Course Syllabus
Updated Nov. 2010
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Course Name
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Course
Number
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Term
and Reference Number
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Office Phone:
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954-201-xxxx
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Department Phone:
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954-201-xxxx
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Department Fax:
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954-201-xxxx
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Email:
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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.)
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Office Hours:
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Virtual Office Hours:
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BC's Emergency Hotline#:
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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
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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.
Student Attendance:
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During the first week
of class, you must [attend the first class meeting, complete the online
orientation, etc.] or you will be reported as a no-show and be
administratively withdrawn from the course. Simply logging into the
course during the first few days of the semester will not satisfy your
attendance during this time. As with on-campus courses, students who are
reported for non-attendance in an online course and withdrawn are still
responsible for paying for the course. The only way to receive a refund
is to drop the course within the first week (the official
add/drop period). If
you do not complete the requirements of the first week of class, you should
drop the course by the deadline or expect to pay for the course.
It is very important
for you to actively participate in this online class. If you stop
participating in class discussions, do not submit 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, which 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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Student Participation:
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 affect your grade.
- Active
participation is expected of all students in this course.
- Check your
email and course discussions regularly. Ask questions.
- Post and
respond to messages.
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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: 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:
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Week/ Unit____/Learning
Outcomes
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Learning Materials
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Assignments &
Assessments
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Week 1/Unit 1/in-class or
out-of-class
1. The student
will..........
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Read Chapter 1 in your text
and Chapter 1 Lesson in the Lessons folder on your Course Homepage
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- 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.
- 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.
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Assessment
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Graded
Points
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Percent
of Final Grade
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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%
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Bonus Points - Course
Evaluation
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Bonus Points -
Instructor choice
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Grading
Scale
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Grades
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Percentage
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Grade
= A
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90-100+%
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Grade
= B
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80-89%
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Grade
= C
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70-79%
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Grade
= D
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60-69%
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Grade
= F
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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.
- 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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Table of Contents
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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Table of Contents
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.
E-Learning Resources for
Students
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