BSC 2005 – Biological Sciences for Non-Majors (online) · 2020-02-11 · BSC 2005 – Biological Sciences for Non-Majors Spring 2018 4 are brought to the attention of the instructor

BSC 2005 – Biological Sciences for Non-Majors (online) UF Sections 0087, 0098, 1B49, 1B50, 1B51, 1B52, 1B86, 1C00, 1C05, 1C13, 1C21,

1C22, 14DD, 14DF, 14D2, 14EF, 14EG, 14EH, 14E0, 14FG, 25A2, 279D UFO Sections 009E, 11GB, 1432, 1434

Syllabus for Spring 2018

I. CourseDescription

Thiscourseaddressescoreconceptsinbiology,includingtheCell,Genetics,Evolution,Biodiversity,Ecology,andConservation/Sustainability.Fornon-majors.3credits.

II. CourseMeetings

Firstdayofclasses:Monday08January2018Lastdayofclasses:Saturday05May2018FinalExam:NoneThiscourseisentirelyonline,withweeklydeadlinesbutnofixedmeetingtimes.Studentsmayworkoncoursematerialattheirownpacefromanylocationwithareliableinternetconnection,aslongasitiscompletedbythedeadline.AlldeadlinesareUSEasterntime.

III. Instructors

CourseInstructor:Dr.NicoleGerlachDepartmentofBiology Office:520CarrHallE-mail:[email protected]

TeachingAssistants:Ms.PaulineFontaineSections:1C13,1C22DepartmentofBiologyE-mail:[email protected]

Mr.MrinalMishraSections:14E0,14EF,14FG,279D,and1C05lastnamesCDepartmentofBiologyE-mail:[email protected]

Ms.JaviRudolphSections:1432,14D2,1B86,1C00,and1B51lastnamesA-FDepartmentofBiologyE-mail:[email protected]

Ms.AlexGulickSections:009E,and1C05lastnamesD-ZDepartmentofBiologyE-mail:[email protected]

Mr.JohnParkSections:1B50,1C21DepartmentofBiologyE-mail:[email protected]

Mr.ShengchenShanSections:009B,14DD,1B52,25A2,and1B51lastnamesS-ZDepartmentofBiologyE-mail:[email protected]

Ms.LindsayJohnsonSections:14EG,14EH,1B49,and1B51lastnamesG-RDepartmentofBiologyE-mail:[email protected]

Ms.TaniaPinedaEnriquezSections:0087,11GB,14DF,and1C05lastnamesA-BDepartmentofBiologyE-mail:[email protected]

Allofficehoursarebyappointmentonly.

BSC2005–BiologicalSciencesforNon-Majors Spring2018

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IV. CourseCommunications

A. CourseWebsite:http://lss.at.ufl.eduorhttps://ufl.instructure.com/courses/347746

B. ContactingYourInstructors:Ifyouhaveaquestionaboutcoursemechanicsorcoursematerialthat

cannotbeansweredfromthesyllabus,courseannouncements,orthecourseFAQ,pleasepostittothe

DiscussionBoardsonCanvas(seesectionVIII.“GettingHelp”,below).Ifyouhaveaquestioninvolvinga

personal/grade-relatedissue,pleasee-mailyourTAorDr.Gerlach,asappropriate.Alle-mail

correspondencemustoriginatefromyour@ufl.eduaccountortheCanvasInboxsystem,haveyourfull

nameinthebodyofthee-mail,andcontain“BSC2005”inthesubjectline.E-mailsnotmeetingthese

requirementsmaynotberecognizedbyoure-mailfilters,andthusmaynotbeanswered.Barringunusual

circumstances,expectareplywithin24hoursduringtheweek,and48hoursovertheweekend.E-mails

andDiscussionBoardpostsaretypicallycheckedatleastonceperday,butsometimesnotmorethan

that.

C. CommunicationsFromYourInstructors:Eachstudentissolelyresponsibleforreadingandfollowingtheinstructions,guidelinesandschedulesinthissyllabusandonthecoursewebpageandincourse

announcements.Nothavingreadtheinformationinthissyllabus,onthewebpage,orincourse

announcementswillnotconstituteanexcuseformissingdeadlines,assignments,orotherassessments.

PleasesetyourpreferencesinCanvassothatyoureceivetimelynotificationsofcourseannouncements

andotherinformation.

V. CourseResources

A. TextbookBiologyforaChangingWorld,2ebyShuster,Vigna,Tontonoz,andSinha.SinauerAssociatesandW.H.Freeman(publisher),2014.

TherearecurrentversionsofthetextbookonreserveattheMarstonScience

Library.VisittheReserveMaterialsareatocheckoutthesecopies.

