Syllabus

UNE Summer Session

BIO 106/106L – Biology II: Cellular/Mollecular

Credits - 4

Description

This course is an introduction for students to basic concepts and unifying principles of biology. Topics covered include population, community, and ecosystems ecology, plant and animal evolution, systematics, and taxonomy. Fieldwork and laboratory are an integral part of the course.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

After completing the lecture section, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the basic content of cellular and molecular biology
2. Discuss and demonstrate how scientists solve problems in the discipline
3. Evaluate the validity of scientific arguments
4. Apply knowledge to scientific problems
5. Ask a question and develop a hypothesis that can be tested
6. Plan and conduct an investigation to test a hypothesis
7. Analyze data and apply scientific ideas to evaluate the strength of a hypothesis
8. Communicate results of scientific experiments by basing conclusions on valid and reliable evidence

Assignments

Lectures and Laboratories

Lectures

For the lecture portion of the course, Biology II is divided up into 4 units that cover 15 weeks work of coursework Each week you will start by completing the reading assignment and finishing the homework associated with the reading. Then you need to view several mini-lectures, complete a laboratory experiment with laboratory assessment, and then complete the week quiz. Once you have completed these, you can then move on to the next week’s material. (if you are waiting for the lab materials to arrive, you can move ahead with the next week’s material and come back to complete the labs if necessary).

Laboratories

For the laboratory portion of the course, most weeks will also have an assigned laboratory exercise. Assessment for each lab lesson will be the questions that are listed throughout each lesson. These will be graded as soon as you complete them but it may take a few days for the grade to appear in your grades, as the instructor will be reviewing your lab data and then transferring the grades over. If you appear to only be taking the quizzes and not actually conducting the labs (i.e. you have no data or photos) a grade of zero will be entered for the lab. So, be sure to conduct the experiments, collect and record the data and then take the lab assessment.

In addition to conducting the laboratory exercises and taking the assessment, you will also be conducting an annotated bibliography. This will be done at the end of Unit 3. There are additional guidelines for the annotated bibliography that will be found in the course.

Examination and Grading Information

Homework Assignments

Each unit contains a homework assignment associated with the textbook. You can find these by clicking on the homework links in the modules and then answering the “practice” questions in the text. These are LearnSmart assignments designed to help you understand the material. If you answer the questions correctly, you will move on to the next topic. If you struggle with the material, the software will continue to test you until you have a better understanding. It will also point you to sections of the text for additional clarification. The grade for the homework is based on the completion of the assignment, such that if you answer all of the questions, you will receive a grade of 100%.

Discussion Board Posts

Discussion questions cover interesting current events or materials that contribute to a deeper understanding of key concepts and allow you to interact with your classmates and the instructor. Most of the discussion questions are designed to accompany particular chapters (see specific discussion questions for more information). Each question will require you to conduct internet research, read additional materials (a short journal or magazine article), visit a specific webpage, OR view a short video. Then you will write a response following the guidelines in the assignment.

To earn full credit you will need to post a response, respond to the original posts of at least two other students, and then contribute to an ongoing discussion. 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.

Discussion Question Guidelines

1. Read the assignment carefully so that you are familiar with the materials that you need to cover and how to craft your post.
2. Respect each other’s ideas, feelings, and experience. Some of the questions involve areas of disagreement. Expect your classmates to have different opinions.
3. Use proper writing style. Correct spelling and sentence structure are expected just as if you were writing a regular paper. Use spell check and grammar check before you submit.
4. Write your posting in a word document! That way you can save a copy and use spell check and grammar check.
5. Cite the sources that you use to write your response. Follow the AMA guidelines.
6. Avoid posting large blocks of text. Break your writing into paragraphs and use a space between paragraphs to make your posting easier to read online.
7. Use the “reply” button rather than the “compose” button when responding to someone else’s post.
8. When responding to a classmate, address them by name.
9. Do not use postings such as “I agree,” “I don’t know either,” or “ditto.” They do not add to the discussion, take up space on the Discussions, and will not be counted.
10. Everyone benefits from an active discussion. Check back in frequently to see what others are saying.
11. Plan your time carefully. You will need to give your classmates time to respond to your postings. This is an asynchronous class where students will be in different points of the class.
12. Contact your instructor if there are schedule problems or other issues that need to be resolved.
13. Acknowledge Ai use for discussion posts.

