CRN: 42277

CONTACT INFORMATION

Instructor:

First Name:                       Casey

Last Name:                        Kashner

Phone Number:                  260-481-2245

Email (Ivy Tech Email):   charris125@ivytech.edu         

Office/Campus Location:  1759 Coliseum Campus, Northeast—Fort Wayne, IN

Office Hours:                    T 12:30-3:30; R 5-6: F 11-2

Instructor’s Supervisor:

First Name:                       Theresa

Last Name:                        Bissell

Phone Number:                  260-480-4184

Email (Ivy Tech Email):   tbissell@ivytech.edu   

Office/Campus Location:  1760 Coliseum Campus, Northeast—Fort Wayne

Most technical issues can be solved with a quick phone call. If you need technical help with Campus Connect, Blackboard, or email, contact Ivy Line at 1-888-IVY-LINE (1-888-489-5463) and select option 4.

Distance Education Support:

First Name:                       Debra                    

Last Name:                        Ponsot

Phone Number:                  260-480-2082; 800-859-4882, ext. 2082

Email (Ivy Tech Email):   dponsot@ivytech.edu  

Office/Campus Location:  1335 Harshman Hall, North Campus, Northeast-Fort Wayne

COURSE OUTLINE OF RECORD

BIOL 101, INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY

COURSE TITLE: Introductory Biology

COURSE NUMBER: BIOL 101

PREREQUISITES: Demonstrated competency through appropriate assessment or earning a grade of “C” or better in ENGL 093 Introduction to College Writing and ENGL 083 Reading Strategies for College and MATH 023 Essentials of Algebra I or MATH 080 Mathematics Principles with Algebra

SCHOOL: Liberal Arts and Sciences

PROGRAM: Liberal Arts

CREDIT HOURS: 3

CONTACT HOURS: Lecture: 2 Lab: 2

DATE OF LAST REVISION: Fall, 2013

EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS REVISION: Fall, 2014

CATALOG DESCRIPTION: Introduces the basic concepts of life. Includes discussion of cellular and organismal biology, genetics, evolution, ecology, and interaction among all living organisms. Addresses applications of biology in a global community.

MAJOR COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Upon successful completion of this course the student will be expected to:

1. Apply the scientific method to problems encountered in everyday life.

2. Provide examples of the historic development of current scientific thought.

3. Demonstrate basic skills of metric measuring, data collection, data interpretation, and microscope use.

4. Interpret simulations of biological systems and relate them to concrete applications.

5. Describe plant structures and functions including reproductive biology, development, and regulation of systems.

6. Identify the internal and external structures of both the prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and define the functions of each.

7. Recognize energy pathways such as photosynthesis, respiration, and overall cellular metabolism.

8. Describe the basic processes of mitosis and meiosis and relate them to the life cycle of organisms.

9. Summarize the mechanisms of inheritance and the processes by which protein and DNA are synthesized.

10. Describe the major principles of genetics and biotechnology.

11. Understand the mechanisms of natural selection and their impact on evolution.

12. Identify major ecological concepts such as communities, energy flow and nutrient cycling, and renewable and non-renewable resources.

13. Describe the general properties and characteristics of the biological kingdoms.

14. Describe human structures and functions including reproductive biology, development, behavior, and regulation of organ systems.

15. Apply the scientific method and the knowledge gained from the course to global societal concerns.

COURSE CONTENT: Topical areas of study include –

Scientific method              Basic inorganic and organic chemistry principles

Animal biology                  Cell cycle and the mechanisms of molecular genetics

Plant biology                                 Natural selection and evolution

Biotechnology                               Cell structure and function

Genetics                            General process of energy transformation: enzyme function,

                                          photosynthesis, aerobic and anaerobic respiration

Ecology                             Phylogeny World issues and their effects on the field of biology

SUGGESTED LAB CONTENTS:

Microscopy                                   Metric system

Osmosis                            Chemistry

pH/Model building                        Cell structure

Genetics                            Environmental

Dicotomous Key                Simulation of protein synthesis

Enzyme activity                 Comparative anatomy

Plant anatomy

REQUIRED TEXT & MATERIALS

Students, you paid for the required resources for this course when you paid tuition.

