•   Project links:

•   Instructions for Practice Project.
•   Instructions for ISP Search Project (#1).
•   Instructions for Search Engines Project (#2).
•   Instructions for Using Resources Project (#3).
•   Instructions for Images Project (#4).
•   Instructions for Web Site Concept Project (#5).
•   Instructions for Scavenger Hunt Project (#6).
•   Instructions for Web Site Project (#7).
• Extra Credit Project:
    Instructions for Social Networking Project.

Why is orientation required?  (From HCC Absence Study)

For this course, you are required to log into Canvas and complete the orientation activities before the end of the orientation period.

HCC bookstore on-line

Note!  If you order your book online, you should pay for overnight or second day shipping, not standard shipping which could take more than a week; you shouldn't wait that long!

Accessibility and VPAT

The Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is a document prepared by vendors that describes the extent to which a particular product is accessible.  This course uses learning materials from Cengage.com, and you can find their accessibility and VPAT statements at https://www.cengage.com/accessibility/.

This course is an on-line, distance learning course.  There are no required face-to-face meetings.

This course uses the Canvas (Canvas) online learning management system.  Students are expected to use this system for course information, email, discussion groups, receiving and submitting assignments, taking tests, retrieving grades, and using other class resources.  If you need help using the system, see the Canvas resources below.  (Your password is your NetID password; see “Facilities” below for details.)

Students not completing the mandatory distance learning orientation activities will be withdrawn from the course as a “No Show”, unless prior arrangements are made with the instructor.

1. describe the Internet, and navigate the World Wide Web using web browsers
2. use email professionally and safely, and describe email issues such as spam and privacy
3. find and evaluate information and other on-line resources
4. understand Internet and wireless networking security, and use the Internet safely
5. create HTML (hypertext markup language) documents
6. understand and use various Internet protocols and tools
7. understand and use various Internet communication tools, including mailing lists, RSS feeds, podcasts, instant messenger, on-line chat, and newsgroups
8. understand and use social networking tools
9. describe guidelines for conduct on the Internet”

The college is using a on-line course system, “Canvas”, hosted at hcc.instructure.com (Canvas).  You can find tutorials for using the system from the “Help” link on the login page, using the Chat feature with the Help page, or by phoning 844-408-6462 (toll free).  Some additional Canvas help links are available in the class resources.

Student web sites for this class may be found at

(Your account name will be assigned once you complete the Web Site Concept project.)  Student web sites can be viewed using the class index at:

Students may need USB flash drives to save projects backup copies or to submit them from an HCC campus location.

You can use HawkNet (WebAdvisor) or Florida Virtual Campus to obtain your final grade for the course.  You must use your assigned Hawkmail (Hawkmail365) email address or Canvas Mail if you wish to discuss your grades via email.  (Note, it may be possible to setup your Hawkmail account to forward all received emails to some outside email account; but you still must send mail from Hawkmail to discuss grades.)

The college provides wireless network connections for students and guests on Dale Mabry campus.  For students, select the network “HCC_Wireless” from the list of available networks.  Follow the on-screen steps by entering your HCC email address and network password.  For HCC guests: Select “HCC_Guest” from available networks.  Follow the on-screen steps to complete registration.  This network will be available between 7:00 AM and 10:00 PM.  These are the only official HCC networks; don't use others that may appear.

Hawk Alert text messaging service allows you to receive important information regarding campus closures or emergencies.  You may also sign up for financial aid notifications and registration and payment deadlines.  This is a free service, although some fees may be applied by your cellular service provider or plan for text messages.  To sign up, or for more information, visit www.hccfl.edu/hawkalert/.

HCC's Student Assistance Program (SAP) offers resources tailored to student life, providing you with the right tools to help you through some of life's toughest challenges.  The college has contracted Baycare Health Management to provide free, professional, confidential counseling by telephone and in person.  A wide range of topics may be addressed through this program, including mental health counseling, budgeting, and financial concerns.  Please call 800-878-5470 or send email to baycaresap@baycare.org for further information.

HCC DM Open Lab

Computers are located in the computer science department open lab in DTEC–462.  Lab hours are:

Grading scale:  A=364-420,   B=324-363,   C=283-324,   D=263-282,   F=0-262
(You can elect to “audit” the class during the add/drop period.)

