GENERAL BIOLOGY 1114 (Internet Based)
COURSE SYLLABUS - SPRING 2010 SEMESTER - Bruce G. Stewart
Internet-based but with: Two Required "Live" Saturday Laboratory Days: 8am-5pm on 13 February and 27 March 2010. Meets in Tishomingo on the MSC campus in lab room LS 106. Special Arrangements will not be considered except under extremely extenuating circumstances... practically no excuse will do! Even then, an "Incomplete" will be given until the lab can be made up later during the year during the regular lab days in the next semester. Six Proctored Exams (Including Final Exam) at One of Two Testing Sites or as may be Pre-arranged in Advance as Described below: Murray State College, Tishomingo, OK (Contact: Karen Lee, Coordinator of MSC Learning Center) Ardmore Higher Education Center, Ardmore, OK (Contact: Bonnie Petersen at AHEC MSC Office) Special Arrangements will be considered only under extremely extenuating circumstances except for students who need other proctoring locations because of living too far away from MSC or the AHEC... otherwise, practically no excuse will do! For those who need to make arrangements for other proctored sites, please contact Priscilla Washington, Distance Education Coordinator of Murray State College. IMPORTANT: Specific dates for exams and other assignments (including timelines for completing readings) are given in course schedule at the following link: Benchmark Dates for Study Topics, Labs, and Exams: Semester Schedule for Internet Biology Spring 10 General Information for Internet Biology Students (including but not limited to contact information for individuals mentioned above and available times at AHEC and MSC Tishomingo Campus)
	Leaf Cutter Ant in Bustamante Canyon, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.  © 1994 Bruce G. Stewart
Instructor: Bruce G. Stewart, Professor of Biological Sciences & Certified Wildlife Biologist Chair of the Department of Science and Mathematics E-Mail: bstewart@mscok.edu Phone 371-2371 Ext. 225 Office Location: LS 118 (Tishomingo Campus) Office Hours: As Posted Next to Office Door or Click Here

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Quick Links To Syllabus Sections and to the Biology Page
	Before going further, make sure that Internet Distance Ed is for you.  Click on the stop sign at left.	GENERAL BIOLOGY HOMEPAGE	VII. LITERATURE CITED IN SECTION IV.
I. CATALOG DESCRIPTION OF COURSE		IV. EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY & INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS	VIII. A.D.A. STATEMENT & GENERAL POLICIES IN STUDENT HANDBOOK
II. COURSE CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES		V. EVALUATION OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT	IX. CLASS POLICY AND EXPECTATIONS CONTRACT
III. MATERIALS OF INSTRUCTION		VI. CLASS BEHAVIOR AND ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT POLICY	GRADE TALLY -SHEET

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I. CATALOG DESCRIPTION OF COURSE

• COURSE NAME: General Biology 1114

• PREREQUISITES: None (but a good high school background in biology and chemistry is very helpful)

• DESCRIPTION: This is a general education course directed toward majors that do not require other specific life science courses. It covers a wide range of basic biological concepts, ranging in scope from scientific methods to cell function, to the processes and products of evolution. Mastery and appreciation of the material will give the students a better understanding of the biological environments in which they live.

• "AVERAGE" NUMBER OF CLOCK HOURS PER WEEK: Three lecture hours  and two laboratory hours. The long useful "Carnegie Unit" in education applies to our Internet course.  The combined time for assignments, live laboratory time, and Internet laboratory exercises should be the equivalent of the traditional course which has 48 hours of lecture time and 32 laboratory hours.  Study time and other class assignment time (often given as a rule of thumb at 2 hours/hour of "class" time) will be needed to be successful.  

• CREDIT: Four semester hours

NOTE:  Yes, this course does transfer to all colleges and universities in the State of Oklahoma!  You do not have to retake this course even if the receiving institution offers it for five hours rather than four!  If anyone tells you otherwise they are simply misinformed, and I recommend that you direct them to this link.-->  

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II. COURSE CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES

This course will introduce you to scientifically based knowledge of the diversity and structure of living things and the processes that create and operate them.  The units and order of topics is given in your Biology Homepage.  Here are some of the general topics.

The first unit will focus on the nature of science and how biology fulfills the criteria of science.  Some objectives of this first unit will be:

• to emphasize the importance of science to human societies,
• to clearly define what constitutes true science and its methods
• to distinguish the difference between true science and false science (pseudoscience).
• to explore the origins and history of science
• to learn the organizational levels and characteristic processes of life

Other units of study will address:

Our overall objective will be to understand, in detail, the general theories and principles that give us an understanding of how life works with regard to the above-listed units. General objectives for each part of each unit covered this semester are presented in the "Notes on the Web" that you will use throughout the semester.