Aphysicalcopyofthetextbookisnotrequiredforthecourse,butis

optionallyavailableintheUFBookstore.TherequiredLaunchPadaccess(see

below)includesanelectroniccopyofthetextbook.

B. LaunchPadOnlineResourcesLaunchPadisanonlineassignmentsandtutorialsystemfromthetextbook

publisherthatincludesanelectronicversionofthetextbook.LaunchPadwill

beusedforrequiredreadings,interactiveactivities,andquizzes.AccesstoLaunchPadisrequiredfor

BSC2005.

LaunchPadwillbeofferedatthelowestcostoptionthroughUFAllAccess.UFAllAccessallowsstudents

thechoiceto“opt-in”foralimitedtime(priorto9/8/2017)toreceiveaccesstoLaunchpadforareduced

priceandpayforthesematerialsthroughtheirstudentaccount.Studentswhodonotchoosethisoption

willbeabletopurchasetheaccesscodethroughtheUFBookstore,ordirectlyfromtheLaunchPadsite.

Alloptionsprovideaccesstothesamematerials.

ToaccessLaunchPadviaUFAllAccess:

1.Clickonthefollowinglinkhttps://www.bsd.ufl.edu/G1CO/IPay1f/start.aspx?TASK=INCLUDED.This

promptsyoutologinwithyourGatorLinkaccount.

2.StudentsareshownalistofclassesinwhichtheyareenrolledthatareparticipatinginUFAllAccess,

withtheprices.

3.StudentsshouldclicktheOpt-incheckboxnexttotheclass(es)towhichtheyaretryingtogetaccess.

4.Studentsthenneedtoclickthebuttonbelowtoauthorizethecharges.


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5.ClicktheOpt-Inbuttonnexttothe“AmounttoCharge”onceyouhavereviewedyourcourseselections.

6.Theaccesscodeisnowdisplayed****Note:copythiscodetobeusedwhenregisteringinCanvas.

Forhelpwiththissystem,difficultiesfindingyouraccesscode,orissueswithaninvalidaccesscode,

[email protected].

IfyouarewaitingonfinancialaiddisbursementandchoosenottousetheUFAllAccessprogram,youcan

registerfortemporaryLaunchPadaccess,butyouwillhavetopurchaseaccessoncethetemporaryaccess

expires.

InstructionsoncorrectlyregisteringforLaunchPadwillbeavailableontheCanvascoursesiteoncethe

semesterhasstarted.PleasewaitfortheseinstructionsbeforeregisteringforLaunchPad;incorrectregistrationonLaunchPadmayresultinreceivingzeropointsforallLaunchPadassignments.

ForhelpwithLaunchPad,contactLaunchPadTechnicalSupport:(800)936-6899(phone)orviatheirwebformathttp://support.bfwpub.com/supportform/form.php?View=contact.

C. CourseWebsite(Canvas)Allclassmaterial-includingthesyllabus,lectures,assignments,discussions,quizzes,andgradebook–that

isnotpartoftheLaunchPadsystemwillbepostedonthecourseCanvaswebsite

(https://ufl.instructure.com).ForhelpwithCanvas,calltheUFComputingHelpDeskat352-392-4357,or

visitthee-Learningsupportwebsite:http://help.instructure.com/.

D. CourseFeeForUFstudents,thecoursefeeis$105.ForUFOstudents,thisfeeisincludedintuition.

E. AdditionalCourseSuppliesSomeactivitieswillrequirestudentstoacquireadditionalinexpensivematerialsfor“kitchen

experiments”.Theseinclude:raisins,salt,rubbingalcohol,acoffeefilter,someutensils,andsomedry

particulatefood(likebeansoruncookedmacaroni)orhouseholditems(likepaperclips).

VI. CoursePolicies

A. TimeCommitmentTheUFCollegeofLiberalArtsandSciencesassumesthateachstudentwilldevoteonaverage3-4hours

perweekpercredit-hourtoeachcourseduringtheregularsemester.BecauseBSC2005is3credits,each

studentshouldthereforeexpecttodevoteanaverageof9-12hoursperweektothiscourseina15-weeksemester.Duringtheaccelerated12-weeksummersession,studentsshouldexpecttodevoteanaverage

of11-15hoursperweektothiscourse.Thistimewillnotnecessarilybeevenlydistributed;someweeks

willhaveheavierworkloadsthanothers.

