Course Syllabus for
HSC 5552 Communicable & Degenerative Diseases
Fall, 2012
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
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 Full Name in SUBJECT line of your email, i.e., Diseases 5552 & 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 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 3 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 3 rd
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 can be ordered online from Barnes & Noble or http://Amazon.com
where both new and used texts can be purchased.
While the 3 rd Edition of the textbook is required…the 2 nd 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 (3 rd 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 2 nd 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 2012/2013(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 5552 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.
Health Literacy Course (or equivalent) a free, on-line, go-at-your-own-pace training that has helped more than 4,000 health care professionals and students improve patientprovider communication. Certificate of completion awarded.
4.
Electronic Activity Portfolio assignments, i.e., Cover Page (CP) & Table of Contents
(TOC), and Parts I through V.

5. 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
Respondus in D2L for test-taking
DIPC Textbook
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Evaluation Item
% of
Grade
Total
Points
Each
Unit
Four Section Exams ( open book/notes; Respondus required)
40.0 200 50pts
15 PWeb Test Your Knowledge forms 12.0 60 4pts
Health Literacy Course (or equivalent)
Electronic Activity Portfolio
( 25pts for cover page + table of contents & 25pts for each of the 5 activities )
Comprehensive Final Exam
(Respondus required – closed book, timed test )
Total
Grading Scale:
A = 465.0 - 500.0 pts (93 - 1OO %)
A- = 450.0 - 464.9 pts (90 - 92.9%)
B+ = 435.0 - 449.9 pts (87 - 89.9%)
B = 415.0 - 434.9 pts (83 - 86.9%)
B- = 400.0 - 414.9 pts (80 - 82.9%)
C+ = 385.0 - 399.9 pts (77 - 79.9%)
C = 365.0 - 384.9 pts (73 - 76.9%)
C- = 350.0 - 364.9 pts (70 - 72.9%)
D+ = 335.0 - 349.9 pts (67 - 69.9%)
D = 300.0 - 334.9 pts (60 - 66.9%)
F = 0.0 - 299.5 pts (0 - 59.9%)
10.0
30.0
8.0
100
50
150
40
500
40 pts
50
150
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).