BIOL1406: Cellular & Molecular Biology



|BIOL1309 Life on Earth |Dr. Patricia Phelps |

|Spring Semester, 2009 (16 week semester) |pphelps@austincc.edu |

|OPC015, Syn#30734 |trish_phelps@ |

| |223-5914 (Office & Voice Mail) |

| |www@austincc.edu/pphelps |

|Campus, Room, and Time of Day |Office Hours: |

|This is an open campus (distance learning) course. Campus visits are only |Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:00 – 5:50 |

|required for the viewing of videos in the libraries and for the taking of |EVC9320 |

|exams in the Testing Center. |(or by appointment) |

Note to prospective students: If you are new to distance learning, you should browse the ACC Distance Learning website . Taking the “Passport to Success” on-line workshop prior to attempting the orientation on Blackboard is required. All Students must complete the orientation on Blackboard by: Friday, January 23, 2009.

Prerequisites: Proficiency in reading is a prerequisite for this course. In order to successfully pass the course, you should have at least an ACC basic skills assessment score of 5 or above in reading or a passing score in the reading portion of the TASP.

You should also have an ACC basic skills assessment score of 5 or more in writing, or have passed the writing portion of the TASP. Your exams contain short answer/essay questions. You are expected to have the writing skills required to answer written exam questions.

Course Introduction: BIOL 1309, LIFE ON EARTH, is a distance learning course based on thirteen programs produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation and narrated by the esteemed British naturalist David Attenborough. These programs describe the history of life on earth, traveling to widespread points upon the globe to do so and introducing you to many different interesting groups of organisms. Attenborough risks life and limb in the time-honored explorer tradition to show these organisms.

Course Materials:

1) Manual developed by ACC: Life on Earth: Concepts and Questions, 4th Edition available only at the ACC Río Grande Bookstore, 817 W 12th St. If they are sold out, ask the bookstore staff to have a copy transferred to that location for you and one should arrive within 48 hours. Let Mr. Dunn know if there are other problems. It is also on-line at . This is commonly referred to as the “study guide”, “course manual”, or “workbook”.

2) Required Technology

a) You will need a computer with internet access. If you don’t have this at home, you can use an ACC computer lab

(locations at ).

Attention Windows Vista Users: Microsoft's Windows Vista is not compatible with Blackboard's Visual Text Editor. To disable Blackboard's Text Box Editor, click the Personal Information link from the My ACC tab within Blackboard. Next, select the "Set Visual Text Box Editor Options" link and set the editor to "Unavailable." The change will take effect after your restart your browser. If you do not do this you will be unable to post messages to the Discussion Boards or answer essay or short answer questions on the exam.

b) You will need a user ID and password to access Blackboard. Blackboard is an online course management system used to deliver content and services for ACC courses. You are automatically signed up at the beginning of the semester. You can sign in from the ACC main web page (austincc.edu); the link is in the lower right corner of the screen. Click on the “Login” button, then read the instructions “Students – How to log in” and use the link on the same page to read about the new ACCeID. If you cannot access Blackboard after doing this, please email me.

Check your email address in Blackboard under Personal Information during the first week of class and use the process described in 2) above to change it if necessary. I send out several emails each semester through Blackboard to correct errors or change deadlines. If you miss course information or announcements because your email address is not correct in Blackboard I will not make any allowances for whatever problem ensues.

Log into Blackboard at least three times a week to check for announcements and new material. I may use the Discussion Board to post interesting information and examples of student projects.

c) ACC has provided all registered students with an email account that will receive all messages sent to you from the Blackboard platform by your instructor. If you want to receive email messages at an alternative account, make sure that you make this change on Blackboard. To do this, log into Online Services using the Student Login link in the lower right corner of the ACC main web page. Log in using your ACCeID and password. Click on the Current Students box, then click email change under Academic Profile. Type in your complete correct email address (example: jstudent@) and then click on Submit. Your changed email address should appear on Blackboard within 12 hours. Take care of this change as soon as possible. If you miss course information or announcements because your email address is not correct in Blackboard I will not make any allowances for whatever problem ensues.

