In this course learners will be introduced to core concepts that shape our knowledge of the workings of the human body. Cell-cell communication and membrane dynamics will first be studied as central themes that govern coordination in individual cells and tissues, and within and between organ systems. Structure/function correlates will introduce the study of each system, and regulation of each system will be illustrated via lecture presentations, laboratories, discussions, and journal clubs. Students will learn to address problems in physiology, and to apply their knowledge and new understandings to case studies similar to those they may encounter in clinical settings.
As a result of participating in the learning experiences in this course, students will be able to:
On the course start date, students will have access to orientation. This must be completed to be able to gain access to the first module in the course. Students must complete the first module to gain access to the next one. We recommend that students spend about 15 hours per week to complete a course in 16 weeks. When trying to complete the course in less than 16 weeks, we typically see students do this successfully within 12-14 weeks. Instructors will be timely in grading and feedback, but it will not be instant.
Before you complete your labs, please view the assigned lecture videos. The lecture videos are organized in playlists corresponding to each week’s topics.
The majority of your readings are from the Silverthorn textbook. You will find specific pages in the text assigned to each week’s topics.
This sixteen week course is organized into five units of study. In every unit, you will complete multiple laboratory assignments. The labs provide hands-on learning opportunities in each topic of study.
There will be a total of 2 unit exams, 2 histology practical exams, and a Final Exam. Study guides will be provided to assist you in getting ready for the exams.
Throughout the course, you will participate in and interact with peers in five Discussions and two Journal Club learning activities. You can access both of these activities through the links in the weeks where a Discussion question or Journal Club is included. You can also access both activities through the Discussion tab on the course menu.
Discussions will be organized around a topic, often a case study, and you will be given questions to answer. Once your answers are posted, you will be able to read the answers posted by your peers and respond to at least two peers to discuss their answer. The Journal Club assignments are an opportunity to practice and get feedback on the type of analysis needed to complete the final project. In the Journal Club, you will be given a scholarly article to review and a prompt to answer and discuss with your peers. Once again, you will be asked to post your answer, and to respond to at least two of your peers.
Please read the instructions for the Project, which can be found on your main menu. Please keep a careful record of your data for each repetition of the exercise; you’ll need them for the final lab of the course (Analysis of Exercise Data). You MUST use the data table in the Excel Spreadsheet shared with you for your personal data in this project. Note that several weeks will elapse between each repetition of the Exercise Project. Please copy the spreadsheet before you begin entering your data; do not directly edit the template found at the link. Share your data with your instructor after each repetition of the Exercise Project by sharing your copy of the spreadsheet via email or via Course Messages.
You will be presented with a short list of current research papers. Each student will choose one paper to read, interpret, and relate to the material of the course. You may use lecture material, your laboratory studies, and references provided in the research paper in your interpretation. You will prepare an original PowerPoint presentation (with notes; between 5 and 7 slides) that summarizes your interpretation, how the research relates to your study of Human Physiology, and lists your references. You will also pose two questions for future research on this topic.
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Assignments | Percent of Final Grade |
---|---|
Physiology Unit Exams | 30% |
Histology Exams | 10% |
Labs | 20% |
Discussions | 15% |
Physiology Final Exam | 15% |
Final Project | 10% |
Total: | 100% |
Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
Please note that other than scheduled live sessions, the weeks are for guidance, as there are no due dates other than midnight ET on the final course date.
Lectures/Videos: Homeostasis, Human tissues
Readings: Silverthorn 7e: pp. 1-24; 72-88; 122-123
Labs: HOL: Respiratory Physiology; Exercise Project: First Data Collection; *Histology of Human Tissues: Introduction to Histology, Epithelium (Lecture)
Discussion: Introduce yourself
Lectures/Videos: Excitable Tissues: Membrane dynamics, Resting membrane potential
Readings: Silverthorn: pp. 61-65; 122-160. also pp. 641-649 for Hands-On Lab
Labs: PhysioEx: Cell Transport Mechanisms and Permeability; HOL: Acid-Base Balance; *Histology: Connective Tissue (Lecture)
Discussion: Discussion #1
Lectures/Videos: Functional anatomy, Action potentials, Cell-cell communication, Postsynaptic potentials, Autonomic nervous system, Signaling pathways
Readings: Silverthorn: pp. 226-268; 358-374
Labs: PhysioEx: Neurophysiology of Nerve Impulses; Exercise Project: Second Data Collection; *Histology: Nervous Tissue (Lecture)
Discussion: Discussion #2
Lectures/Videos: Muscle – an excitable tissue, Skeletal muscle, Smooth muscle, Cardiac muscle
*Submit your questions one day prior to the Live Classroom day – (DATE TBD – check your course for relevant information on dates and access)
*Live Classroom (DATE TBD)
Readings: Silverthorn: pp. 377-416;
Labs: PhysioEx: Skeletal Muscle Physiology; *Histology: Muscle Tissue (Lecture)
Discussion: Discussion #3
Readings/Practice: *Study Guide for Physiology Exam; Practice Histology Exam (slideshow)
View: For review, all histology lectures
Lectures/Topics: Heart anatomy, Electrophysiology, Regulatory Mechanisms, Peripheral circulation, Arrhythmias
Readings: Silverthorn: pp. 435-472; 479-497
Labs:
Discussion: Journal club #1
*Submit your questions one day prior to the Live Classroom day – (DATE TBD)
*Live Classroom (DATE TBD) Week 8
Lectures/Topics: Functional anatomy, Mechanics of ventilation, Ventilatory control, Gas transport
Readings: Silverthorn: pp. 534-559; 564-586; *Study Guide for Exam 2
Labs: PhysioEx: Respiratory System Mechanics; Exercise Project: Second Data Collection; *Histology: Gas Conduction System and Alveoli (Lungs) – Lecture
