Announcements
12 October 2021 C.E.

A message from the Development Office:

The Spring 2022 Application deadline has been extended to October 31, 2021. With only one application you can apply for multiple scholarships. See flyer for more information.

For tips on applying for scholarships through the Maricopa Foundation, visit:

https://www.estrellamountain.edu/students/scholarships

and watch this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXQi1wYzg50
10 October 2021 C.E.

Please see important information from Health Science Advising.
20 September 2021 C.E.

Now that the second examination has been graded, your Total Current Score includes the score for the second examination. Please have a careful look at all of your Summary & Forecast numbers, and notice how they have changed in response to the examination. Keep in mind that the numbers marked as Minimum Score Required are numbers that you want to be LOW, not high. Explanation are given on the Summary & Forecast page, and understanding those numbers is extremely helpful in assessing whether you will be able to make it through this course with your desired grade.
18 September 2021 C.E.

Based on unresponsiveness, it appears that some of you are not receiving email messages from me. Please be sure to regularly check both your campus email (@maricopa) and the email address you supplied when you completed the Rules Consent Form. Also be sure on both accounts that my address (ty.hoffman@estrellamountain.edu) is not being spam filtered. Thanks, and enjoy the weekend.
13 September 2021 C.E.

The Title V team is gathering data about student experiences at EMCC. Your responses would be appreciated, but this survey is not required.

Survey Link: https://forms.gle/raYjHiFWGhvApDTQA
09 September 2021 C.E.

I want you all to know that I will be camping in the wilderness on the Mogollon Rim on Friday and Saturday. This means that I will have spotty connectivity, so any responses from me will likely be delayed. I will do my best to address any questions you have before leaving Friday morning, and I will return home on Sunday. I hope things go smoothly in my brief absence.
03 September 2021 C.E.

Unfortunately, many of you did not take my advice to complete the Lockdown Practice to ensure that you have the requirements in place to take the examinations. That puts you in a dangerous situation, because if you are not able to make an acceptable video for the examination on 4 September, your examination will not count, and you will have to take an alternative version. I hope you will not run into such trouble, but the low turnout for the Lockdown Practice is not encouraging.
03 September 2021 C.E.

Now that you've completed some assignments and they have been graded, I'd like you to take a moment to examine how your Summary & Forecast numbers have changed. Keeping an eye on these numbers throughout the term can really help you stay on track, and they tell you where you stand, as far as the prospect of making it through the course is concerned. Keep in mind that you want the three numbers marked as "Minimum Score on Remaining..." to be as LOW as possible, and those numbers change every time something is graded. Also keep in mind that the Summary & Forecast numbers are available only to students who complied with the requirement to submit the Rules Consent Form. Thanks for having a look, and enjoy the weekend.
01 September 2021 C.E.

Multiple students have experienced problems with Canvas links while using Chrome. Please do NOT use Chrome as your browser. Instead use Firefox for the duration of the course. Thanks.
30 August 2021 C.E.

Some students have not yet submitted the Rules Consent Form, which was required on the first day of the term. This is problematic for two reasons:

1. If you did not submit the form, then you have not received any points in this course, which is why your Total Current Score is zero.
2. The fact that you have not submitted the form indicates that you have not carefully read and listened to everything that is required, and that can lead to a loss of points on upcoming assignments. Points will become more and more precious, so you do not want to let that happen.

If you have not yet submitted the Rules Consent Form, take a moment right now to do so. Thanks.
26 August 2021 C.E.

A message from Martina Meraz:

Hello EMCC!

The Academic Success Center (ASC) will be providing services remotely and in-person this fall semester.  Our tutors and staff are ready to support your students.

• In-Person tutoring -   In-person tutoring is available on the first floor of Estrella Hall on Monday - Thursday: 8:30am - 8:00pm, Friday: 8:30am - 4:00pm and Saturday: 9:00am - 2:00pm.
• Cranium Café - The Academic Success Center uses Cranium Café to conduct virtual tutoring sessions. It allows our tutors to interact with students via video meeting, instant chat, screen sharing, and an interactive whiteboard space. Students who are enrolled can access Cranium Café using the following link: https://estrellamountain.craniumcafe.com/group/asc/lobby. They will need to enter their MEID and password to get access to the tutors. ASC tutors are available virtually.
• The Online Writing Center will critique papers for your students and give them feedback on questions they have. Tutors are available 7 days per week and papers are reviewed and returned to students within 48 hours.
• Brainfuse online tutoring is open 24/7/365 and offers tutoring across most subjects.

Cranium Café Link:  https://estrellamountain.craniumcafe.com/group/asc/lobby.
Cranium Café Student Guide is attached below. Feel free to reach out to the ASC staff if you have any questions or need additional assistance.

Math Success - Martina Meraz – 623-935-8477 - martina.meraz@estrellamountain.edu
Science Success - Kris Rothermal – 623-935-8197 - kristopher.rothermal@estrellamountain.edu
Writing Success - Rachel Aborne – 623-935-8195 - rachel.aborne@estrellamountain.edu
RLO Success - Belinda Trevino – 623-935-8186 - belinda.trevino@estrellamountain.edu

Thank you and have a great semester!
Martina
23 August 2021 C.E.

