Topics in Modern Biology: Invasive Species in our Environment BIO SCI Online Syllabus Spring 2016

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1 Topics in Modern Biology: Invasive Species in our Environment BIO SCI Online Syllabus Spring 2016 Instructor: Ms. Terry Bott Office hours: Monday and Wednesday 12:00 1:00 p.m. Lapham Hall 447 Or for an appointment on M/W/F Include BIOSCI 103 and your last name in subject line Phone: (no office answering machine best to ) Required Text: Essentials of Ecology, 6 th ed by G. Tyler Miller, Jr. & Scott E. Spoolman. Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning; ISBN: Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Handbook available in D2L Content Course Online Access Click on UWM epanther (circled in purple) to get to the D2L login screen. Login to Desire to Learn referred to as D2L Our course site will show up below the search area; Click on the Course Link (in blue); The daily NEWS items will be visible look at daily For online help using D2L, check out "D2L Made Easy - For Students", (includes link to student guidelines for taking online quizzes). For further D2L assistance go to GetTechHelp.uwm.edu or contact the UWM Help Desk at Course Objectives To understand basic principles of Ecology and how our environment responds to alien/exotic invasive species. To focus on terrestrial plants, insects and animals; and fresh-water aquatic plants, crustaceans and fish not native to Wisconsin. To appreciate that invasive species are a significant problem worldwide. Course Description This science course has no prerequisite and may be taken to fulfill GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS (for GER credit). The course does not carry credit toward a Biological Sciences major. Online courses do not meet in a face-to-face classroom, so all communications are posted on the D2L NEWS page. Class assignments, activities and assessments are completed on line, which will not necessarily make this course easier than a face-to-face version of the course. Online courses place the responsibility for learning on students, so you will have to manage your time to succeed in the class. Being an online class, you will interact with classmates in informal group discussions. The instructors role in the course is to help you complete the course requirements and to facilitate your interaction with each other in collaborative activities. It is known that students who engage with course materials and each other in this way learn well and retain more. You will begin your self-study by reading, viewing and listening, and taking periodic online quizzes to assess your learning of course content. My hope is that the online exercises and group-oriented activities will reinforce what you have already studied. In learning about invasive species on your own and performing assignments, you can decide when to study and when to complete the assignments. However, this is not a self-paced course. You must meet all deadlines to get credit for completed activities, assignments and assessments. 1

2 Need to Know: All course information and announcements are available through D2 NEWS. Checking the D2L site on a daily basis for course assignments, announcements, corrections, changes, etc. will keep you informed and up-to-date. Our D2L course site is where you access Course syllabus Daily and Weekly NEWS announcements Activity assignments Dropbox accessibility Discussion forums Online quizzes and exams Discussion Forums There are several opportunities in the course, including Student Introductions and Course Questions and Concerns (ask fellow classmates questions about the course site or what you do not understand from weekly readings). In addition, there will be a few topical discussion forums based on videos or websites. Your initial response posting and reply posting will be completed in groups of people. See "D2L Made Easy - For Students" for discussion post instructions. Quizzes Testing will be done online through the D2L course site. Students will have two attempts at each quiz (except any bonus quiz). The quiz grade is the average of both attempts. The questions are multiple choice, true/false, or fill-in the blank. Weekly quizzes are timed and are usually open Wednesday through Sunday. See "D2L Made Easy - For Students" for quizzing instructions. Midterm and Final Exams Students have one opportunity to take exams once you begin the exam, you must finish it; you cannot access it again at a later time to complete it. Save your answers often! Exams are timed. Set aside the whole time allotted (in case you need it) and use a secure connection (not wireless). Study and prepare for exams in the same way you would for a face-to-face lecture exam. Students will not have time to look up every answer while completing the exam. Learning Activities: You are provided Course content with assigned readings from of a text book A series of chapter PowerPoint slides and/or outlines/study guides (use one or the other) Web links to readings or videos on invasive species As a student, you will Read and view materials assigned from these different sources. Engage in online discussions by responding to a topic/assignment posted by instructor, and then post one or more reflective comments about another student s posting. Engage in other unit activities to be assessed and submitted to the Dropbox Take online quizzes and exams based on course content Be responsible for completing each of these assessments by their due dates Computer Skills and Resources Skills: students will need basic word processing skills, ability to view PowerPoints and Adobe PDF files, the ability to send/receive s using UWM Office 365 account, and an understanding of how to access and browse Web sites, including our D2L Web site. Just a word of caution: checking your and our course Web site regularly is very important to your ability to do well in this course. Resources: access to a computer with broadband connection (such as Roadrunner or DSL) or a campus network connection to the Web. Files uploaded to the Dropbox need to be saved as a word file doc or docx, rtf, or pdf. Lack of access to a computer, loss of key documents from a hard drive or faulty printer is not an excuse for failing to complete assignments on time. 2

3 Course Assessment Final grades will be based on a series of assessments. The table below includes each assessment, its point value and learning objective. Learning Objective Knowledge of D2L site and use of technology Class gets to learn a little about you and your professional goals. Connect with other students and demonstrate critical thinking skills for ecological problems that mirror the discussions in our state and nation Environmental awareness and consequences of problems and society s methods of dealing with species invasion Demonstrate knowledge of basic course concepts and Invasives Demonstrate knowledge of basic course concepts and Invasives Assessment Percentage of Grade D2L Scavenger Hunt 1% Student Introductions 1% Discussion Forum 20% Dropbox Unit Activity 10% Bi-weekly Online Quizzes 24% One Midterm Exam 20% Demonstrate retained knowledge of Invasive Species and basic course concepts Mid Semester Course Evaluation and End of Semester Course Evaluation Recognition of invasive species in nature and write reflectively about your experience Total Final Exam (Cumulative for Invasive Species) Extra Credit Survey Essay with photos: My time with invasive species Use extra credit to bring grade up to 100% 24% 1 bonus point if 75% of class submits surveys 3% extra credit while enjoying the outdoors 100 Grading Scale: > 93% = A 90 92% = A % = B % = B 80 82% = B % = C % = C 70 72% = C % = D % = D 60 62% = D- > 60% = F Grades may be checked at any time by accessing the D2L Grade book. You will see your final grade on PAWS. 3

