When you check your grades in Blackboard, you will also see a column where Blackboard will tell you the class average for each exam – these reported averages are always erroneous (too low). For example, the true average for this class on the Vocabulary Exam was a 79.5% but the Blackboard gradebook reports a 73.9% average. Why is this?
1. For management purposes, there are 3 to 4 ‘technical-support student’ accounts in each of my Blackboard classes. These ‘additional student’ accounts allow me to log in as a student and check how exams and such are working ‘from the student perspective’. There are also a couple of ‘additional student’ accounts for the LPC Computer Techs to use when trouble-shooting computer problems. Consequently, we login, poke around in an exam to make sure that it’s running correctly and then exit without finishing the exam – this results in several student scores of 0-2points… and Blackboard includes these in the class average that it reports.
2. Because I allow students to take each exam an unlimited number of times (until each exam times out), many students will preview and exam by opening an exam, checking out a few questions, guessing a few answers and then simply exiting the exam without answering most of the questions. As a result, before an exam actually times out, there are usually 20 or so scores that are of the 5-25 point range.
What
does all of this mean?
The true class average is always higher than that shown by Blackboard in
your online gradebook. Also,
you will see the class averages increase right before a timeout deadline as
students go in and retake exams that they had only opened and poked around in
earlier.
For example, for the
Vocabulary Exam one term:
73.9%
What the Blackboard gradebook said that the class average was (with fake
student accounts included, etc.)
77.5% After taking out the ‘technical-support student accounts’
79.5% After removing the scores where students did not actually finish 90% of the test
Over the Spring 2007 Winter Break, LPC upgraded to a newer version of
Blackboard.
This upgrade has a 'Save' button at the top of each exam question.
What does this 'Save' Button do?
==>basically nothing for the exams in this class.
And, you are better off never clicking on the
Save button during the required exams.
The 'Save' Button is not appropriate for the exams in this class (although it may be useful and appropriate for exams that you may have in other classes in Blackboard).
Since the exams in this class have a forced completion time (or time limit), the 'Save' button is useless - and it shouldn't even show up as an option - hopefully, they will fix that in future versions and upgrades of the Blackboard software.
In this class, you can retake most exams an unlimited number of times (until the timeout date), but you can not save a partially completed exam and finish it later (even if the reason that you didn't finish was because of a server or software error). If you retake an exam, you must start over and retake the entire exam.
I recommend not clicking on the Save button -ever, during the exams.. It will only frustrate you in that it appears available and yet doesn't actually do anything.
Clicking the 'Save' button may confuse you if you are later trying to remember if you hit the 'Submit' button (which you have to do to complete each exam).
In this class, the only exception to the above rule, is when you are taking the online course surveys. These surveys do not have time limits or forced completion, therefore, you may wish to use the Save button if you are part-way through a survey and wish to finish it later.
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Clicking on the Submit button tells Blackboard to grade and score your exam. See below for what happens if you do not complete all of the questions on an exam. |
Can I get any points if I take just part of an exam (say just questions 1-40)?
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It depends on the exam. If the >> symbol appears in the lower right corner of the test window, then Blackboard should allow you to fast-forward to the last question - where you will find the Submit button. If you then hit the Submit button, Blackboard should score your (partially completed) exam.
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If the pictures do not
load for your exam If the pictures do not load for your exam, there are several possible causes: 1. The LPC1 server may be down 2. Blackboard may be having problems |
If your Blackboard exam ‘hangs up’ on you (that is, it appears to be stuck and is not allowing you to go to the next question)
- AND if you are ready to give up and start over, then the following is something to try:
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Try hitting the ‘Back’ button on your web browser window.
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Give your computer time to completely load the page
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Then hit the ‘Forward’ button on your web browser window.
Sometimes this resets the exam right back to where you
were when it got stuck.
Other times, however, the directions above won't work and you will have to
retake the exam after requesting that the instructor manually reset it for you.
