Biology 6301-Environmental Pathobiology



General Biology – 1305 (Fall 2020) CRN # 13690Online ClassDr. Colin A. Bill (cabill@utep.edu)Tel: 915-747-5589 Office Hours: Virtually via ZOOM Thursday 2 – 3 pm. This video session will be recorded. N.B. UTEP has purchased a one year subscription to Zoom for all faculty and students. Please download Zoom as soon as possible.Covid-19This course is entirely online, and all of the required coursework can be completed off-campus. If, for some reason, you are unable to work remotely e.g. no internet, then the campus has limited facilities open. If you decide to come to campus, then I highly recommend that you check to make sure that whatever you need is available before leaving for the university.Prior to coming to campus for the first time, students should complete the COVID-19 student training at . Prior to every campus visit you are required to complete the self-screening evaluation (screening.utep.edu). N.B. There is a smart phone app that makes the self-screening evaluation very easy and takes less than a minute to complete. If you fail to complete the screening questionnaire each time, then you might be asked to leave campus. When on campus follow the following instructions: Wear a face covering at all times – this applies to both inside and outside of buildings. Maintain 6 feet of separation at all times, including when talking with other students. Follow signage indicating specific entry and exit doors and pathways. Do not cluster in groups and keep hallways open.The following are university Covid-19 instructions:You must STAY AT HOME and REPORT if you (1) have been diagnosed with COVID19, (2) are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, or (3) have had recent contact with a person who has received a positive coronavirus test. Reports should be made at screening.utep.edu. If you know anyone who should report any of these three criteria, encourage them to report. If the individual cannot report, you can report on their behalf by sending an email to COVIDaction@utep.edu. For each day that you attend campus—for any reason—you must complete the questions on the UTEP screening website (screening.utep.edu) prior to arriving on campus. The website will verify if you are permitted to come to campus. Under no circumstances should anyone come to campus when feeling ill or exhibiting any of the known COVID-19 symptoms. If you are feeling unwell, please let me know as soon as possible, and alternative instruction will be provided. Students are advised to minimize the number of encounters with others to avoid infection. Students who come to campus and refuse to wear a face covering and follow preventive COVID-19 guidelines will be dismissed from the class and will be subject to disciplinary action according to Section 1.2.3 Health and Safety and Section 1.2.2.5 Disruptions in the UTEP Handbook of Operating Procedures.Students are not permitted on campus when they have a positive COVID-19 test, exposure or symptoms. If you are not permitted on campus, you should contact me as soon as possible so we can arrange necessary and appropriate accommodations. If you're planning to be on campus this semester the university encourages you to participate in UTEP’s?free coronavirus testing program.Participation is easy: Just go to?consent.utep.edu?to submit a one-time, online consent form. Then, stop by one of the convenient outdoor testing locations on campus between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. to be tested.?No appointment is necessary.Testing locations are updated weekly at?utep.edu/covidtesting.Course Objectives: This course will provide an understanding of the following:The language of biology.Basic concepts of inorganic, organic chemistry and biochemistry as they apply to biological sciences.The roles of molecules, organelles, genetics and environmental factors in regulating metabolism of prokaryote, animal and plant cells. Textbook: Principles of Life 3rd Edition. Hillis, Price, Hill, Hall and Laskowski. Macmillan Press 2019. ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURETextbook – Do you need the textbook? YES. Online class accreditation depends on specific criteria that are different from face-to-face lectures. The biggest difference is that online classes DO NOT HAVE FORMAL LECTURES. This means that I WILL NOT be recording lectures and uploading them to Blackboard for you to watch. I will be uploading short videos only (see below), which means that you will have to read the textbook to obtain the key information that you will need to answer quiz questions, construct your own questions and prepare for the multiple choice exams. Bottom line – if you do not have access to the textbook, you will struggle in this class. Please note that we will be using the 3rd edition. Earlier editions will likely be cheaper, but they will also be missing information that you will need for the exams. I highly recommend that you use the 3rd edition of Principles of Life, which is available from the university bookstore. You might want to check prices at other sources e.g. Amazon that might be cheaper than the bookstore.Course RequirementsGeneral Biology will largely be an asynchronous class, which means that when assignments are posted (I will let you know) you will have several days to complete and submit your answers. For online classes this is usually the best format and is particularly beneficial if you work as well as study. The downside is that you have to be disciplined to make sure that you keep up with the material and do not fall behind. It is very important that you check your UTEP email and Blackboard on a frequent basis (several times a day). I will not accept excuses that you did not know something because you had not bothered to check your emails/Blackboard/Syllabus and you missed an exam/Blackboard assignment. You need to be very vigilant for all of your online courses. It is quite possible that I will have to deviate from the syllabus for some unexpected reason and you will need to know about it as soon as possible.Contact Me: UTEP e-mail is the best way to contact me. I will make every attempt to respond to your e-mail within a few hours of receipt. When e-mailing me, be sure to email from your UTEP student account and please put the course number in the subject line. In the body of your e-mail, clearly state your question. You can contact me via Blackboard