Weekly Schedule
Hi Everyone! Okay, this is your schedule for the course. You do not ever get to say to me "hey I didn't know we had homework due" or whatever cause its all here for you from day one.
Please Note: Online classes take a serious amount of commitment from a student ESPECIALLY this class. This is not a "hey an online science with a lab it must be super easy throw away class" this is a "yes its a serious science class that happens to be online" class. You need to be aware of what is going on, you need to contact the teacher, and YOU need to know when things are due. I make a schedule like this so you can PLAN AHEAD. But I am not your mommy and I do not live in your house so YOU will need to be responsible for following the schedule, asking for help you when you need it and keeping up with your work. Make a schedule and stick to it!! You need to treat this like a job. Do we sometimes not feel like going to work? Yes. Do we go anyway? Yes. Make a day for reading, days for posting, days for writing your answers, days for working on your short papers and labs, etc. and just stick to it. You can do it!! I try to catch students who seem like they are in trouble but please note YOU are responsible for keeping up, and YOU are responsible for deciding if you are going to do the work, and YOU are responsible for dropping the class if you do not do anything. Please know that I can drop you for misconduct etc., but if you choose not to participate you are just going to get an F.
Remember I am FIRM on due dates unless there is a TRUE emergency. A true emergency consists of things like a relative died (and I mean like a grandma or an uncle, not my mother's third cousins' fourth ex husband whom I never met and am using the funeral as an excuse not to turn in my homework I didn't do). OR I was in a horrific car accident and my leg fell off and I am currently in surgery as the quiz is happening, but I sent Maia an emergency email as I was being wheeled into surgery. Please do not assume I will give you a make up and email me two days later with the homework and say "oh here it is cause so and so died". You email me BEFORE something is due and ask if you can turn it in late with the reason why. Telling me after is rude and I will know very likely not the truth. Do NOT assume I will say yes either.
Telling me things like "I forgot" I had a paper due, or "I had to work" is NOT an emergency and do not even bother trying to get me to accept an assignment. What am I saying? WORK AHEAD AND PAY ATTENTION TO DUE DATES! If there is a true emergency please email me BEFORE something is due and I will decide on a case by case basis if I will accept something late.
Please ASK QUESTIONS early. Telling me in the email that you did not understand question #4 when you turn in your homework will not get you an extension. But if you work ahead you are welcome to post questions or email me. And hey if you all want to discuss stuff on the message board before homework is due who am I to stop you! (hint hint).
Please do not give each other the answers, but you are more than welcome to gang together and help each other and plot on how to overthrow the evil overlord professor that is Maia...wait don't do that, but the other stuff you can do.
Also, as an FYI, I normally do not work weekends, as this is when I work on my Ph.D. So while I will respond to your homework submissions with a "got it" reply if you send it after noon on Friday, you will not get a response until Monday morning. If however you do not hear from me during the week within 24-48 business hours, please feel free to email me again.
Your grades will be emailed to you. Please BE SURE to password your email to ensure privacy. If you share an email or an apartment or whatever it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to password your email so that no one but you can see the results of your grades. I do not use blackboard for grades so that I can give you comments etc. to help you improve!
Please note again that this is a SERIOUS science course. Just because it is online does not make it easier than the traditional science classes on campus with labs in fact it makes it harder. You will still need to work very hard, use your critical thinking skills, and you will still be learning science.
GOOD LUCK WITH THE CLASS EVERYONE!!
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Week One: Aug 30-Sept 5
Lecture:
- Email the Professor at the BEGINNING of the week to say hi and provide her with your email address to be used in class mcunningham@citruscollege.edu
- Log on to the message boards and introduce yourself in the introduce yourself folder on the message boards(please carefully read the directions in the student interaction section to learn how to do this)
- Sign up for myanthrolab.com (this is with the online book or your code with your hard copy book see required books under syllabus)
- Prepare for optional chats by signing up for tapped in (again see the student interaction button for specific instructions) Chats will be announced on the message board I will hold them at random times. Remember chats are OPTIONAL do not panic if you cannot do them you can earn all your points with the message board.
- Read Chapter One in the Stanford book
- Understand the terms in the chapter summary
- Participate on the message boards you need 25 posts for full credit, 30 posts for full credit plus bonus. Each post is worth four points. Remember that YOU are responsible for knowing how many posts you have and without full posts you will not get an A. I've said this literally ten times in different spots so please realize i'm serious and it must be critical. Do the math 16 weeks, 30 posts that must be at least two posts per week hmmm...
Lab:
- Decide if you want a lab partner. If you do post on the message board under "potential lab partners" ask me for help if you want. Lab parterns are up to you! I will accept lab groups of two, three, or four!
- Begin communicating with your lab partner and decide on a schedule and a format for communication that your group prefers (if you choose this option)
- Watch the multimedia Lackmarckian and Darwinian Views of Evolution and The Scientific Method, under chapter one of myanthrolab
- Watch the multimedia A Typical Eukaryotic Cell, and Nucleotide structure of DNA in chapter two of myanthrolab
- Begin reading and working on LAB #1 being sure to meet with your lab partner as you scheduled
- Participate on the message boards the lab has a SEPERATE board. Yes seriously. Lecture is one class, lab is another so yes there are two boards. Same rules apply. You need 12 posts for full credit. Each post is four points s the math doesn't work (50 points) but if you do 12 posts and get 48 points I'll throw you the 2 points, just made my life easier :) So do the math you need to post once a week at least.... where are the bonus points? Stay tuned for that :)
Week Two: Sept 6-Sept 12
please note monday is a holiday so I might not answer your weekend email until tuesday don't panic if that happens!
Lecture:
- Read Chapter Two in the Stanford book
- Understand the terms in the chapter summary
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards post at least twice remember the math... and remember the message board is how I communicate with the full class!
- Turn in Discussion Questions #1 by 11:00 p.m. Sunday Sept 12
Lab:
- Turn in
LAB #1 by 11:00 p.m. Sunday Sept 12
- Participate in class discussions using the message boards post at least once, remember to check announcements from the prof too!