(always leave yourself enough time before the timeout deadlines)
Another option that sometimes works:
-
hitting the 'Back' button on your web browser window
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Give your computer time to completely load the page with the previous question
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recheck your answer and then hit 'submit'
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confirm
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you may now be back to the question where it hung-up, but this time it may let you go forward and finish the exam
Other times, however, the directions above won't work and you will have to
retake the exam after requesting that the instructor manually reset it for you.
(always leave yourself enough time before the timeout deadlines)
-REMEMBER, there is no guarantee that the above directions will solve your problem – it’s very possible that you are going to have to just get out of the exam and start over. *Only try these directions when you are at the point of figuring that you are going to have to probably retake the exam.
If you do decide to logout of an incomplete exam - see the instructions below.
- Do not use the Blackboard Logout button to exit an
incomplete exam
- Use the >> symbol in the lower right corner of the test
window to fast forward to the end of the exam and click on Submit
(if the >> symbol is not available, then scroll down this page for more instructions)
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If the >> symbol is not available, then you are not allowed to partially finish the exam for points - you must complete all questions in order for Blackboard to score the exam or quiz if the >> symbol is not available.
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then use the red X in the upper right hand corner to close your browser window
- and close all browser windows.
- then open a window and log back in to Blackboard and then logout properly (using the Blackboard logout button)
- make sure that you logout properly from a multi-use (or public-use) computer
When there is no ‘Early Exit’ button (when the >> symbol is not present) in the exam, students naturally attempt to use the ‘Save’ button (which does nothing for these exams), and then most students hit ‘Logout’. Do not do that (do not hit the logout button to exit from the exam early) – it may cause Blackboard to lock you out from retaking the exam – and when you attempt to retake the exam, you will get an Error message that will either tell you to contact the system administrator or it will tell you that there are ‘no questions’ in the pool!
This applies only to this specific error message, and not to the padlock symbol in the gradebook. The padlock symbol in the gradebook does not mean that you are locked out of retaking an exam (this is because your instructor has allowed unlimited attempts on most exams). The only time that you are locked out of retaking an exam is when you try to retake the exam, and it won't let you. If it is still before the timeout deadline, contact the instructor if you've tried to re-open an exam and Blackboard won't let you. Make sure that you write down exactly what error messages and/or wording that Blackboard sends to you.
If you do find yourself locked out (getting an error message) from retaking an exam, contact the instructor, who can manually clear your previous attempt. This may take several days, so make sure that you have left plenty of time before the exam timeout deadline (remember, timeout deadlines will not be extended – even if you were stymied by a technoglitch or other hardware or software problem).
When you exit an exam without clicking on the Submit button at the end of the exam, Blackboard will not grade your exam (you can’t get any points for partially completed exams). A padlock symbol will show in your gradebook until you successfully retake the exam and finish all of the questions and then submit the exam for grading.
Always remember to take your exams at least a week before the timeout deadline – that way you will have time to deal with problems and issues (technological or personal) that may come up – and you will have time to retake the exam before the deadline.
If you wait until just a few days or so before a timeout deadline, that is your gamble and your risk – just remember that deadlines will not be extended even if Blackboard (or other hardware or software) causes problems.
A couple of students have let me know that they have been erroneously kicked-out of an online exam before they were finished with it.
1. Never hit the 'Back' button on your browser while you are taking an exam. If you do there is a very high likelihood that you will either 'freeze' the Blackboard testing program, or it will simply kick you out... or it may tell you that it's waiting for information/communication from their server (something like "the request is already in progress. wait for response.")- but will then never come back to you.
2. Be
very careful about 'extra mouse clicks' while you are taking the exam.
--don't click more than once on the submit button,
--don't click outside the browser window and then back inside the browser window
--wait patiently for new questions or new pages to load à
do not repeatedly click on the forward (or next or submit or enter)
button in order to try and get the pages to load more quickly (they won’t!).
--don’t play with the mouse while pages or questions are loading; that is,
don’t wiggle the mouse cursor around because you are bored while things are
loading.
--don’t click on other parts of the page, or outside the browser, while pages
or questions are loading.