3) Required communications

The Texas State Coordinating Board of Education requires for an Open Campus course to be certified, professors and students need to have at least two contacts with each other during the semester in addition to the required orientation session. Therefore, for a student to get credit for this course, he/she must make contact with the professor, either in person , by phone, or by e-mail at least two times during the semester. A clear message, including your full name, ACC ID number, and the synonym for the course in which you are registered, may be left on my voice mail or e-mail as a conference if you also clearly state you have no questions for the professor. You are, of course, welcome and encouraged to have as many additional contacts with the professor as you wish.

4) Videos: David Attenborough. 1979. Life on Earth: A Natural History. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 13 episodes. Available at ACC libraries. These episodes will not be broadcast and are not available via streaming.

The videos are no longer available for purchase, except perhaps as used sets on eBay or other sources. They were re-released on DVD, but in Region 2 (European) and 4 (Australia and New Zealand) coding only. There is both an abbreviated and a full-length version available on DVD. Do not get the abbreviated set. There are illegal copies to be found on VEOH and other internet file-sharing sites. It is not lawful to download these.

The videos are available in the libraries at the following ACC locations:

• Rio Grande

• Cypress Creek

• Northridge

• Riverside

• Pinnacle

• Fredericksburg High School (non-ACC location)

• Eastview Library

• Round Rock Campus

Bold locations have check-out copies available. There are only a FEW check-out copies available. ALL libraries have copies that are available for viewing in the libraries. Check-out tapes usually have two programs on one videotape cassette.

Be advised: there are only a FEW check-out copies of each tape. Be PREPARED to have to watch the videotapes in the library. If you cannot check out the videotape and take it home to watch, you are expected to watch the videos in the library. Otherwise, you may have insufficient time to prepare for the exam by the exam deadline. Exam deadlines will NOT be extended if you are unable to check out a videotape

Many students in the past have become confused about the videotapes that are available for checkout and the ones in the library. There are SEVEN checkout videotapes:

• Tape 1 for Unit 1: contains episodes 1 and 2

• Tape 2 for Unit 2: contains episodes 3 and 4

• Tape 3 for Unit 3: contains episodes 5 and 6

• Tape 4 for Unit 4: contains episodes 7 and 8

• Tape 5 for Unit 5: contains episodes 9 and 10

• Tape 6 for Units 5 & 6: contains episodes 11 and 12

• Tape 7 for Unit 6: contains episode 13

Since checkout tapes (except tape 7) contain two episodes, you need to be careful when you check out a videotape. IF YOU ARE CHECKING OUT A VIDEOTAPE, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU GOT WHAT YOU WANTED. If you are checking out a videotape to take home, you must ask for the correct tape. For example, if you want to checkout the videotape that has episode 3 on it, you must ask for TAPE 2. Double check and make sure the videotape covers the episodes that you wanted before you leave the library. On the other hand, if you are watching the episodes in the media section of the library, you will probably find thirteen videotapes, with one episode per videotape (although there may some tapes with two or even three episodes per tape).

5) Student ID card -

Students are required to present an ACC Student ID card in order to use campus services such as Libraries, Academic Testing Centers, and Computer Labs. Students can come to any campus Admissions & Records Office one day after registering for courses to have the photo ID card made. Students must present a valid state or federally issued photo ID, such as a Driver's License, to receive their ACC Student ID card.

The ACC Student ID card is permanent; it does not expire at the end of the semester. Each semester, after a student is registered for classes, their ACC ID card becomes valid for that semester. Lost or stolen cards should be reported to an Admissions & Records Office immediately, where a replacement card can be issued; a replacement fee will apply. Contact the Admissions & Records Office with questions about ACC ID cards.

Please note:  ACC ID cards for students taking Distance Learning courses are not mailed. Student ID cards are only available through the Admissions & Records Office.