In addition to the specific course objectives which all classes should have, Murray State College has identified six General Education Goals of which at least one and usually more are addressed in each general education course. Here are these six general goals and their descriptions along with one or two examples from your general biology course that address each goal:

Effective Communication - Students will demonstrate communication skills necessary for daily interaction in society and the workplace.

Responsible Citizenship - Students will demonstrate an awareness of social and civic responsibilities.

Global Awareness - Students will demonstrate an awareness and acceptance of cultural diversities.

Critical Thinking - Students will demonstrate problem solving and critical thinking skills necessary for personal and professional success.

Quantitative Reasoning - Students will demonstrate quantitative reasoning skills by performing mathematical and scientific computations common to various technical fields.

Information Literacy - Students will demonstrate and apply information literacy skills necessary for personal and professional success.

Upon successful completion of this course, you will have learned some traditional laboratory skills, such as the use of the microscope; some field biology skills, such as aquatic sampling: and, additionally, "writing-across-the-curriculum" exercises in some "Internet" labs will emphasize critical thinking skills. The lab and Internet exercises will be integrated with text and notes to reinforce and supplement the subject matter.

III. MATERIALS OF INSTRUCTION

• TEXTBOOK: Required:

  Johnson, George B. and Jonathan B. Losos. 2008. The Living World, 5th Ed. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. 812 pp plus indices. ISBN# 9780073256535.

• LABORATORY MANUAL: You will be given handouts on lab days.  You will be given Internet links as needed for on-line lab activities.

• HANDOUTS: Original discussion/lecture writings and class supplements will be provided on lab days or by placement in the Libraries of MSC and AHEC for pickup.

• INTERNET AND LIBRARY READINGS: Internet use outside the classroom is a requirement of this course.  This is an Internet course!   If you do not currently have internet access, you need to get access through the AHEC,  MSC, or home.  Even though the Internet is the main medium, a visit to a local library may be required.

• EBSCO AND OTHER MSC LIBRARY RESOURCES This link will take you to important resources that will help you with such projects as the peer-reviewed scientific literature search necessary for your term paper. Call the MSC library should you need assistance.

The library has all sorts of useful material that you can study or just simply enjoy. Likewise, a wealth of information is available on Internet.  However, here is a note of extreme caution.  A study by John Hopkins Medical School and Ohio State University discovered that fully 70% of all medical information on the Internet had information in error!!!!!!  The same would be expected in most other areas. Another report by the American Library Association notes that the vast majority of websites on the Internet are commercial in nature. This means you must be cautious that what is presented does not have a bias directed toward selling you something. Other sites have political, religious or other biases that render them totally invalid with respect to the scientific evidence.  I will direct you to reputable science sites and expect you to learn how to distinguish them yourself.

Microcomputers for student use at MSC are available in the library and in the computer lab in LS 119.  The AHEC has computers available in their library for student use. Tutoring programs (e.g. the PLATO series) on some topics are available if you wish to visit campus; inquire. Professional and peer science tutors will be available in the MSC library at regularly scheduled times; check with the MSC Counseling Center for schedules.

Two Saturday Lab Days are NOT optional. Unless there are extenuating circumstances (meaning mainly life threatening events) you must be present.    "I have a family reunion," or I cannot get a babysitter," or "We have been planning a vacation on that weekend for several months and we already have hotel reservations and airline tickets," and other similar excuses will not be counted as an excused absence. Only in the event of official closure of the entire institution will a lab day be rescheduled, typically for the following Saturday.  NO OTHER EXCEPTIONS will be made.  Please do not even ask! If I determine that a missed lab was absolutely extenuating, the student maybe given an incomplete ("I") and the lab must be made up on a schedule convenient to me within one year.  Incompletes after such time if not completed will be converted to an "F" in the Registrar's office.  

I do research on stream fish communities of spring-fed streams of the Arbuckle Mountains and in the tropical systems of southern Mexico. Occasionally, I will offer the opportunity for interested students to go along and help in a volunteer capacity for those students with exceptional interest in their academic pursuits.

TURNITIN.COM:  One important literature research term paper is required in this class.  You will be required to turn your paper by electronic media.   If students plagiarize their work, there is a high percentage chance they will be caught.  Please be aware that this special teaching tool will be used. You may access Turnitin.com through your Blackboard biology class site. The link will be located in the "Assignments" section of Blackboard.

