CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
Fall Semester 2010
Biology 1309 Life on Earth Syllabus
(Courses # 21157 – 012 & 024)
INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. Oranit (Orie) Gilad
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 7:00pm – 8:00pm @ RRC 3323
Email: Preferred form of communication. Please include BIOL 1309 DL in your subject line
ACC Email: ogilad@austincc.edu
Personal Email: orie.gilad@
Office phone: (512) 223-1790 ext. # 26548
Website: austincc.edu/ogilad/
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Biology 1309 Life on Earth is a survey of the living organisms on our planet for the non-science major students. The course focuses on evolutionary and natural history, structural and behavioral adaptations, biological diversity and co-evolution.
PREREQUISITES: This course requires college level reading and writing skills. You must have: (1) at least a 5 or above on both the ACC reading and writing assessment tests, or (2) passed both the reading and writing portions of the TASP, or (3) are exempt from the TASP. If you do not meet these requirements, you may be withdrawn from the course.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: The required Guidebook for this course is Biology 1309 Life on Earth Concepts and Questions, 5TH edition, by Bernice Speer, et. al. You can either buy a copy at an ACC bookstore or download and print from the ACC Biology Department website at:
Click on “Lab Manuals and Study Guides, then click on BIOL 1309 – Life on Earth.
A link is also available through Blackboard.
OPTIONAL MATERIALS: Although not required for the class, there are copies of the book, Life on Earth by David Attenborough, on reserve at the following ACC libraries: RGC, NRG, RVS, CYP and PIN. Copies are also available for checkout at the Austin Public Library.
COURSE RATIONALE: This course is designed for students who are primarily non-science majors. Through the use of lectures, good science videos and web-based homework assignments, students are introduced to the organisms that inhabit this planet, their characteristics, their evolutionary relationships and their adaptation to life on earth.
The course is based on a series of 13 video episodes produced by the BBC and narrated by David Attenborough. It is an evolutionary approach to studying the many life forms on earth, starting from the beginnings of life to the present day.
Since these videos were produced several years ago, some clarifications and additional information have been added to the study guide and additional resources will be introduced during the semester as separate reading/viewing assignments. This additional information will add to the concepts presented in this course and reinforce the approach of the videos.
COMMON COURSE OBJECTIVES: The common course objectives for BIOL 1309 are found at
SPECIFIC SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES: There are specific skills and competencies that I expect students who complete this course to achieve:
• Ability to explain evolutionary relationships among different organisms
• Ability to discuss adaptations, using several different examples
• Ability to observe phenomena and to record information
• Ability to apply biological concepts to new examples
• Ability to demonstrate higher level thinking skills
INSTRUCTIONAL METHODOLOGY: This course is taught as a Distance Learning course.
ACCeID: You will need an ACCeID to use the Blackboard site and ACC Online. If you don't already have an ACCeID, go to the ACCeID Manager Login at: . Click on "First-Time Login" and follow the instructions. You must be able to access Blackboard.
BLACKBOARD SITE: A Blackboard site has been set up for this class. I will use Blackboard to post announcements, class materials and your grades. I will also use Blackboard to send e-mails to the class. For this reason, you MUST use your ACC e-mail address. That is the only e-mail address that Blackboard will use and the only e-mail address that will be used to send out official notices and feedback.
Information about the ACC e-mail can be found at:
You can have your ACC e-mail forwarded to another e-mail address if you prefer. See more information at:
To get started on Blackboard, go to the login site at: and click on the “Student Guide – Getting Started with Blackboard” link. This will help you set up your
Blackboard account and get you to the course site. If you need help, call the ACC Help Desk at 512-223-HELP.
Please put my e-mail address into your address book or your Spam Blocker may block my emails.
You are expected to check Blackboard on a regular basis. I will post required class materials on Blackboard, including material for you to read or web sites to explore. If I post online lecture notes on Blackboard, I may not cover the same material in class unless you have questions.
