Spanish 1411 Beginning Spanish Online Syllabus Fall 2017 CRN 35951 Dear Students, Due to the recent disaster in our city with Hurricane Harvey, regular term HCC classes have been shortened from 16 weeks to 14 weeks to allow time for recovery efforts. The World Language program faculty have met and made adjustments to the course calendars and course content to accommodate this change. You can rest assured that you will be receiving the same high level of instruction despite the reduced number of weeks. If you are facing challenges securing food or housing and believe this may affect your performance in the course, we urge you to contact the Dean of Students for support. Furthermore, please notify your professor if you are comfortable in doing so. Professor: Crasto Office: 359J Campus: Katy EMAIL: darren.crasto@hccs.edu COURSE DESCRIPTION: This is a first semester Beginning Spanish course that satisfies and transfers as the first semester Freshman-level Spanish requirement at all major universities. All instruction will be provided through watching instructional videos on https://www.vhlcentral.com/ and reading the website instructions in this independent-learning course. This Syllabus may be updated. Please read it often. REQUIRED MATERIALS: You will purchase a code which gives you online access to all your materials. There is no hard book. PORTALES... ISBN# 9781680042160 You must buy a new code for this online course. Do not buy a used textbook. For this online course, you should buy from an online bookstore. If you go to a physical bookstore you will probably get the wrong code. These are the only two online bookstores I know of that have the correct code: http://vistahigherlearning.com/store/schools/houstoncc http://hccs.bncollege.com You can also call: (800) 269-6311 to buy your code Your code gives you access to an electronic textbook, workbook, and lab manual. All homework and lesson tests are performed on the Portales website, https://www.vhlcentral.com/ You must follow the instructions on the document Setting up your Portales Online Account in Canvas (https://eagleonline.hccs.edu/) and sign in to my online class. After you correctly set up your Portales online account, I can give you 14 days free trial access. Don't wait until the code you purchase arrives. Extensions are NOT given for not getting your code on time.
PORTALES ONLINE SUPPORT: The price you paid for the Portales access code includes online support. Every time you have a question or problem on the https://www.vhlcentral.com/ website you should immediately contact Portales Online Support. 1-Call: (800) 248-2813 for support. Make sure they send you an email confirming your contact. 2-Visit: https://vistahigherlearning.zendesk.com/hc/en-us 3-Submit: https://vistahigherlearning.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new 4-Call: (800) 269-6311 to buy a code HCC Eagle Online CANVAS Support: http://www.hccs.edu/online/technical-support/ Phone support: 713-718-5275 or 713-718-2000, options 4, 2, 3 (available Monday-Friday 8am - 11 pm Saturday 9:00 AM-11:00 PM Sunday 1:00 PM - 11 pm) Use the Eagle Online Help form after hours - http://de2.hccs.edu/eo2help/ You can also call 713-718-8800 for general HCC support This class is an independent-study course for students with patience, perseverance, and initiative who work hard on their own to do everything before the deadlines without being reminded. ATTENDANCE: Every session has an OFFICIAL DAY OF RECORD that is taken approximately 10-14 days after the first day of classes. Official Day of Record September 26, 2017 As stated in the DE handbook: If a student does not login and actively participate on the Portales website before the Official Day of Record, he/she will be dropped for non-attendance by the professor. Completing the DE online orientation does not count towards attendance nor does simply logging into Eagle Online! If you have done NO work on the Portales website, https://www.vhlcentral.com/ by the official Day of Record, you WILL be marked absent and WILL be dropped for non-attendance! In our efforts to prepare students for a changing world, students will be expected to utilize computer technology while enrolled in classes, certificate, and/or degree programs within HCCS. The specific requirements are listed below: Online books Students have an online e-book and accompanying workbook and lab manual. It is housed in a separate learning management system known as vhlcentral. Students must be able to access https://www.vhlcentral.com/ daily. Audio recordings - Students are going to be required to make audio recordings within https://www.vhlcentral.com/ and will need access to a microphone. Audio files - Students will need to download and listen to audio files both in https://www.vhlcentral.com/ and outside of https://www.vhlcentral.com/. It will be necessary to have speakers and/or headphones. EMAIL: Students must have an email address to register their online workbooks. Within the class, students are expected to use the in-class Canvas email https://eagleonline.hccs.edu/ as the primary mode. You are automatically assigned your official e-mail address when you enroll in an HCCS course. Students may also use their HCC-issued email address (Go to https://myeagle.hccs.edu/ and click on Email ) to communicate with their instructors (secondary mode), so faculty will easily be able to distinguish a student s email from spam. HCC does not allow professors to communicate through private, non-hcc email. Instructor s email response: Allow a minimum of 24 hours to get an answer from your instructor. Emails sent on Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Holidays will start to get answered the next business day. (Note: I am not online 24/7) Important things to know:
You must have reliable, high-speed internet access and a microphone to record your voice. Only the Final Exam is proctored at an HCC location. Everything else is done online. All work must be done in Spanish. Any assignment with English or any other language besides Spanish will be given a 0 (zero). https://www.vhlcentral.com/ will grade some of your work as soon as you click Submit. Your Professor grades what the website does not, for example: lesson tests, speaking activities and writing assignments. Accessing audio and images on the Portales website: I hope you find the website easy to navigate, but if this is your first time taking an online course or your first time taking a college language course, you will need to take time every day to learn how this online college Spanish website works. If you are not seeing pictures or hearing audio that should be available, then 99% of the time, it is your browser or the device you are using. If you experience the above problem here is what to do: 1. Use a desktop computer or a new(er) laptop. You shouldn t use a tablet or a phone to do your work as many of the graphics and audio are not compatible with tablets and phones. 2. Change or update your internet browser. Google Chrome and Firefox work the best. Try switching browsers before contacting PORTALES ONLINE SUPPORT saying you can't see/hear what is supposed to be available on the screen. I have used this platform for over 7 years, and have never had an occasion to where the problem is with the website. Remember, I am a user on this website just like you. I do not control content on the site. I assign and grade activities. All content is from the publisher of the Portales website. Website issues should be directed to PORTALES ONLINE SUPPORT. A note about computer graded activities: *The computer graded activities sometimes have several possible answers which allow some variation for correct answers. Please contact Portales Online Support if you feel your answer should be counted as correct. Please note that you may lose several points per lesson because of minor errors; this is taken into account already into the grading. Each lesson has between 1,400 1,700 points possible, therefore losing 20-30 points or even more for one lesson will not affect your overall grade at the end of the term or the end of the lesson so please do not stress over a few points. Look at the points possible and earned vs. percentage. For example, an activity that has 4 questions will be worth 8 points. If you miss one this is 6 out of 8 which is 75%, but keep in mind, you only lost 2 points. In one lesson if the points possible is 1,400 and you earn 1,200 / 1,400 your average for that lesson is an 85%. Let s say you lose 50 points for silly mistakes, which seems like a lot (it will probably be a lot less than 50) 1250/1400 is still an 88%... all of this totaled at the end will have very little impact on your final score when the total points possible is over 7,000 points. Participation: IMPORTANTE! Online classes are flexible, but require daily attention. Attendance is critical. Your success in this course will be the direct result of your frequently accessing the online course environment and actively participating throughout the course. You should know that your virtual presence and contribution matters. No longer attending or participating in this class does not constitute withdrawal from this course, nor does the student s notification to the instructor that the student wishes to be dropped. It is the student s responsibility to drop the class. Failure to do so may result in the grade of F
HOW DO I CALCULATE MY FINAL SEMESTER GRADE?: A. 30%-ASSIGNMENTS (ONLINE) Lessons 1-6: You will do ALL assignments for ALL 6 lessons on the website: https://www.vhlcentral.com/ As you see the due date for each lesson or log into to complete the lessons, the computer gives you an approximate time that you will need to finish the activities for each lesson. This is an estimate and you may spend less or more time on each lesson. There is no limit on time (a due date, yes), but you may work as many hours as you like on each lesson. You will need 15 hours or more PER lesson. It is best to work often and in short segments. I recommending spending 2 to 3 hours per day to complete each lesson successfully. Please be aware that if you fail to do the homework, your grade might be three letter