B. AttendanceStudentsareexpectedtocompleteallassignedwork(quizzes,interactive,discussions,activitiesetc.)bytheduedate.Unavoidablecircumstances(e.g.hospitalizationorfamilyemergencies)thatpreventyou

fromcompletingyourworkinatimelymannerrequireyoutoobtainaletterfromamedicalprofessional

ortheDeanofStudentsoffice(https://www.dso.ufl.edu/home/contact-us)thatspecifiesthetimeperiod

forwhichyouareexcusedfromclasswork,andsubmitittoyourinstructorsassoonaspossible.

Otherwise,manageyourtimewiselyandworkaheadwhenyouneedto.Excusessuchas“wedidn’tget

backfrom(activity)whenplannedandIdidn’thavetime”or“mycomputercrashedhalfanhourbefore

thedeadlineandtechsupportwasn’topen”willNOTbeacceptedasexcusesformisseddeadlines.

C. ComputingRequirementsItistheresponsibilityofthestudenttomaintainafunctioningcomputingsystemandinternetconnection.

Computing/internetconnectivityissueswillNOTbeacceptableexcusesformisseddeadlinesunlessthey


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arebroughttotheattentionoftheinstructoratleast24hourspriortothedeadlineandaccompaniedby

theticketnumberfromtechnicalsupport.SeesectionVIIIforTechnicalSupportcontactinformation.

MicrosoftOfficeprogramsarerequiredformanyoftheassignments;thesecanbeaccessedbycurrentUF

andUFOstudentsthroughGatorCloud:http://www.it.ufl.edu/gatorcloud/.Submissionsmustbemade

eitherinanMSOfficeformat(.docor.docx,.ppt,etc.)orinagenerallyreadablefileformat(.pdf,.jpg,

.txt,etc.);proprietaryfileformatssuchasPages,Keynote,etc.cannotbeopenedandwillnotcountasan

on-timesubmission.

D. LateWorkLateworkwillbeacceptedinCanvasupto1weekpasttheduedate.Worksubmittedupto3dayslate

willreceivea50%deduction.Worksubmittedupto1weeklatewillreceivea75%deduction.After1

weekyouwillreceiveazero.LaunchPadactivitiesautomaticallycloseatthedeadlineandcannotbe

submittedlatewithoutanexcusedextensionfromtheDeanofStudents(seeVI.Babove)oratechnical

supporttroubleticketdocumentingissueswithLaunchPadforatleast24hourspriortothedeadline(see

VI.Cabove).

Notethatthelastduedateofthesemesteristhelastdayonwhichworkcanbesubmittedforcredit;nolateworkwillbeacceptedforthelastmodule.

E. AssignmentSubmissionsandResubmissionsQuizzeswithinbothCanvasandLaunchPadaregradedonthefirstattempt;pleasedonotstartthese

quizzesuntilyouarereadytocompletethem.

Itiseachstudent’sresponsibilitytoensurethattheirworkissubmittedpriortothedeadline.Please

double-checkyourfilesubmissionstomakesuretheyhavecompletedsuccessfully.Errorswiththe

submissionprocesswillnotbegroundsfordeadlineextensionsunlesstheyoccuratleast24hourspriorto

thedeadlineandareaccompaniedbyaUFHelpDeskticketnumber(see“ComputingRequirements,”

above.Pleasealsodouble-checkthatyouhavesubmittedthecorrectfile;submittinganincompleteor

incorrectfilewillresultinazero.ForassignmentswithinCanvasthatrequireafileupload,thesemaybe

resubmittedmultipletimes;wewillonlyconsiderthemostrecentsubmission.However,oncea

submissionhasbeengraded,evenifitispriortothedeadline,nofurthersubmissionswillbeconsidered.

F. ClassroomBehaviorPleasebehavewithcourtesytowardsyourfellowstudentsandtheinstructors.Thisisparticularly

importantindiscussionboardswhereyouarevoicingopinionsandcommentingonthoseofother

individuals.Studentswhopersistinbeingrudeordisrespectfulwillbeblockedfromfutureparticipation

(withcorrespondinglossofpoints).

G. OfficeHoursOfficehoursforthiscoursearebyappointmentonly,andmaybeconductedviaSkypeorasimilarservice.

Wearealwayshappytomakeappointmentstomeetwithstudents,butduetounpredictableschedules,

wecannotmeetwithstudentsonadropinbasis.

H. GrammarCorrectgrammar,punctuation,spelling,capitalizationandparagraphingshouldbeusedinanycollege

levelsubmission,includingthediscussionboards.(USHLDNTUSTXTSPEAKLKEIDKORBFFTHXALSO

DNTUSECAPS.Ugh.)Wewilltakenoteofspellingandgrammarinallsubmissionsandwewillgrade

accordingly,evenifitisnotexplicitlyincludedontherubric.Ifyouneedhelpwithanyaspectofyour

writing,pleasevisittheUFWritingStudioathttp://writing.ufl.edu/writing-studio/.