You can also use Blackboard to keep in touch with other students who are enrolled in this course to form real or virtual study groups. You can post questions and comments to everyone through the Blackboard class discussion groups or you can use the real time Chat Room from this site.
COURSE CALENDAR: A tentative calendar with exam dates and topics of lectures will be provided separately at the beginning of the semester. Schedule changes may occur during the semester. Any changes will be announced through Blackboard and an updated calendar will be available on the course’s website and through Blackboard.
COURSE GRADING SCHEME
GRADES: Your final grade depends on the total number of points you accumulate from these sources. The course grade will be calculated according to the rubric below. There are no + or – grades given at ACC.
|Source |Number |Points per |Total Points |
|Exams |4 |150 |600 |
|Makeup Exam |1 |150 | |
|Discussions | | |200 |
|*Total | | |800 (100%) |
* Please note: if the number of exams or assignments changes during the semester, the total number of points will be adjusted before computing your course average.
Final Grading Scale: 89.5-100% = A; 79.5-89.4% = B; 69.5-79.5% = C; 60-69% = D; below 60% = F
I. EXAMS:
There are four exams that are indicated on the attached schedule. Each test is worth 150 points.
The exams will be based on the information covered during the period leading to the exam not including material covered on last exam. This is including assigned questions from the study guide, material covered through videos, or in readings or articles. You will be expected to spell all terms correctly in order to receive full credit. There are no retests in this course; once you have taken an exam, you may not take it again to try for a better grade.
All tests are given in the Testing Center and are available for the dates indicated on the attached schedule. There is no curve. Exams may only be opened in the ACC Testing Centers using the Respondus lockdown browser. For information on how to take a secure computer-based exam within Blackboard click here
DO NOT OPEN AN EXAM UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO TAKE IT. Once you open an exam it will count as if you have taken the exam even if you opened it by mistake and didn't answer any of the questions. If you open an exam and don't answer any of the questions, you will receive a score of zero and the zero will be averaged with your other exam scores.
Exams can be opened only with a computer in one of the ACC Testing Centers. You can take an exam only once. Make sure you open the correct exam because if you open the wrong exam by mistake and don't answer any of the questions, you will receive a score of zero and the zero will be averaged with your other exam scores.
Each exam contains 4 types of questions:
1. True/False:
➢ Mark the statement as either true or false
2. Multiple Choice (each possible answer will be preceded by a circle):
➢ Choose the ONE best answer
3. Multiple Answer (each possible answer will be preceded by a square)
➢ "Select all that apply” - to get credit for a Multiple Answer question, you must select ALL of the correct answers and NONE of the incorrect answers.
4. Open ended questions – you are expected to type in your answer
HOW TO PREPARE FOR EXAMS
1. First, read the material in the study guide. Reading the concepts and additional information first will help you understand the material in the video. Be aware that some topics covered in the study guide are not mentioned in the video and vice versa. You are responsible for all material covered in the study guide and the videos. You are also responsible for concepts covered in previous units.
2. View the corresponding video episodes and answer the questions in the study guide. Some students have found it helpful to view the video episodes straight through the first time without answering the questions and then go through a second time slowly as they answer the questions.
3. Participate in the online discussion groups. Make sure you are familiar with all the concepts covered in the discussion topics, whether your group discussed them all or not.
4. Review the concepts in the study guide, additional lecture materials, discussion group information and your answers to the study guide questions as you would for any college exam. You will need to remember specific details about the various organisms shown in the video episodes. Some students have found flash cards useful for studying these details, or organizing the information into tables. Viewing the episodes one more time in the library right before taking the test has also proved helpful to many students.
5. When you are studying the material, pay special attention to any organism that is discussed in great detail in the videos or in the study guide. Then think about how you would answer a question asked about that organism. If you are asked a written question about the organism, read the question carefully. If the question asks you to describe an organism, tell where it is found in terms of geography and habitat, how big it is, what it eats, what color it is, what unusual or distinguishing features it has, and how it is adapted to its habitat. Provide as much info as you can remember. If you are asked for examples, give as many as you can remember.