6) (optional) Copies of the companion book, Life on Earth by David Attenborough, are on reserve at the ACC libraries. Copies are also available for check-out at the Austin Public Library. The book may also be available for sale at Half-Price Bookstores.

Basic Course Information:

1) Exams. There are 6 unit exams and a comprehensive final exam, each worth 100 points.

2) Field Trip. Students will be required to attend a nature walk, nature preserves, museums of natural history, zoos, botanical gardens, or events from an approved list to be posted on Blackboard. Following the field trip, the student will provide a report describing their experience, following guidelines to be posted on Blackboard. This report is worth 100 points.

3) Research project. Following the field trip or visit to a museum, students will propose a topic that they learned of during this experience that they would like to further research. Upon instructor approval of their topic, the student will research the ACC library and internet sources from an approved list to write a 3-5 page report. This report is worth 200 points.

|Assignment |Points |

|Exams (6 unit exams and a comprehensive final exam, each worth 100|700 |

|points) | |

|Field trip report |100 |

|Research report |200 |

|Total points |1000 |

Instructional Methodology: This is PCM course requiring the use of a computer with access to the internet. It also requires viewing the video series “Life on Earth”. There are 13 episodes available as VHS tapes which can be viewed in the ACC libraries . Some libraries may have checkout copies. Check with the libraries for availability. Each tape contains two episodes. You must request the videos by tape number, not by episode number. Additional material will be presented in the study guide, including links to recommended web sites. Clickable links to these web sites can be found on the course home page and on Blackboard. 

Due to copyright restrictions, the videos cannot be broadcast on any television channel nor can they be made available by streaming on any web site, including Blackboard; neither can they be captioned. No transcript is available. For these reasons, this course cannot accommodate persons with impaired hearing or vision.

Course Rationale: This course is designed to provide practical explorations into fields of modern biology. In support of Austin Community College’s Mission Statement to support skills for “life-long learning”, this course will challenge students to apply critical thinking skills. A sincere effort is made in this course to make the topics relevant to the student’s experience and to provide the student with practical knowledge.

Common Course Objectives & Transferabiity: A copy of the ACC Biology Department’s “BIOL1309 is available at . For course transfer information go to .

Exam Information: Six unit exams and a comprehensive final exam will cover topics in the videos and outlined in the BIOL1309 Common Course Objectives. These exams or each unit will be composed of some multiple choice questions and some short answer/essay questions. The testing center will grade the multiple choice portion of the test and give you the grade on that portion (note that they will give you a percentage based on the total number of multiple choice questions not the total points of the test). The remainder of the test (with the short answer/essay questions) will be forwarded to me for grading. Keep your test request slip copies until you receive your final course grade. They are your only proof that you have taken the exams. The multiple choice questions are largely oriented toward details. Be prepared to answer questions about the differences between the various plants and animals covered in each unit. The short answer questions asked on the exam will be very similar to the questions in the study guide.

Location of Exams and Exam Policies: Exams are available at the Eastview campus Testing Center and by prior arrangement in Testing Centers on other campuses (See Student Information Form below). Please have everything with you when you go to take an exam at the Testing Center. The Testing Center is there to facilitate the test-taking process for open campus students. However, you must do your share in order to be prepared. Read the Guide to Student Use of the Testing Center. Be aware of their policies and hours by visiting their ACC website. When you go to take an exam, make sure you have the following:

1. A picture ID and your ACC ID

2. A number 2 pencil

3. The name of the instructor: Trish Phelps

4. The course name and number: Life on Earth, BIOL 1309

5. The exam number: for example, Exam 1 or Exam 4.

You must allow A MINIMUM OF ONE HOUR to take any exams for this class. This means that if it is 7:15 PM and the Testing Center is closing at 8:00 PM, you will NOT be allowed to take an exam for this class, even if it is the day of the test deadline. One hour is the minimum time allotted for a test. It may take you longer than one hour to finish the exam.

Grading information: Grades will be assessed as follows: 90-100% A, 80-89% B, 70-79% C, 60-69% D, and ................
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