I. CourseMaterialsAllmaterialsforthiscourse,includingbutnotlimitedtolectures,quizzes,andworksheets,arethe

intellectualpropertyoftheprofessor,TAs,ortextbookpublisher,andareprovidedsolelyforthepersonal

useofthecurrentlyenrolledstudents.Thesematerialsmaynotbedistributedtootherstudentsor

repositorieswithoutexpresswrittenpermission,evenaftertheconclusionofthecourseattheendofthe

semester.DoingsowillbeconsideredaviolationoftheUFHonorCode(seebelow).


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VII. UFPolicies

A. AcademicHonestyAllstudentsregisteredattheUniversityofFloridahaveagreedtocomplywiththefollowingstatement:

“IunderstandthattheUniversityofFloridaexpectsitsstudentstobehonestinalltheiracademicwork.IagreetoadheretothiscommitmenttoacademichonestyandunderstandthatmyfailuretocomplywiththiscommitmentmayresultindisciplinaryactionuptoandincludingexpulsionfromtheUniversity.”

Inaddition,onallworksubmittedforcreditthefollowingpledgeiseitherrequiredorimplied:

“OnmyhonorIhaveneithergivennorreceivedunauthorizedaidindoingthisassignment.”

MoredetailscanbefoundintheUFHonorCodeathttps://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/process/student-

conduct-honor-code/.AcademicdishonestyorotherHonorCodeviolationswillnotbetolerated,andwill

resultin–atminimum–thelossofafulllettergradeinthecourse,azeroontheassignmentinquestion,

andadditionalsanctionsasappropriate,uptoandincludingafailinggradeintheclass.Inthiscourse,

academicdishonestyincludes(butisnotlimitedto)collaboratingwithotherstudentsoncourse

assignments,copyingtheworkofotherstudentsinwholeorinpart,allowingotherstudentstocopyyour

workorotherwisesharingcompletedassignments,discussingquizquestionsoranswerswithother

students,givingotherstudentsthepasswordforlockedquizzes,andplagiarism,includinginsufficient

paraphrasing.Pleasereviewhowtodefineplagiarismandhowtoavoidit:

http://cms.uflib.ufl.edu/games/gap/gameoverview

AllcoursesubmissionsarerunthroughTurnItIn’santi-plagiarismsoftware,whichgiveseachsubmissiona

similarityscore,dependingonthedegreetowhichitmatchesthesourcesinTurnItIn’sdatabase,which

includewebsites,journalarticles,andotherstudentsubmissions.StudentscanviewtheirownTurnItIn

scoreandsimilarityreportonasubmission,generallywithinafewminutesofsubmission.Submissions

withahighTurnItInscoreshouldberevisedtobetterputconceptsintoyourownwords,andungraded

assignmentsmayberesubmittedwithoutpenaltypriortothedeadline(seesectionVI.Eabove).

Ifyouhaveknowledgeofanyinstancesofacademicdishonestyinthisclass,pleasenotifytheinstructoror

contacttheStudentHonorCourt(392-1631)orCheatingHotline(392-6999).Foradditionalinformation

onAcademicHonesty,pleaserefertotheUniversityofFloridaStudentHonorCodeat:

https://sccr.dso.ufl.edu/students/student-conduct-code/

B. AccommodationsforStudentsWithDisabilitiesStudentswhowillrequireaclassroomaccommodationforadisabilitymustcontacttheDeanofStudents

OfficeofDisabilityResources,inPeabody202(phone:352-392-1261).PleaseseetheUniversityofFlorida

DisabilityResourceswebsiteformoreinformationat:http://www.dso.ufl.edu/drc/.Whenpossible,the

studentshouldprovidedocumentationofarequirementforaccommodationtoDr.Gerlachbythesecond

weekofclasses.Noaccommodationsareavailabletostudentswholackthisdocumentation,and

accommodationsarenotretroactive.ItisthepolicyoftheUniversityofFloridathatthestudent,notthe

instructor,isresponsibleforarrangingaccommodationswhenneeded,andinstructorscannotprovide

accommodationsbeyondthoselistedonastudent’sdocumentation.Oncenotificationiscomplete,the

DeanofStudentsOfficeofDisabilityResourceswillworkwiththeinstructortoaccommodatethestudent.

C. Drop/Add/WithdrawalAstudentcandrop/addduringthedrop/addperiodwithnopenalty.Afterdrop/add,astudentwhodrops

willreceiveaWuntilthedatelistedintheacademiccalendar.Afterthatdate,thestudentmaybe

assignedan“E”(fail).Note:itistheresponsibilityoftheSTUDENTtowithdrawfromacourse,notthe

instructor.Failuretoparticipate/completetheclassdoesNOTconstituteadrop.


