Welcome to Health Education Online

Syllabus and Welcome Letter (HE ED 2)

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCMENT: This is the welcome letter/syllabus for the FIRST 9-WEEK SECTIONS OF SPRING 2010. Please read all this information carefully.

Summary

What to do first...

  1. Buy the Whole Health CD-ROM: This is your gateway to ALL the class content and materials.
  2. Read and print out this syllabus
  3. Read and print out the class orientation and complete the three (3) orientation assignments: You will refer to the orientation documentation throughout the class
  4. Buy the textbook: This will be the basis for studying for quizzes
  5. If you have any further questions, please feel free to email me [ddiaz@cuesta.edu], otherwise, I look forward to meeting you in cyberspace.

Student Contact Information

Contrary to information found in the class schedule and registration, YOU DO NOT NEED TO SEND ME YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS. My communication with the class will be primarily through announcements posted on the Blackboard Message Board. However, I will send out an email to the class prior to the beginning of the semester and will send it to your MY.CUESTA EMAIL ADDRESS. if you need to contact me, please feel free to send me an email directly. Also, be sure to ENTER YOUR CURRENT EMAIL ADDRESS WHEN YOU COMPLETE ASSIGNMENTS (you can enter either your MyCuesta address or personal address when submitting assignments).

There are no face-to-face meetings (i.e., Mandatory Meetings) in this distance education class. You will receive all information for the class electronically. This page is the "course welcome page" and the class syllabus for online distance education students only. You will also be working through the class orientation documents (see Pre-Orientation and Online Orientation sections below). By the time you read this document and work through the different sections of the class orientation, you should have most of your questions answered and you will be able to start completing assignments. Your teacher will not be contacting you individually, you will need to begin working on your own and completing assignments. All information that you need for understanding this class will be found on this syllabus page and in the online class orientation linked below.

Please print this page out and/or bookmark it for future reference. Read this page prior to the beginning of the semester, it's good to get an early start in an online class.

ONLINE students, after the semster begins, you must check the announcement page (see below) every day. Anything less and you will be jeopardizing your grade and status in the class!

The Basics

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Health Education (HE ED 2) is a broad-based survey of major health topics, with an emphasis on prevention, promotion and application as it applies to these topics. Health issues will be discussed from a multi-dimensional perspective using relevant examples from a variety of diverse populations. Health education is a general education, transferable class that fulfills the health requirement for all A.A. and A.S. Degrees at Cuesta. This course also meets the requirements for the California Teaching Credential (i.e., "Clear").

COURSE LENGTH: This class will be a 9-week class. That means that we will move through a semester's worth of material in a VERY SHORT TIME. Be sure to check the Assignment Deadlines and the Class Announcements pages (found on the Whole Health CD-ROM) frequently. There will be assigments due every week.

INSTRUCTOR: David P. Diaz, Ed.D.

EMAIL ADDRESS: ddiaz@cuesta.edu

OFFICE LOCATION: Rm. 1313; PHONE: (805) 546-3100 ext. 2702 (Note: it's usually quicker to email me)

OFFICE HOURS: Since this is a distance education course, my office hours will be by arrangement. I am available by email during the semester from Monday through Friday. I usually will make every attempt to answer your emails within 24 hours.

CLASS ANNOUNCEMENTS: All class announcements will be posted on Blackboard Learning system announcement pages, instructions for logon can be found here: http://academic.cuesta.edu/wholehealth/disted/msgbrds.htm NOTE: The Blackboard pages will not be available until the first day your class is scheduled to begin.

TYPES OF ASSIGNMENTS:

QUIZZES: will be posted on Blackboard Learning system pages, available at: instructions for logon can be found here: http://academic.cuesta.edu/wholehealth/disted/exams.htm NOTE: The Blackboard pages will not be available until the first day your class is scheduled to begin.

GRADING SCALE:
You will be graded on a straight percentage basis:
90% - above = A
80% - 89.9% = B
70% - 79.9% = C
60% - 69.9% = D
Below 60% = F

DROPS: If for any reason you should decide to drop this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop the course in the Records Office of Cuesta College. If you do not officially drop, you may end up receiving an "F" in the course. Also, please inform me of your decision and so I can remove your name from listserv.

Class Requirements

Blackboard Learning System

IMPORTANT!! YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO LOGON TO BLACKBOARD UNTIL THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO LOGON AFTER THAT, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR INSTRUCTOR IMMEDIATELY. OTHERWISE, YOU CAN STILL COMPLETE ASSIGNMENTS USING YOUR WHOLE HEALTH CD-ROM.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR LOGGING ON TO BLACKBOARD:

Your login ID will now match your My.Cuesta login ID.
So, a student named Joan Smith might login like this: j_smith, or jsmith, or joan_smith. Whatever you have chosen as your My.Cuesta ID, it will be the same for logging on to Blackboard.

The default password for students has not changed: STUDENT (note: ALL CAPS)

We will use the Blackboard Learning system for only two things: class announcements and quizzes. Everything else will be found on the Whole Health CD. That's why the Whole Health CD is the FIRST thing you need to buy. All the links and materials needed for this class, including links to the Blackboard system, will be found on the Whole Health CD-ROM.

Text/CD-ROM Requirements

THE FIRST THING YOU NEED TO BUY is the Whole Health CD-ROM version 10.0**. The Whole Health CD is sold separate from the class textbook and is only available in the Cuesta College bookstore.

The Whole Health CD is your gateway to the class and you will need it to find all class resources. I will review the features of the CD-ROM in your orientation. You will also need to purchase your textbook for the class. The textbook "An Invitation to Health" (Brief 4th or 5th edition, author Diane Hales) is in the bookstore and is a required text. NOTE: don't confuse the Whole Health CD with the CD-ROM that comes packaged with new textbooks. We DO NOT use the CD-ROM that comes packaged with the textbook. This is a free supplement.

** Note: the version of the Whole Health CD changes almost every semester. DO NOT BUY USED CDs UNLESS YOU ARE SURE THEY ARE THE CORRECT VERSION! Also, do not buy Whole Health CDs from any other source than the Cuesta College bookstore because they will most likely be out of date. See correct version number above.

Computer Requirements

The following requirements are necessary for this class:

Microsoft Internet Explorer

Firefox

Safari

YOUR FIRST ASSIGNMENT: Online Orientation

Your first assignment is the online orientation. You will need to carefully follow the directions outlined in the orientation, which involves completing several web-based surveys and an exit survey upon completion of the orientation. I will expect to receive all surveys for each student by the due date on the Assignment Deadlines page. Failure to do so will result in your being dropped from the class. Note: always check the Assignment Deadlines page for exact due dates of your assignments.

Sincerely,

Dr. Diaz