Course Syllabus for
HSC 4551 Communicable & Degenerative Diseases
Fall, 2011
Instructor Information: Dr. F. Stephen Bridges
Professor of Community Health Education
Office: Bldg. 72, Rm 258
Email: fbridges@uwf.edu
Phone: 474-2051
Fax: 474-2106
Webpage or http://uwf.edu/hlsd/bridges.htm
Office Hours: My virtual office hours are Monday and Wednesday, 10:00 to 12 noon and
Tuesday 1:00 to 3:00 pm. I will also be available online during these days/times to answer
emails ...usually within 48 hrs or less.
If you want to speak with me in-person or by telephone, then please call 474-2592 (HLES
main office) to make an appointment to get on my schedule for these days and times
above.
Friendly Tips and Suggestions:
1) To receive an email response from your Professor, please put Course Name + No. &
Your Name in SUBJECT line of your email, i.e., Diseases 4551 & Your Name.
Emails w/o this plus a signature file (sig file) at the end of the message text may not
be answered. I have many students and do not always immediately recognize which class
or classes a particular student is enrolled in.
To create a sig file in MS Outlook go to TOOLS/OPTIONS/MAIL FORMAT/SIGNATURES. Here
is mine …but yours does not need to be this fancy:
Dr. F. Stephen Bridges
Professor of Community Health Education
Department of Health, Leisure & Exercise Science
The University of West Florida
11,000 University Parkway
Pensacola, Florida 32514
voice: 850.474.2051
efax: 413.473.5891
Web: http://www.uwf.edu/hlsd/bridges.htm
"A man who is right every time is not likely to do very much."
Dr. Francis Crick, 1962 Nobel Laureate in Medicine
2) Responses to students questions about quiz/exam questions will commence 4 business
days after the quiz/exam due date. This give you time to check the answers after the due
date.
3) Both parties must be logged into D2L for the pager to work synchronously...so I do not
use the PAGER tool.
If you have technical difficulties or problems with eLearning, contact the UWF
Help Desk at 850-474-2075 or helpdesk@uwf.edu
Textbooks and Required Resources:
1) The first textbook is Disease: Identification, Prevention and Control 3rd
Ed. (hereafter only referred to as DIPC) can be purchased at UWF in person or by mail
from the UWF bookstore. If you are not local, you may want to contact the UWF Bookstore
at 850-474-3096 / email Mr. Danny Worden at bookstore@uwf.edu to arrange for
purchasing a textbook. The DIPC text may also be ordered online from Barnes & Noble or
http://Amazon.com where both new and used texts can be purchased.
While the 3rd Edition of the textbook is required…the 2nd edition of the textbook (Chapters
1-10) has been scanned and placed into the course for your convenience. This was done to
assist those who purchase the DIPC textbook (3rd Ed.) online …where there may be a 3-5
day shipping time or possibly longer. Do not wait to start obtaining a DIPC textbook; please
do so the first day of the course.
In addition, the 2nd Ed. DIPC chapters can be viewed under the respective week -- see
under the Course Content heading. In order to view these chapters, you must have Adobe
Acrobat (AA) reader. This software can be downloaded free by clicking open the link or in
the 'Course Orientation' section of this course under 'Content.' Once in 'Course
Orientation' scroll to the bottom of the page.
2) The second textbook is Annual Editions: Health 2011/2012 (hereafter AEH;
paperback) edited by Dr. Eileen L. Daniel, The McGraw-Hill Companies, New York, NY. ISBN
978-0-07-805080-0. The UWF bookstore has ordered copies of this text for purchase by
local students.
3) A Merlot account to complete the Electronic Portfolio assignments. More information
about Merlot is provided in a separate document under “Important Course Information,”
“Resources-Merlot’s Content Builder.” Register for a free account using only your UWF
email address!
If you have technical difficulties or problems with eLearning, contact the UWF
Help Desk at 850-474-2075 or helpdesk@uwf.edu
Course Description using Desire to Learn (D2L): HSC 4551 Communicable &
Degenerative Diseases is taught using the Desire to Learn (D2L) format that allows for a
dynamic and interactive exchange of information available on the Internet. D2L is a webbased courseware application that allows professors to post their course-related information
for students and conduct courses online in a secure environment.