3. Don't hit the 'enter' button by mistake.
I have had many students take their exams on a computer in front of me, and I have been surprised by how many times the students are clicking on things out of impatience, or by accident - and often aren't even realizing that they are doing it (and don't even remember doing it)
4.
Close all other programs and browser windows on your computer before you
open or start a Blackboard exam.
--Do not open any other browser windows or programs while you are working on the
exam.
--Don't play music on your computer at the same time that you are taking the
exam.
--Make sure that all Instant Messaging programs are turned off so that IM
windows won't pop-up - and so that your IM program won't be constantly checking
for new messages during your exam -- you need the
computer's full attention!!
--Check to make sure that there isn't an extraneous program that is
automatically running in the background while you are taking an exam (say,
turn off the automatic updates to RealPlayer and other such programs).
Now, you shouldn't turn off your anti-virus or firewall or such, but those are
programs that are likely candidates for programs that are trying to work on your
system at the same time that you are trying to run an exam.
5. The problem could also be a conflict between the Blackboard testing software and the system software on whatever computer you are using. Your computer might run perfectly for everything else that you normally use your computer for, but there might be something that occasionally gets gargled between your system (including your ISP) and Blackboard's server or software. Since there are so many variations and combinations of ISPs, hardware, software, drivers, etc., I doubt that it's likely that anyone would be able to isolate the problem for each student's personal computer. So.... if coming back at another time (or day) doesn't resolve the problem, then try another computer at some other location (not the same house) -- I'd recommend the LPC Computer Center where they have a room full of computers, high speed internet access - and paid computer techs on site.
6. I
think that Blackboard has 'high volume'/high traffic times,
during which... Blackboard mistakenly kicks people off, or 'loses them' while
waiting for server response (like being hung-up on when you are on hold on the
telephone). The way to deal with this is to
*not* let yourself get so frustrated that you are angry enough to kick a
garbage can or something - Just stop taking
the exam right now, and come back the next day - at a different time. This
has been the best solution in the past for most students. It
does, however, mean that you can *not* wait until only a day or two before an
exam times out to get the exam completed; you have to leave yourself time to
retake the exam if necessary.
Whatever you do, don't give up! If it kicks you off and pisses you off, then take a break... go for a walk or a run... and come back to the computer later.
Exam Options
Is the computer (and/or Blackboard) booting you out of exams before you can
finish them?
Any student who wishes to, may make arrangements to take the exams during the instructor’s office hours.
· The instructor will provide a printed copy of the exam for you to complete in the allotted 60 minutes.
· As with most traditional paper exams, you will have only one attempt at the exam (you can not have unlimited attempts).
· As stated in the course syllabus, you may use your textbook, but may not use any other notes or materials such as the Green Study Guide or the CD-ROM, etc.
· The exam must also be completed before the scheduled time-out date (as specified in the course syllabus), so students must make arrangements ahead of time (at least a week before a timeout deadline).
Of note, I made this same opportunity available in the past… and not one student has chosen to take the exams in the ‘old traditional’ fashion. This tells me that even though some students were frustrated with computer/technical issues, their frustration was not high enough to make them want to give up the opportunity to retake the exams and improve their scores.
The ‘old traditional’
method of testing is to take an exam once, and see what your score is… and
what it is… is what it is, and you’re stuck with that.
The online testing software allows students the opportunity to retake
their exams (when instructors make this option available), and to improve their
scores (and hopefully, their knowledge-base).
However, this wonderful tool and
opportunity is a privilege that comes with a price... This price is that
students must decide how to deal with 'computer/software/technical frustration'
when it crops up. If there is any
student who finds that they can not (or do not want to) deal with the technical
frustrations, then they are more than welcome to take the exams in the old
traditional fashion.
The
campus computer techs are in touch with the Blackboard support personnel, and
hopefully, the computer issues will be resolved in either this version of the
software or a future update. However,
as the instructor, I recommend a practical and positive approach – do not let
yourself get too frustrated. If the
software is booting you out and it’s making you angry and you don’t want to
deal with it – then don’t – instead, come to my office hours and we’ll
set it up for you to take the exams in the old-traditional fashion (I have 15
years of experience with the old standard way of conducting exams).