Laboratory Assignments

Most of the weeks include a laboratory assessment. The laboratory assessments for each week can be found in the course outline portion of this syllabus. You will perform all laboratory assessments in a non-laboratory setting, such as your kitchen. There will be 13 laboratory assessments distributed throughout the course. As you work your way through the laboratory exercise, be sure to record your data and answer the questions. Once you have completed the experiment and questions, these will be graded in the HOL software but it may take a few days for the grade to appear in the course, as the instructor will be reviewing your lab data and then transferring the grades over. If you appear to only be taking the quizzes and not actually conducting the labs (i.e. you have no data or photos) a grade of zero will be entered for the lab. So, be sure to conduct the experiments, collect and record the data and then take the lab assessment.

Weekly Quizzes & Lab Assessments

All weekly quizzes & lab assessments are open book and open notes and are not timed. The quizzes and lab assessments will be taken online through the course or the HOL site for the lab questions. Doing well on the quizzes and lab assessments will help prepare you for the midterm and final exams.

Midterm Exam

You must have a UNE Compliant External Webcam to take your proctored examinations. Remember to order your webcam at least three weeks prior to scheduling your first proctored exam.

The midterm exam can be taken once you have completed all of the assignments for Units 1 and 2, including the quizzes, labs and the first discussion board, as well as the Midterm Exam Honor Pledge. It is a timed and proctored exam.

This is a closed-book and closed-notes exam. You may have a single UNE-authorized whiteboard to use while taking this exam. You must show your proctor that your whiteboard is clear at the beginning of your testing session, and you must erase your whiteboard in front of the proctor before disconnecting from your session. If you do not do this, your exam will not be credited.

While a calculator is not necessary for this, or any of the course assessments, you may bring a four-function calculator if you choose. Scientific and programmable calculators are not allowed.

You will not have access to any material saved on your or any other computer. 

The exam consists of 64 multiple choice questions and you have up to two hours to complete the exam. You will need to arrange to take your midterm exam with Proctor U. Information on the proctoring process is available below.

For all exams, you must review the Proctored Examinations information and requirements in the Policies section of this syllabus.

Final Exam

The final exam cannot be taken until you have completed all of the assignments for the course, including the quizzes, labs, discussion boards and the lab report, as well as the Final Exam Honor Pledge. The final will be a timed-proctored exam that covers Unit 3 & 4. 

This is a closed-book and closed-notes exam. You may have a single UNE-authorized whiteboard to use while taking this exam. You must show your proctor that your whiteboard is clear at the beginning of your testing session, and you must erase your whiteboard in front of the proctor before disconnecting from your session. If you do not do this, your exam will not be credited.

While a calculator is not necessary for this, or any of the course assessments, you may bring a four-function calculator if you choose. Scientific and programmable calculators are not allowed.

You will not have access to any material saved on your or any other computer. 

 You will need to arrange to take your final exam with Proctor U. Information on the proctoring process is available below.

For all exams, you must review the Proctored Examinations information and requirements in the Policies section of this syllabus.

 

Point Scale

Grade	Points Grade	Point Average (GPA)
A	94 – 100	4.00
A-	90 – 93.9	3.75
B+	87 – 89.9	3.50
B	84 – 86.9	3.00
B-	80 – 83.9	2.75
C+	77 – 79.9	2.50
C	74 – 76.9	2.00
C-	70 – 73.9	1.75
D	64 – 69.9	1.00
F	00 – 63.9	0.00