This course is a study of disease in the human body. Emphasis will be placed on being able
to distinguish what is disease from what is normal. This will require some understanding of
the normal workings of the human body and the range of acceptable variation. Much of our
knowledge of normal physiology (function) and anatomy (structure) has come from
comparisons between normal and abnormal. The text outlines contemporary views of how
the human body is structured, from molecule to whole person, and how the many parts
function, sometime independently, but always in relation to the whole person.
About this Course: This course is delivered completely online. You must have consistent
access to the Internet. Learning at a distance may be a very different environment for many
of you. You will generally set your own schedules, participate in class activities at your
convenience, and work at your own pace to meet stated deadlines.
You should be prepared to spend approximately 6 - 8 hours per week online completing
lessons, activities, and participating in class discussions. However, you may spend some
additional time online during the first few weeks while you become acclimated to the online
class format and you may feel overwhelmed.
Finally, you may want to incorporate these tips to help you get started:
 Set yourself a schedule -- check the course web site early in the class week
(Monday) to see what tasks you will need to work on for the week.
 Become very familiar with the site and how to use it. It is a tool to help you learn!
 Team up with your classmates to discuss class assignments and questions you might
have. Check the “Classlist” link symbol “?” for biography info and email addresses.
 Ask questions when you need answers. If you have problems, contact your instructor
ASAP! I will help you come up with a solution.
If you have technical difficulties or problems with eLearning, contact the UWF Help Desk at
850.474.2075 or helpdesk@uwf.edu
Graded Assignments:
1. Weekly AEH article review forms (15 total)
2. Section Exams Four on-line sectional exams (open book) will be administered during
the semester during weeks 4, 7, 10, and 14. The exams will primarily consist of objectivetype test questions (Multiple Choice, True/False, Matching, Fill-in, and may have some Short
Answer). I will use D2L for Exams and Grades and for displaying graded exams. Exams may
be content or skill-driven or both. Exam content will consist of previous reading assignments
from both:
 DIPC—soft cover textbook
 AEH—soft cover textbook
Section Exams due dates will be posted within weekly sessions 4, 7, 10, & 14.
3. Electronic Activity Portfolio assignments, i.e., Cover Page (CP) & Table of Contents
(TOC), and any 4 out of 5 activities (25pts ea).
4. Comprehensive Final Exam is a closed book and proctored exam (see Resources –
Proctored Exam). In addition, it is a timed test. See Class Attendance below.
Required Technology/Materials:
Consistent and reliable internet access
Email Account @ UWF
Merlot account
DIPC Textbook
Adobe Acrobat Reader
% of
Grade
Total
Points
Each
Unit
Four Section Exams (open book/notes)
50.0
200
50pts
15 PWeb Test Your Knowledge forms
15.0
60
4pts
25.0
100
100pts
10.0
40
40 pts
100
400
Evaluation Item
Electronic Activity Portfolio
(requires a cover page and table of contents… plus any 4 out
of 5 activities, with each activity worth 25pts)
Comprehensive Final Exam
(proctored exam, closed book, & timed test)
Total
Grading Scale
A = 372 - 400.0 pts (93 - 1OO%)
A- = 360 - 371.9 pts (90 - 92.9%)
B+ = 348 - 359.9 pts (87 - 89.9%)
B = 332 - 347.9 pts (83 - 86.9%)
B- = 320 - 331.9 pts (80 - 82.9%)
C+ = 308 - 319.9 pts (77 - 79.9%)
C = 292 - 307.9 pts (73 - 76.9%)
C- = 280 - 291.9 pts (70 - 72.9%)
D+ = 268 - 279.9 pts (67 - 69.9%)
D = 252 - 267.9 pts (63 - 66.9%)
D- = 240 - 251.9 pts (60 - 62.0%)
F = 0.0 - 239.9 pts ( 0 - 59.9%)
Assistance: Students with special needs who require specific examination-related or other
course-related accommodations should contact Barbara Fitzpatrick, Director of Disabled
Student Services (DSS), dss@uwf.edu, (850) 474-2387. DSS will provide the student with a
letter for the instructor that will specify any recommended accommodations.