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D. CourseEvaluationsAnonymouscourseevaluationswillbeopenviaUF’sonlineevaluationssystem

(https://evaluations.ufl.edu)neartheendofthesemester;youwillreceivee-mailnotificationsofwhen

theevaluationsopen.Wedotakestudentfeedbackintoaccountwhenplanningfuturesemesters;please

letyourinstructorsknowifthereareparticularmodulesand/oractivitiesthatyoufoundhelpfulortopics

thatyouwouldhavelikedtocoverinmoredepth,aswellasanythatyoufoundlessuseful.

VIII. GettingHelp

A. ComputingProblemsForissueswithtechnicaldifficultiesinCanvas,orwithgeneralcomputingquestions,pleasecontacttheUF

HelpDeskat:

• (352)392-HELP

• https://lss.at.ufl.edu/help.shtml

ForissueswithLaunchPad,pleasecontactLaunchPadtechnicalsupportat:

• (800)936-6899

• http://support.bfwpub.com/supportform/form.php?View=contact

B. UniversitySupportServicesCollegecanbeaverystressfultimeinaperson’slife.Resourcesareavailableoncampustohelpstudents

meetacademicgoalsandsolvepersonalproblemsthatmayinterferewiththeiracademicperformance.If

youfindthatyouarehavingdifficultyemotionallyoracademically,thereissubstantialsupportavailable.

See“ASelfHelpGuideforStudents”orcontactonofthefollowingservices:

1. UFCounselingandWellnessCenter,RadioRdFacility,392-1575

2. DeanofStudentsOffice,202PeabodyHall,392-1261

3. CareerResourceCenter,ReitzUnion,392-1601

4. CLASAcademicAdvisingCenter,FarriorHall,100FletcherDrive,392-1521

5. UFFieldandForkPantry,564NewellDr.,294-3601

Anystudentwhohasdifficultyaffordinggroceriesoraccessingsufficientfoodtoeateveryday,orwho

lacksasafeandstableplacetolive,andbelievesthismayaffecttheirperformanceinthecourse,isurged

tocontacttheDeanofStudents(202PeabodyHall,392-1261)forsupport.Furthermore,pleasenotify

yourinstructor(s)ifyouarecomfortableindoingso.Thiswillenableustoprovideanyresourcesthatwe

maypossess.

C. OtherQuestionsIfyouhavenon-tech-supportquestionsaboutotheraspectsofthecourse,checkthefollowingsources

firsttoseeifitisalreadyanswered,beforee-mailingyourinstructors:

o CourseSyllabus

o StartHere/AboutCanvas/AboutLaunchPad/AboutModulespages

o CourseAnnouncements(thisistheprimarymeansthatyourinstructorhastocommunicatewith

youinatimelymanner)

o CourseFAQorModule-specificQuestionsDiscussionBoards

Ifyoustillcannotfindtheanswertoyourquestions:

o Ifitisaquestionthatothersmightfindusefultoknowtheanswertoaswell,postittothe

discussionboard–eithertheDiscussionBoardfortheparticularunitforquestionsoncourse

topics,orthegeneralDiscussionBoardforquestionsaboutcoursemechanics.


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o Ifitisaquestionspecifictoyou(e.g.accountorgradespecific),contactDr.GerlachoryourTA

viae-mail.

IX. GeneralEducation

A. GeneralEducationClassificationBSC2005meetsthegeneraleducationrequirementsforBiologicalSciences.

B. ProgramAreaObjectivesBiologicalsciencecoursesprovideinstructioninthebasicconcepts,theoriesandtermsofthescientific

methodinthecontextofthelifesciences.Coursesfocusonmajorscientificdevelopmentsandtheir

impactsonsociety,scienceandtheenvironment,andtherelevantprocessesthatgovernbiological

systems.Studentswillformulateempirically-testablehypothesesderivedfromthestudyoflivingthings,

applylogicalreasoningskillsthroughscientificcriticismandargument,andapplytechniquesofdiscovery

andcriticalthinkingtoevaluateoutcomesofexperiments.

C. GeneralEducationStudentLearningOutcomesThegeneraleducationstudentlearningoutcomes(SLOs)describetheknowledge,skillsandattitudesthat

studentsareexpectedtoacquirewhilecompletingageneraleducationcourseattheUniversityofFlorida.

TheSLOsfallintothreeareas:content,communicationandcriticalthinking.

1.Content:Studentsdemonstratecompetenceintheterminology,concepts,methodologiesand

theoriesusedwithinthediscipline.