IV. EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY & INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS

My Educational Philosophy. 

Here are eight basic professional, ethical, and personal elements that I address in my philosophy of teaching statement and that influence my teaching. You can read my thoughts about each of these by going to the following link: My Philosophy of Teaching

• A belief in ethics and the value of human dignity: fairness, objectivity, and caring.
• A belief in the value of knowledge and ability to think critically.
• A belief in tolerance and understanding of human diversity.
• A belief in the importance of desire and hard work as the core necessity in learning.
• A belief in the methods and qualities of my role model teachers.
• A belief in myself and the value of my professional and personal experiences (many hard lessons!) in helping students.
• A belief that the “two-year college philosophy” should be to give much help and guidance, but not to enable mediocrity.
• A subject-matter approach of “depth rather than breadth” based on research (e.g. U.S. Math and Science Curricula too Broad. National Science Foundation. Frontiers: Feb. 1997)

Instructional Methods.

I generally use a variety of instructional approaches in my classes as encouraged by the National Science Foundation (1996).  Review and discussion of my original subject matter handouts (mostly in your Home Page links, but some will be handed out on lab days or at exam times) and assigned textbook readings is a primary method of the "lecture" portion of the course. The student is expected to have read these materials and in a timely fashion to contribute her/his own comments, questions and discussion in the appropriate  discussion thread in our Blackboard Discussion Forum. Internet will be used extensively for submission of homework, study of supplemental materials, and discussion.  I may even assign "Internet student group exercises" to contribute to your  understanding of some material.

Labs will be done on campus on two all day  Saturday events together.  One of these will focus on microscope use, cells, tissues, physiology of the nervous system, species concepts, taxonomy, and classification.  The other will focus on genetics, ecology, evolution, behavior..  On line "labs" will vary from reading and critical thinking exercises to experiences with simulations (such as with DNA structure, cell mitosis, etc.). 

So there you have it!  As you may conclude, I do have some reasons behind my teaching methods and philosophy.  Like all human beings, I have my faults. Nevertheless, my personal goal is to do the best that I can do.  

V. EVALUATION OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

HOW TO SUCCEED IN THIS CLASS: You must stay up with the material. This means that you must have not only read the handouts, Internet notes, and textbook readings, but studied them. Do not ask, "What will be on the exam?" I follow the tests and measurements philosophy that evaluation tools use a sample of all of the required material. Thus, learn ALL concepts and materials covered unless I specifically exclude something in particular major topic or unit. Your Blackboard class site provides additional specific suggestions for success in this class.

GRADING SYSTEM: Grading will be based on the "Total Point System." PLEASE read this carefully! It is not hard to understand, but it may be different than your usual experience. Every graded exercise is worth some points. Major exams, lab practicals, Internet exercises, quizzes, writing assignments, and pop quizzes (yep, we may have these even on Internet!) will be used to take a valid sample of your knowledge and biological critical thinking ability. Participation points and "attendance" points will be used to measure the degree to which you are present and actively involved in the class (e.g. by your posting of comments in the Blackboard Discussion Forum). There will be a required participation component worth about 100 points; details will be posted in your Blackboard site. Your grade will be determined by the percent of the total possible points you have earned. For example, if you had 855 of 950 points, your % would be 90%. I use the following traditional scale: A = 90-100%, B = 80-89%, C = 70-79%, D = 60-69%, F = 0-59%. If you had 5 of 5 on a pop quiz, 90 of 105 on an exam, and 55 of 60 on a writing assignment, your total would be 150 of 170 possible. This is 88.2% of the possible; your letter grade would be an 'B'. Be able to calculate your grade at any time during the semester. To help you keep track of your grades, a grade tally sheet is on the next page. I will be posting grades on a periodic basis.  Generally, the total points for the course will be between 600-800. Of this, exams will represent about 50%, Discussion Board about 10%, lab about 20%, term paper about 10%, and the rest from various other work.

EXAMS: Six lecture exams over scientific and biological concepts will be used to test your understanding of the subjects covered in discussion/lecture of general concepts. The design of these will be mostly objective multiple choice questions, but with a scattering of other question types.  Bring a pencil for the SCANTRON portion of each exam.  Please do not ask "What will be on the exam?" because anything from the readings and assignments may be on the exams.  Teachers who "teach to the exam" are NOT following good educational practices.  "Lab practical" questions will be given dealing with Saturday lab activities and other "virtual" lab exercises.   These kinds of questions may be new to you; therefore, I will explain more about what to expect on lab days and as specific exercises are assigned..

