1 UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT MONTICELLO SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICAL AND NATURAL SCIENCES BIOL 1063 ONLINE COURSE SYLLABUS Fall 2014 Course Title and Credit Hours: BIOL 1063 Introduction to Biological Science (3 hours) A.C.T.S. Equivalent Course # BIOL 1004 when combined with BIOL 1071 Introduction to Biological Sciences Lab Instructor Name: Dr. Sederick C. Rice Instructor Email Address: RiceS@uamont.edu Office Hours: UAPB Campus (870-575-8849) MWF 11:00 AM- 1:00 PM; 2:00 PM- 4:00 PM Tuesday/Thursday- 11:00 AM- 2:00 PM Virtual/Online Hours: Twitter: Docrice2UAPB- Monday- Friday 8:00 PM- midnight Email: Checked 4-5 times each day. Instructor Phone: 870-575-8849 Course Description: The students will learn basic concepts of biology: cell and molecular biology, genetics, evolution, and ecology and the relevance of these topics to current events and issues. This online course is designed for non-science majors. Course Prerequisites: ENGL 1013 Required textbook: Essentials of Biology 4 th Edition by Sylvia Mader, Michael Windelspecht Paperback: 736 pages Publisher: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math; 4 edition (January 10, 2014) Language: English ISBN-10: 0078024226 ISBN-13: 978-0078024221 Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 9.6 x 1.1 inches
2 Essentials of Biology is an introductory biology text for non-major students that can be used in a one- or two-semester course. It was prepared to engage today's students in the science of biology by providing a fundamental understanding of life. Throughout the text, multimedia assets and Connections boxes encourage the student to integrate scientific concepts into their lives. The text is fully integrated into McGraw-Hill s adaptive learning and Connect platforms, and is associated with a number of web-based assets that allow instructors to use this text as a content foundation for traditional, online, hybrid and "flipped" classrooms. Click on UAM Online Bookstore link below for more textbook information: http://www.uamont.edu/student.htm Laboratory Manual: Protocols and instructions for laboratories will be provided by the instructor, so purchase of a laboratory manual is not required. Many of the major learning components of this course will be accomplished using Kitchen Labs, virtual laboratories, and interactive exercises. An example of some of these laboratory types can be found at the web links below. http://highered.mcgrawhill. com/sites/0073031208/student_view0/virtual_labs.html or http://www.biosciednet.org/portal/about/benscholars.php ONLINE TECHNICAL SUPPORT INFORMATION: Issues with Blackboard: Contact Office of Academic Computing; phone 870-460-1036. Open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Help Desk at blackboard@uamont.edu or phone 870-460-1286. The computer section in the Library is open during regular Library hours. Click on the link below to see when the Taylor Library is open. http://www.uamont.edu/library/
3 Issues with Email: Contact the Office of Information Technology; phone 870-460-2036; open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. 4:30 p.m. The Student Handbook for Distance Education is available at the following link: http://www.uamont.edu/academiccomputing/ and is listed in the Contents section of this Blackboard course. MINIMUM TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS: For minimum technology requirements, visit: http://kb.blackboard.com/pages/viewpage.action?pageid=38830689 Please review the Distance Education Student Handbook for information on minimum requirements for success in online courses. FEEDBACK SCHEDULE Student can expect a response to email, Twitter, or phone within 24-48 hours Monday through Saturday. METHOD OF DELIVERING ASSIGNMENTS TO BLACKBOARD: Please submit work as a Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF document to Blackboard. Use Times New Roman, 12-point font with 1 side margins. Be sure to have anti-virus software installed on your computer and update it regularly. ONLINE ATTENDANCE POLICY /PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS Roll with be checked by online participation and feedback from discussion board topics, quizzes, assignments, and exams. When a student is confronted with an extenuating circumstance such as death in the immediate family, a judicial case, or serious illness, etc., the absences will be excused only when the student presents official documentation of the circumstance to the instructor as soon as possible without delay In this course, students are expected to post comments to Discussion Board assignments at least 4 times per assignment. Saying I agree or similar lack of information is not posting. Your remarks should