grades lower at the end of the semester. B. 40%-LESSON TESTS (ONLINE) Lessons 1-6: You will take one lesson test per lesson, for a total of six lesson tests on the website: https://www.vhlcentral.com/ The lesson tests will be available 2 days before the due date of each lesson test, which means you have a 72-hour window to complete the lesson test. You will not be able to access the test early and you will have 60 minutes and one opportunity to take each test. For example, if lesson 4 is due on March 4 at 11:59PM CDT, the lesson 4 test will be available on March 2 at 12:01AM and to be completed and submitted before March 4 11:59PM (This is only an EXAMPLE; actual due dates are on the syllabus). C. 30%-FINAL EXAM (PROCTORED): All questions about HCC Proctoring and Final Exam Testing should be directed to: shirley.smith@hccs.edu, eva.gonzalez@hccs.edu or lorah.gough@hccs.edu This is a comprehensive final exam covering all 6 lessons. By design, the final exam is more indepth and more complex than the lesson tests and will take twice as much time as a lesson test (maximum two hours). If you have completed every assignment and taken every lesson test, you will be fully prepared for the final exam. The final will be mostly writing short answers, sentences and paragraphs. If you have completed all the assignments and lesson tests, you will be prepared. If you have not completed all the work, you will find the final exam extremely challenging. All answers must be in Spanish. This is a proctored final exam which must be taken at an HCC proctored testing location or at a location you and the HCC Online department have agreed upon within the first month of class. NOTICE FOR STUDENTS OUTSIDE OF HCC SERVICE AREA: Students who live or work outside the HCC service area and cannot take a paper final exam at one of our HCC testing locations MUST make arrangements for a proctor at the beginning of the semester. GRADE DISTRIBUTION: 100-90: A 89-80: B 79-70: C 69-60: D 59-0: F Important information from your instructor: Extra Credit: You earn grades I don t give grades. There are no extra credit assignments, extra work, or curves given for this course. Your grade is based upon the percentages stated in the syllabus. You must do well, pass the tests and complete ALL assignments in order to pass the course. Every assignment is important. If you only take the lesson tests and final exam and do not complete the assignments, the highest possible grade you could earn is a 70. *A note about grades: The gradebook on the Portales website clearly shows your grade for each lesson, the test column shows your average of lesson tests as you complete them. The total average for the class is a current and updated class average as you complete the work over the session.
HCC POLICY STATEMENTS: At HCC the safety of our students, staff, and faculty is our first priority. As of August 1, 2017, Houston Community College is subject to the Campus Carry Law (SB11 2015). For more information, visit the HCC Campus Carry web page at http://www.hccs.edu/district/departments/police/campuscarry/. Houston Community College is committed to cultivating an environment free from inappropriate conduct of a sexual or gender based nature including sex discrimination, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and sexual violence. Sex discrimination includes all forms of sexual and genderbased misconduct and violates an individual s fundamental rights and personal dignity. Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex including pregnancy and parental status in educational programs and activities. If you require an accommodation due to pregnancy, please contact an Abilities Services Counselor. The Director of EEO/Compliance is designated as the Title IX Coordinator and Section 504 Coordinator. All inquiries concerning HCC policies, compliance with applicable laws, statutes, and regulations (such as Title VI, Title IX, and Section 504), and complaints may be directed to: David Cross Director EEO/Compliance Office of Institutional Equity & Diversity 3100 Main (713) 718 8271 Houston, TX 77266 7517 or Houston, TX 77266 7517 or Institutional.Equity@hccs.edu HCC strives to make all learning experiences as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience academic barriers based on your disability (including mental health, chronic or temporary medical conditions), please meet with a campus Abilities Counselor as soon as possible in order to establish reasonable accommodations. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your instructor(s) and Ability Services. It is the policy and practice of HCC to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. For more information, please go to: http://www.hccs.edu/district/students/disability services/
