Syllabus
Science Prerequisites for Health Professionals
BIOL 1010: Medical Biology I – Summer 2018
Credits - 4
Description
Overview
Medical Biology I is a four credit course incorporating an at-home laboratory component. This course is designed for individuals with a baccalaureate degree who need Biology as a prerequisite to apply for admission to various health professions’ programs, such as, but not limited to, graduate programs in dietetics, nursing, physical therapy, physician assistant, nurse anesthesia, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, dental medicine and medicine. The emphasis of the course is on providing a conceptual framework for understanding the basics of modern medical biology so that the student will be well equipped to apply this knowledge in his or her further studies.
Instructor and Support Contact Information
Check the course welcome page in Blackboard for specific instructor and support specialist contact information.
Further Assistance
Your student support specialist monitors course progression and provides assistance or guidance when needed. S/he can assist questions regarding ordering course materials, University policies, billing, navigating the course in Blackboard, and more.
Student Portal: Your Best UNE Resource
We created the UNE Online Student Portal specifically for you, to be a useful collection of information to support you as you navigate your online course(s).
From the Student Portal you can access:
- Blackboard
- Technical Support
- Library
- Bookstore
- UNE Email
- U-Online
The portal also features:
- Dates to Remember
- Support and Services
- Contact information for your Support Specialist
- Academic Resources – links to the Academic Calendar, Registrar and Academic Calendar
- Financial – links to eBilling, Financial Aid and Student Accounts
Study Lounge
The Study Lounge Discussion Board 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 content-matter 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 Support Specialist through the course messaging system.
Materials
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
Course Objectives
Upon the completion of this course the student will be able to…
- Understand the basic principles of introductory biology
- Understand how scientists solve problems in the discipline
- Collect, organize and interpret data
- Understand some of the quantitative methods needed to interpret data
- Demonstrate skills in observation
SELF PACED DESIGN
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.
Assignments
Lectures and Laboratories
Lectures
For the lecture portion of the course, Medical Biology I is divided up into 14 modules that follow the first 11 chapters of the textbook. Each module contains a reading assignment, lectures consisting of PowerPoint slides with audio, a homework assignment and a quiz. When you have completed the assignments and feel that you understand the material, take the quiz.
Laboratories
For the laboratory portion of the course, most modules will also have an assigned laboratory exercise. You will conduct the laboratory experiments and answer the questions provided for you (these do not need to be submitted to the instructor). Once you feel that you have a solid grasp of the material, take and submit the laboratory quiz associated with the exercise.
Examination and Grading Information
Homework Assignments
Each module contains a homework assignment associated with the textbook. 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 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
- Read the assignment carefully so that you are familiar with the materials that you need to cover and how to craft your post.
- Respect each other’s ideas, feelings, and experience. Some of the questions involve areas of disagreement. Expect your classmates to have different opinions.
- 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.
- Write your posting in a word document! That way you can save a copy and use spell check and grammar check.
- Cite the sources that you use to write your response. Follow the AMA guidelines.
- 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.
- Subscribe to the discussion so that you get email updates when there is activity.
- Use the “reply” button rather than the “compose” button when responding to someone else’s post.
- When responding to a classmate, address them by name.
- 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.
- Everyone benefits from an active discussion. Check back in frequently to see what others are saying.
- 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.
- Contact your instructor if there are schedule problems or other issues that need to be resolved.
Laboratory Assignments
Most of the modules include a laboratory assignment. The laboratory assignments for each module are can be found in the course outline portion of this syllabus. You will perform all laboratory assignments in a non-laboratory setting, such as your kitchen. There will be 12 laboratory assignments distributed throughout the course. Once you have completed the experiment, take the laboratory quiz before moving on to the next module. You do not need to hand in the questions included with the eScience lab kits, but these will help you to complete the laboratory quiz (which must be completed and submitted).
Module & Lab Quizzes
All module & lab quizzes are open book and open notes and are not timed. The quizzes will be taken online through the course Blackboard site. Doing well on the quizzes will help prepare you for the final exam.
Final Exam
The final will be a timed-proctored exam. No access to notes, the internet, or other communication devices is allowed during the final. The final exam consists of 75 multiple choice questions and you can have up to four hours to complete the exam. You will need to arrange to take you final exam with Proctor U (see below).
Grading Policy
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Grade Breakdown
| Homework | 10% |
| Discussion | 10% |
| Labs | 20% |
| Quizzes | 20% |
| Final Exam | 40% |
Grade Scale
| 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 |
Schedule
Course Outline
This course is designed to be completed in a 16-week period, just like an on-campus General Biology I course. This breaks down to one module per week and one week to study for and take the final exam. One week in this online course is equivalent to 3-50 minute lectures in a traditional classroom setting. The general rule of studying for science courses is to spend 3 hours studying for every one hour that you are in class. Therefore, the suggested study time for each module is 9 hours above and beyond the time it takes to listen to the lecture. Please refer to the schedule below for the suggested schedule of lectures and the accompanying laboratory exercises. Students may complete the course in less than 16 weeks.
| Module | Title | Text Chapter | Lab Assignment |
| 1 | An Introduction to Biology | 1 | Introduction to Science |
| 2 | The Chemical Basis of Life: Atoms, Molecules and Water | 2 | Chemical Bonding Fundamentals |
| 3 | The Chemical Basis of Life: Organic Molecules | 3 | The Chemistry of Life |
| 4 | General Features of Cells | 4 | Unicellular Organisms |
| 5 | Membrane Structure, Synthesis and Transport | 5 | Diffusion and Osmosis |
| 6 | An Introduction to Energy, Enzymes and Metabolism | 6 | Enzyme Catalysis |
| 7 | Cellular Respiration and Fermentation | 7 | Metabolism |
| 8 | Cell Communication, Muticellularity | 9,10 | Introduction to the Microscope |
| 9 | Nucleic Acids, DNA replication | 11 | |
| 10 | Gene Expression | 12 | Transcription and Translation |
| 11 | Gene Regulation | 13 | |
| 12 | Mutation, DNA Repair and Cancer | 14 | Biomolecular Techniques |
| 13 | Mitosis and Meiosis | 15 | Mitosis and Meiosis |
| 14 | Simple Patterns of Inheritance | 16 | Genetics of Organisms |
| 15 | Population Genetics | 24 | |
| Final Exam |
Student Resources
Online Student Support
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
Instructor and Support Contact Information
Check Brightspace for specific instructor and support specialist contact information.
Student Lounge
The Student Lounge Discussion Board 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.
Accommodations
Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.
Policies
Proctored Examinations
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.
Course Discussions
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.
Technology Requirements
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Programs: Technical Requirements
Course Length
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.
- Courses in the SPHP program are equivalent to one-semester courses designed to be completed in 16 weeks
- Enrollment in the course begins the day your section opens which is listed in the Academic Calendar found on the Student Success Portal.
- Course start and end dates are in respect to Eastern Time.
Withdrawal and Refund Policies
Please visit the enrollment page to review the withdrawal and refund policies.
Grade Policy
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..
Transcripts
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:
- Log into uonline at http://uonline.une.edu
- Select Student Services
- Select Student Records
- Select Academic Transcript
To request your official UNE student transcript:
Please review your Unofficial Transcript prior to requesting an Official Transcript.
- Log into uonline at http://uonline.une.edu
- Select Student Services
- Select Student Records
- Select Request Printed/Official Transcript
- Follow the prompts
After you click Submit Request, your official transcript will be put into the queue to be printed in the Registrar's Office.
Academic Integrity
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:
- Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
- Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
- Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
- Multiple submission of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
- Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.
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.