2.Communication:Studentscommunicateknowledge,ideas,andreasoningclearlyandeffectively

inwrittenororalformsappropriatetothediscipline.

3.CriticalThinking:Studentsanalyzeinformationcarefullyandlogicallyfrommultipleperspectives,

usingdisciplinespecificmethods,anddevelopreasonedsolutionstoproblems.

D. GeneralEducationintheContextofThisClassEachmodulewillcontainbetween1-3activitiesworthbetween10and30pointseach;thisrepresents

approximately35%ofthefinalgrade.Thepurposeoftheseactivitiesistoencouragestudentstothink

aboutBiologyoutsidetheframeworkimposedbythetextbookorinstructorlecturesbygivingthemthe

opportunitytodeveloptheirownmaterialstosupportorrejectexistingscientifichypotheses.Hypothesis

testingismostexplicitlyaddressedinthefirstmodule,onthescientificmethod.Studentswillgain

practiceformulatinghypothesesandanalyzingexperimentaldatathroughouttheclass,invarious

activitiesthatinvolvevirtualand/or“kitchen”experiments.Activitiesthatincludeanemphasison

hypothesistestingaremarkedontheschedulebelowwith‡.

Foreachactivity,studentsareprovidedwithspecificinstructionsforcompletingtheactivityaswellasa

gradingrubric.Thegradingrubricsaredesignedtoevaluatethestudent’smasteryofspecificcontentand

theirabilitytoproducebodiesofworkwithintheguidelinesspecifiedintheinstructions.Someexamples

ofactivitiestypesinclude:researchusingreliablewebsources,expositorywriting,videoreviews,“kitchen

experiments”,inquiryactivitysheets,andconstructionoffiguresandtables.

Thecoursealsoincludesninediscussions,inwhichstudentsansweranopen-endeddiscussionprompt

regardingtheethicsandapplicationofbiologyindailylife.Studentswillbeexpectedtoprovidea

thoughtfulanswertotheinitialprompt,aswellastorespondtotheanswerofatleastoneoftheir

classmates,inordertofostercriticalthinkingskillswithinalearningcommunity.

X. AssessmentsandGrading

A. CourseStructureandDueDatesThiscourseisdividedintofifteenmodules,withonedueeachweekofthesemesterduringFallandSpring

semesters.Duringthetwelve-weeksummersession,therewillbethreeweeksthathavetwomodules


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dueinsteadofone.ModulestypicallyopenforworkontheSaturdaysofeachweek,andallmaterialsexceptyourfirstdiscussionboardpost(seebelow)aredueby11:59pmbyFridaytwoweekslater.TheonlyexceptionsareforthefirstModule,whichisduethesecondTuesdayofclasstoaccommodatethe

add/dropperiod,andthefinalmodule,whichisdueby11:59p.m.onthelastdayofclass(listedin

sectionIIabove)toaccommodatethescheduleofwhenfinalgradesareduetotheregistrar.Nolateworkwillbeacceptedafterthisdeadline;pleaseplanyourtimewiselyandworkahead!

Theduedatesforeachmodulearelistedonthelastpagesofthesyllabus,andwillalsobelistedoneach

module’spagewithinCanvas.

Thedeadlinesareallat11:59:00p.m.Latesubmissions,evenbyafewseconds,willbesubjecttothelate

workpolicy(seesectionVI.D),andtheCanvasandtheLaunchPadsystemsmaycloseyououtofan

unfinishedquizifyoupassthedeadlinewhileyouaretakingaquiz.Pleasedonotwaituntilthelastminutetobegin!

B. CourseworkEachunitwillconsistofvariousmaterialstoread/watch,activitiestocomplete,andquizzestotake.All

requiredactivitiesandassignmentsforeachunit(includingthoseinLaunchPad)willbelistedonthat

module’spageonCanvas.Thevariouspiecesthatmightbeincludedinaunitareoutlinedbelow.The

activitiesvaryinhowmanypointstheyareworthbuteachmoduleisworth~85-100ptsoverall.

1. LaunchPad(~40%oftotalpoints)a. Readthechapter(s).b. Interactiveinfographics.Therearetypically3-4perchapter,worth2pointseachwhen

completed.

c. LearningCurve:Theseareadaptivequizzes,wherethequestionsgetharderoreasierdependingonhowyoudo.You'renotpenalizedforgettingquestionswrong,butyou

needtoreachacertainlevelofquestionforeachunit.Onceyoureachthatlevel,you

receivefullcredit(10pts)fortheunit.Afterthatpoint,youcancontinueanswering

questionstoreviewthematerialwithoutaffectingyourscore.

d. TaketheChapterquizoverthereading;typicallyworth18-30pts.Questionsareworth1.5pointsapiece.