Note: You can figure your overall % (and thus letter grade) at any time. (Y/P = your %)

 I will announce the possible points for each exam when it is returned after grading. You can calculate your percent (%) on any particular exam by dividing the number of points you made by the announced possible points on that exam.

ABSENCES, TARDINESS, AND INTERNET PARTICIPATION: ---->You are expected to attend both Saturday  laboratory session, and to complete required activities of the course by the dates set in the class schedule. Other assignments with due dates will be posted in Blackboard.<----. The following comes directly from the MSC catalog: "More than one hour absence per course hour enrolled is excessive. When a student's absences become excessive, the instructor may recommend to the Academic Vice President that the student be administratively withdrawn." Each day that work is not completed after a due date will be counted as 2 hours of absence.  Saturday labs are equal to eight (8) hours of lab time each.  Absences or tardiness on those days will be counted hour for hour.  Your presence and participation in the Discussion Board of Blackboard is required on a weekly basis throughout the semester. You must contribute meaningful and pertinent posts to the Discussion Board topic threads EACH WEEK. If you are not present in the discussion area for a week, you will be given one absence. If your absences are excessive during the first four weeks, I will request that you be dropped.  . If your absences become excessive later during the semester, you will simply receive an "F" on your transcript at the end of the semester (unless you withdraw yourself).  I recommend that you read the college catalog so that you will understand your responsibilities.  Remember, you should not miss labs and cyber-class at all.  If you miss more than four hours of your BIO 1114 class (combined lecture and lab) and if you are not making satisfactory progress, I will follow the policy stated above and other provisions in the "ABSENCE" section of the MSC catalog.

EXCUSED ABSENCES AND MAKEUP WORK: Makeup work for missed lab days and for missed exam days will not be given unless there is an unexcused absence. Absences are considered unexcused unless a valid reason is provided IN WRITING by the student or the Vice President of Academic Affairs who reports to faculty on official college-related absences. The instructor is the final judge on whether something is excused or not.  Illnesses must be documented by such evidence as a written note from the doctor before I will count them as excused. Reserve the "four allowable hours of absences" for an unavoidable events, but remember that no lab absences are allowed.

Makeup exams for excused absences will be different than the regular exams, and may be in any form (such as totally essay). All makeup work must be taken in a way to accomodate my schedule and that of the testing centers. All planning must be done IN ADVANCE of the original date the work was required.

VI. CLASS BEHAVIOR AND ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT POLICY

This course is a rigorous college-level course.  Whining about the level of difficulty, amount of material covered, difficulty of the exams, amount of homework, etc. will be considered to be counterproductive to your learning.  Productive e-mails and posts are encouraged through participation points previously mentioned in this syllabus.  For example, questions that show you have studied the material, but need specific help with some aspect of that material are considered by me to reflect a good, responsible attitude toward your own learning.   However, E-mails or posts that express complaints about such things as difficulty level, amount of work, etc. will result in five (5) point deductions if they do not have substance and they persist.  

The Faculty of the Department of Science has adopted a uniform policy on academic misconduct. It is presented below. Read it carefully so that there are no misunderstandings about ethical academic behavior. This policy will be applied in BIO 1114.

DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE POLICY ON ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

Definition: Activities considered to constitute "Academic Misconduct" shall include, but are not limited to:

1. falsification or false report of any document, assignment or task either in or out of the class,
2. copying of other's work (exams, papers, etc.) to be submitted as your own, either in or out of the class,
3. providing your work for copying by others, as in above (b),
4. using "crib" sheets or any other un-authorized aids^* during performance of assigned work (^* = as defined by the instructor and/or proctor)
5. plagiarism of published and printed materials (which may be checked with academic honesty/teaching software like Turnitin.com at http://www.turnitin.com)

Disciplinary Action: Disciplinary actions will be applied as follows:

1. for the first "minor" offense, the student will receive a "zero" score on the work involved. Where a "dropped low score" is a class option, the "zero" score will not be dropped.
2. for the second "minor" offense or first "major" offense (such as not doing your own work or having plagiarized material in the term paper), the student will be dropped from the course with an "F"
3. disciplinary action applied under this policy will not in any way exclude application of misconduct policies defined for other divisions, programs, or the student's major.

Where the Policy Will Apply: This policy will be enforced in all classrooms and common areas on the MSC and AHEC campuses. It will applied to any location whether the student is doing work whether at home or otherwise.  All faculty, staff, students, or any reliable person may report any incident observed in any area. Evidence indicating any off-campus violations will be used to enforce this policy.