• The on-line orientation activities are required.  If you don't complete them by the end of the orientation period, you will be withdrawn from the class.
• The practice discussion board posting, practice project, and the practice quiz (the orientation activities) must be completed to show class participation.  These are required to remain in the course.  However, these activities do not count toward your final grade.
• No make-up quizzes or exams will be offered without the prior approval of the instructor.  Quiz and exam due dates appear in the course weekly schedule.
• Due to limitations of the on-line testing system, to enable a make-up exam for one student may require extending the cut-off date for that exam, for all students.  In such cases, the test will appear open from the Canvas Exams tool, but may require a password (provided by the instructor) to take the exam after the original cut-off date.  Whether or not the test appears open after the cut-off date, only students who have been given permission to take the exam late will have it counted for credit.  (Students are advised to use the weekly schedule in this syllabus to determine exam cut-off dates, and not rely on the dates shown in the Exams tool.)
• Exams (one per chapter) will be 25 question open book multiple choice exams.  While exams are non-cumulative, each does build upon knowledge acquired earlier.  Exams are based upon assigned readings and from other on-line resources.  All exams are taken using the “Canvas” system.  The tests have a time limit, but you should have plenty of time to complete all exams.  Note that once you begin a test, the timer starts and cannot be paused.  (Even if you sign out of Canvas, the timer keeps running.)  You are allowed only one attempt per test (except for the practice test, which doesn't count).
• These exams should be taken only after completing the readings, by their due dates.
• The optional final exam is longer and cumulative for all chapters listed on the schedule.  You don't have to take it; if you do, it will replace your lowest test score.  Taking this test cannot hurt your grade, it can only help.
• If you don't have access to the Internet from off campus, you can go to the open computer lab anytime they are open to take exams or submit assignments.  Be sure you should leave yourself sufficient time to complete exams.  (So don't show up at 9:50 PM when the lab closes at 10:00 PM!)
• All tests are open book exams.  (We aren't trying to test your memory here!)  However it is considered cheating to get help from another person or by searching the Internet while taking tests.
• While the publishers do a good job, they aren't perfect and you will see occasionally a “bad” question on a test.  Such questions might be vague, ambiguous, impossible to understand, missing graphics, for the wrong chapter, or just plain wrong.  Also the order of answers and questions is randomized for each student, so you might see a question with an “Either A or B”, or a “None of the above” choice, where that choice is not last!

  When you get a bad question, review your exam carefully to make sure it really is a bad question.  Then send me an email stating which test, which question, and why you think it is bad.  If I agree, I will adjust your score and fix the question.

• All phones, pagers, and beepers must be turned off during class time, except with prior permission of the instructor.  No food or drink is permitted in HCC classrooms.
• No work created before the start of the current term will be accepted for credit.
• You must login into the Canvas server and visit (open) our course at least twice a week to verify your continued enrollment in this class.  Students receiving federal financial aid may have to return some or all funds if they fail to follow this policy!
• Students are expected to check the class website regularly.  Any syllabus changes or project updates are posted to the website.  You are expected to read all postings made on the Canvas class discussion boards, and all course announcements. 
• The class discussion board is a place to post questions or comments relating to our course.  Please keep the postings related to our course, the Internet, and current events that relate to the subject matter of our course.  Any student can post here, or reply to a question or any other post.  The more postings, the better the course is!  But please, don't post off-topic material, or personal questions such as questions about your grades.  Also while you can post questions about projects, don't post answers to questions from tests, or even your answers to some project; send such questions as email to your instructor instead.  Finally, follow “Netiquette” guidelines when posting.  (“On the Internet, nobody can hear you being subtle.” — Linus Torvalds)
• A student shall not, without my express authorization, make or receive any recording, including but not limited to audio and video recordings, of any class, co-curricular meeting, organizational meeting, or meeting with me.  Further you do not have my permission to post on the web or otherwise distribute my class lectures and other course materials.  (You can distribute freely any materials I make publicly available from the HCC (or the wpollock.com) website, without asking permission, provided you give me credit for the work and don't alter it.  Any other use will require expressly given permission.)
• Working together on individual assignments is considered as cheating!  Turning in someone else's work without giving them credit is also considered cheating (plagiarism).  Cheating will result in an automatic F (zero) for the project for all parties.  It is okay to ask a fellow student for help in understanding the text or material given to the class (e.g., using Canvas or understanding sample web pages on the class website).
• Because you can learn a lot from your peers, both in the class and in the broader community, I encourage collaboration with both.  However, do not mistake this as a license to cheat.  It is one thing to learn from and with your peers; it is another to pass their work off as your own.  With respect to your projects for this class:
  • You are expected to document any collaboration that takes place.
  • Absolutely no electronic transfer (or other copying) of web pages between students is permitted.
  • Any HTML that you “find” on the Internet and use in your own projects must be cited, with an active link to that site.
  • While you are encouraged to engage in conversations in online forums, under no circumstances are you permitted to solicit other individuals to complete your work for you.  (So, no posting assignments or and asking for answers.)
  • Ultimately, YOU are responsible for all aspects of your submissions.  Failure to be able to explain and defend your submission will be treated as a violation of academic integrity.
• You must abide by the HCC Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for computers and services.  In particular, you must not run network scanners, or attempt to obtain administrator (“root”) privileges or otherwise disrupt HCC computers and services.
• You must follow the academic honesty policy for HCC.  A second cheating offense will result in an “F” for the course, and your name will be turned over to the Dean for further handling.  I take these matters very seriously.  You have been warned!
• Canvas is not always available, especially on the weekends.  You must allow for this and submit your work well before the deadlines.  Some resources and links may not be working properly.  When problems are noted, please contact your instructor as soon as possible during office hours or with email so such problems can be quickly addressed.  Should any such problems arise that prevent project, quiz, or exam completion by the due dates posted, extra time will be granted or grades adjusted as deemed appropriate by your instructor.
• Communications Policy:  I will respond to your emails within 48 hours or two business days.  Please send email only using Canvas email.  HCC policy is that grades can only be discussed in person or via email only if you use your assigned HCC HawkNet or Canvas email account.
• If you are having difficulty with some project, please feel free to ask me about it (well before the due date).  You can send emails of questions and/or your work-in-progress, to receive feedback and suggestions.  Or you can stop by my posted office hours without any appointment.

