An Overview 

• This course is organized into 6 one-week modules. Each Week's Module begins on a Monday and ends on the following Sunday night.  However, the week's module will be posted the Friday before the week begins to give those students who want to get started early on the next week an opportunity to do so.

• This is a fully online, asynchronous course. There are no required or optional Zoom lectures. There are 11 recorded "Mini-Lectures" in which I  go over some of the material from one module. No new material will be presented in the Mini-Lectures. It's helpful to see and hear an instructor explain some of the more complex concepts. So...plan to watch them all.

• Exams are either taken in person, on the De Anza campus or on Canvas. Exams taken online are taken on specific dates at specific times while students are on Zoom with their video enabled

• The course officially begins Monday June 30. However, it will open early on Thursday June 26th for those who want to get a head start. (Since the 4th of July lands at the end of week 1, it could be ideal to start the course a couple of days early!) It ends Friday August 8.

• This is not a self-paced course

1. Have Realistic Expectations

   • This is Summer Quarter. 12 weeks of the "regular "Bio 45 are compressed into 6 weeks. It's an accelerated course which can be quite intense!   

   • We don't have the luxury to ease into the course. You'll need to jump right in and get started in the FIRST DAY (and if you want, you can start 1-3 days early)

   • Expect to spend at least 25 hours a week on this course (maybe more) if your goal is to earn an A. It takes time (and patience) to learn

   • Bio 45 is a rigorous, science-based nutrition course -- it takes effort to know and understand the complex concepts of the science of nutrition

2. Get Organized with your Time

   • Create a routine and schedule for yourself: Set aside chunks of time on specific days of the week at specific times to dedicate solely to this course.

   • Make a weekly plan for the tasks you will work on and do your best to stick to that plan (but be realistic).

3. Be Proactive

   • Strive to stay on top of Bio 45 from Week 1 (DAY 1!)

   • Log onto Canvas very regularly -- At least 4 times a week

   • Log onto the course every Monday.  Start on the Homepage. This is a great place to get a quick snapshot of what's going on that week in Bio 45. (Each week there will be a new Homepage Monday morning with useful information for the week ahead)

   • Then, click on "Modules", which gives you a Table of Contents for the course. Go to the current week's Module (which will be posted the Friday before that Monday) and be aware of what's there for you to utilize.  FYI:  In Week 1 you'll first go to the Orientation Module and then progress onto the Week 1 Module.

   • Put all deadlines and due dates onto your personal calendar

   • Ask Questions when something is not clear

   • Ask for help if you find yourself struggling

4. Use Anna's Bi-weekly TO DO Lists

Every Friday and Monday you will receive an announcement with a weekend or the coming week's TO DO list. Use them to help you stay on task

5. Read ALL of the Anna's Announcements

Not reading announcements will seriously disadvantage you. Lots of useful, important and valuable information is communicated in them

6. Save the Syllabus onto your desktop 

(or print the pdf version and keep it handy) 

Refer to it regularly to answer questions you may have, to be clear what's going on and to know what's due when

7. Be Active on Pronto

Download the Pronto app on your phone so you will see last minute reminders and announcements without logging onto Canvas. And read what your classmates ask and the answers posted. 

8. Turn on the Canvas Notifications for Submission Comments and Conversation Message 

Set your Preferences on Canvas to turn on at least some e-mail or push Notifications on Canvas. Selecting Submission Comments means you will be notified as soon as a grade comment has been left for you. Sometimes a comment will be telling you your submission is not complete and needs something--that is information you need to know ASAP.  Selecting Conversation Message means you will be notified when you have a message in your Inbox. Very useful.

Zoom Office Hours 

Mondays and Fridays 11 am - 1 pm and by appointment on other days/times. Use THIS LINK to drop in on my Zoom Office Hours and when prompted, enter the passcode: Healthwins

Direct Message me  

I can be reached on Pronto, via e-mail: milleranna@fhda.edu or by using the Canvas Inbox. (I prefer that you message me on Pronto)

Please ONLY direct message me for private, personal questions. Questions about the course and nutrition should ONLY be posted in a Pronto Chat or on Canvas in the Have a Question? Discussion.

I know that most of you are in this class for one primary reason: To satisfy the requirements for applying to your nursing schools of choice. 

I get that. 

And without a doubt, I wish you well in your path towards a career in nursing (or other paths for the minority of you who do not seek a future in nursing).  

I hope you're also here to learn something meaningful and useful. And possibly personally relevant.

My goal in teaching this class is to expose you to the fascinating but complex world of food, nutrition and health.  There's much more to nutrition than "Fruits and veggies are good for you and junk food is not".

A Glimpse Into My Teaching Philosophy 

I do not value the practice of regurgitating information.  I do value the ability to synthesize information and apply that information to "real world" situations, in an intelligent and meaningful way. 

I strive to provide learning experiences which will motivate you to master the course material.   We all learn differently. I have designed this course to provide students with a variety of ways for understanding new information and making sense of it all. 

My role as your teacher is to help YOU reach your final destination (applying to nursing schools?) while increasing your awareness of the incredible power of food and nutrition. 

My ultimate hope is that you'll be able to apply what you learn in Biology 45 to achieve good health, stamina and vitality as you move through the lifecycle. 

I would like to express my gratitude to Michelle Picansky-Brock for her workshop How to Create a Liquid Syllabus. I also acknowledge the many sources of inspiration from the numerous examples of Liquid Syllabi I viewed.  And I thank Prof Kelley -- your youtube video How to Build a Liquid Syllabus using Google Sites was immensely helpful.