Reporting of Incidents Covered by this Policy: Reports concerning details (person or persons involved, when, what and where of incident) of academic misconduct and application of disciplinary action will be filed with appropriate administrative offices (e.g. Vice President of Academic Affairs) and your academic advisor.

VII. LITERATURE CITED IN SECTION IV (INCLUDING PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING LINK).

Harmes, N. C. And R. E. Yager. 1981. What research says to the science teacher. National Science Teachers Association. Vol. 3. No. 471-14776. Washington, D.C.

Marek, E. A., and W. Rowe. 1993. Improving science teaching in the United States. Skeptical Inquirer. Vol. 17. Winter 1993. Pp. 175-179.

National Science Foundation. 1996. Shaping the future of undergraduate education, IN Synergy. December 1996. Published by the Directorate for Education and Human Resources for the National Science Foundation. Arlington, VA.

National Science Foundation. 1997. U. S. Math and science curricula too broad. Frontiers: Feb. 1997.

VIII.  AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES STATEMENT AND OTHER GENERAL POLICIES

I believe strongly in the Americans with Disabilities Act.  I personally know of several instances in which ignorant discrimination was prevented or discouraged because of this act.  Murray State College is committed to providing equal access to College programs and services for all students.  Under College policy and federal and state laws, students with documented disabilities are entitled to reasonable accommodation to ensure the student has an equal opportunity to perform in class.  If any member of the class has such a disability and needs special academic accommodation, please report to the Counseling Center before the end of the first week of the semester.  Reasonable accommodation may be arranged after verification of your situation.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need any assistance in this process.

Other policies as described in the MSC Student Handbook (e.g. drug abuse, sexual harassment, etc.) apply in this course as in any other appropriate context related to your class activities, on or off campus.

IX. CLASS POLICY AND EXPECTATIONS CONTRACT

TO: Bruce G. Stewart, Professor of Biology and Instructor for BIO 1114

I, ___________________________________________, understand the performance, evaluation, absenteeism, tardiness, class behavior, class environment, academic misconduct and other policies and expectations given in the course syllabus for General Biology 1114. You have given me the opportunity to ask questions about any of the policies for this class either through Blackboard, e-mail, or telephone. The policies and expectations are designed to foster a good learning environment in our class and to give me a quality educational experience. Understanding this, I agree to follow these policies.

I realize that General Biology 1114 is a difficult class that will require a great deal of outside study, especially since this is an Internet course.  I also realize that this course is as rigorous as on-campus sections and similar courses at other institutions of higher education. The fact that Murray State College is a two-year college in no way implies that there will be lower academic expectations. The Department of Science, Mathematics, and Physical Education takes pride in providing me with a quality education, and accepting mediocrity cannot do this.

Although I now know that General Biology will be a hard course, I have been informed about ways that I can help myself succeed. For example, you stated, Professor Stewart, that you will be available and willing to give me appropriate help whenever possible via e-mail, Blackboard, or during personal visits during arranged office hours. I have also been informed that tutors are available to help me learn the material if I wish to visit campus. The Murray State College Counseling Center at MSC and at the AHEC are other places I can go for advice and help.

Professor Stewart, you have promised to treat me ethically and in accordance with the policies and expectations stated in the class syllabus. If I feel that you do not fulfill your promise, I understand that you want me to bring my concern to your attention so that we can try to resolve the problem. If I still feel that my concern has not been adequately addressed, I know that I have basic rights of due process as outlined in the MSC Student Handbook.  The first step after talking to you would normally be to visit with the Chair of the Department of Science and Mathematics; however, since you are the Chair, Professor Stewart, I understand that I may express my concerns directly to the Provost, Dr. Richard Braley, who may be contacted at (580) 371-2371, Ext. 104 or 105.

I realize that education is a "two-way street." Succeeding in this class will require a major time commitment on my part and a lot of hard work. I promise to you, Professor Stewart, that I will my best to do my part in the learning process.

SIGNED________________________________

DATE__________________________________

SIGN AND DATE A COPY OF THIS CONTRACT AND KEEP IT IN YOU FILES OR NOTEBOOK (Don't Send it to me!). THEN SEND ME AN E-MAIL STATING YOU HAVE SIGNED THE AGREEMENT---THIS WILL BE WORTH FIVE POINTS IF COMPLETED BY SATURDAY JANUARY 16, 2010.

YOU CANNOT EARN FURTHER CREDIT IN THIS CLASS UNLESS THIS IS COMPLETED

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