Note: the course syllabus contains the official policies and basic information for the course. The course syllabus is the ultimate source for 'how things are run and how things will be handled'. Anything posted on the internet is superceded by the official information in the course syllabus (in other words, if anything posted on the internet is different than what is in the syllabus, then the syllabus information and policies, timeout dates, etc., over-rule any other postings). Information posted on the internet is provided for student convenience and access - and is not intended to replace the course syllabus.
refer to the course syllabus for chapter # details.
The Module Exam sequence follows the lecture/homework sequence from my ‘regular’ (non-distance-ed) classes because students from the Online Distance Ed class in previous terms wanted to study with the students in the regular ‘lecture’ classes.
In addition, in previous terms, some of the students in the Online Distance Ed section also wanted to attend some of my regular lectures when it fit into their personal schedules; consequently, I post the topics of the lectures for each upcoming week.
Over the course of the term, students in my traditional lecture courses are expected to be working on the homework topics in Module 1 while I am lecturing on the in-class topics of Module 2. Similarly, students should work on the homework topics in Module 3 while we are covering the topics of Module 4 in-class.
Students in the completely On-line Distance Ed section may choose whether to complete the modules ‘linearly’ (e.g., Module 1 followed by Module 2 followed by Module 3, etc.) or ‘in-parallel’ (working on Modules 1 and 2 at the same time, and then working on Modules 3 and 4 at the same time, etc.).
The topics that I lecture on in my regular lecture classes are in Modules 2, 4, 6 and 8. The odd-numbered Modules are homework topics that are not covered in my regular lectures (but are sometimes covered in the Friday classes). Module 1 topics are homework while we are covering Module 2 topics in class; Module 3 topics are homework while we are covering Module 4 topics in class; etc. In general, the homework topics are ‘easier’ topics that are not as complex (or geologically far-reaching) as the topics covered in lectures. The sequence of the homework topics was a result of trying to balance the overall student study-workload over the course of the semester.
Can the textbook be printed in the same order as the Module Exams?
Surprisingly, the answer is yes! And the publisher's rep has actually offered that option to me for me classes. However, I did not choose to have the books printed 'specially' for my classes because 1) the cost would go up and 2) students would not be able to purchase their books anywhere except through the LPC Bookstore. The specially-ordered textbooks would not be available through Amazon, for example. Availability, and the price, of used books would be controlled by the limited number of texts printed only for LPC.
GEOLOGY QUESTIONS
What information to give if you want computer tech support help
Before you call or email for help (or to complain), please make sure that you include the following information, because they'll never be able to troubleshoot the problem or improve the system if they don't know where to look....
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A complete description of the error message or problem that you are having -- make sure that you write down whatever error message that you are seeing -- and exactly when it occurs (e.g., the 'system is busy' message appears after you click on submit during an exam)
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Is it possible that you clicked on anything 'out of sequence', by mistake, or double-clicked on anything (perhaps because things appeared to be responding slowly)?
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Operating System: type/version of operating system that you are using (e.g., Windows XP or Mac OS X, etc.)
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Browser: type/version of internet browser that you are using (e.g. Firefox version 3, Explorer 6, etc.)
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ISP: What Internet Service Provider are you using? AOL, for example, has been notorious for having problems 'getting along' with many types of internet programs such as Blackboard and other such online testing programs.
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Virus Protection:
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What software are you using for Virus Protection?
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When was the last time that you ran a complete system virus-scan of your computer's hard-drive?
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Does your virus protection get automatically updated? Are you sure about this?
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Firewall
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What firewall are you using on your computer?
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Does your firewall software get automatically updated? Are you sure about this?
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Spyware Protection
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What Anti-spyware software do you use on your computer?
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How often do you run complete system scans?
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When was the last time that you ran a complete anti-spyware system scan?
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When was the last time that your anti-spyware software was updated? Are you sure about this?
