Calendar Week 1
 The semester has started!
 I have now met with both General Biology classes -- one a Pecan Campus and one at the Starr County Campus. It was nice meeting you all (a few students didn't show up for class).
The semester calendar has been slightly updated -- and I expect that the final complete version will be up when we come back to STC after Labor Day. Due to some problems with the STC server, housing Dr. Nilsson's CyberOffice, some pages we noted in class, cannot yet be updated. Stay tuned for updates of some reading assignments and some web pages with the "page missing" sign. Also stay tuned for the extra Town Hall course shell popping up on the "My eCourses" Blackboard page. As I have already informed in the online instructions, and in class for those of you who meet in the classroom, this is the shell where we -- General Biology I. General Biology II, Environmental Biology hybrid, and Environmental Biology online -- the classes as taught by this instructor -- will have the Evolution Class Discussions and the permanent Study Group/Help Desk. Until the permanent Study Group/Help Desk is up, address questions to the Temporary Help Desk in each regular course shell.
Again, welcome to class! Let's have a good semester of learning!
Memorization Quizzes
 Both in General Biology I and in General Biology II will we at the beginning of the semester discuss this very important textbook figure referred to as "hierarchical levels of biological organization" (above), figure 1.2 in your textbook, and an evolutionary tree of the three domains and the six kingdoms, figure 1.5 in your textbook (below).
The Levels of Biological Organization figure forms the basis for the first so called "memorization quiz", or "brain gymnastics quiz" in both General Biology I and General Biology II. The "kingdom evolutionary" tree is the second quiz. You have to learn/memorize the terms, the sequence/location -- including SPELLING them correctly. You have plenty of time to get it correct -- but I suggest no cramming -- and show during first the midterm week, and later during the final week that you can fill in the Biological Organization Quiz correctly.
Correctly means everything correct -- the word, the spelling, and the sequence. You must do it with no mistakes to get any points. The assignment is an "all or nothing" assessment. One mistake and you loose all points. The name of the assignment is MEMORIZATION quizzes -- if you get it wrong you have not memorized it successfully -- hence no points. There will be one memorization quiz to fill in during a midterm lab meeting, and three to fill in during the final lab meeting. More details will be given to you in the classroom. (Below is another figure from a different textbook.)
 Dr. Nilsson
The picture called "future-of-learning" is used for educational purposes by Dr. Nilsson, South Texas College, scanned, from this page.
Students, welcome to General Biology
What you are reading is the so called Class Communication page for the two General Biology courses I teach this semester -- one General Biology I class, and one General Biology II class. Both classes share this page and some other class pages -- while other pages and the STC Blackboards are separate for each class. The classes are under web enhancement procedures, and will be taught as official hybrid classes starting spring semester 2011. From here on I will refer to both classes as "the class".
In college these days there are traditional regular classes, traditional web-enhance classes, hybrid classes, and online classes -- and overlapping mixtures. Even though the Internet is used as a delivery method, a web enhanced course has a substantial amount of classroom meetings and is therefore not an online course, nor a hybrid course. Also, a web-enhanced course is not a traditional course, where students fall asleep when listening to the instructor, and then go home to memorize lecture notes for classroom bubble-in scantron exams... 
Since this class is web-enhanced, let's first mention a little about what that is. Web enhanced courses are classes that meet regularly in the classroom, but have required online web components replacing many classroom components. Web enhanced courses are the same as traditional classes in the terms of academic quality, credit hours, transferability, and cost. Students may access classroom content via the Internet -- at STC that usually means STC Blackboard.
Because the class is not yet an official hybrid class, most assignments have alternative submission methods that can be selected -- but the INTENDED method is to use Blackboard. (The alternative methods, which students unfamiliar with Blackboard may select, will be explained in class.)
If you have never had a web-enhanced, hybrid or on-line course you may want to read this article from the Monitor (McAllen), and maybe this one. Actually, you might want to read the articles even if you HAVE had web-enhanced courses... 
However -- especially if you are a student afraid of using computers to help you get an education -- the article I would like you to read first was published in our local newspaper the Monitor less than two weeks ago. When I found it I thought it would be a good inspirational article for many students. It is written by local Valley resident Maria Luisa Salcines. (To read page two click on the article.)
A little bit about buttons...
There are two separate online parts for this class. The first part is my website called Dr. Nilsson's CyberOffice -- where THIS page called Class Communication Page is located. The second part is STC Blackboard.
You may have most likely reached this page by clicking on this button on the General Biology Hub or on a button on Blackboard:
To get back to the General Biology Hub you can click on this button or the same button on top of this page:
To get to Blackboard from Dr. Nilsson's CyberOffice you may use this wine-red hexagonal button (but there are many other ways to login to Blackboard from the STC homepage):
These buttons will always take you to the same place (so get familiar with them and the linked pages).