September 11 September 11 SEP 24 SEP 24 OCT 8 OCT 8 OCT 22 OCT 22 NOV 5 NOV 5 NOV 19 NOV 19 DEC 3 DEC 3 DEC 8, 9, 10 Assignments/Tests/Final Exam Classes Begin Set up your account on https://www.vhlcentral.com/ ASAP. Call: (800) 269-6311 to buy a code or (800) 248-2813 for support Begin Lección 1 PORTALES Lección 1 ASSIGNMENTS Due 1. Watch all instructional videos. 2. Read all PORTALES pages. 3. Complete all assigned activities. NO EXTENSIONS GIVEN FOR ANY REASON TEST lección 1 Due Lección 2 ASSIGNMENTS Due 4. Watch all instructional videos. 5. Read all PORTALES pages. 6. Complete all assigned activities. TEST lección 2 Due Lección 3 ASSIGNMENTS Due 1. Watch all instructional videos. 2. Read all PORTALES pages. 3. Complete all assigned activities. TEST lección 3 Due Lección 4 ASSIGNMENTS Due 1. Watch all instructional videos. 2. Read all PORTALES pages. 3. Complete all assigned activities. TEST lección 4 Due Lección 5 ASSIGNMENTS Due 1. Watch all instructional videos. 2. Read all PORTALES pages. 3. Complete all assigned activities. TEST lección 5 Due Lección 6 ASSIGNMENTS Due 1. Watch all instructional videos. 2. Read all PORTALES pages. 3. Complete all assigned activities. TEST lección 6 Due FINAL EXAM Proctored at HCC locations or by arrangement with shirley.smith@hccs.edu, eva.gonzalez@hccs.edu or lorah.gough@hccs.edu
Due dates are 11:59 PM CST on each due date given. These dates are also listed beside the activities on the Portales website. PURCHASING A PORTALES WEBSITE CODE: This class requires technology access. This access allows you to complete and submit assignments and tests; access all media and study tools; receive announcements; and communicate with your instructor. Shop smart: only buy books that include the required code! You will spend more if you purchase the textbook and code separately. New textbooks purchased at the bookstore will include this code. Most books that are sold online or used DO NOT include the access code. Always check that what you are buying includes the code. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WILL BE UPDATED BY THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS: SETTING UP YOUR ACCOUNT Returning Students If you have an existing account for any Vista Higher Learning textbook, complete these steps: Go to vhlcentral.com Log in using your existing account information. Choose one of these options: Already have access to the Vista Higher Learning textbook site for this course? Enroll in the course by clicking the "Enroll in a course" link. Then complete "Step 5 - Select a Course/Class" below. OR Don't yet have access to the Vista Higher Learning textbook site for this course? Redeem your new code by clicking the "Redeem a code" link. Then complete "Step 4 - Activate Code" below. New Students If you are new to Vista Higher Learning, complete these steps: Step 1 Go to vhlcentral.com Step 2 Choose one of these options: Did you buy your code at the Vista Higher Learning online Store? If you created a student account on the store, use the same login information. If you can see your course book on the home page after logging in, go to "Step 5 Select a Course/Class." If no book appears, go to "Step 4 Activate Code."
OR Create an Account by clicking the Create an account link In the "Login Information" section of the account creation page, enter a username of your choice. Enter the email address you would like to associate with your account. Enter and confirm a password of your choice. In the "Personal Profile" section, enter your first and last name as you wish them to appear in your Instructor's roster. Select the year of your birth from the drop down list. Enter a student ID (optional). In the "Security Information" section, provide the answer to a secret question, which may later be used to help you access your account if you forget your password. After you enter all of the information, click "create an account." Click "agree." (Before your account is created, you must agree to the terms and conditions of use policy.) Step 3 Select a School Locate your school by typing your school s name, Houston Community College Northwest College, Katy Campus. To narrow the search results, add the city and state, Houston, TX, (include the country, if outside of the USA.) in which your school is located. Click "find." If the terms you entered did not result in a successful search, follow the on screen tips to revise your search. Select your school from the list by clicking on its name. Click "select school" to add the school to your account. Look for a message at the top of the screen confirming you successfully added the school. Step 4 Activate Code On the code activation screen, enter your code. Click "activate code" to continue. Look for a message at the top of the screen confirming that the code was successfully redeemed. Step 5 Select a Course/Class From the list of available classes at your school for your textbook, look for Instructor "Crasto" and the course "CRASTO SPAN 1411 FALL 2017" taught between 09/11/2017 and 12/10/2017. It should look like this: Crasto, Professor CRASTO SPAN 1411 F FALL 2017 Click the radio button for the course section "FALL 2017." If more than one class is listed for your instructor, click the information icons in the class listings until you locate the section. Click Save. You should see a confirmation that you successfully enrolled in your instructor's course.
