Survey |
10 |
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Total Possible Points |
870 |
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Grading Scale |
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Grades |
Percentage |
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Grade = A |
90-100+% |
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Grade = B |
80-89% |
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Grade = C |
70-79% |
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Grade = D |
60-69% |
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Grade = F |
59% and below |
- Submission Deadlines
- Quizzes and exams will be taken online.
- Discussion postings and Chapter Review Questions are usually due on Friday.
- Journal Entries are to be posted by the given due date.
- Time due for all assignments and assessments is 11:55pm.
o Assignment submission boxes will NOT be accessible after the due date and time.
· Late Submissions
- Quizzes and Exams cannot be completed after the due date and time.
- There will be no makeup assignments or assessments available.
- Make-up Policy
- Permission for make-ups may be granted only condition that you request and receive permission before the due date or exam date.
- Make-up exams and quizzes after the due date will be permitted only under extenuating circumstances and only with prior notification and documentation (original funeral notice, original doctor note, etc.).
- The instructor reserves the right to create alternate make-up tests for students who are not able to take the scheduled exams.
· Extra-Credit: There is NO extra credit
- View your Grades
- Online quiz and exam grades will be available after finishing the quiz or exam [unless there are long answer questions, in which case grades will be available within 5-7 BC working days]. View "My Grades" from the course homepage.
- Grades for assignments will be posted within 5-7 BC working days of the closing date of the assignment. View "My Grades" from the course homepage.
- Grades for discussion boards and presentations will be posted within 5-7 BC working days after the discussion has closed. View "My Grades" from the course homepage.
- Final Grades can be accessed through your MYBC page after grades are posted with the Registrar.
- How your Grade will be Determined
o Grades including the final grade are calculated on the basis of a percentage of total possible points. This means all assignments and exams as well as class participation weigh in on your grade. Missing even one assignment will adversely affect your final grade.
Communication Policy
Expectations for Course Communication
· BC Email: Please do not send course related emails to the instructor's BC email address. Use the Blackboard email address instead. Assignments sent to the instructor's BC email address will not be accepted. Send your assignments to the instructor in Blackboard using the Blackboard feature/tool identified in the syllabus.
· Blackboard Email: Use the email tool only for private, personal, one-to-one communication with a specific individual or groups of individuals.
· Discussions: Use the class discussion tool to post questions that might be of general interest to all students such as questions about assignments, tests, etc. Feel free to respond to other students if you think you can help them. Remember - we are all in this together and we can learn from each other. Remember that the discussion tool is public - everyone will be able to view posts and responses.
· Chat Rooms: Chat Rooms allow you to talk with other students in the course in real-time outside of your on-campus class meetings. Students must set up times at which to meet other students in the chat room. This is a useful tool for coordinating group projects.
· Netiquette: In all online communication, it is expected that all students will follow rules of online "netiquette". Netiquette is a set of rules for polite online behavior that all members of this class is expected to follow. Read some general netiquette rules here. Basically, these rules say "be respectful and be polite to each other". and "be patient and considerate of others". No one is perfect and we all have different approaches to life, work, and school.
- Individuals who violate the netiquette policy or engage in disruptive online behaviors such as flaming (posting disrespectful or hostile comments), posting inappropriate comments, or shouting (posting messages using all capitals) may have their course access privileges revoked and/or they may be referred to the Student Dean. Students who continue to engage in unacceptable online behavior even after being warned, may be permanently denied access to the course and/or may receive an F for the course.
- Please don't use email short hand like ROTFLO (rolling on the floor laughing out loud) or BTW (by the way) - not everyone knows what these abbreviations mean.
- Remember that in the real world we can see the facial expressions, gestures, and hear tone of voice. We cannot do that online so it's very easy to misinterpret another person's meaning to be misinterpreted ourselves. Be careful of how you communicate to your instructor and to your peers online. If you want to use emoticons (smileys) to convey feelings, please stick with the basics happy :-) sad :-( or wink ;-) Others are less well known and are subject to different interpretations. The idea is to be clear in your communications.
- If you have a concern about the course, a test or an assignment, please contact the instructor.
- Privacy Notice
- Blackboard software automatically stores course access records, quiz scores, email postings, discussion postings, and chat room conversations. One more reason to make sure that your communications adhere to the netiquette policy.
- Alternate Communication
- In the unlikely event that a Blackboard problem makes it impossible to use the course communication tools for more than 24 hours, the instructor will communicate with students (if necessary) via their BC email addresses. Access your BC email account at http://www.broward.edu/info/studentemail/Home.jsp.
- Faculty Response Policy
- Course emails and discussion posts will be answered within 48 hours. Emails sent on Saturday or Sunday may not be answered until Monday. It is recommended that you post course related questions in the discussion area. If you need info related to a test or assignment, plan ahead and submit your questions well ahead of the due date. Your instructor is not online 24 hours per day, so please allow time for response.
Other Policies and Procedures
Special Needs - Students having special needs as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act should:
- Notify the Office of Disability Services as early in the term as possible. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Disability Support Office prior to document disability prior to receiving services.
- Notify the instructor after you have contacted the Office of Disability Services so that the instructor can consult with the Office of Disability Services to discuss what reasonable accommodations would be appropriate for your situation.
Academic Honesty
- Each student's academic work must be the result of his or her own thought, research, or self-expression.
- Cheating includes, but is not limited to: copying the work of another person (plagiarism) or permitting your work to be copied by another person, discussing test answers or questions with people who have not completed the test, distributing assignment materials to other students, possessing course materials that have not been formally released to students in the course, and collaborating on the completion of assignments not specifically designated in the syllabus as being group projects.
- Cheating will be considered a breach of BC's Code of Conduct Policy and may result in academic penalties (zero points on the assignment/test in question, a failing grade for the course), disciplinary action, and/or a referral to the Dean of Student Affairs. Examples 1) If it appears that two or more students have submitted the same material for any solo assignments, each student involved will receive zero points for that assignment. 2) If it appears that a student has copied an assignment from published material (including Internet sites), the student will receive b>an zero points for that assignment
Critical Event Procedure
- In the event of a school closing due to weather or other major event that might impact class schedules, the instructor will post an announcement indicating what changes, if any, the event will have on the course schedule and due dates.
Copyright
- The materials used on this course Web site may be protected by copyright and are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for the purposes associated with this course and may not be retained or further disseminated.
Withdrawals
If you stop participating in class discussions, submitting assignments or fail to take quizzes or tests prior to the withdrawal date, you will be administratively withdrawn from class and receive a W or, if it is your third attempt, an F.
If you stop participating
after the withdrawal date, (03/24/2009) you will receive a WF that will then be
computed as an F in your GPA. To avoid this situation,
you should remain an active learner in this class and always communicate
extenuating circumstances to me. Ongoing communication
with the instructor is critical to your course success. I
will use completion of tests, assignments, and other class activities as
indicators of your participation in order to satisfy this reporting requirement.
Logging Off Blackboard
- Blackboard does not require
you to log off to exit Blackboard.
Security Warning: If you don't close your browser or log off, a person using that machine after you will have access to your course materials, could send e-mail to me in your name, and view your confidential student record. Protect your password.
Changes to the Syllabus
- The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus. In the event that changes become necessary, students will be notified through Blackboard Email.
Student Success Tips
In
order to be successful in this course, you need to be organized and manage your
time well so that you can complete all assignments and assessments on time. You will need to devote 3-4 hours per week to
complete the learning activities required in this course. Make
sure that you do not allow yourself to procrastinate, and that you communicate
with the instructor or your classmates, via Blackboard email, if you have any
questions on any course materials or need assistance completing any
assignments.
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