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Pop-up Blockers
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Is your browser blocking pop-ups?
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Is your Anti-virus software blocking pop-ups?
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Is your Spyware software blocking pop-ups?
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Is your Firewall blocking pop-ups?
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Do you have any 'extra browser toolbars' that are blocking pop-ups?
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Google and Yahoo are notorious for adding extra toolbars to your browser windows... and they are often set to automatically block pop-ups.
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A list of what programs your computer is running in the background while you are online with Blackboard
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For example, are you also running other programs?
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Do you have other browser windows open?
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Do you have Instant Messaging open?
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Do you have an email program running?
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Are you running a Media Player in the background (e.g., RealPlayer or Quicktime, etc.)?
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Are you listening to a CD on your computer while working online with Blackboard?
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Are you jumping between windows while working in Blackboard?
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If you know the answers to these questions and are confident that your system is up-to-date and doesn't have anything running that should be conflicting or interfering with the online course software (e.g., Blackboard), please contact the LPC Computer support staff - give them your answers to the questions above and explain your current problem. If enough students give accurate information to the computer technical staff, then they can improve the software and make the online experience more satisfactory for everyone.
Exam Answers and Why doesn't Blackboard tell me which questions I got wrong?
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Exam answer keys are not posted or available for downloading or distribution.
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This is because the exams are open-book and may be taken an unlimited number of times.
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Consequently, if the answers were posted in any fashion, the exams would be useless.
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If Blackboard were to tell students which questions they got wrong, students would attempt to pass the exams (and the course) by simply guessing answers without studying and then retaking the exams with the information from their guesses.
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After students have completed an exam, Blackboard will report the student's score, but will not list which questions were correct and which were incorrect. Why? Because many of the questions are True/False and because the exam may be taken an unlimited number of times. That is, if Blackboard reported which questions were wrong, students would be able to simply guess at the answers the first time around and then simply retake the exam and punch in the opposite answer for any question that they got wrong the first time! One of the major challenges with online Distance Ed courses is to prevent setting up situations where students can cheat the learning process through 'holes in the system'. Providing answers to the questions is not appropriate when students can retake the exams.
So... when you get some questions wrong, and you want to retake an exam, which question/answers should you focus on to 'fix' before retaking the exam? If you've studied hard and diligently, then the questions that you get wrong should be the ones that you are least confident of, the ones that you effectively guessed at, and/or the ones that you simply didn't know and tried to look up during the exam (instead of learning it before taking the exam). If you've studied hard, then you should feel confident about most of your answers and you should only have to spend time on the questions where you are unsure of the answers. And don't forget: Almost all of the questions are in your Green Study Guide!!
Guessing is not rewarded: Sometimes I see students simply guessing at answers rather than figuring the answers out or trying to find information that would help them in the textbook or online. Guessing is always an option, but after the exam is over, most students can't remember which answers they chose for the questions they guessed at.... consequently, they don't know whether or not they need to change those answers to get a better score on the exam when they retake it.
If you actually know the material, then you should remember which answers you chose. If you don't remember which answer you chose for a question, it's usually because you haven't actually learned that material... which means that you need to go and look the material up and learn it if you want to get those questions correct on the exam the next time that you retake it.
You can come to my office hours and I will bring up your latest exam and I will tell you the first three questions that you got wrong. I will not give you the answers, nor will I tell you which answers you chose. Again, if you don't remember what you chose, then you most probably guessed and that will not be rewarded. If you've missed a lot of questions, then you are most probably guessing on many of them, and this will not be rewarded. For students in the completely online Distance Ed section of Geology 1, click here for more info.
Question: Would you rather be able to take the exams an unlimited number of times when it means that you can not see which questions you got right or wrong... or would you rather just take the exams once, be stuck with the score, but be able to see which questions you got right or wrong?
In speaking with students over the years, I have found that students who generally score fairly high (80's and 90's) the first time they take each exam... these students are generally OK with simply taking the exams one time only, then being stuck with their score, and then being able to see which questions they got right or wrong. On the other hand, students who do not consistently score high on each and every exam the first time that they take it... these students vehemently want to be able to improve their scores by retaking the exams... and this means that the answers can not be made available in any fashion....