You will use Blackboard for on-line discussions, semester lab project, worksheets, and for exams/quizzes. However, as already mentioned, most assignments have alternative submission methods, which students unfamiliar with Blackboard may select -- which will be explained in class. However, the INTENDED method is to use Blackboard. Here are the class discussion buttons located on the General Biology Hub:
Also, the ability to communicate with the instructor, and even more importantly, with other students is available through web postings on the various Blackboard Bulletin Boards. Blackboard is a great tool -- you just need to learn how to use it. If you don't think so, read Maria Luisa Salcines' article again... 
So, let's get to work!
Two questions I often over-hear from students is "We don't have any homework? What are we going to study?", or the comment "I am confused, I don't understand what I have to do in this class!" 
Well, first of all let me say that there are no assignments due the first two weeks of the semester. The first two weeks are TRAINING weeks, to get you used to what you have to do. Read this page, it is very useful...
However, everything you have to do for this class is listed in the Grading Criteria for General Biology I -- or -- Grading Criteria for General Biology II -- to help you understand WHAT to do. The order it has to be done is listed in the Semester Calendar for General Biology I -- or -- Semester Calendar for General Biology II -- to help you understand WHEN things must be done (make sure you click on the correct button for the correct class).
Perhaps this is a philosophy statement, but this is college, and you are not just here to learn biology -- you are here to learn how to be a good student, you are here to learn what is going on in the world, you are here to learn how to write, and you are here to learn how to use modern technology -- such as computers. All of these things, and more, are listed as components that mandated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
You will notice, if you haven't already, that this instructor often use newspaper articles as teaching tools. These articles are posted online -- very little will be handed to you in the classroom. In this class you will use the Internet to help you learn.
 But the best tool of all is your textbook. I know that some college instructors don't use the textbook assigned (what a waste of your money). I this class you are expected to use your textbook!
So is there time for anything else? Yes, there is time to sit down be an orange tree -- I like to do that during weekends. But it is very important that you get a good semester start!
Here is a button you might want to click on:
Photo: Dr. Nilsson sitting by his orange tree.
Here are some suggestions of what to do next
 Buy your textbook. The textbook information is in the syllabus or on the General Biology Hub, or can be obtained at the STC bookstore.
 Read this page. This page, the so called Class Communication Page can be reached from the General Biology Hub by clicking on the buttons as described above, or type in this URL, which will take you straight to the page:
http://www.southtexascollege.edu/nilsson/3_GeneralBio_WebCT_EntryP.html
 Navigate to the General Biology Hub and look around. Try the various links. To get to the hub page click on the General Biology icon at the top, left hand side, of this page -- or anywhere there is a text link like General Biology Hub. Here is the URL:
http://www.southtexascollege.edu/nilsson/2_GeneralBiology.html
 Log in to Blackboard.
When logged in find the link to your class. Click on the link. You will land on what is the STC Blackboard Home Page for the class (also called the "Content Page". Look around. See much? Nice photo of a forest and only one icon with a link to the Student Contract Quiz.
 Take the Student Contract Quiz. After passing the only question with a 100, go back to the nice forest page and now find a new link to "Blackboard Plaza". (The quiz has disappeared.) If you didn't EARN a 100 on the quiz by answering the True or False question correct -- take the quiz again, this time try the other answer (don't forget to SAVE the answer before submitting).
 Click on the link to "Blackboard Plaza" on the Blackboard Home Page for this class (if you have passed the quiz), and look around.
 Start doing assignments on Blackboard Plaza -- try the Animal Treatment bulletin board in the Class Discussion folder. Find the Sign-In bulletin board. Post a message and say hello to everyone in class.
 Think about how you are going to take the exams. From a computer at STC, at home, at a library, at a friends house? Even though you may use the textbook, the Exams need a password and must be taken using Respondus LockDown Browser.
What is the Respondus Lockdown Browser?
Respondus LockDown Browser Is a web browser to make test-taking more secure. Click on this link to read more information about the Respondus LockDown Browser. The computers at STC already have the Lockdown Browser -- but you might want to make sure, and you might want to find out how to use it already from start (so you don't have to be nervous about it). If you will take exams from your home you must download the software.
Password required. 
--- Need more to do?---
 Start reading your textbooks.
If you need help with the class, login to blackboard and click on the link to the Temporary Help Desk.
If you need help with Blackboard, with problems you cannot expect to solve yourself nor with the help of the instructor, here is a phone number and a link:
Student Blackboard
Help Desk
872-2598
or click on eSupport
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OK, this is all for right now. Let's have a fun and interesting semester with a lot of THINKING! Remember: No assignments are due the first two weeks. So no panic. However, you should submit the student contract as soon as possible even if it isn't due until September 15. That is the first deadline, but why wait? If you don't do anything until September 15, you are going to be overloaded with work, and you are not going to understand this class.
Actually, most assignments are due at the end of the semester, but some must be done before you can start others -- so again -- you are going to be overloaded with work if you wait, so don't wait...
Get to work IMMEDIATELY!!!
Dr. Nilsson
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If anyone feels that his or her material cannot be used this way I will immediately remove it if notified. 
CLASS COMMUNICATION PAGE 
