Announcements
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04 February 2025 C.E.
BIO181 Examination 1 Statistics
%
Historic Low Mean:
45.0
Historic High Mean:
71.6
Historic Overall Mean:
58.7
Current Term Mean:
52.1
Current Term Low Score:
26.0
Current Term High Score:
86.0
The numbers listed as "Historic" are for all of the sections I have taught over the years. The "Current Term" numbers are for your section.
Now that you've taken an examination, it is very important to appreciate how much examinations affect your Total Current Score and all of your other Summary & Forecast numbers. This is because examinations are worth more than any other type of assignment, so your Summary & Forecast numbers will change more (either upwardly or downwardly) in response to examinations compared to anything else. The Summary & Forecast numbers are designed to let you know whether you'll be able to make it through this difficult course, so please have a careful look at all of those numbers (explained on the Summary & Forecast page of Canvas and in the Overview Video).
21 January 2025 C.E.
The techs were able to remove me as a student in my own section, and as I expected, that solved the problem. The Metric System Laboratory assignment has been graded, and your scores are now current. Now that some items have been graded, it is a good time to look at your Summary & Forecast scores and notice how graded assignments affect those numbers. If you see only zeroes for your Summary & Forecast scores, that means you have received no points in this course, and that's because you have not followed the instructions to submit the Rules Consent Form. Instructions appear on the websites and in email that was sent to those who have not submitted the form.
20 January 2025 C.E.
I'm fairly sure that the problem with my inability to access the grading area for laboratory assignments has to do with the fact that I am simultaneously (and erroneously) enrolled in the course as a student and an instructor. The problem is that is takes an administrator to undo that problem, and even though I have a ticket submitted, today's holiday means that no one will even look at the problem until tomorrow, at the earliest. I apologize for this, and I appreciate your continued patience.
20 January 2025 C.E.
Several of you appear to be overlooking email messages from me. This is a good time to remind everyone that you are required to check your Maricopa email daily, and you should specifically ensure that messages from me (ty.hoffman@estrellamountain.edu) are not being filtered as spam. Thanks.
19 January 2025 C.E.
The Metric System Laboratory activity is having problems loading on the instructor end, which is the reason why it has not yet been graded. Rest assured that you will receive your scores as soon as the technical problem is fixed. I hope things are going well.
18 January 2025 C.E.
Notice that I have made a new link (LS Assessment) available under the Sources of Points section of the Canvas menu. It will be available only until 24 January, so be sure to have a look soon.
17 January 2025 C.E.
The assignment that was due last night (Metric System Laboratory Activity) is a good example of the fact that some Canvas assignments are partially auto-graded. In those cases, you will see a score on Canvas immediately, but it is important to understand that the score is meaningless (and it is not final) until all of the items in the assignment have been graded (including the items that I grade manually). Therefore, do not be concerned that a score for an assignment is low, until you look at the graded assignment to see whether it has been fully graded. That will never be until the day after the due date for the assignment (at the earliest).
14 January 2024 C.E.
Now that you've gotten through the first day of the course, you've had a look around, and you've completed the First-Day Attendance assignment (to assure that you remain enrolled), it's time to settle in and learn biology. When you look at the Canvas navigation menu, you'll notice the section called Sources of Points. These are the categories of assignments. The weighting of those categories (how much they are worth) is indicated in the Course Syllabus, which you should already have read on the Hoffman Site.
The Examinations are the assignments that are worth more than any other. They also are the most difficult of the assignment types. To prepare for Examinations, you must carefully review the Lectures (linked in the menu under Required Learning Resource). Please do not think of the eTextbook (on the Connect site) as being the primary way of studying for the Examinations. All of the information for the Examinations comes directly from my recorded lectures, so the Lectures are the way to prepare for Examinations. It takes quite a bit of time to review the Lectures, so you must budget your time and spread out the studying for each unit's Examination. It is not posible to squeeze the preparation for an Examination into a night or two before the Examination. Please don't fool yourself and think that it is possible. Have a carefull look at the Assignment Schedule, so you know when each Examination is scheduled, then set aside times throughout the week so you can review the lectures and take notes for study (just as you would in a face-to-face course).