After an exam times out, I am more than willing to let you look at your graded exam and the correct answers; however, you must come to my office hours, where I will bring your exam up on a computer. You can not print-out your graded exam as this would allow printed answer keys to become available and this would invalidate future exams.
Exam Time Limits
(the following #'s for time limits refer to lecture
and DE exams, lab quizzes have different time limits)
Occassionally, I have to clear (remove) a student's exam score because he/she exceeds the time limit.
Because you have almost all of the exam questions in the Green Study Guide, you should be able to finish the exams in well under the allotted time. If a student is taking more than allotted time, then this is a very good indicator that the student has not looked up the answers to the questions before taking the exam... and often, that student is simply not studying before opening the exam and is simply looking up the answer to each question as it appears on the screen. That's not the way it's supposed to work - and anyone who attempts this is simply shortchanging their own college education. The time limit should be short enough that it forces students to learn the material well enough to be able to answer the questions without looking up every single question.
The exception to this are students who work through the DSPS (Disabled Students' Services) department at the college. If you are one of those students, you should have contacted the professor about special arrangements at the beginning of the term.
The following is from the course syllabus:
The time limit for each exam is stated
at the beginning of the exam - if you go over that time limit, your score is a
zero (0).
-If you have studied sufficiently, then you should be able to complete the exam
within the time limit.
-If you are having trouble finishing within the time limit, then you probably need to study more. If you study more and are still having trouble finishing within the time limit, then come to the instructor’s office hours and we will schedule a time for you to take the exam in my presence (during my office hours on another day). You must still complete the exam before the timeout deadline posted at the beginning of the syllabus. I will give you unlimited time when you take the exam in my presence; however, you will only be able to use your textbook and you will not be able to use the Green Study Guide or any other notes, materials, CD-ROMs, etc.
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When you are within one minute of the exam timeout limit, Blackboard should give you a 'One Minute Warning' in a popup window. However, if you have popup blockers set to block such windows, you may not get this warning. Ultimately, it is the student's responsibility to ensure that they do not go over the specified time limit for the exam. Set an alarm for yourself - use a timer, use your watch, whatever you prefer.
If you do go over the time limit, Blackboard will show you your score, but will then place a '!' symbol for that exam attempt. This symbol alerts the instructor that your score must be manually cleared. When I notice the '!' symbol, I will look at your last attempt. If you only went over the time limit by a minute or two, I will usually allow you to keep your score. On the other hand, if you go over the time limit by more than 5 minutes, I will clear your score so that you can retake the exam. If it is after the exam timeout day/deadline, then your score for that exam will be a 0. Consequently, if you do exceed the time limit, and you need me to clear your score so that you can retake the exam, make sure that you call me immediately and leave a message on my answering machine at school -- or use the Blackboard internal email (through the Communications link on the left-hand side bar). It is the student's responsibility to plan ahead and ensure that they can contact the instructor at least 3 days before the exam deadline so that the '!' can be cleared in time for the student to retake the exam before the deadline. No deadlines will be extended for retakes of the exam by students who went over the timelimit.
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Consult your course syllabus, consult your course syllabus... consult your course syllabus!
- If you drop before the NGR date (usually the Friday of the second week of the Fall term, and the Friday of the third week of the Spring term - holidays make the difference), then the course will not appear on your transcript
- If you drop after the NGR date and before the W-drop date, then the course will appear on your transcript with a W for a grade - indicating that you dropped the class without completing it.
- If you do not drop before the W date, then your transcript must have a letter grade (A, B, C, D or F) that reflects the total number of points that you earned that term out of the total possible for the entire term. Instructors are not allowed to drop students after the W -date has passed (please do not ask... or beg).
- LPC Academic Calendar
- You must drop yourself if you do not wish to complete this course this semester - do not rely on the instructor to complete the drop-paperwork for you.