I'm sorry that I didn't realize that the automated alerts for announcements weren't working. That has been fixed, and you should receive email notifications to the address you chose. If you haven't signed up for automatic notifications, you may do so here.
20 August 2021 C.E.

The Overview video is now available. Please have a look as soon as you are able. Thanks, and enjoy the weekend.
12 August 2021 C.E.

The Course Syllabus is now available in the Hoffman site's menu. Please have a look. I can't absolutely guarantee that it's the final version, but if I make any change, I'll post an announcement here.
11 August 2021 C.E.

Before the term starts (i.e., before you get really busy), please have a careful look at the Course Structure page on Canvas. Carefully read the text, and also make a note of all the examination dates. I highly recommend setting yourself automated reminders for the examination dates. Thanks.
06 August 2021 C.E.

This week, the Canvas site will be in a state of flux, and you might receive weird messages (depending on how you have your notifications set). You may ignore such automated messages from Canvas, and rest assured that nothing is due before the first day of the term. Also, there is nothing to buy for this course. All of the materials will be available to you on or through Canvas. When I have everything set correctly, I'll post another announcement letting you know that things have settled down. Until then, enjoy the estival hiatus.
23 July 2021 C.E.

Welcome to the fully online version of BIO156 for the autumnal term of 2021. Not all of the links in the navigation menu at the left are activated, but I wanted to make the site available to give you something to look at while I complete the course set-up. After reading the rest of this announcement very carefully, please go to Canvas and explore that site (which will also be sparse at first, until I add content there). When it becomes available, please carefully review the entire Overview Video on Canvas. Also, I highly recommend signing up for automated notices of announcements that will be posted here.

Since this is an online course, you will be required to demonstrate your attendance (for the first day only) by completing a quiz on Canvas that will ask you to enter a specific word. That word will appear on 23 August (the fist day of the term). It will appear on this Announcements page, because this course will require you to use this website in addition to Canvas throughout the term.

On 23 August, visit this site to find the word, then go to Canvas to complete the quiz, which will appear as a link in the Canvas menu for this course's Canvas. The link will appear as "First Day Attendance".

The quiz will be automatically graded, so you will be able to look at your grades on Canvas to verify that you have successfully submitted the quiz. If you fail to submit the First Day Attendance quiz, and if there is a wait list, then you will be withdrawn from the course.

If you are trying to get into this section, then you should immediately ensure that you are on the wait list by registering via the EMCC site. Do not wait until the first day of the term to do that; do it right now. Once you are on the wait list, you must also demonstrate your attendance the first day. However, you will not have Canvas access. Therefore, send me email (directly to ty.hoffman@estrellamountain.edu) and include your full name, your student ID, and the word revealed on 1 June). Only students on the wait list should demonstrate attendance by emailing me; all REGISTERED students must do so by submitting the Canvas quiz.

I will request that students on the wait list who have demonstrated attendance be added to the course, but the college will not allow me to exceed 24 students, so this can occur only if there are registered students who do not demonstrate attendance on the first day, and the order of names on the wait list will be used to determine the order of students to be added.

Some IMPORTANT points about examinations:

  • All of the lecture examinations must be completed on Canvas. However, to be eligible to take those online examinations, there are strict requirements that must be met, and you must convincingly demonstrate that you meet those requirements. Otherwise, you will be required to take the lecture examinations on campus in the testing center. Whether taken online or on campus, the lecture examinations will be entirely multiple-choice. However, see exceptions below.

  • To be eligible for online lecture examinations, you must adhere to all of the following:
    1. You must use a computer that is equipped with a webcam and is compatible with required lockdown browser software.
    2. You must download, install, and run the lockdown browser software.
    3. An iPad will work, but other mobile devices probably will not.
    4. A Chromebook MIGHT work. The Chromebook version of the lockdown browser software is in beta. Therefore, there is no guarantee that it will work. If all you have is a Chromebook, then you might be required to take in-person lecture examinations on campus. If this applies to you, please email me as soon as you know that.
    5. Prior to the start of each lecture examination, you will be required to make a video recording of your surroundings to demonstrate that you have no papers, book, headphones, devices, etc. that are prohibited during the examination. This recording must be convincing, and it must clearly and completely show the desk space in front of you. This will require you to lift up your computer (if the webcam is incorporated into the computer), turn it around (pointing away from you), and point it downward to clearly demonstrate that the surface in front of you is free of materials. If it is not possible to move the camera in this way, then you must use a mirror to show the desk space.
    6. If the video is not sufficient, then your examination will not count, and you will be required to take an alternative version that will NOT feature any multiple-choice questions.
    7. Each examination will be timed, and you will be required to finish it in one sitting. If you leave your chair during the examination, then your examination will not count, and you will be required to take an alternative version that will NOT feature any multiple-choice questions.
  • I would really like this to go smoothly for everyone, which is why I have made a practice test called Lockdown Practice. You will find it on the Canvas site for this course. It is not worth any points, but it is required, and it will give you the peace of mind of knowing that you have the hardware requirements in place for the real examinations. Please complete the Lockdown Practice at your earliest convenience. Pretend that it is a real test, so take the time to make a careful recording of your surroundings. That way, I can review your practice recording and tell you whether a similar recording on each test day will be sufficient.