but remember that there is a delay in Blackboard informing me of your email that will result in a slower response.The course has three main components, which will be graded and add up to your final score that will be converted into a letter grade (see below).1) Multiple Choice ExamsThe main component of your overall grade are multiple choice exams. Each exam will consist of 50 multiple choice questions and MUST BE COMPLETED on the day specified in this syllabus (see course schedule at the end of the syllabus), although I will allow you to take the exam anytime from 9 am to 6 pm. Once you start the exam (don’t worry we will go over the details before the first exam) it will start the clock and you will have 80 minutes to complete the exam. If you do not complete the exam in time the browser will close, and you will score zero points for any unanswered questions. IMPORTANT - You will need to have access to a computer/laptop, a webcam and a microphone. If your computer does not have an in-built webcam and/or microphone, then you will either need to use external versions, borrow somebody else’s computer or arrange to take the exam on campus using a computer in the library (second floor). Due to large demand you should contact the library well in advance to reserve a computer.There will be four regular exams throughout the semester followed by a final exam (total five exams). The general format will be to cover two chapters followed by an exam. Please note that the final exam WILL be comprehensive and cover all ten chapters. I will drop your lowest exam score from the four regular exams. The final exam is compulsory and cannot be dropped. All multiple choice exams will require use of Respondus Lockdown Browser. Please follow the instructions: exams CANNOT be taken using any other browser. It is very important that you have good internet service since poor quality Wi-Fi or intermittent loss of signal will result in the exam closing prematurely. If you have frequent issues with the internet, you might want to arrange taking exams at a better location that could include coming to campus to use UTEP Secure.Make-up Policy: There are NO make-up exams. You are expected to take the exam on the specified date. Please note that students who are either active members of the US Military or members of an official UTEP athletic program can arrange to take exams on a different date to the rest of the class. Such requests MUST be accompanied by a letter signed by your commanding officer or UTEP sports representative explaining that you will be unavailable on the day of an exam.2) Short Videos and Associated QuizzesAs indicated above, accreditation of this class by the state of Texas requires that the online course adheres to online principles, which means no formal video lectures. Instead, I will upload short YuJa videos (< 10 minutes) on Blackboard that will discuss important points related to each chapter. Do not rely on the videos as your only source of information for the multiple choice exams because they will not provide sufficient depth. However, you MUST WATCH THE VIDEOS BECAUSE THEY WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A FIVE QUESTION QUIZ AND YOU WILL HAVE ONLY FIVE MINUTES TO COMPLETE THE QUIZ. What to do for videos/quizzesPrior to watching any of the videos, check to see what part of the chapter is covered (I will let you know via Blackboard or email). Make sure you have read and understand the information in the textbook. I highly encourage you to review material from other sources including general search engines. YouTube has a number of great General Biology videos and you should review them as you go over the course. Once you are comfortable with the material, watch the video and IMMEDIATELY afterwards take the five question quiz. If you go over five minutes, the quiz will cut you off and you will receive no score for any questions not answered. The quiz results will count towards your overall grade (see below).3) AssignmentsFor each chapter of the course you are required to submit three multiple choice exam questions of your own. You will receive one point for each exam question that is deemed to be appropriate. You must come up with your own exam questions NOT search online and recycle freely available questions related to the chapter. To prevent such plagiarism, I will submit random questions for submission to SafeAssign, which is a comprehensive plagiarism detecting software. SafeAssign is used to review assignment submissions for originality. If the SafeAssign score indicates a high level of plagiarism, then you will receive a zero score for that question.Question TipsEach question should be appropriate for the particular chapter.Each question should have only one correct answer.You must provide five answers, which will be the same format as for the multiple choice exams.Underline the correct answer.Assignments are an easy way to boost your score since most questions will get you a point. Plagiarism and very poor questions will receive zero points, as will questions where you underlined an incorrect answer. Failure to submit questions on time will also lead to zero points for that chapter. When formulating questions remember that the questions should NOT be ambiguous. Often the best time to come up with questions is while you are reading through the chapter, which is easier than trying to come up with good questions right before the assignment deadline. There is an advantage to asking “good” questions. I will select some of the submitted questions for inclusion in the real Multiple Choice chapter exam. In other words, it is possible that your question will be on the exam and that will be an easy answer for you. Grading: A grade = 80 to 100%B grade = 70 to < 80%C grade = 60 to < 70%D grade = 50 to < 60%F grade = < 50%Grade Calculations:Grade percentages that add up to your total score will be calculated as follows:Multiple Choice Exams = 75% of final scoreQuizzes = 15% of final scoreAssignments = 10% of final scoreYour final percentage will be converted into a letter grade as listed under grading. Please note that I do not round up or down. This means that if your final cumulative score is 59.95% you will receive a D grade. Multiple choice exams, quizzes and assignments are the only way to get scores that count towards your final grade – there is no extra credit. Please note that if your major field is biology then