  If you have any questions on any part of the assigned reading (from the text or from on-line resources), please feel free to ask me via on-line chat, instant messenger, email, phone calls, or office hour visits.  However the preferred way to get this sort of help is by posting your questions on the class discussion board.  This discussion board should be used the way you might raise your hand to ask a question in a traditional class.

• No appointment is necessary to see me during my scheduled, on-campus office hours.  You can just “walk-in”.  You can make appointments for other times as long as I'm available.
• Occasionally my office hours will be canceled on short (or no) notice, for example if the dean calls me for a meeting.  Before driving out to campus just for my office hours, you can contact me the day before to make sure I still plan to be there.
• Late Policies:  Late assignments (projects or exams) generally will not be accepted.  An assignment is late if not turned in by the due date and time shown in the course weekly schedule (and also in the “drop-boxes”).  Don't wait until the last minute to submit an assignment or project; if a problem arises you may miss the due date.

  Late assignments will be accepted late only if you obtain the instructor's permission prior to the due date of the assignment, or for a documented serious medical reason.  All late assignments are subject to a late penalty of at least one letter grade (10%) regardless of the reason for the delay.

  Projects and quizzes later than one week will receive a more severe late penalty; very late assignments without adequate excuses will receive a grade of F (0).  However if you have a very good reason your instructor may waive any or all of the late penalty.  (Examples of good reasons include extended illness that prevents working, being out of town for work, or military service.  Remember documentation will be required.)

• The dangers of the flu or another contagious disease require some changes to normal policies.  HCC implements the recommendations for institutions of higher learning of the CDC.  (See www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance/ for guidance from the CDC.)  You won't need documentation if you miss class due to the flu.  (But if you think you have the flu, you should see a doctor as soon as you can.)  In the unlikely event of a school closure due to the flu, some plan to make up the missed work will be made.

  If you think you have the flu, stay home.  Do not come to HCC until 48 hours after your fever has broken as you are still infectious.  Also, people are infectious to others for a day or so before they have any symptoms.  Flu is spread by touching doorknobs, computer keyboards, railings on stairs, etc., that were touched by someone with the flu.  Avoid shaking hands; use the “fist shake” (touching of fists) if you must use a physical greeting.  The most effective way to avoid catching the flu is to wash your hands frequently, especially after touching something that was touched by others.  Avoid unnecessary touching of eyes, nose and mouth.  While not as good as properly washing hands, hand sanitizers have been installed throughout the campus; use them often.

Feedback comments are sometimes given by your instructor in addition to a grade.  You should always check for a comment from your instructor if your grade is not what you expect.

Projects are not graded when turned in.  They are graded all at once, sometime after the project deadline has passed (usually the following weekend).  Every effort will be make to grade projects within a week of the due date, or as soon thereafter as possible.

Once submitted, you can't make changes to your project.  You will see the project status as “submitted”, until I grade it or return it.  (I will return, or “unsubmit”, a project, either on request (if the deadline hasn't passed) or if I can see a serious problem that would result in a near-zero grade.  You should read the feedback comment to see why it was returned.)