Computer Problems: *You are responsible to have access to a functioning computer. Computer problems will not be an acceptable excuse for not getting work done and turned in on time!! You registered for an on-line course; it is your responsibility to make sure you have access to a working computer. If your computer has problems, you must visit the campus, a library, etc etc to complete your work on-time! -You should work ahead and try to beat all deadlines by 3-4 days minimum. You never know when situations beyond your control will arise, making it difficult or impossible for you to do work for a period of time. The solution is to work ahead, far, far ahead. Last minute emergencies (no computer, family emergency, work, sick children etc. etc.) are NOT valid excuses for late on-line work WORK AHEAD. If you wait until the last day to complete your work, you are risking such unexpected occurrences, so be prepared to accept the consequences! Late Work Policy: You are well aware of times of dates for on-line assignments and lesson tests. No work will be accepted late. NO exceptions. Work ahead of schedule so if you have computer problems, health issues or family issues, you will be ahead of schedule. No credit is given for late work. If you wait until the last day and have an emergency beyond your control or computer problems, you chose to put yourself in that situation by not working at least a couple weeks ahead of the deadlines. Students who rush to get all the work completed in the last day or two before the deadline are usually not successful. In addition, if a situation arises that prevents you from completing the work, then you receive a zero. COURSE OBJECTIVES: These descriptions reflect what most students will be able to do by the end of the course: Listening comprehension: Comprehend words, phrases and sentences in standard spoken language where the context is familiar, mainly simple sentences using high frequency vocabulary. Speaking: Speak using words, phrases and short sentences in a number of familiar contexts. Reading: Read and comprehend language about practical everyday situations. Writing: Write short, simple sentences using learned vocabulary and grammatical structures within familiar contexts. Culture: Acquire cultural awareness and understanding of Hispanic countries and peoples. TASP REQUIREMENTS: Students who have failed any part of the TASP test must be enrolled in at least one developmental course (in any of the areas not passed). If you do not enroll, or drop, or do not attend your developmental courses, you will be withdrawn from all your classes with no refund. SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY: Students engaged in any scholastic dishonesty: cheating, plagiarism or collusion, as described by the Student Handbook may be penalized as specified in the Student Handbook PLEASE NOTE Students who repeat a course for a third or more times may face significant tuition/fee increases at HCC and other Texas public colleges and universities. Please ask your instructor/counselor about opportunities for tutoring/other assistance prior to considering course withdrawal or if you are not receiving passing grades.
Distance Education Home Page: http://www.hccs.edu/online/ Distance Education Log-in Help http://de-counseling.hccs.edu/studentsignin/ Please visit HCC Eagle Online CANVAS Support: http://www.hccs.edu/online/technical-support/ if you need additional assistance with your login. HCC Course Withdrawal Policy The State of Texas imposes penalties on students who drop courses excessively. Students are limited to no more than SIX total course withdrawals throughout their educational career at a Texas public college or university. To help you avoid having to drop/withdraw from any class, contact your DE professor regarding your academic performance. You may also want to contact your DE counselor to learn about helpful HCC resources (e.g. online tutoring, child care, financial aid, job placement, etc.). HCC has instituted an Early Alert process by which your professor may alert you and DE counselors that you might fail a class because of excessive absences and/or poor academic performance. You (the student) may drop yourself online through the HCC Student Center prior the drop date. You are responsible for dropping the class. DO NOT EMAIL ME ASKING ME TO DROP YOU. This is YOUR responsibility. After the withdrawal deadline has passed, you will receive the grade that you would have earned. Zeros averaged in for required coursework not submitted will lower your semester average significantly, most likely resulting in a failing grade of an F. It is the responsibility of the student to withdraw from the class. If you do not feel comfortable withdrawing, you may provide a written request to HCC Online Counseling at http://www.hccs.edu/online/student-services/. It is important that every student understand and conform to respectful behavior while at HCC. Sexual misconduct is not condoned and will be addressed promptly. Know your rights and how to avoid these difficult situations. Log into www.edurisksolutions.org. Sign in using your HCC student email account, then go to the button at the top right that says Login and enter your student number Student Services: ONLINE ADVISING AND COUNSELING SERVICES: Much online student information can be found at http://www.hccs.edu/online/student-services/. Counselors and Student Services Associates (SSA) can assist students with admissions, registration, entrance testing requirements, degree planning, transfer issues, and career counseling. In-person, confidential sessions, can also be scheduled to provide brief counseling and community referrals to address personal concerns impacting academic success. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS Contact the International Student Office at 713-718-8521 if you have questions about your visa status or visit http://www.hccs.edu/district/students/international/ VIRTUAL CLASSROOM CONDUCT As with on-campus classes, all students in HCC Distance Education courses are required to follow all HCC Policies & Procedures, the Student Code of Conduct, the Student Handbook, and relevant sections of the Texas Education Code when interacting and communicating in a virtual classroom with faculty and fellow students. Students who violate these policies and guidelines will be subject to disciplinary action that could include denial of access to course-related email, discussion groups, and chat rooms or being removed from the class. SEXUAL HARRASSMENT It is a violation of HCC policy for an employee, agent, or student of the College to engage in sexual harassment as defined in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines. Any student who has a complaint concerning this policy has the opportunity to seek resolution of such a complaint in accordance with procedures set forth in the Student Handbook. Report any complaints immediately to College Administration or call the Institutional Equity & Compliance Office 713.718.8271