The textbook is provided to you as a digital book. If you would like a physical copy of the text, you can purchase a loose-leaf black/white textbook, but a physical copy is not part of the standard resources that you purchased.

If you would prefer a physical copy of the textbook in addition to your digital book, a low-cost print version is available on the Follett bookstore website and would need to be made as an additional purchase. Please visit http://www.ivytech.bkstr.com to order an optional print version of the text.

Title: BIOLOGY:  A guide to the Natural World

Author: Krogh, David

Edition: 5th Edition

Publisher: Pearson

Technology Needs & Resources

Because this is a web-based course, it is expected that all students who enroll in the course have Internet access and a basic understanding of computer use (e.g., using e-mail, sending attachments via e-mail, using web browsers, using word processing software such as Microsoft Word).  Also, it is expected that all students will regularly check their Ivy Tech e-mail accounts (located in Campus Connect) and/or Blackboard messages as indicated below.  Within 48 hours is recommended.  This is the PRIMARY method that the college will utilize to contact students.

Visit the Distance Learning Website (http://www.ivytech.edu/online/) for more information related to technology requirements for online courses. Check with the nearest campus bookstore for educational pricing if additional software is required for this course. 

Most technical issues can be solved with a quick phone call. If you need technical help with Campus Connect, Blackboard, or email, contact Ivy Line at 1-888-IVY-LINE (1-888-489-5463) and select option 4.

COLLEGE POLICIES

Academic Honesty Statement

The College is committed to academic integrity in all its practices.  The faculty value intellectual integrity and a high standard of academic conduct.  Activities that violate academic integrity undermine the quality and diminish the value of educational achievement.

Cheating on papers, tests, or other academic works is a violation of College rules.  No student shall engage in behavior that, in the judgment of the instructor of the class, may be construed as cheating.  This may include, but is not limited to, plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty such as the acquisition without permission of tests or other academic materials and/or distribution of these materials and other academic work.  This includes students who aid and abet as well as those who attempt such behavior.

• Cheating: Unauthorized use of notes or study aids or acquiring information from another student’s papers during an examination; obtaining a copy of an examination or questions from an exam prior to taking the exam; altering graded work with the intent to deceive another person into doing one’s work and then submitting it as one’s own; allowing another student to take an examination in one’s name; or submitting identical or similar papers for credit in more than one course without obtaining prior permission from the instructors of all the courses involved.

• Aiding Cheating or Other Acts of Academic Dishonesty: Providing material or information to another student with the knowledge that this material or information will be used to deceive faculty in an effort to acquire higher grades.

• Plagiarism: Presenting within one’s own work the ideas, representations or words of another person without customary and proper acknowledgment of that person’s authorship. Students who are unsure of what constitutes plagiarism should consult with their instructors. Claims of ignorance will not necessarily excuse the offense.

• Data Misrepresentation: Fabricating data; deliberately presenting in an assignment data that were not gathered in accordance with assigned guidelines or are deliberately fabricated; or providing an inaccurate account of the method by which the data were gathered and generated.

• Falsification of Academic Records or Documents: Falsification of academic records or documents includes but is not limited to altering documents affecting academic records; forging signatures; or falsifying information on an official academic document such as a grade report, ID card, library card or other official College letter or communication.

• Unauthorized Access to Computerized Academic or Administrative Records or Systems: Unauthorized access to computerized academic or administrative records or systems means viewing or altering the College’s computer records without authorization; copying or modifying the College’s computer programs or systems without authorization; releasing or dispensing information gained through unauthorized access; or interfering with the use or availability of computer systems or information. Also, when college-sponsored activities are held at locations owned or managed by other institutions or organizations, the unauthorized use, viewing, copying or altering of those institutions’ computer records, systems or program would similarly constitute a violation of academic integrity.

Copyright Statement

Students shall adhere to the laws governing the use of copyrighted materials. They must insure that their activities comply with fair use and in no way infringe on the copyright or other proprietary rights of others and that the materials used and developed at Ivy Tech Community College contain nothing unlawful, unethical, or libelous and do not constitute any violation of any right of privacy.

ADA Statement

Ivy Tech Community College seeks to provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with documented disabilities. If you need an accommodation because of a documented disability, please contact the Office of Disability Support Services.

