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- - - Timed Open Book Endterm (Final) Exam - - - 
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 Endterm (Final) ExamTimed -- unlike the chapter quizzes your time is limited. Attempts -- unlike the chapter quizzes you have only one attempt. (Part 1 and part 2 can be taken separately, but part 1 must be taken before part 2.) Open Book -- if you have time (but you probably won't) you may use your textbook or other references. Part 1: Chapter Quizzes 1 - 15, and the Evolution Worksheet Quiz Part 2: Geography.  
Respondus LockDown Browser Note: Both parts of the Endterm (Final) Exam must be taken using Respondus LockDown Browser. Click on this link to read more information about the Respondus LockDown Browser. The password when you take the Endterm (Final) Exam part 1 is : Darwin (the password is case sensitive). The password when you take the Endterm (Final) Exam part 2 is : Darwin |
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The timed open book Enterm (Final) Exam is available online on Blackboard as per the Semester Calendar. It is located in the Final Exam folder on the Blackboard "Blackboard Plaza" page.  The question was asked: What should you study for the Final Exam?  Instructor comment: The question is NOT what SHOULD you study, but rather what HAVE you studied during the semester? Open book Endterm (Final) Exam. The Final Exam is based on  the open textbook Chapter Quizzes,  the worksheet for two Evolution reading assignments, and  the open map book Geography Drills you have worked on during the semester. Know the answer. Obviously, since you can take the exam online from home, you are allowed to use your books -- since there is no way to control if you use them or not. However, the test is timed and you will NOT have time to look up the answers to all questions.  Unless you are extremely fast (and no one is that fast) and very WELL ORGANIZED -- with all answers marked in your textbook and worked out on study notes, for the Final Exam you actually have to KNOW the answer to some questions. In other words, even though it is an "open book" final exam, the goal is for you to show the instructor that you actually have LEARNED something during the semester. All questions on one page. Unlike the Chapter Quizzes, where each question opened up one at a time, the final exam will open up with all questions on one page. This will make a slow Internet connection less noticeable. Timed exam. The exam will be timed, and you must save your answers within the time limit. If you don't click on the save button within the set time you will not be able to submit that answer. Don't take any chances; do NOT wait till the last second to save answers. AGAIN: Don't take any chances; do NOT wait till the last second to save answers. Not saved answers will be lost forever. If you don't save any answers at all you will EARN a ZERO. There is NO re-take, there is no make-up, there is no minimum lowest grade. Test availability. The timed open book Endterm (Final) Exam must be taken during the assigned date and time. If you miss the exam you will EARN a zero. However, as long as you start the exam within the set time slot, you will be allowed to complete the exam within the allowed exam time limit. Grading goal. Understand that it is normal that some students may not be able to finish all questions. Unlike the chapter quizzes you are NOT expected to EARN at least the minimum 90 specified in the Grading Criteria. The Final Exam is set up, hopefully, to only allow A-students to EARN an A. If you have not learned much this semester -- in other words you will try to look up all the answers in the textbook -- you may EARN an F on the Final Exam. Grading criteria. A really high grade on the Final Exam might better your total Environmental Biology grade, and a really low grade might lower it. How much lower is noted in the Grading Criteria. An F on the final exam MAY not be "catastrophic" if you already have a high grade average in class, but if you are borderline it may, obviously, lower your grade... If you don't know the answer after 30 seconds -- you will not know the answer after 30 minutes. Note the terminology "know the answer". If you have studied well and learned, you have PLENTY of time. However, if you have NOT studied well and NOT learned -- well, as already stated, unlike the chapter quizzes there is not enough time to locate all the answers in your books. Test taking nervousness. There is usually some amount of nervousness involved when taking a test. That is normal. (If you are not nervous it usually indicates that you have not studied and/or don't care about your grade in the class.) A quick note what bumming the exam means for SOME students: Nothing! What you say!? Before the final exam one student -- let's call her Pippi Longstocking, had a PERFECT score -- 100 percent on all assignments. She did everything she was supposed to do according to the syllabus -- ON TIME. That means that before counting the Final Exam Pippi has 88 percent of the Environmental Biology grade (assuming she will turn in the Learning Self-Assessment after the exam following the requirements -- always a chance for deductions...). She only needs another 2 percent to get to 90, which is letter grade A. So BUMMING the exam with a 50 (half of 100) Pippi will EARN 5 percent. 88 plus 5 is 93. Course grade of 93 -- letter grade A! Congratulations Pippi! Obviously Pippi has not LEARNED much with such a low final exam grade -- much learning did NOT manage to enter Pippi's brain with such a score, but since this is a "work class" she has EARNED her grade. On the other hand the students who did not work -- did not submit all assignments as per the instructions for this "work class"... Well, these students must have a little higher final exam score -- some perhaps much higher -- to EARN an A or even a B. Make sense? If not fill in the Grade Recorder yourself... Geography part of the final exam. You already know the four maps you need to study. Here. Two of these maps will be used on the exam. The geography questions are "fill-in-the-blanks" asking you for the name of a specified country. On the test you must WRITE the name in a blank box. Spelling MUST be CORRECT -- including capitalization (upper case when needed). Do NOT use all capital letters. Each country name starts with a capital letter, if it is a double name, e.g., United States, you must capitalize BOTH words. All other letters should NOT be capitalized. If you don't use proper language rules, even if you have identified the country correctly, you will not receive any points. Partial points cannot be "earned". Examples of answers that will EARN you a zero: united states, UNITED STATES, united States, United states. The correct answer is: United States. If you don't know the answer, the name of the geographic location asked for, after about 15 seconds -- your geography knowledge is inadequate. The timing is set to attempt to prevent students from using a map book to look up the correct country names. Sure, you will probably have time to glance at a map in front of you, but if your geography knowledge is poor don't expect to check the location and name of all countries asked for. You must demonstrate your GEOGRAPHY KNOWLEDGE -- that is the purpose of this part of the test. Attempts allowed: Unlike the chapter quizzes, you must complete the Endterm (final) Exam in one (1) attempt, within the set time and date slot (see the Semester Calendar), and you must SUBMIT each exam part within the allowed time limit. You do not have to take both final exam parts at the same time, but you must take part 1 before you can take part 2. If you forget to take the exam when noted in the calendar, or forget to submit the exam parts BEFORE the time expired on Blackboard, you will "earn" a zero.  Keep an eye on the ticking clock! You don't want to submit too early -- check your answers first if you still have time, but don't take any chances; do NOT wait till the last second to save your answers.  Respondus Lock Down Browser  When you take the final exam you must do so using the STC eLearning Respondus "Lockdown Browser" software. The software must be downloaded from STC eSupport, for information click here. The software is set to take you to STC Blackboard, when downloaded you simply click on the software icon when you are ready to log in to Blackboard to take the tests. In other words, don't log in the regular way -- click on the Respondus Lockdown Browser software icon instead. (The con you get when you download the program -- not the one on this page!) To obtain the software click on the icon to eSupport. It is available for both Windows and Macintosh computers.  To start where we started: The question is NOT what SHOULD you study, but rather what HAVE you studied during the semester. If you have studied as much as is considered normal for a college students you will do fine. Good luck!   Dr. NilssonComment: The final exam may be changed due to unforeseen circumstances to meet the needs of a particular class. The instructor therefore reserves the right to alter (add, delete, or revise) any items of the above, online or via verbal instructions in class. The student is responsible for taking note of any such changes and acting accordingly. |
If anyone feels that his or her material cannot be used this way I will immediately remove it if notified. 
