Northland Community & Technical College

Terry, I have to say that exam #1 was hard. I talked to other students in the class and they felt the same. I think it would benefit all of us, if you would give us some clues of what is going to be on the exam. The other teachers we had have done this in the past. I know every teacher is different, but I think I will get more out of this class if you zeroed in on the important things that will benefit us to succeed in this class. Sometimes it is overwhelming to learn such a large quantity at once, and you are not even sure you understand what the teacher wants from you.

A&P  Student

MY RESPONSE

It is nice to know there still are students out there who take their studies seriously. It is obvious to me that you and your fellow students fall in this group. I hope that my response to you below can help to alleviate some of the stress and concerns you refer to in your email to me. Remember that anything that is worth having does not come easily. I know that you are up to the task and again I am here to help you with the course and not here to put up any roadblocks for you. When you feel the need please lean on me to help you and I will do the best that I can. I have summarized some important points to keep in mind in answer to some of your concerns. Please read them carefully and let me know if there is more that I can do to help you.

Points to keep in mind during the course:

1) Remember that each of the exams are worth only 100 points of the total of 600. A poor test score on one exam is not a disaster. Each unit is worth a total of 200 points, the exam score is only about 1/2 of that. Your scores on quizzes, case studies and summary papers are important as well as their totals make up the other 1/2 of your score on each unit.

2) When I write the exam, I sit down with the class notes to use a reference for writing the exam. The textbook offers a great deal of information for each unit. The lectures from your CD attempt to focus on the most important parts of the textbook presentation. Further the class notes which are provided attempt to focus on the important parts of the lectures.

3) Be sure that you perform your very best on the quizzes, summary papers and case studies. You may use all of the resources you can find in performing these assignments. By performing very well on these assignments you can make up some of the points you may have lost on the exams.

4) The quizzes which you perform can be a kind of insight into the type of questions you may find on the exam. The style and the type of questions can be observed from them.

5) The material presented is very diverse and seemingly overwhelming. You cannot learn everything there is to know about the human body, even in a lifetime, so with that in mind, the question is: "What is most important?".  Believe it or not the textbook itself is a very condensed version of what scientists currently know about the human body and how it works. This makes the lectures and the class notes even further condensations of a very complex system. What you are learning is only scratching the surface of what is known, and what is known is by far from complete. So hang in there you are only just starting on your quests to learn more about how the human body works and your learning will continue even as you find jobs as LPN's and RN's. What is important is to learn all that you can and are capable of. That is all that we can ask.

6) Typically the first exam for all of our students, whether they are online students or on campus, does not go very well. Scores on the first exam are typically lower than the average for the semester. My belief, especially for online students is that the first couple of weeks end up being so confusing because a large amount of time and energy is spent on learning how the course works, and how to perform the assignments for the course. As the semester progresses, more time can be spent on content of material instead. This usually results in higher exam scores. I would not say that the course gets easier, but I would say that as the course progresses, students become more comfortable in the administrative workings of the class and with this comfort comes a better chance for learning.

7) If you have been a good student in the past and you are working hard and putting long hours in for the course, you will do well. This course is not for individuals who are not serious and conscientious about their education.

Good Luck in the class and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any problems. Remember I am here to help you through this course.

Terry Wiseth
Biology Instructor
Northland College 

“Greetings”

Hello everyone! My name is Terry Wiseth and I will be the instructor for Advanced Physiology Online. You will soon receive or have already received a CD ROM for Advanced Physiology Online. Directions for using the CDs are given below. Your computer must have a CD-ROM and internet in order to be successful in using the CD’s. 

The course you are taking is a hybrid course using CD ROM and Internet technology to deliver the course. The text we use is "Principles of Anatomy & Physiology" 12th edition by Tortora and Derrickson. Instructions for ordering the text can accessed at the online bookstore at the following address:

http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.html

Be sure that you read the syllabus for the course, which can be accessed through the CD or by Internet. The address to access the syllabus and much more information about the class is on the Advanced Physiology Online Home Page is as follows:

http://biologyonline.us/Online A&P/Adv Phys/Advphysindex.htm

A study guide is available for the course. This Study Guide has all of the notes for the course. The Study Guide is available to you by an ebook via email. The Study Guide can be sent to you as a pdf file by email attachment. You can use the link below to access the Study Guide.

