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 the 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.
There are two required materials for this course.
1. Mastering A&P Access Code (Modified Mastering)
Note: You must register for Modified Mastering through Brightspace. We recommend that you always access your Modified Mastering course through Brightspace after that.
NOTE: the eText for this course is included in the purchase of the Mastering A&P (Modified Mastering) digital suite.
For the best experience, check the system requirements from the publisher.
2. UNE-compliant external webcam – to be used during proctored exams
As a result of participating in the learning experiences in this course, students will be able to:
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.
Before you complete your labs, please view the assigned lecture videos. The lecture videos are organized into 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 and practical activities provide hands-on learning opportunities in each topic of study.
There will be a total of 3 proctored and timed physiology unit exams, 2 timed histology practical exams which are not proctored, and a proctored and timed Final Exam.
The 3 physiology unit exams and the Final Exam are timed and must be proctored by ProctorU; see below for more information. Study guides will be provided to assist you in getting ready for the exams. These exams are closed book and closed notes. This course does not allow scratch paper or whiteboards during the proctored exams.
You must purchase the Official 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.
For all exams, you must review the Proctored Examinations information and requirements in the Policies section of this syllabus.
Throughout the course, you will participate and interact with peers in seven Discussions and five 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 answers. The Journal Club assignments are an opportunity to practice and get feedback on the type of analysis needed to complete the final lesson plans. 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 laboratory assignment 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.
In this course, there will be three topics on which you will need to create a study aid and a presentation. The portfolio submissions will include a video presentation and an educational activity (study aid) for you to master a particular topic. The video and all accompanying materials (the PowerPoint slideshow, worksheet and answer sheet, concept maps, study guides, etc.) are to be submitted for grading.
You must begin your video by showing yourself full-screen, looking directly into the camera, and clearly stating your full name while holding up a piece of paper on which your full name and the date are clearly written in bold writing. If you fail to do so, the assignment will not be graded. You will have to submit it again prior to your course end date.
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Assignments | Percent of Final Grade |
---|---|
Physiology Unit Exams | 30% (10% each) |
Histology Exams (Not Proctored) | 10% |
PhysioEx Labs | 10% |
Exercise Project and Graphing Activity | 5% |
Discussions (Journal Clubs, Case Studies, Discussion Forums) | 15% |
Physiology Final Exam | 15% |
Study Aids and Presentations | 15% (5% each) |
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 the weeks are provided for guidance, as there are no due dates other than midnight ET on the final course date.
Lectures/Videos: Homeostasis, Human Tissues
Readings: Silverthorn 8e: pp. 1-25; 73-88 (Chapters 1, 3)
Labs: Exercise Project: First Data Collection; *Histology of Human Tissues: Introduction to Histology, Epithelium (Lecture)
Discussion: Introduce yourself
Assignment Submission: Graphing Activity
Lectures/Videos: Excitable Tissues: Membrane dynamics, Resting membrane potential
Readings: Silverthorn 8e: pp.61-71; 121-160 (Chapters 3, 5)
Labs: PhysioEx: Cell Transport Mechanisms and Permeability; *Histology: Connective Tissue (Lecture)
Week 2 Discussion
Lectures/Videos: Functional anatomy, Action potentials, Cell-cell communication, Postsynaptic potentials, Autonomic nervous system, Signaling pathways
Readings: Silverthorn 8e: pp. 223-371 (Chapters 8, 10, & 11)
Labs: PhysioEx: Neurophysiology of Nerve Impulses; Exercise Project: Second Data Collection; *Histology: Nervous Tissue (Lecture)
Assignments: Sensory NS Portfolio and review questions
Week 3 Journal Club Discussion
Readings/Practice: *Study Guide for Physiology Exam; Practice Histology Exam (slideshow); Practice Physiology Exam
Physiology Exam #1 (Proctored)
Lectures/Videos: Muscle – an excitable tissue, Skeletal muscle, Smooth muscle, Cardiac muscle
Readings: Silverthorn 8e: pp. 374-410 (Chapter 12)
Labs: PhysioEx: Skeletal Muscle Physiology; *Histology: Muscle Tissue (Lecture)
Week 5 Case Study Discussion
Lectures/Topics: Heart anatomy, Electrophysiology, Regulatory Mechanisms, Peripheral circulation, Arrhythmias
Readings: Silverthorn 8e: pp. 432-472; 476-505 (Chapters 14, 15)
Labs: PhysioEx: Cardiovascular Dynamics; Cardiovascular Physiology; Histology: Circulatory system (Heart)
Week 6 Journal Club Discussion
Lectures/Topics: Functional anatomy, Mechanics of ventilation, Ventilatory control, Gas transport
Readings: Silverthorn 8e: pp. 532-558; 562-586 (Chapters 17, 18)
Labs: PhysioEx: Respiratory System Mechanics; Exercise Project: Second Data Collection; *Histology: Gas Conduction System and Alveoli (Lungs) – Lecture
Week 7 Discussion
Readings/Practice: Study Guide, Practice Physiology Exam, Practice Histology Exam
Physiology Exam #2 (Proctored)
Histology Exam #1 (Not Proctored)
Lectures/topics: Functional anatomy, Filtration, reabsorption; Fluid and electrolyte balance
Readings: Silverthorn 8e: pp. 587-615; 618-653 (Chapters 19, 20)
Labs: PhysioEx: Renal System Physiology, Histology: Kidney (lecture)
Week 9 Case Study Discussion
Lectures/Topics: Functional anatomy, Endocrine, and paracrine communication, Feedback loops
Readings: Silverthorn 8e: pp. 195-204; 728-751 (Chapters 7, 23)
Labs: PhysioEx: Endocrine System Physiology
Week 10 Case Study Discussion
Labs: PhysioEx: Chemical and Physical Processes of Digestion; Dynamic Modules (for practice)
Readings: Silverthorn 8e: pp. 654-690 (Chapter 21)
Week 11 Journal Club Discussion
Assignment Submission: Review Questions, Lesson Plan Portfolio
Readings/Practice: Study Guide, Practice Histology Exam
Physiology Exam #3 (Proctored)
Histology Exam #2 Clinical Assignment
Labs: Dynamic Modules (for practice)
Readings: Silverthorn 8e: pp. 800-835 (Chapter 26)
Week 13 Journal Club Discussion
Assignment Submission: Review Questions, Lesson Plan Portfolio
Lectures/topics: Cardiovascular response to exercise, Respiratory response to exercise, Training
Readings: Silverthorn 8e: pp. 786-797; review pp. 562-585 (Chapters 25, 18)
Labs: PhysioEx: Acid-Base Balance; Blood Analysis; Exercise Project: Third Data Collection
Week 14 Case Study Discussion
Lectures/topics: Altitude and acclimatization; Microgravity and space travel
Readings: Silverthorn 8e: pp. 617-641 (Chapter 20)
Labs: Exercise Project: Fourth Data Collection; Submit Analysis of Exercise Data
Week 15 Journal Club Discussion
Reading: 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.
Students will receive two attempts at all proctored examinations. The higher score of the two attempts will be calculated into the final grade. Students can schedule their second attempt by following the same ProctorU instructions as with the original exam.
All students are encouraged to utilize a second attempt on their exams in order to improve their overall performance in the course.
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.
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