Course Syllabus
Updated on 8/4/2009
Course Name |
Course Number |
Term and Reference Number |
| Office Phone: |
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954-201-xxxx |
| Department Phone: |
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954-201-xxxx |
| Department Fax: |
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954-201-xxxx |
| Email: |
|
xxxxxxxx@broward.edu (All communication should be through Blackboard email. Use this BC email only if you have an emergency and/or are unable to access Blackboard email.) |
| Office Hours: |
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| Virtual Office Hours: |
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| BC's Emergency Hotline#: |
|
954-201-4900 |
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Faculty Directions: This is where you insert a general description for your course: (Use description from BC Course Outlines)
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Faculty Directions: Provide a general summary of course outcomes using the general outcomes from the BC Course Outlines for your course.
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Faculty Instructions: This is where you identify knowledge, attitudes, and skills that
students will need to be successful in your course. Feel free to include any of
the suggested skills below or add your own. Don't forget to include required course prerequisites.
Students: To maximize your chances for success in this course, make sure that you meet the following course 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.
- Obtain a County Library
Card or University/College Library Card. You will need either a County
Library Card which you may obtain at either North Campus or South Campus
Library or a University/College Library Card from the Central Campus
Library. These cards will allow you to use select library databases.
(optional)
- Log into Blackboard/e-Learning Course
- E-Learning Resources for Students
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Faculty Instructions: If you have specific software requirements for your course, please list
these requirements under the course materials section.
Students: 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 Learning Resource Center
or in public libraries.
- 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.
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Faculty Instructions: This is where you identify all required and optional materials that will be
used in this course and tell students how and where to obtain these materials.
Make sure to clearly identify which materials are required and which materials
are optional. Make sure to include information on required texts, workbooks, CD-ROMs, software, videos, or reserve materials.
Students: Optional and Required course materials are described below:
- Required Text: (use a picture if desired)
- PIN Code for access to Blackboard Content (if using publisher material that
requires an access codes) A publisher PIN code (Web Tutor Package) is required to access course content.
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Faculty Instructions: The SACS principles of accreditation require that the
course syllabus describes methods of instruction that are appropriate to the
learning outcomes of each course and the capabilities of the students. Faculty
should describe their teaching techniques, indicating their relationship to
course objectives and student learning. By providing such a statement,
instructors are helping students to understand their responsibilities as
learners. Feel free to modify the statement below to reflect your specific
methods of instruction and the correct number of credit hours for your course. Remember a blended course combines face-to-face instructions with online learning activities.
Students: 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 class, we will meet once a week for at least 1.5 hours, and you will
engage in structured out-of-class or online activities for the remainder of the
class time. See the Course Schedule for a detailed description of learning
activities for scheduled class meetings and out- of-class or online assignments.
Students are responsible for regularly reviewing the Course Schedule and completing
all required in- and out-of-class assignments.
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Faculty Instructions: Since students will attend fewer classroom meetings in a blended or online course
than in a traditional course which meets on campus 100% of the time, it is very
important to establish clear expectations regarding the course attendance
policy. You should clearly indicate how many meetings or assignments a student
is permitted to miss and describe any penalties that might be applied as a result
of missing those assignments or meetings.
Students: Regular, active, and meaningful
participation in both face-to-face class meetings and 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 the online week. Frequency and quality of participation may
effect your grade.
- Participation:
- 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 BC's Attendance Policy.
If you do not attend the first class meeting or do not complete the online orientation you will be withdrawn from the class and receive a WN for non-attendance.
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. |
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Faculty Instructions:This is the most important part of your syllabus. It is essential that you
distinguish online learning activities from those which will take place in
class, that you identify specific learning outcomes for all segments of the
class (in- and out-of-class), and that you link those learning outcomes to the
assessment activities. For any given date, students should be able to tell what
materials they should read/view, what they should learn as a result of
reading/reviewing these materials, and understand how their mastery of the
identified learning outcomes will be assessed. For each of the sections listed
below, please provide details students will need to complete their assignments.
For example, for discussion postings, what are your
expectation in terms of length, content, citations of chapter
references, or replies to other students. The details you provide should be
both qualitative and quantitative to help students better understand your
expectations and to reduce questions that result from unclear expectations.
Learning outcomes must address the objectives identified in the course outline.
Make sure to complete a table like the one below for each of your instructional
units/weeks/modules.
Some elements to consider including in the student instruction sections below:
For quizzes - Provide general directions. Where do students access quizzes? Are they required? Time
frame for completing, etc.
For discussions - Provide general directions. How often will students need to reply, consequences for late
postings, due dates. Provide qualitative and quantitative guidelines or
examples regarding what constitutes an acceptable posting.
For exams - Provide general directions. Where will
exams be held? When will they be available? What is the test format? How long
should each exam take? If using the Central Campus e-testing center please Central Campus e-Testing Center.
For assignments -
Provide general directions. If instructions are lengthy or detailed, or if they
involve separate grading rubrics, link to these and tell students that you
consider this information to be part of the syllabus. Provide examples of high
quality assignments.
