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Change font sizeFrequently Asked Questions
about Kevin's A&P courses
Questions
Why are A&P lab and lecture "off sync" with each other?
What is a Preview Presentation?
Why are multiple attempts at online tests allowed?
Why is the grading of online tests so picky?
Why do you tell all those stories in class?
Why are course resources in so many different locations?
Why don't all the grades appear in the online grade book immediately?
Answers
Why are A&P lab and lecture "off sync" with each other?
The A&P lab and lecture courses are different courses. As such, they have their own unique objectives and their own unique schedules.
In A&P 1 lecture, we spend a week or so discussing the skeletal system—in lab, we spend several weeks on the skeletal system. We spend a couple week or so on histology is lab—in lecture, we spend no time on that as a separate topic. There is no way to get that "in sync" is there?
Besides that, SCC gives students the option of several different lab sections on different days of the week. Thus some labs will hit a Monday holiday early in the semester—other labs don't hit a holiday until later in the semester. This puts labs off-sync with each other as well as off-sync with the lec sections.
But that's OK. It may seem to you that it's not working but you'll just have to trust us that this does work. It works all over the world this way . . . and it has worked at SCC for over two decades.
If you are having trouble in the lab, it's not because of the schedule. Take the A&P 1 Supplement course and check out the Study Tips & Tools to find ways to succeed in the lab course.
What is a Pre-Test?
A Pre-Test is an opportunity to take the online test on a topic before beginning the topic. Before you read about it, before we discuss it in class, before you even know what the topic is all about.
Why do this? Because many studies (and my own experience in A&P courses) show that this is an excellent way to preview a topic so that you can learn it more easily. Even better, this technique has been shown to improve test scores when you eventually take the "real" test later.
If nothing else, taking the Pre-Test gives you a copy of one version of the topic test to help you prepare for the real thing.
The score of the Pre-Test does appear in the online course gradebook but the score is not part of your course grade. It's there just to tell you how you did—and to give you some idea of how you've progressed as you finish that course topic.
Remember . . . this works best if you do NOT study for the Pre-Test. Just quickly go through it and do what you can with it.
NOTE: The Preview(s) and the regular test for each topic will not open until you have taken the Pre-Test. Thus, Pre-Test "unlocks" the preview(s) and regular test.
Click here for a brief video that explores the Moodle Grade Book!
What is a Preview Presentation?
A Preview Presentation is an online, narrated slide presentation that's a lot like an in-class lecture. The Previews cover the introductory basics of a topic so that you are well-prepared before we discuss a topic in class.
If you don't watch the Previews before the lecture on that topic, you will probably get lost very quickly.
You cannot access a new Preview until after you have submitted the PreTest for that particular topic. This ensures that you take the PreTest before any learning activities have begun.
For more info on Previews click here.
Why are multiple attempts at online tests allowed?
You can take up to three attempts at each test. If you also count the Pre-Test, that's FOUR attempts at each test. Each attempt is really a different test version, but you do get multiple attempts . . . and only your best score is counted toward your course grade.
The reason you are allowed so many attempts is that you can use the test as a learning tool. With each attempt, you learn more about the topic and how to apply what you are learning.
The goal is to leave the course with a high level of competence . . . even if it takes a few tries to get to that high level.
So in my courses, tests are about practicing and learning as much as they are about evaluation.
WARNING: If you don't have experience with my online tests, don't assume that they are easy just because they are "open book" and "untimed." Building the Gateway Arch was also an open-book, untimed project . . . and that wasn't anything like easy! Neither are my A&P tests!
Why is the grading of online tests so picky?
There are at least three reasons why you might be frustrated with the grading of online tests:
1. Online tests are automatically graded by a machine. That means that the answer really has to be THE ONE answer that satifies the test item. Unusual answers, those that really don't follow the proper and precise lingo of the course just are not programmed into the system. Also, this means that a typo or an unneeded space at the end of a fill-in answer are going to be read by the machine as incorrect.
2. I have programmed the system to NOT accept answers that are grammatically incorrect or misspelled. That's part of learning how to communicate accurately and professionally. For those of you going into patient care or managing patient records, accuracy can affect a person's life . . . so it's best to learn that lesson here and now—where no one's life is in danger.
This means that if the item needs a plural form of a word to be correct, the singular form will not be accepted.
It also means that if the answer includes a word that is already there in the test item, it won't work. For example, "blood cell" is not a correct answer to "A little red thing in your artery is called a _?_ cell." because it produces the statement, "A little red thing in your artery is called a blood cell cell." The term "blood" alone is correct for this item.
3. Because my tests are open-book, untimed tests—which means that you can expect some really hard, really picky items. Your performance on an item has to be perfect to get points for that item. Some of the items require you to "put things together" in a new and creative way . . . something beyond just copying what's already there in the notes or in the textbook. Just like you'll be asked to do in "real life" when you start applying A&P to your profession.
Why do you tell all those stories in class?
I realize that at first take, it's hard to see how a story about circus high-wire artists teaches anything about anatomy and physiology. But you'll just have to trust me—it's a parable . . . a model . . . an analogy.
I guess a lot of folks were puzzled at why the Buddha liked to tell stories about an elephant when his hearers just wanted to hear about how to live one's life well. And imagine Jesus's audience wondering why he was giving advice about sowing seeds instead of directy addressing how to live life abundantly.
Parables are simply a COMMON and EFFECTIVE way to learn about something.
You may also wonder why I tell stories that have a personal connection. It's because they are MOST EFFECTIVE if you feel connected to the story. And, er, well, personal stories are the stories that occur to me! I tell a lot of animal, circus/zoo, and travel stories because that's my experience. Others tell sports-related stories or research-related stories because that's their experience.
If you don't like the fact that I use stories to teach A&P, all I can do is point you to another story.
Why are course resources in so many different locations?
Yeah, it's bother, right? If you think it's annoying as a user, can you imagine trying to manage all that? A story about a three-ring circus comes to mind . . .
It's simply because there is not yet one system that can do ALL of what we need to do in this course. Do you make every single purchase at ONE store? Do you only use ONE electronic device for entertainment? No? That's because no one store, no one device, does it all. At least not as well as you'd like.
So it's a bit of a hassle to figure it all out at first. But I do my best to link them all together and to be clear about where to find everything.
Why don't all the grades appear in the online grade book immediately?
Items that are automatically scored DO appear immediately in the online grade book. If they don't, then check out the Moodle Help for advice on what to do.
Participation points, clicker points, extra credit, and other items that must be entered or uploaded manually do not appear right away because, well, they have to be uploaded manually by the instructor. This is done on an occasional basis, not every hour of every day. Some grades, such as Participation Points, are not assigned until the end of the course.
Click here for a brief video that explores the Moodle Grade Book!
Why do your tests show only one question at a time?
Just to drive you nuts. OK, there's more than just that. One reason is that you need to develop skills needed in later courses and for professional license exams, where many tests are presented this way.
It's also a way of saying "is that your final answer?" before moving on to a new topic. You certainly can double-check your work before moving on. And you can "go back" to previous items AS LONG AS YOU SAVE EACH ITEM!
If there is enough time remaining in the test schedule, you can turn off and think about it and come back later to submit your final Moodle answer.
It's also a way of helping you to focus on "one problem at a time."