2. Canvas(~60%oftotalpoints)a. Watchthelecturevideos.b. Discussionposts.Someunitshaveadiscussiontopicworth10points;6pointsforyour

initialpostaddressingthediscussionprompt,whichisduethreedaysbeforetherestofthematerial(i.e.11:59p.m.Tuesdayforamoduledue11:59p.m.Friday),and4pointsforyourreplytoone(ormore!)ofyourclassmates'posts(duewiththerestof

themodulematerialsat11:59p.m.onFriday).Discussionboardpostsandreplies

shouldeachbeaboutaparagraphlong(minimum3-4meaningfulsentences)andshould

reflectsomecriticalthoughtinresponsetothepromptorclassmate’spost(e.g.“Yes,I

agree.Goodpost!”isnotasufficientresponse.)Allpostsshouldbecomposedof

logicallyandsyntacticallyvalidsentenceswithproperspellingandgrammar.

c. Activities.Theseareactivitiesthatwillaskyoutoreadsomething,watchsomething,do

something,orwritesomethingrelatedtothetopicoftheunit.Therearetwotypesof

activitiesinthiscourse,basedonhowyougetcreditforthem.

i. Thefirsttyperequiresyousubmityourwork(ashortessay,acompleted

worksheet,etc.)byuploadingittothecorrespondingAssignmentinCanvas.

Thesearemarkedontheschedulebelowwith(S).

ii. Forthesecondtype,insteadofsubmittingyourcompletedwork,youwilluseit

toanswerquestionsabouttheactivityonthecorrespondingquizonthe

QuizzespageinCanvas.Thesearemarkedontheschedulebelowwith(Q).


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iii. InsomeunitsthereareworksheetslinkedfromtheModule’spagethatdon't

haveaseparatequizoranythingtosubmit,butmaterialfromthese

assignmentswillappearontheLectureQuizforthatunit.

d. LectureQuiz.Thesequizzescovermaterialfromtheentireunit,withafocusonthe

lecturematerial.Questionsareworth1pointapiece.

RecommendedOrder:Youcancompletethevariousassignmentsforeachunitinanyorderthatyou

want,aslongastheyareallcompletebytheduedate.However,Iwouldrecommendreadingthechapter,

watchingthelectures,andcompletingtheinfographicsfirst;answeringthediscussionprompt,doingthe

learningcurvequiz,andcompletingtheactivitiessecond;andcompletingthechapterquiz(onLaunchPad)

andthelecturequiz(onCanvas)last,onceyouareconfidentwiththematerial.

C. GradingGradesfromassignments,discussions,LaunchPadactivities,andlecturequizzeswillbepostedonCanvas

throughoutthesemester.ItistheresponsibilityofthestudenttochecktheirgradesonCanvasandtolet

instructorsknowaboutdiscrepancieswithinoneweekofthegradesbeingpostedtoCanvas.

Minimumgradecutoffsarelistedinthetabletotheright.The

scoresforthecourseasawholewillnotbecurved(i.e.thesegrade

cutoffswillnotbelowered)exceptunderextremelyrare

circumstances(i.e.,unlesswetellyouotherwisethesecutoffswill

notbelowered,sodonotask).However,thesecutoffswillnotbe

raised;inotherwords,ifyoureceiveatleast93%ofthepossible

points,youareguaranteedtoearnanAgrade.Finalscoreswillbe

roundedtoonedecimalplacebutwillNOTberoundedbeyond

that(e.g.,89.92%willberoundedto89.9%,not90%).Beingon

theborderlineofthenexthighestgradecanbefrustrating,so

pleaseputintheworkyouneedtomakesureyouearnthegrade

youwant!

NotethatthecurrentUFpolicyforassigninggradepointsis

availableatthefollowingundergraduatecatalogwebpage:

https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx.

D. Incomplete(“I”):Ifastudenthascompletedthemajorityofthecourseworkwithapassinggradeand

particularDOCUMENTEDcircumstancespreventcompletionofthecourseinthetimeallotted,the

studentmay,withtheagreementoftheinstructor,beassignedan“I”pendingresolutionofthegrade.All

incompletesMUSTberesolvedbytheendofthefollowingtermorthestudentwillreceiveagradeof“E”

(failing).

E. ExtraCreditExtracreditassignmentsmaybeofferedattheinstructors’discretion;ifextracreditisoffered,itwillbe

opentoallstudentsandwillbeclearlyannouncedonthecoursewebsite.Noindividualizedextracredit

willbeoffered.