Unlike the Examinations (and the Laboratory Practicum, which is also an examination), the other types of assignments are available to you to complete any time you like (before the due dates, of course).
Each Laboratory Activity is an interactive assignment with specific instructions built into the assignment. You should expect these to take quite a bit of time to complete, so you should have a look at each one well before it is due. You don't need to finish in one sitting, so have an early look to assess how much time you will need to budget to complete it before its due date. This is why you need to keep a very close eye on the Assignment Schedule throughout the term. Do not lose track of any due dates. Every point is precious in this demanding course, so you don't want to lose any points foolishly (for example, by not knowing something is due).
Each Laboratory Quiz corresponds to a Laboratory Activity. That's why you should never attempt a Laboratory Quiz before completing the corresponding Laboratory Activity. The Laboratory Activity provides you the information for doing well on the Laboratory Quiz, so complete them in the proper order (Activity first, then Quiz).
The Topic Quizzes require two sources of information for proper preparation: my Lectures, and the chapters in the Connect eTextbook. Have a look at the name of each Topic Quiz, and consult the Lecture and the Connect chapter that cover that topic. You may take each Topic Quiz up to three times, but be sure to complete them well ahead of the due date, so you can take advantage of the multiple attempts allowed.
The Connect Homework assignments are publisher-generated questions that come directly from chapters in the Connect eTextbook. For each chapter's assignment, you should review the chapter in the eTextbook first (before attempting the homework), then you should consult that chapter as you complete the assignment. If you are unsure of any question's answer, look up the information in the chapter before submitting your answer. This can drastically improve you scores. It takes more time, but it is definitely worth it. Doing a text search (of the eTextbook) for specific terms or concepts in the questions will allow you to work efficiently.
The only assignments that feature limited access are Examinations and the Laboratory Practicum. Each of those will be available only on a specific date (indicated on the Assignment Schedule). Also, those are the only assignments that are NOT open-book, which is why the Examinations and the Laboratory Practicum require the Lockdown Browser. This is why you should complete the Lockdown Practice as soon as possible (ideally today), so you can assure yourself that you have all of the technical requirements in place for the first Examination. All of the other types of assignments (Laboratory Activities, Laboratory Quizzes, Topic Quizzes, and Connect Homework) are open-book, and they are available continuously. Please take very seriously the need to properly budget your time throughout the term, so you can succeed in this important but demanding course.
Thanks for reading, and have an enjoyable and productive term.
14 January 2025 C.E.
The word for the First-Day Attendance was available only on 13 January.
24 October 2024 C.E.
Introductory Remarks
Welcome to BIO181. If you've never taken this course before, the most important thing you can do to help you succeed is to realize IMMEDIATELY what you are in for. BIO181 is a very demanding course that will require many hours to learn the huge amount of information that will be presented. Please do yourself a favor and just believe me on this, regardless of how easy your other courses might have seemed.
Since BIO181 is going to consume so much of your time just to stay afloat, it is worth taking some time right now looking at the various items that are on this website. After the term starts, you will be very busy, and if by then you already know what's available here to help you, you'll be able to work as efficiently as possible.
Although this site and Canvas might not yet be complete at the time your are reading this, you should fully explore both sites to see what's there and to get a feel for how things are organized. Click on every menu item to explore the contents. This includes the Rules Consent Form, which is absolutely required. If you do not submit it, then you will receive no credit for your work, and you will not be able to see your total score.
You should also realize that checking the website FREQUENTLY is absolutely required. If you would like to receive automated email notifications of new announcements, then simply join the list.
Even if no announcements are posted for several days, you still need to check for new announcements, because announcements will be official (and therefore binding).