add to the course assignment discussion and demonstrate a level of understanding and dialogue with other students that promote learning. Students will have to complete multiple assignments, labs, and quizzes and exams weekly in order to cover the content necessary. This means that students must check Blackboard 3-4 times a day, check their UAM email addresses for updates, and stay on top of deadlines to keep up. The lecture/instruction/discussion format will be employed online. Full student participation is required and encouraged, including asking questions about materials presented and any discussion about information students want to expand on by topic. Students should feel free to bring fresh and new ideas from outside sources related to topics presented and engage in accountable talk in all online and virtual learning
4 environments. Supplemental lecture notes will be posted to Blackboard for review and will be available for download and study throughout the course. EMERGENCY OR INTERRUPTION IN COMPUTER SERVICE POLICY Students need to prepare for unexpected problems and emergencies. As the instructor, I will understand that problems and glitches do occur in online learning as they do in any learning environment. Please have a back-up plan such as using the computers at a local library for submitting assignments in case your computer crashes or your service is interrupted. Please remember that online classes are self-motivated courses that require students to set schedules for studying and doing your work, which means keeping up with deadlines for submitting quizzes, exams, labs, and other assignments. A deadline is a strict date for submitting work so that there will be ample time to grade and discuss the results. Please do not take quizzes, exams, or try to complete labs at the last minute. This is a recipe for failure because in life, if something can go wrong, it will go wrong. A final reminder is to make sure to use a reliable computer with a strong Internet connection. These tips will help you do well in this course and others like it in the future. ONLINE DISCUSSION BOARDS Please review Student Netiquette sections in the Distance Learning Student Handbook for parameters for online interactivity. ASSESSMENTS (QUIZZES/EXAMS) Performance will be evaluated on multiple levels including: Discussion board participation, assignment posts, and multiple choice quizzes and examinations in Blackboard. Timed assessments will include (4) online chapter content exams, short answer quizzes, virtual/kitchen laboratories, and a mid-term exam. Each online chapter content exam has an assigned value of 100 points. The lecture exams will cover materials from all of the content in the chapters assigned. The mid-term exam and final exam have to be taken at the UAM Testing Center. Students should log onto Blackboard and on time for quizzes and exams (no extensions to quiz or testing periods will be granted) unless there are technical issues outside of the control of the instructor or student. This will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Make up exams will not be given for any reason unless the student obtains an excused absence from the professor via online email confirmation, at least 24 hours prior to the exam or quiz being administered. No Exceptions!
5 GRADE ASSIGNMENTS 5 Lecture Exams at 100 points (including mid-term)- 400 points Quizzes- 200 points Discussion Board Participation/Feedback- 100 points Online Homework/Kitchen Lab Assignments- 200 points Final Exam- 100 points Total: 1000 points (Subject to Change) Remember- The goal is to accumulate points, so do not miss assignments, labs, or exams. 900-1000 (90-100%)= A (Excellent) 800-899 (80-89%)= B (Good) 700-799 (70-79%)= C (Fair) 600-699 (60-69%)= D (Poor) Below 599 points (59% or less)= F (Failure) STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES It is the policy of the University of Arkansas at Monticello to accommodate individuals with disabilities pursuant to federal law and the University s commitment to equal educational opportunities. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor of any necessary accommodations at the beginning of the course. Any student requiring accommodations should contact the Office of Special Student Services located in Harris Hall Room 120; phone 870 460-1026; TDD 870 460-1626; Fax 870 460-1926; email: whitingm@uamont.edu. STUDENT CONDUCT STATEMENT Students at the University of Arkansas at Monticello are expected to conduct themselves appropriately, keeping in mind that they are subject to the laws of the community and standards of society. The student must not conduct him/herself in a manner that disrupts the academic community or breaches the freedom of other students to progress academically. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY 1. 1. Cheating: Students shall not give, receive, offer, or solicit information on examinations, quizzes, etc. This includes but is not limited to the following classes of dishonesty: a. a. Copying from another student s paper; b. b. Use during the examination of prepared materials, notes, or texts other than those specifically permitted by the instructor; c. c. Collaboration with another student during the examination; d. d. Buying, selling, stealing, soliciting, or transmitting an examination or any material purported to be the unreleased contents of coming examinations or the use of any such material;