Students: Read and refer to this document regularly. It will tell you what assignments you should complete, and how
- Instructions for Discussion Postings:
- Instructions for Quizzes:
- Instructions for Tests.
- Instructions for Assignments:
Week/ Unit____/Learning Outcomes |
Learning Materials |
Assignments & Assessments |
Week 1/Unit 1/in-class or out-of-class
1. The student will.......... |
Read Chapter 1 in your text and Chapter 1 Lesson in the
Lessons folder on your Course Homepage |
- Post to discussion 1/Due____
- Self -Assessment due
- Online quiz due ________
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Faculty Instructions: This is where you provide details regarding how grades will be determined based
on assigned coursework and exams. For each of the categories below, please
describe the policy that you will follow for this course. Sample policies have
been provided for your convenience and consideration. Change these to
suit your instructional preferences.
- Submission Deadlines (examples for submission of assignments)
- In class and online assignment submissions: include explanation of assignment policy.
- State whether quizzes/tests will be taken online or proctored by instructor in class.
- Discussion postings - Include due date/times for discussions.
- Individual and Group Projects
- Late Submissions
- Assignments submitted after the due date and time (written assignment and group project) will these be accepted?
- Quizzes cannot be completed after the due date and time. If using
an online quiz/test, please remind students to allow ample time to complete quizzes
- There will be no makeup assignments available.
- On-Campus Exams
- State requirements for on-campus, in class exams. For example,
this course requires the completion of 3 proctored, on-campus exams.
- Tests may be taken anytime during the dates indicated. Tests 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.
- If using the BC e-Testing Center located on Central Campus Building 17 (library) Room 220, before taking
your exams, visit the Central Campus e-Testing Center website to confirm their hours of operation. Allow plenty of time to complete
your test prior to the scheduled closing time of the e-Testing Center. When the e-Testing Center closes,
tests must be collected/submitted whether they
have been completed or not. You will not be able to return to complete
the test at a later date. Sundays are the e-Testing Center's busiest day so
you may have to wait for a seat. Children, visitors, cell phones,
beepers, food and drink are not permitted in the e-Testing
Center.
- You will need to show a BC identification card or picture ID in order to be able to take the test in
the testing center.
- On-campus tests will be delivered online via Blackboard in a multiple choice format.
- The use of notes, books, binder, texts, etc. is not permitted for any test.
- Make-up Exam Policy
- Make-up exams 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 exams for students who are not able to
take the scheduled, on-campus exams.
- Exams cannot be made up after the exam date has passed unless prior arrangements have been made.
- Blackboard Quizzes
- These quizzes can be taken any time prior to the closing date, and may be taken via any computer with an
Internet connection.
- Collaboration between students
and discussion of quiz answers are NOT permitted.
- You will only be able to
attempt each quiz once. Allow time to complete each quiz before the
closing date and time. Make sure you have a solid Internet connection. If
your ISP disconnects you during a quiz, that will count as an attempt and
you will not be able to repeat the quiz.
- View your Grades
- Online quiz and exam grades will be available after finishing the quiz or exam. View "My
Grades" from the course homepage.
- Grades for assignments will be posted within (how many?) BC working days of the
closing date of the assignment.
- Grades for discussion postings will be posted within (how many?) BC working days after the discussion has closed.
- Indicate where/when students may obtain final grades for course.
- How your Grade will be Determined
- Include how student grades will be determined.
Assessment |
Graded Points |
Percent of Final Grade |
Quiz 1 |
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Group Project |
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Quiz 2 |
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Research project |
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Online Discussions (5) |
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Midterm |
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Final |
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Total |
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100% |
Bonus Points - Course Evaluation |
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Bonus Points - Instructor choice |
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Grading Scale |
Grades |
Percentage |
Grade = A |
90-100+% |
Grade = B |
80-89% |
Grade = C |
70-79% |
Grade = D |
60-69% |
Grade = F |
59% and below |
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Faculty Instructions: The Communication policy is an important part of your syllabus because
it defines your expectations for communication as well as what students can
expect from you. Instructors are expected to monitor communications discussions
and faculty email) within their course sites. Please modify the sample response
policy provided below to suit your availability.
Students:
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". No one is perfect and we all have different approaches to life, work, and school.
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- 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 can't do that online so it's very easy to misinterpret another
person's meaning to 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.
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Faculty Instructions: Review the academic honesty policy and modify it to reflect specific penalties that will be applied for your course. For suggestions and guidelines on how to promote academic integrity and minimize cheating in online classes, please click here.
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, poses sing 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
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
- Please add the following statement relating to
copyright to your Syllabus as well as to the Footer on the Blackboard course homepage.
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, (add 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.
Logging into Blackboard/e-Learning Course
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.
Lab Safety (if applicable)
- Students must follow approved safety procedures when completing lab work.
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Faculty Instructions: Review the following student success tips and modify it so that it applies to your course.
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 at least (how many?) 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.
See more Student Success Tips.
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