Please note that the attendance/participation policy for this class is copied from the
information found online at http://uwf.edu/catalog/acad2.cfm#acadattendance.
Class Attendance
The University expects students to take full responsibility for their academic work and
academic progress. To progress satisfactorily, students must meet the requirements of each
course for which they are registered. Successful work depends largely on regular class
attendance (and course participation).
Students submitting assignments past the due date or not at all cannot submit assignments
later in the course. Given that assignment due dates are known ahead of time, even a
technical failure with D2L or with the PC will not be a sufficient excuse for a late or missing
assignment. Waiting to submit an assignment until the last minute can be potentially risky!
Class attendance/participation is regarded as an academic matter per the academic catalog:
“Each faculty member will provide a written attendance policy to each class within the first
week of classes. The use of attendance records in grading and handling of any excuses for
absences is left to the discretion of the faculty member responsible for the course, subject
to the guidelines given below:
A. Students will be excused from class to observe religious holidays of their faith. No
major test, major class event, or major University activity will be scheduled on a
major religious holiday.
B. Absences for imposed legal responsibilities (e.g., jury duty, court appearance) will be
recognized as excused absences.
C. Absences resulting from participation in extracurricular activities in which students
are official representatives of the University will be recognized as excused absences.
D. Absences for serious illness, death or serious illness within the student’s immediate
family, military obligations, or other sound reasons offered by the student may be
accepted as excused absences.
It is the responsibility of students to know the attendance policy of each course they are
taking. Students must inform their instructor(s) of absences from classes prior to or as
soon as possible after the absence (Dr. B requires within 3 days upon your return).
Instructors have the right to request verification for all excused absences. Students are
held accountable for all assignments in the course, whether or not the assignments were
announced during an absence. Faculty are encouraged to provide opportunities for students
to make up examinations and other work missed because of an excused absence.”
Reserve/National Guard Duty
To fulfill a reservist or National Guard military obligation of no more than two weeks
concurrent with a normal academic semester at UWF, students must receive written
permission for such absences from the instructors and departmental chairpersons for each
course in which they are enrolled. The approval is not automatic but is discretionary with
the instructors and departmental chairpersons.
Academic Honesty – Expectations For Academic Conduct And Plagiarism Policy:
As members of the University of West Florida, we commit ourselves to honesty. As we strive
for excellence in performance, integrity—both personal and institutional—is our most
precious asset. Honesty in our academic work is vital, and we will not knowingly act in ways
which erode that integrity. Accordingly, we pledge not to cheat, nor to tolerate cheating, nor
to plagiarize the work of others. We pledge to share community resources in ways that are
responsible and that comply with established policies of fairness. Cooperation and
competition are means to high achievement and are encouraged. Indeed, cooperation is
expected unless our directive is to individual performance. We will compete constructively
and professionally for the purpose of stimulating high performance standards. Finally, we
accept adherence to this set of expectations for academic conduct as a condition of
membership in the UWF academic community.
Academic Conduct Policy: (Web Format) | (PDF Format) | (RTF Format)
Plagiarism Policy: (Word Format) | (PDF Format) | (RTF Format)
Classroom/Online Behavior: "University of West Florida faculty are responsible for
establishing and implementing appropriate academic standards as well as reasonable
behavior standards for each class. Disruptive classroom conduct, a violation of the UWF
Student Code of Conduct, is defined as individual or group conduct of a nature that
interrupts or interferes with educational activities, infringes upon the rights and privileges of
others, results in the destruction of property or is otherwise prejudicial to the maintenance
of order. Violations should be reported to the Office of Student Affairs for adjudication
through the Student Conduct System." (pg. 47)
(Source: University Student Life Handbook... see pages 46-49).