This course will introduce and explore basic concepts and theories of cell biology with an emphasis on its application in understanding human health. Topics include an introduction to cell theory, the chemical composition of cells, cellular functions and cell signaling, reproduction, and genetics. Each of these topics will be explored through course readings, video lectures, and demonstrations, discussions, and a variety of experiential activities, including a course project. Students will demonstrate their mastery of cell biology concepts through quizzes and a cumulative final exam. Students will also have the opportunity to apply the concepts learned in this course to evaluate a human disease.
In lecture courses, students should be able to:
In lab courses, students should 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.
There will be a total of thirteen application activities in the course. The intent to the Application Activities each week is for them to serve as learning activities that will support your recall, application, and mastery of key cell biology concepts. You can and should research using additional reliable and credible resources (i.e. UNE Library, PubMed, Google Scholar, etc.) to support and supplement the required readings. [This would be done in real-life in a professional health setting to aid in diagnoses and treatment.] Responses to Application Activity questions/scenarios should thoroughly address the questions(s) being asked. Each application activity is worth 10 points, and these activities count towards 10% of the final grade in the course.
There will be a total of five discussion activities in the course. The first discussion board is an ungraded introductory discussion. The other four discussion assignments are graded, and they are designed to encourage students to reflect on course readings and activities and to collaborate with their peers in the course. Each discussion assignment is worth 10 points, and these activities count towards 15% of the final grade in the course.
There are 14 quizzes in this course. You will have 15 minutes (and only one attempt) to complete each of the quizzes. You may refer to your course e-text(s) and any additional notes that you have taken during the week (physical or e-notes) while completing each quiz. Each quiz is worth 10 points, and these activities count towards 25% of the final grade in the course.
The Disease Mystery Digital Story Project is a multi-week project that students will begin in Week 6 and conclude in Week 15 of the course. The project consists of 5 deliverables. Students will be given specific prompts and instructions for each deliverable of the project. The project is worth 100 points and counts towards 15% of your final grade in the course.
Note: All work must be completed before taking the final.
A final exam, which will be proctored, will take place in Brightspace at week sixteen. This exam will be comprehensive and cover all content introduced in the course. Students will have 90 minutes to answer 60 multiple choice exam items. A final exam study guide will be made available in Week 15 to help students prepare for the final exam. The exam is worth 100 points and counts towards 35% of the final grade in the course.
This Final Exam must be taken though ProctorU. See UNE’s ProctorU page for information about signing up and scheduling your exam. The official UNE webcam is required.
Proctored exams are closed for review. You will not be able to review them at any time. Please contact your instructor for specific feedback.
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Assignment Category | Assignment Category |
Application Activities | 10% |
Discussions | 15% |
Quizzes | 25% |
Project | 15% |
Final Exam | 35% |
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 |
Week |
Topic |
Readings/Resources |
Assignments |
1 |
Introduction to Cells |
Main Text – Sections from Chapter 3: Cell Structure |
|
2 |
Eukaryotic Cells |
Main Text – Sections from Chapter 3: Cell Structure |
|
3 |
Cells in the Human Body |
Main Text – Section from Chapter 3: Cell Structure and Chapter 6: Tissue Level of Organization |
|
4 |
Chemical Composition of Cells |
Main Text – Chapter 2: The Chemical Foundation of Life |
|
5 |
Cell Transport |
Main Text – Chapter 4: Structure and Function of Cell |
|
6 |
Cell Communication |
Supplemental Text – Chapter 9: Cell Communication |
|
7 |
Enzymes |
Main Text – Section 5.1: Energy and Metabolism from Chapter 5: How Cells Obtain Energy |
|
8 |
Cellular Respiration and Fermentation |
Main Text – Chapter 5: How Cells Obtain Energy |
|
9 |
Cell Cycle and Cell Division |
Main Text – Chapter 7: Cell Reproduction |
|
10 |
Sexual Reproduction |
Main Text – Chapter 7: Cell Reproduction |
|
11 |
Heredity |
Main Text – Chapter 8: Mendel’s Experiments and Heredity and Chapter 9: Modern Understandings of Inheritance |
|
12 |
DNA Structure and Replication |
Main Text – Chapter 10: Molecular Biology |
|
13 |
Gene Expression |
Main Text – Chapter 10: Molecular Biology and all of Chapter 11: Gene Expression |
|
14 |
Biotechnology |
Main Text – Chapter 12: Biotechnology |
|
15 |
Cell Biology Health Issues |
Final Exam Study Guide |
|
16 |
Final Exam |
Final Exam Study Guide |
|
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
Check Brightspace for specific instructor and support specialist contact information.
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.
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 any required additional software. 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 website, 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. Please contact your instructor for specific feedback.
Discussion topics cover 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 discussion topic may require you to conduct internet research, read additional materials, visit a specific webpage, AND/OR view a short video before writing a response following the specific guidelines in the discussion topic prompt.
To earn full credit you will need to post a response to the discussion topic, respond to the original posts of other students, and then contribute meaningfully to an ongoing discussion. You may need to post your initial response before you will see any posts from your classmates. 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 discussion topic. 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 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.