you need an A, B or C grade to pass the class. Sometimes, if your major is outside of a biological science then a D might be a passing grade. If you are not sure, check with your major department.Drop Policy:October 30th IS THE LAST DAY STUDENTS MAY DROP THE CLASS WITH AN AUTOMATIC “W”. UTEP regulations state: “Student-initiated drops are permitted after this date, but the student is not guaranteed a grade of W. The faculty member of record will issue a grade of either W or F”. It is my policy that students should decide to drop on or before October 30th and if they decide to drop after the deadline, they will be assigned a grade of F. Incomplete GradeAll grades of Incomplete must be accompanied by an Incomplete Contract that has been signed by the instructor of record, student, departmental chair, and the dean.? Although UTEP will allow a maximum of one year to complete this contract, the College of Science requests it be limited to one month based upon completion data.? A grade of Incomplete is only used in extraordinary circumstances confined to a limited event such as a missed exam or project.? If the student has missed a significant amount of work (e.g. multiple assignments or tasks), a grade of Incomplete is not appropriate or warranted.? Failure to Keep Up with Course Exams/AssignmentsAccording to UTEP Curriculum and Classroom Policies, “When, in the judgment of the instructor, a student has been absent to such a degree as to impair his or her status relative to credit for the course, the instructor may drop the student from the class with a grade of “W” before the course drop deadline and with a grade of “F” after the course drop deadline.” See academic regulations in the UTEP Undergraduate Catalog for a list of excused absences. Therefore, if I find that, due to non-performance in the course, you are at risk of failing, I will drop you from the course. I will provide 24 hours advance notice via email.Vacation DaysPlease note that on the following days the university will be shut:September 7th – Labor DayNovember 26th and 27th – Thanksgiving HolidayAcademic Integrity: UTEP policy on academic integrity can be found at: . Online classes means that nobody is directly proctoring you while taking the multiple choice exams. As outlined previously, exams will require use of Respondus Lockdown Browser, which has several components to monitor students. I will be carefully analyzing the multiple choice exam data for each student, even though this takes considerable effort on my part. ANY SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY ON ANY EXAM WILL BE REPORTED to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR). Once I have reported incidents of alleged “Acts of scholastic dishonesty” they will be investigated independently by OSCCR who will either decide that there is insufficient evidence and dismiss the case or they agree that the evidence highly suggests the student was cheating then they will decide the punishment. Typically, the punishment results in a zero score for each exam that the student is cheating, which usually results in the student failing the class (F grade) – you cannot drop a class after you have been caught cheating. The permanent university record will also record the circumstances of the F. No headphones/ear buds allowed during exams. This should be obvious, but you are not allowed to use anything that could potentially be used to cheat. Anybody who is seen to be using a device that could be used for cheating will be reported to OSCCR for investigation. There is a zero tolerance, which means that I will not warn you about being reported and it would be a pity to fail a class when you were just listening to music. If you use a prescription hearing aid then let me know ASAP, so that I can account for their use (I will request proof they are prescription hearing aids and a justification for their use in an exam). Don’t try to be smart, I caught someone trying to cheat with Google glass. If you normally use regular glasses at your computer then you can certainly use them for exams, but no glasses with smart technology are allowed. For exams, keep it simple, sit at a desk in front of your computer with nothing next to you or if you want to write something down then you can have one piece of paper and a pen/pencil. Do not attach notes to or near your computer. Most cheating occurs via this method. I will send out detailed instructions on Respondus Lockdown Browser use and the do’s and don’ts before the first exam. The bottom line is DO NOT CHEAT. The consequences can be dire and potentially prevent you from reaching your career goals. If you are struggling in the class, let me know and we can talk about strategies to succeed. Civility Statement: Please be respectful of all students’ rights. Since this is an online course, direct interactions with fellow classmates will be minimal to zero. Nevertheless, we will have a weekly ZOOM session that will involve student participation. During these sessions, the student talking should be respectful and use appropriate language. Profanity or threatening language will result in immediate ejection from the session and possible disciplinary action that could lead to the student being removed from the course or in severe cases removed from the university. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL VIDEO SESSIONS WILL BE RECORDED AND MADE AVAILABLE ON BLACKBOARD.Disability Statement: If you have a disability and need accommodations, please contact?The Center for Accommodations and Support Services (CASS) at 747-5148, or by email to cass@utep.edu, or visit their office located in?UTEP Union East, Room 106.? For additional information, please visit the CASS website at sa.utep.edu/cass.? Course Schedule:DateTopic08/26/20WCh2: Life’s Chemistry and the Importance of Water09/03/20RCh3: Macromolecules09/15/20TExam 109/17/20RCh4: Cell Structure and Membranes09/24/20RCh5: Cell Metabolism: Synthesis and Degradation of Biological Molecules10/06/20TExam 210/08/20RCh6: Cell Signals and Responses10/15/20RCh7: The Cell Cycle and Cell Division10/27/20TExam 310/29/20RCh8: Inheritance, Genes and Chromosomes11/05/20RCh9: DNA and its Role in Heredity11/17/20TExam 411/19/20RCh10: From DNA to Protein: Gene Expression11/25/20WCh 11: Regulation of Gene ExpressionFinal Exam (Online) Thursday December 10th, 2020. ................
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