6 e. Substituting for another person during an examination or allowing such a. substitutions for oneself. b. 2. Collusion: Collusion is defined as obtaining from another party, without specific approval in advance by the instructor, assistance in the production of work offered for credit to the extent that the work reflects the ideas of the party consulted rather than those of the person whose name in on the work submitted. c. 3. Duplicity: Duplicity is defined as offering for credit identical or substantially unchanged work in two or more courses, without specific advanced approval of the instructors involved. d. 4. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined as adopting and reproducing as one s own, to appropriate to one s use, and to incorporate in one s own work without acknowledgement the ideas or passages from the writings or works of others. For any instance of academic dishonesty that is discovered by the instructor, whether the dishonesty is found to be cheating, collusion, duplicity, or plagiarism, the result for the student(s) involved will be the immediate award of a 0 for that assignment, quiz, or exam. Additional violations will result in notification of student behavior to the Office of Provost/Academic Affairs. BIOL 1063 COURSE OUTLINE (Week 1-3) Chapter 1: A View of Life Chapter 2: The Chemical Basis of Life Chapter 3: The Organic Molecules of Life Chapter 4: Inside the Cell Exam I (Chapters 1-4) (Weeks 3-6) Chapter 5: The Dynamic Cell Chapter 6: Energy for Life Chapter 7: Energy for Cells Chapter 8: Cellular Reproduction Chapter 9: Sexual Reproduction Exam II (Chapters 5-9) Mid-Term Exam (Chapters 1-9) (Weeks 6-8) Chapter 10: Patterns of Inheritance Chapter 11: DNA Biology and Technology
7 Chapter 12: Gene Regulation and Cancer Chapter 13: Genetic Counseling Exam IV (Chapters 10-13) Final Exam (Chapters 1-13) Online Lecture Note Formats Online Lecture Notes will cover the main points of the chapters in the text. The successful student will take notes and review particular sections/material of the textbook and lecture notes emphasized and identified as potential test material. College/University students should be aware that it is expected that you will need to put in about 6 hours/week online studying and preparing for BIOL 1063 Intro to Biological Science.
Fall Examination Schedule 8
9 COURSE RESOURCES BioSciNet Digital Library Portal for Teaching and Learning in the Biological Sciences http://www.biosciednet.org/portal/about/benscholars.php National Science Digital Library http://nsdl.org/ Biology Animations http://nhscience.lonestar.edu/biol/bio1int.htm McGraw Hill Animations http://highered.mcgrawhill. com/sites/dl/free/0072437316/120060/ravenanimation.html DNA Learning Center http://www.dnalc.org/resources/animations/ Net Logo Models http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/ UAM Online Course Student Statement:
10 I have (Typed First and Last Name) have read and understand the materials provided in the BIOL 1063 Intro to Biological Sciences Course Syllabus provided by Dr. Sederick C. Rice and agree to follow it as my guide to this online course*. *Disclaimers and Information 1) Course content, quizzes, exams, and assignments may be altered/adjusted/modified/changed in the course of the semester as determined by Dr. Sederick C. Rice (Adjunct Professor of Biology, University of Arkansas at Monticello) in the best interest of students and the University of Arkansas at Monticello. 2) All students must be able to access their Blackboard accounts on the first day of class, access their UAM email addresses and check both regularly for updates, announcements, and assignments. Students also have an option to setup a Twitter account and follow Dr. Sederick C. Rice @ (DocRice2UAPB) for more access to the instructor outside of normal office hours. 3) Supplemental Lecture Notes will be posted in the Contents section of Blackboard for student review and to support chapter readings and study. 4) It is the student s responsibility to obtain a textbook, which is mandatory for this course.