4 Tentative Course Schedule Instructor reserves the right to modify this schedule based on student progress, resource and/or curricular needs. Exam dates will not change. March 11, Mid Term Exam covering chapters 1 through 5. May 11, Final Exam covering chapters 7 through 11. UNIT 1 Week of January 25 - January 31 Read the Welcome Letter and Syllabus Complete the Scavenger Hunt worksheet Chapter 1 Sustainability and Pollution Invasive Species Shrubs and Trees in Wisconsin Discussion Forum: Student Introductions open all week January 31 Student Introductions due Sunday evening at 11:59 P.M. Scavenger Hunt worksheet due in Dropbox Sunday evening at 11:59 P.M. Week of February 1-7 February 3 February 7 February 7 Chapter 2 Nature of Science, Matter and Energy Discussion Forum: Critical Thinking About Invasive Species watch CBS News video clip UNIT 2 Week of February 8-14 February10 February14 Chapter 3 Ecosystems and How They Work Japanese Hedge-Parsley Report Discussion Forum: Personal Ecological Footprint Week of February February 21 Herbaceous Invasive Species Plants in your back yards and gardens 4

5 UNIT 3 Week of February 22 - February 28 Unit 3 February 24 February 29 Chapter 4 Biodiversity and Evolution Discussion Forum: Keystone Species Week of February 29 - March 6 Chapter 5 Biodiversity, Species Interactions and Population Control Invasive insects in Milwaukee County and other insects of interest March 6 EXAM Week of March 7-13 March 9 Midterm Exam 4:00 P.M. TO 11:00 P.M. Covers all material in Units 1, 2 and 3 SPRING BREAK ENJOY! Week of March UNIT 4 Week of March Chapter 7 Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity Supplement 2 (back of text) Reading Graphs and Maps March 24 Happy Easter Drop box Activity: Climate Graph Analysis due in the Dropbox BEFORE Easter Day or on Sunday at 11:59 P.M. Week of March 28 April 3 Python Scientific Journal Article read Introduction and Discussion Invasive animals, reptiles and amphibians just a few April 3 5

6 UNIT 5 Week of April 4-10 April 10 Chapter 8 Aquatic Biodiversity AND page in chapter 11 Aquatic Invasive Species plants, crayfish, mussels and fleas Drop box Activity: Red Swamp Crayfish Analysis due Sunday in Dropbox at 11:59 P.M. Week of April April 17 Chapter 9 Sustaining Biodiversity: The Species Approach UNIT 6 Week of April April 20 April 24 Chapter 11 Sustaining Aquatic Biodiversity Discussion Forum: Asian Carp invasion Week of April 25 May 1 May 1 Invasive fish species in Lake Michigan Extra Credit Week of May 2 8 Dropbox open May 3 8 My few hours with invasive species - up close and personal Reflective Essay with photos due Sunday, May 8 Week of May 9 14 May 11 UW-M Study Day EXAM Final Exam Thursday May 12 4:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M. *Additional readings on invasive species and related topics may be assigned 6

7 Some University Guidelines of Interest Academic Misconduct The university has a responsibility to promote academic honesty and integrity and to develop procedures to deal effectively with instances of academic dishonesty. Students are responsible for the honest completion and representation of their work, for the appropriate citation of sources, and for respect of others' academic endeavors. A more detailed description of Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures may be found in Regents Policy Statements, UWS Chapter 14 and UWM Faculty Document #1686. Complaint Procedures Students may direct complaints to the head of the academic unit or department in which the complaint occurs. If the complaint allegedly violates a specific university policy, it may be directed to the head of the department or academic unit in which the complaint occurred or to the appropriate university office responsible for enforcing the policy. Grade Appeal Procedures A student may appeal a grade on the grounds that it is based on a capricious or arbitrary decision of the course instructor. Such an appeal shall follow the established procedures adopted by the department, college, or school in which the course resides. These procedures are available in writing from the respective department chairperson or the Academic Dean of the College/School. A more detailed description of the grade Appeal Policy may be found in UWM Selected Academic and Admin. Policies, Policy #S-28 and UWM Faculty Document #1243. Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment is reprehensible and will not be tolerated by the University. It subverts the mission of the University and threatens the careers, educational experience, and well being of students, faculty, and staff. The University will not tolerate behavior between or among members of the University community which creates an unacceptable working environment. Participation by Students with Disabilities If anyone has need for special test-taking accommodations, please feel free to come and discuss this with me early in the semester, after you have contacted the Student Accessibility Center (Mitchell Hall 112, , ( Please provide me with documentation as soon as possible. UWM Policy on Definition of Credit Hour Study leading to one semester credit represents an investment of time by the average student of not fewer than 48 hours for class contact in lectures, for laboratories, examinations, tutorials and recitations, and for preparation and study; or a demonstration by the student of learning equivalent to that established as the expected product of such a period of study. Other University Policies The following website provides further details regarding University policies and procedures on exams, incomplete grades, religious holidays, discriminatory conduct, student misconduct, grade appeals, and students with disabilities 7