F. SpecialTreatmentPleasedonotrequestindividualspecialtreatment(extendeddeadlineswithoutadocumentedexcused

absence,gradeadjustments,extracredit)attheendofthesemester;wedonotadjustgradesorprovidespecialtreatmentforindividualsforanyreason.Plantodowellonallquizzesandotherassignments

fromthebeginningofthesemester;ifyouarehavingdifficultyintheclass,pleaseletyourinstructors

knowsoonerratherthanlater.

PointRange(%) LetterGrade

≥93 A

≥90 A–

≥87 B+

≥83 B

≥80 B–

≥77 C+

≥73 C

≥70 C–

≥67 D+

≥63 D

≥60 D–

<60 E


10

XI. Disclaimer

Thissyllabusrepresentsthecurrentplansandobjectives;however,schedules,requirements,and

assignmentsmaychangethroughoutthesemesterastheneedarises.Suchchanges,communicated

clearly,arenotunusualandshouldbeexpected.

XII. WeeklyCourseSchedule

Unit Duedate* Chapter Topic LaunchPad Discussion Activities** LectureQuiz

1Tuesday

16January11:59p.m.

1 ProcessofScience

InfographicsLearningCurveChapterQuiz

IntroduceYourselfANDProcessof

Science

CricketExperiment(Q)‡HypothesisTesting(S)‡

Module1

2Friday

19January11:59p.m.

3 CellStructure&Function


n/a Osmosis:Fish&Raisins(Q)‡BuildaCell(S)

Module2

3Friday

26January11:59p.m.

5 EnergyFlow&Photosynthesis


ArtificialPhotosynthesis

ArtificialPhotosynthesis(Q)PigmentChromatography(S)‡ Module3

4Friday

02February11:59p.m.

7 DNA&GeneticsInfographics

LearningCurveChapterQuiz

Ethicsingeneticfingerprinting

WhatisDNA?(Q)VirtualGeneticsLab(Q)StolenArtifacts(S)‡

n/a

5Friday

09February11:59p.m.

11-12 Inheritance InfographicsChapterQuizzes n/a GeneticsandInheritance(Q)

BloodTestsandBabies(Q) n/a

6Friday

16February11:59p.m.

14 NaturalSelection&Adaptation


Evolutionaryideasandmisconceptions

PocketMouseSelection(Q)SticklebacksandSelection(Q)FeedingToolsSelection(S)‡

Module6

7Friday

23February11:59p.m.

15 Species&Speciation


n/a AntsandSelection(S)‡LabBenchVirtualExperiment(Q)‡ Module7


12

Unit Duedate* Chapter Topic LaunchPad Discussion Activities** LectureQuiz

SUMMERBREAK–NOCLASSES

8Friday

02March11:59p.m.

16 EvidenceforEvolution


EthicsinPaleontology

FossilWhales(Q)DinoDig(Q)‡ Module8

9Friday

16March11:59p.m.

20 HumanEvolutionInfographics


HumanSpeciation BecomingHuman(Q) Module9

10Friday

23March11:59p.m.

17 LifeonEarthInfographics


n/a Tree-BuildingActivity(Q)EvolutioninourWorld(S) Module10

11Friday

30March11:59p.m.

18 ProkaryotesInfographics


ProkaryoteDiversity

GutMicrobes(Q)ProkaryoteDiversityChart(Q)ProkaryoteSymbioses(S)

n/a

12Friday06April

11:59p.m.19 Eukaryotes


GettoKnowaEukaryote

EukaryoteDiversity(S)PlantsandFungiChart(Q) n/a

13Friday13April

11:59p.m.21 PopulationEcology


PrimeDirective ParameciumActivity(Q)‡IsleRoyaleWolves&Moose(S)‡ Module13

14Friday20April

11:59p.m.22 Community

Ecology


n/a SeaOtters(Q)CommunityInteractions(S) Module14

15Saturday28April

11:59p.m.23-24 EcosystemEcology

&SustainabilityInfographicsChapterQuiz HumanImpacts

EcologicalFootprintQuiz&Survey(Q)ClimateChange:TheCrisis(Q)

EcosystemsandaWarmingEarth(S)n/a

Note:Thisscheduleissubjecttochange;themostup-to-datelistingoftherequiredassignmentswillbefoundoneachmodule’swebpage.*Moduleswithadiscussionhavethefirstdiscussionpostduethreedaysbeforetheduedatefortherestofthematerial.**Q:Activityassessedbyaquiz;S:Activityassessedbysubmittedwork.‡:Activityincludesanemphasisonformulatingand/ortestinghypotheses

Documents

BSC 2005 – Biological Sciences for Non-Majors (online) · 2020-02-11 · BSC 2005 – Biological Sciences for Non-Majors Spring 2018 4 are brought to the attention of the instructor