STUDY GUIDE

Instructions for using the CD’s

Follow these instructions explicitly in order to have the best chance of success in working with the course.
1) Insert the CD that you will be using in your CD ROM drive

2) The CD should start by itself. You may need to give it a minute or so for the disk to spin up

3) You may get a message to install POWERPOINT VIEWER. Follow the wizard and install if asked   to do so.

4) An index page will be opened by the POWER POINT VIEWER. Select the hyperlink you would like to follow

5) Use the ESCAPE (Esc) button to return to pages you have previously visited

6) Go to FAQ on the Adv Phys Home page if you get stuck, lost or have any questions

7) e-mail or call the instructor if you encounter further problems

You may also follow hyperlinks to interesting places on the internet. One of the first places you should go is to the Adv Phys Online Home Page

It is from this site that you may access quizzes and other assignments as well as other up to date information

http://biologyonline.us/Online A&P/Adv Phys/Advphysindex.htm

Read your syllabus carefully. There are due dates for exams, quizzes, case studies and summary papers that cannot be overlooked. Your grade may suffer for handing in late work. I have found that work handed in late is usually not as good a quality as when it is handed in on time. To insure your highest quality work, we do ask that you make every attempt to keep up to the assignment dates as close as you possibly can. Work submitted late may be only eligible to receive half of the points possible for that assignment.

The first thing you will need to do is to complete the online survey which can be accessed from the Advanced Physiology Home Page. 

Be sure you are complete and accurate with this survey. Again filling out the survey immediately is imperative.  I will give 10 extra credit points for completing the survey. Your proctor information will be gleaned from the survey. I will need that in order to send the exams to your proctor. Be sure to read the information on the survey regarding the selection of your proctor.

PROCTOR SPECIFICATIONS:
This course will require you to provide a volunteer who will agree to serve as your proctor for Unit exams. This individual should be someone who will be available for you at the times that you are required to take the exams. This individual will need to supply their time in proctoring the exam and also must send the completed exams to the instructor. The proctor cannot be a family member. Local teachers, counselors, or administrators would be acceptable. The instructor will need the name, address, phone #, e-mail address and relation or position that your proctor holds. You can supply this information by filling out and submitting the student survey. The student will be required to incur any costs involved in sending the exams to the instructor for correction. Approval of a proctor rests completely with the instructor. Upon approval the exams will be sent to the proctor. The college (i.e. course instructor) may allow supervised tests and assessments to be administered by an approved test proctor at an alternate site. Proctors have a responsibility to ensure integrity during testing situations and should have no vested interest in student success on the exam. The college reserves the right to verify proctor qualifications, require additional evidence of eligibility, or require a different proctor be selected. The student is responsible for selecting a qualified proctor who then must be approved by the course instructor.  Individuals who are eligible for approval include:  College or public librarians, high school or college faculty, college testing or learning centers, or education officers in the military. Individuals who may NOT serve as proctors, regardless of other qualifications, are relatives, friends, neighbors, tutors, work supervisors, co-workers, clergy, or coaching staff. Falsifying proctor information or not following proctor testing procedures is considered a violation of the NCTC Student Code of Conduct and the student may be subject to college sanction (i.e. suspension) or course failure. The student will be required to incur any costs involved in sending the exams to the instructor for correction. As well any payments made to a proctor for their services will be the responsibility of the student in their entirety.  Approval of a proctor rests completely with the instructor.

A recommended process for finishing each unit is described below. 

1) Read chapter in textbook for each section. 

2) Copy the notes to hard copy for each of the sections you will be studying for the Unit. 

3) Using your CD ROM move through each section. Take notes as you might in an ordinary lecture course. 

4) Perform the quiz at the end of each section when you are satisfied that you are ready. This is an open book and open note quiz. 

5) Read the topic papers as instructed and submit a one-page summary as instructed. 

6) Perform case studies for the unit you are working on.   

7) Take the exam. (See your proctor to arrange the exam) 

Good Luck!!!!
Sincerely,

Terry Wiseth
Biology Instructor
Northland Community & Technical College
1101 Hwy One East
Thief River Falls MN 56701
Terry.Wiseth@NorthlandCollege.edu
Work Phone 218-681-0729
Home Phone 218-681-1217