COURSE POLICIES & PROCEDURES

Due Dates & Deadlines

The Syllabus and Course Calendar are two important tools to help students understand the course, student and instructor expectations, and deadlines. Both documents can be found under the “Start Here” button in the course within Blackboard.

Students are required to submit work on time for a chance to receive credit. Deadlines for each week/assignment are summarized on the course calendar. Students should check the calendar frequently for deadlines and to be aware of what to expect next. Deadlines are subject to change. 

Students are responsible for timely assignment submission. Should a computer system or network go down, students must still turn in work in a timely manner. Don’t wait until the last minute. Plan ahead by seeking alternative means for submitting work before needed. Local libraries and all Ivy Tech Community College campuses can serve as alternative resources. Contact the closest/most convenient campus or other public lab for schedules and Internet availability. Not having access to the required software on a home or work computer is not a legitimate excuse for turning in homework late.

Attendance Policy – Don’t Get Dropped from Class!

While it is important to be timely and on-schedule throughout any course, students need to be aware of an important college policy. Ivy Tech performs administrative drops for students who do not “attend” class early in the semester. Attendance in an online course is determined by whether a student has submitted work or not. Assignments may actually be due on another day (see course calendar), but students need to turn in something worth points before the NW deadline in order to avoid being dropped for non-attendance.

To avoid being dropped for non-attendance, students must submit some assignment from the course calendar no later than September 8, 2014; 11:59 pm - Eastern Standard Time.

Am I Required to Come to a Campus for this Class?

Yes, students are required to go to a convenient Ivy Tech campus or other acceptable testing site to take supervised (proctored) exams.  See the section on ‘Assignments & Grading’ for more information.

Instructional Method

This is an online distance-learning course. Each week’s assignments and readings are summarized on the Course Calendar, accessed from the “Syllabus” menu button in Blackboard. It takes a great deal of discipline, self-motivation and effective time management skills to successfully complete an online course. Many students find it helpful to set aside specific times each week to work on course assignments.

Laboratory Statement

Students participating in this program are responsible for reading all instructions and all warnings related to safety precautions that must be taken in conjunction with the at-home science experiments.  Ivy Tech Community College will not be responsible for any damages or injuries to persons or property caused by or arising out of the student’s participation in this program.” 

Grades

All grades will be maintained in Blackboard’s online grade book. Students are responsible to track their progress by referring to the online grade book. Students can generally expect to receive grades and feedback within seven days of the assignment due date. If exceptions occur, the instructor may notify students of changes to this expectation.

Make-Up Policy

“Late assignments will be assigned a grade of “0” unless a student has received prior approval from the professor. If a student has a problem or scheduling conflict that prevents the student from submitting an assignment on time, the student should contact the professor immediately. The professor will determine if the seriousness of the problem warrants an extension on the assignment. Unless absolutely unavoidable, students need to contact their instructor before missing the deadline – not after. Instructors have the right to decline accepting work for any credit after a deadline passes with a few specific exceptions, including but not limited to: 

• If there is an outage of the Blackboard system that is verified by central system administrators, instructors will provide an extension for students to submit work at no penalty.
• If the student has documentation of serious illness or death of a family member, instructors will work with the student to determine an alternate deadline.

Last Day to Withdraw

If a student wishes to withdraw from this course, students are responsible for completing an official withdrawal form with the registrar. Your local registrar contact information can be looked up using the link in the HELP button in your course in Blackboard. The last day to withdraw from this course is November 15, 2014.

Right of Revision

The college reserves the right to change any statements, policies or scheduling as necessary. Students will be informed promptly of any and all changes.

COURSE COMMUNICATION

Instructor Commitment 

Ivy Tech Community College instructors are committed to responding to students within 36 hours, not including weekends. If a student sends communication, but does not receive a response, they should double-check that the correct communication method was used and that the correct location is being checked for a reply. Students can contact their local Online Technologies Support with questions (http://ivytech.edu/online/contacts.html).

NOTE: Messages are very different from Email. Students should carefully review the information below to ensure they are sending and receiving course communication properly.

Email: all students must use the email function of the course for course-related communications. Students can send email from within the course in Blackboard, but will not receive responses inside the course. All emails are received in the Campus Connect email system. Students can also use the Campus Connect email system to send email.