Discussion: Journal club #2
Second Physiology Exam
*Submit your questions one day prior to the Live Classroom day – (DATE TBD)
*Live Classroom (DATE TBD)
Lectures/topics: Functional anatomy, Filtration, reabsorption, Fluid and electrolyte balance
Readings: Silverthorn: pp. 589-613; *Study Guide
Labs: PhysioEx: Renal System Physiology, Hands-On Lab: Urinalysis, Histology: Kidney (lecture)
Discussion: Discussion #4
Lectures/Topics: Functional anatomy, Endocrine and paracrine communication, Feedback loops
Readings: Silverthorn: pp. 729-742 & pp. 800-835
Labs: PhysioEx: Endocrine System Physiology
Discussion: Discussion 5
EXAM: Histology Practical Exam #2
Lectures/topics: Cardiovascular response to exercise, Respiratory response to exercise, Training
Readings: Silverthorn: pp. 786-797; review pp. 564-586
Labs: PhysioEx: Acid-Base Balance; Blood Analysis; Exercise Project: Third Data Collection
*Submit your questions one day prior to the Live Classroom day – Primary focus on Final Exam – (DATE TBD)
*Live Classroom (DATE TBD)
Lectures/topics: Altitude and acclimatization; Microgravity and space travel
Readings: Silverthorn: pp. 619-636
Labs: Exercise Project: Fourth Data Collection; Analysis of Exercise Data
*Study Guide for the Final Exam
Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you - they will monitor course progression and provide assistance or guidance when needed. Please don’t hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, course materials, billing, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.
Questions? Visit the Student Support Science Prerequisites page
Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.
Check Brightspace for specific instructor and support specialist contact information.
The Student Lounge Discussion Forum is a designated support forum in which students may engage with each other and grapple with course content. Feel free to post questions, seek clarification, and support each other, but be mindful of UNE's Academic Integrity Policy.
Your instructor will monitor this forum. However, if you are seeking specific and timely answers to questions about course content or your personal grades, please contact your instructor via course messages. For questions about course materials, program policy, and how to navigate and proceed through the course, please contact your Student Service Advisor through the Student Portal.
The University of New England has contracted with ProctorU to provide students with the most convenient online exam proctoring system. This system provides a simple, no cost to the student, secure, online proctor for exams and allows the student to take all the exams at home and on their own schedule.
Upon enrollment into the course, each student will register with ProctorU and establish a login name and password. This will give the student access to all of ProctorU's services. When ready, students will schedule each of their proctored exams with ProctorU. Exams must be scheduled at least 72 hours in advance to avoid fees. Prior to taking their exams, students must be sure that they have downloaded the ProctorU Chrome or Firefox extension and are using the most current version of Chrome or Firefox. They must also be sure their testing site's connection meets the minimum requirements by using ProctorU's "Test It Out" utility.
Upon the exam day and hour, students will log in to ProctorU and click on "exams". After following the procedures outlined at ProctorU's web site, the student will log in to Brightspace and locate their correct exam. The proctor will then allow student access to that exam.
Students must use ProctorU and must follow all proctoring requirements for their exams to be credited.
Proctored exams are not available for review at any time. You will not be able to see the questions, nor the answers you've given, after completing the exams. Please contact your instructor for specific feedback.
Discussion board assignments cover interesting current events or materials related to this course that contribute to a deeper understanding of key concepts and allow you to interact with your classmates and the instructor. Each assignment may require you to conduct internet research, read additional materials (a short journal or magazine article), visit a specific webpage, AND/OR view a short video prior to writing a response following the specific guidelines in the assignment.
To earn full credit: you will need to post a response to the discussion topic, respond to the original posts of at least two other students, and then contribute meaningfully to an ongoing discussion. You will need to post your initial response before you will see any posts from your classmates. Please keep in mind that only this initial response is included in your assignment grade, so make sure you have followed all of the guidelines and written a complete response prior to submitting the post. For special cases where one or two students are accelerating faster through the course, the instructor will participate in the discussion so that everyone has the opportunity to interact.
Please see Brightspace for a full description, along with specific guidelines, for each assignment. Discussion board assignments should be completed, along with all other assignments in the course, in the order that they appear. Due to the course design, you may be unable to take a proctored exam if you do not complete all assignments that appear prior to that exam.
Please also refer to the Grading Policy/Grade Breakdown section of the syllabus to learn the percentage of your grade that each discussion board assignment is worth.
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Programs: Technical Requirements
A schedule of lectures and assignments is included in this syllabus. This is, however a self-paced course and you can complete the course in less time.
Please visit the enrollment page to review the withdrawal and refund policies.
Students are expected to attempt and complete all graded assignments and proctored exams by the end date of the course. View the incomplete grade policy..
Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, only the student may request official transcripts. This may be done online by going to the University of New England Registrar website and following the directions on the page.
To view your unofficial UNE student transcript:
To request your official UNE student transcript:
Please review your Unofficial Transcript prior to requesting an Official Transcript.
After you click Submit Request, your official transcript will be put into the queue to be printed in the Registrar's Office.
The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.