Online Vocabulary Exam
You should shoot to finish the Vocabulary
Exam by the end of the first three weeks of the
term.
Use the Vocabulary Exam Checklist in your course syllabus.
The Online Vocabulary Quiz is available from the beginning of the term until the timeout date listed in your course syllabus. You have unlimited attempts until this exam times out. The last attempt counts (not the highest).
The whole point of this vocabulary quiz is for you to look up the basic vocabulary before you attempt to read the textbook chapters – familiarity with the basic vocabulary will make reading the chapters a much more rewarding experience.
The purpose of the quiz is not to test your intelligence or how well you can take tests - the purpose of this quiz is for you to get familiar with some of the important vocabulary that will be used this term. This quiz is challenging, but you have a list of the words to look up - and you have most of the questions... so you should be able to get an A on this exam - if you are willing to put in the time looking up and understanding the words.
This Vocabulary Appendix is not a complete list of the vocabulary needed for this term, but is a list of some of the most basic or common words used throughout the term. Many of the words are actually ‘general use words’; that is, many of the words are not restricted to only the field of geology – and many of the words are commonly used in both scientific and non-scientific fields. Consequently, students with a wide or deep personal vocabulary may find the Vocabulary Quiz to be very simple. However, over the years that I have been teaching, I have found that the general student base is made of a wide range of students with a very wide range of personal vocabulary already at their disposal. Depending on your personal life experiences, you may discover that you have to learn many of the ‘general use’ vocabulary words in addition to the more-specific geologic terms. Your textbook may not define the ‘general use’ terms and you should consult a regular dictionary and/or conduct Internet word searches for the definitions of words that you do not find in your textbook.
Sign up for the Geology 9 Study Course
Please note
that this study course is not available every semester.
Check your class schedule listings to see if this study course is offered this
term.
Do you want to make sure that you have the best
chances at passing this course?
Would you like to meet and study with some of the other students?
Sign up for Geology 9 - a 1-unit study course to go along with your Physical Geology 1 course
One of the best ways to ensure your success (and
enjoyment) of this course is to sign up for the 1-unit geology study
course that meets on Fridays from 12:30-2:30pm in Rm 1826. Often, more
than 50% of the students who enroll in distance education courses do not
complete them - and it has nothing to do with how hard the classes are or how
smart the students are - it has to do with getting enough motivation to do the
coursework all by yourself. Most students need interaction with other students
to feed their motivation to study week after week. The Geology 9 study
course has been an overwhelming success for providing student interaction, study
groups and student success.
Check out the Geology 9 course syllabus
Check your Blackboard grades after you complete each exam
All students should check their scores in their Blackboard gradebook. Check your scores after you complete each exam - your scores should show up in your gradebook immediately after you complete an exam. It is your responsibility to make sure that you don't end up with zeroes or missing exam scores - check your gradebook after you take an exam and make sure that your score shows up.
In the past, a few students finished their exams and saw their scores as they exited the exams. When they then went into their gradebook, their scores were showing as padlock symbols instead of their actual numerical score. If this happens to you, you should either 1) take the exam over, or 2) come to my office hours -before the timeout date - and I will check to see if your exam (and score) were saved. If they weren't, then you will have to take the exam over. This is one of the major reasons for making sure that you always take the exams EARLY - and give yourself plenty of time to take the exams over and/or troubleshoot the technological problems (or wait for the server to come back up, etc).
Click here for an explanation of Blackboard Gradebook symbols when exams have unlimited attempts.
For any (and all) who have had technological issues 'eat' their exams, use the Extra Credit/Makeup Exams that are available for this course in Blackboard. For the lecture classes, just scroll down the list of Exams and the Extra Credit Exams are listed below the required exams. Similarly, for the lab classes, scroll down the list of Quizzes and the Extra Credit Quizzes are listed below the required quizzes.
Don't wait until the end of the term to suddenly go in and check out your scores - your exam scores and your term score should not be a surprise - all of your scores are available for viewing at any time - and so is your total (just scroll down to the bottom of the gradebook).