To access email from within the course:

1. Log into Blackboard & enter the course.
2. Click on ‘Communication & Tools’, then send email.
3. Please DO NOT use the MESSAGES feature inside Communication & Tools. 
4. Select “All Instructor Users” to email the instructor. 
5. To send an email to another member of the class, choose Select Users and choose the name(s) from the list. Use the right-facing arrow to move the person into the “recipient” box.

To access Campus Connect, go to:   http://cc.ivytech.edu.  

Online Communication Etiquette: Students are expected to uphold their responsibilities in terms of appropriate and professional communication with faculty and peers. Please review the ‘Students Rights and Responsibilities’ section of the student handbook and review common netiquette (Internet etiquette) practices, like those found at: http://www.albion.com/netiquette/.

ASSIGNMENTS & GRADING

You will be evaluated based on your scores earned in the following 6 kinds of activities.

Session Interactive Learning Exercise:  Each week there will be an exercise worth 15 points. There will be 15 total exercises and the lowest 2 exercise grades will be dropped, for a total of 13 exercises. Each exercise will consist of a number of activities.  The exercises can include: coaching activities, graphing activities, video related activities, current events (both news articles and videos), and video field trips.  These exercises will cover the content related to your assigned reading sections. There is no time limit on the session interactive learning exercises.

Session Quiz:  Each week there will be a quiz worth 15 points. There will be 15 total quizzes and the lowest 2 quiz grades will be dropped, for a total of 13 quizzes. Each quiz will consist of multiple choice, matching, and true false questions.  These quizzes will cover the content from your assigned reading sections. There will be a 30 min. time limit on the quizzes.

Laboratory Assessment:  On some weeks there will be a laboratory exercise.  These exercises will take a number of forms.  These assessments associated with the labs are worth 60 points each. There will be 11 total laboratory assessments, and the lowest laboratory assessment grade will be dropped.  The question types on your laboratory assessments will vary.  There is no time limit on laboratory quizzes. 

Discussion Boards: Each week there will be a topic posted on the Discussion Board.  There will be 15 total discussion board postings, and your lowest 2 post grades will be dropped. Each week’s discussion board is worth 15 points.  It is your responsibility to read the DB posting and respond to the question sometime during the week.  You are required to make three postings or comments.  Your first posting should be a direct answer to the question.  A simple “yes” or “no” statement is not acceptable.  Your comment should be relevant to the question and give reasons for your answer.  Your second and third postings should be responses to two of your classmates.  You might agree or disagree with someone.  Tell us why – give us logical reasons.  This exercise is supposed to engender critical thinking on your part.  Remember that this is a science class, and science is based on evidence, not just opinions.  Please go back and read your comments before hitting the “Submit” button.  Check for spelling and grammar.  And, please be courteous in your remarks.  We do not tolerate verbal attacks or impolite language.   

Tests:  There will be 4 tests given during the semester.  Each test will cover ~25% of the course material from the previous 3 or 4 sessions.  Tests will primarily cover lecture (book) content.  The final will consist of multiple choice, matching, and true false questions.  You may use any notes and your text book on the test.    You will take tests 1, 3, and 4 on your own computer. Test 2 will be taken at your proctor location.  Each test will have 50 questions worth 3 points each.  There is a 60 min. (One hour) time limit on the test.

Final Examination:  There will be one final examination at the end of the semester worth 410 points.  This final examination will be cumulative.  The final exam will cover each session equally.  The final examination will primarily cover lecture (book) material.  The final will consist of multiple choice, matching, and true false questions. You may use any notes and your text book on the test. The final exam will have approximately 102 questions each worth 4 points.  There is a 2 hour time limit on the final.  The final exam will be taken at your proctor location.

Proctoring Information

Proctored exams are supervised exams. Every Ivy Tech campus has a testing center where students can take proctored exams. It is the student’s responsibility to follow the proctoring procedures at a convenient campus, to arrange for the services of the qualified proctor provided by the campus, and to provide that information to the instructor of the course.

If the proctoring center at that campus does not own and cannot provide the software or special tools required by the assessment, the student is responsible for locating a proctoring center with the required software/tools. As well, if a student does not live near or cannot conveniently get to an Ivy Tech campus, they should contact the instructor early in the semester to discuss options.

A link to approved Ivy Tech exam sites may be found on the front page of Blackboard, under the “Hot Links” box.

How is my grade calculated?