It's also important to be sure that you are enrolled in the correct course. BIO181 is for biology majors, whereas BIO156 (which I also teach and which is very similar to BIO156) is for allied health majors.
If I sound like I'm trying to scare you, that's because I'm trying to scare you. But I only want to scare you into believing me about how demanding this course will be, because I want you to succeed, and I want you to get a lot out of the course. I certainly don't want to imply that you cannot enjoy this course. It'll be a lot of work, but it's also a very good course, and I think you'll learn a lot and have some fun.
Since this is an online course, you will be required to demonstrate your attendance (for the first day only) by completing a quiz on Canvas that will ask you to enter a specific word. That word will appear on 13 January. It will appear on this Announcements page, because this course will require you to use this website in addition to Canvas throughout the term.
On 13 January, visit this site to find the word, then go to Canvas to complete the quiz, which will appear as a link in the Course Navigation menu for this course's Canvas. The link will appear as "First Day Attendance".
The quiz will be automatically graded, so you will be able to
look at your grades on Canvas to verify
that you have successfully submitted the quiz.
If you fail to submit the First Day Attendance quiz, and if there is a wait list, then you will be withdrawn from the course.
If you are trying to get into this section (i.e., if you are not already registered), then you should immediately ensure that you are on the wait list. Do not wait until the first day of the term to do that; do it right now. Once you are on the wait list, you must also demonstrate your attendance the first day. However, you will not have Canvas access. Therefore, send me email (directly to bio181@tycmhoffman.com) and include your full name, your student ID, and the word revealed on 13 January).
Only students on the wait list should demonstrate attendance by emailing me; all registered students must do so by submitting the Canvas quiz.
I will request that students on the wait list who have demonstrated attendance be added to the course, but the college will not allow me to exceed 24 students, so this can occur only if there are registered students who do not demonstrate attendance on the first day, and the order of names on the wait list will be used to determine the order of students to be added.
Some Very Important Requirements:
I will be offering all of the lecture examinations through Canvas. However, to be eligible to take those online examinations, there are strict requirements that must be met, and you must convincingly demonstrate that you meet those requirements.The lecture examinations will be entirely multiple-choice. However, see exceptions below.
To be eligible for online lecture examinations, you must adhere to all of the following:
You must use a computer that is equipped with a webcam and is compatible with required lockdown browser software.
You must download, install, and run the lockdown browser software.
An iPad will work, but other mobile devices probably will not.
A Chromebook MIGHT work.
The Chromebook version of the lockdown browser software is in beta. Therefore, there is no guarantee that it will work. If all you have is a Chromebook, then please email me as soon as you know that.
Prior to the start of each lecture examination, you will be required to make a video recording of your surroundings to demonstrate that you have no papers, books, devices, etc. that are prohibited during the examination. This recording must be convincing, and it must clearly and completely show the empty desk space in front of you. This will require you to lift up your computer (if the webcam is incorporated into the computer), turn it around, step back, and point it downward to clearly demonstrate that the surface is free of materials. If it is not possible to move the camera in this way, then you must use a mirror to show the desk space.
If the video is not sufficient, then your examination will not count, and you will be required to take an alternative version that will NOT feature any multiple-choice questions.
Each examination will be timed, and you will be required to finish it in one sitting. If you leave your chair during the examination, or if you wear headphones during the examination, then your examination will not count, and you will be required to take an alternative version that will NOT feature any multiple-choice questions.
I would really like this to go smoothly for everyone, which is why I have made a practice test called Lockdown Practice. You will find it on the Canvas site for this course. It is not worth any points, but it is required, and it will give you the peace of mind of knowing that you have the hardware requirements in place for the real examinations. Please complete the Lockdown Practice at your earliest convenience. Pretend that it is a real test, so take the time to make a careful recording of your surroundings. That way, I can review your practice recording and tell you whether a similar recording on each test day will be sufficient.