There is some important course information on this page, so please make sure you review and understand what the expectations for this course are.

 

Required Materials:

MindTap with digital textbook is required for this course. A loose-leaf or bound textbook copy with MindTap is also available for those students who prefer a physical copy of the book. All homework and tests for this course will be open book, so please make sure you have the textbook available.

MindTap for Essentials of Pharmacology For Health Professions, 8th ed.

• • Bruce Colbert and Ruth Woodrow
  • ISBN-10: 1337395927
  • ISBN-13: 9781337395922

 

Firefox, Safari, or Chrome will be required in order to run the MindTap media components.

• • Pop-Up blockers must be Disabled
  • MindTap is not fully compatible with Internet Explorer or Edge

 

Please be aware that we will not cover every chapter in the textbook nor will the topics be presented in the order that they appear in the textbook.

 

Student Assignment and Discussion Feedback:

Feedback on submitted work can be found under the Grades tab and selecting the Comments Icon. If a student missed some points on an assignment or a discussion, be sure to check the comments icon for feedback from your instructor on what areas needed clarification or were missing.

 

Groups Discussions:

At the start of the term, all students are randomly sorted into discussion groups. Groups may be periodically resorted so that students can have contact with students of other groups. If you are a late enrollment into this course and find that you have not been placed into a group, please contact me through Webcourses and I will assign you to a discussion group.

 

To find the Group Discussion Rubric:

Click on the 3 dots on the top right corner of the discussion.

Next, click on Show Rubric.

 

Discussion Topics
Many of the "rules of the road" or protocols that apply to e-mail also apply to the use of discussions. Use the following conventions when composing a discussion posting:

• Please observe the deadlines for posting to and replying with each discussion. It is a good practice to always check the Discussions multiple times during the week.
• Use the "reply" button rather than the "compose" button if you are replying to someone elses posting.
• Do NOT use postings such as "I agree, I said that too”, "I don't know either”, "Who cares”, or "ditto." They do NOT add to the discussion, takes up space, and will NOT be counted for discussion comment credit.

• Avoid posting large blocks of text.It is best to answer questions individually in paragraph form and use a space between paragraphs.
• If you want to send a personal message to the instructor or to another student, use Webcourses e-mail rather than the discussions (see E-mail Protocols).
• Be patient. Don't expect an immediate response when you send a message.
• Everyone should feel free to participate in online discussions. Regular and meaningful discussion postings constitute a substantial portion of your grade.
• Respect each other's ideas, feelings, and experience.
• Be courteous and considerate. It is important to be honest and to express yourself freely, but being considerate of others is just as important and expected online, as it is in the classroom.
• Explore disagreements and support assertions with data and evidence.

Classroom Expectations
The following ground rules will help your work in this course to go much more smoothly. Please carefully review these expectations and follow them.

• Academic integrity will be appraised according to the student academic behavior standards outlined in The Golden Rule of the University of Central Florida's Student Handbook. See https://goldenrule.sdes.ucf.edu/ for further details.
• Keep up with the reading. You have quite a few chapters, modules, discussion postings, and announcement messages to read for the class. Please keep up with the reading. Students who keep up with the reading tend to do much better in this kind of class than those who do not.
• Don't miss a quiz. Missed quizzes may NOT be retaken.
• Do homework on time. Late submissions will NOT be accepted.
• Work with others. You are required to make every effort to work effectively and promptly with others in your groups. Fair criticism of your failure to work effectively with others can significantly affect your grade.

E-mail
Please email me directly through webcourses. This is the best way to communicate with me and will get you the fastest response.

• Check your e-mail and the course announcements at least twice per week (more often is better). I will typically not email the class as a whole, but will simply post an announcement instead.
• I do not tend to check email on the weekend, so please be patient if you send an email Friday night-Sunday night. I will do my best to respond Monday morning.
• Be patient. Don't expect an immediate response when you send a message. Generally, two days is considered reasonable amount of time to receive a reply.
• Include "Subject" headings: use something that is descriptive and refer to a particular assignment or topic. (e.g. HSC 3110- Quiz 4 Problem)
• Be courteous and considerate. Being honest and expressing yourself freely is very important but being considerate of others online is just as important as in the classroom.
• Make every effort to be clear. Online communication lacks the nonverbal cues that fill in much of the meaning in face-to-face communication.
• Do not use all caps. This makes the message very hard to read and is considered "shouting." Check spelling, grammar, and punctuation (you may want to compose in a word processor, then cut and paste the message into the discussion or e-mail).
• Sign your e-mail messages.
• Never assume that your e-mail can be read by no one except yourself; others may be able to read or access your mail. Never send or keep anything that you would not mind seeing on the evening news.

Netiquette
"Netiquette" has evolved to aid us in infusing our electronic communications with some of these missing behavioral pieces. "Emoticons" and other tools have become popular and I encourage their use when it will add to the clarity of your communication.

• :-) happy, pleased
• :-( sad, displeased
• :-O surprised
• >:-| angry

Netiquette continues to evolve and I am sure that we will have constant additions to this growing language. The important thing to remember is that all of the "cute" symbols in the world cannot replace your careful choice of words and "tone" in your communication.

You can learn more about Netiquette and electronic communication by visiting Learning Online.

 

Viruses
A virus can spell disaster. Your use of a reputable anti-virus program is a requirement for participation in this course (good ones include McAfee or Norton).

Also, back up your files: "My hard drive crashed." "My modem doesn't work." "My printer is out of ink." These are today's equivalents of "My dog ate my homework." And these events really do occur and they are really inconvenient when they do. However, these are not valid excuses for failing to get your work in on time.

Technical Resources
For specific problems in any of the areas below or for further information go to the corresponding link for assistance.

• UCF Home Page will help find UCF resources
• UCF Computer Service Desk You can also call the Service Desk at 407-823-5117.
• Learning Online This site provides information on study skills for distance learners, the library and the writing center.
• Buying a new computer or upgrading your current equipment http://www.cstore.ucf.edu/
• Hardware/Software Requirements
• Technical Discussion Topic: If you have technical questions and/or problems, please post a message to the Technical Discussion Topic. I encourage members of the class who are technically proficient to also monitor this discussion topic and assist your classmates.
• If your equipment problems prevent you from using e-mail from home, there are many computer labs on campus and virtually every public library offers Internet access.