LOCATION OF EXAMS AND EXAM POLICIES
Exams are available at the following campuses: Cypress Creek, Eastview, Fredericksburg, Northridge, Pinnacle, Rio Grande, Riverside, Round Rock Campus, Round Rock Higher Education Center, San Marcos and South Austin.
Exams will be taken online unless you made special arrangements with me (example: you live outside ACC’s Testing Center area).
Exams will be available in the testing center you indicated during your Orientation Quiz.
Read the attached information about the Academic Testing Centers before taking your first exam. The locations and hours of operation for each testing center can be found at .
The Testing Centers are 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.
• Please have everything with you when you go to take an exam at the Testing Center.
• When you go to take an exam, make sure you have the following:
1. Valid picture ID
2. Valid ACC student ID*
3. A number 2 pencil and eraser (in case a problem arises during the online version)
You must have an ACC photo student ID to use the testing center. You can get more information at this web site:
Testing is done on a “first come, first serve” basis. Sometimes there is a long wait to use the testing center.
If you are asked to fill out a test request form this is the information you will need:
• course number = BIOL 1309
• synonym number and section numbers: Be sure to use the correct synonym & section numbers for the section you are registered in
• test number = (be very careful to put the correct test number)
• instructor = Oranit Gilad
• instructor’s home campus = RRC
EXAM DEADLINES
You must take your exams by the deadlines shown in the class schedule
II. MAKEUP FINAL:
There is an optional comprehensive make-up exam covering material from the entire semester. It will be used as a make-up exam if you miss a regularly scheduled exam or do poorly on any one exam. The optional make-up exam can only substitute one test score. If you miss more than one exam, you will receive a grade of 0 for the second missed exam and the instructor reserves the right to withdraw you from the course.
III. VIDEOS AND STUDYGUIDE QUESTIONS:
Videos are available for viewing at the Fredericksburg High School and in the ACC Media Centers at the following locations: Cypress Creek*, Eastview*, Northridge*, Pinnacle*, Rio Grande*, Riverside*, Round Rock Campus, and South Austin Campus*. Starred (*) locations also have checkout copies.
Be advised: there are only a FEW checkout copies of the videotapes. 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 video episodes 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 the videotapes.
The running time for each episode is about one hour. However, it usually takes at least two hours per episode to record the answers to the study guide questions.
BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO BUY THE VIDEOS: The videos are made in the UK and do not run on American DVD players. Make sure your computer is able to play the videos before you decide to purchase them.
STUDYGUIDE QUESTIONS: The study guide contains written material about the concepts covered in each video, and questions that help you take notes on the video episodes. Be sure to study the written material as well as your answers to the study guide questions. Exam questions may be selected from the written material as well as the questions.
IV. DISCUSSIONS:
Students are expected to participate in small group online discussion forums in Blackboard under “Discussion Topics”. You will be assigned to a discussion group during the first week of class.
Discussion topics are presented in MS Word documents, with links to websites and questions to answer regarding this additional material.
I will post a set of discussion topics during the course of the semester for the group to discuss. Some of these questions may pertain to the videos; other questions may require you to look at materials on the web.
You are also welcome to start your own areas of discussion. This is a great place to ask your group members to explain some concept that you did not understand.
General Guidelines for Discussion Groups:
1. I expect you to participate in your group discussion forums at least twice for each topic. Your required two posts must occur on different days. At least one of your two required posts should be a response/reply to someone else.
2. When you post an answer to a discussion topic, especially if you are the first one to respond, please do not try to answer everything. Leave some room for your other group members to be able to share in the discussion. For example, if you asked to compare two organisms, you might discuss one way that the two organisms are similar and one way they are different. That gives an opportunity for your other group members to contribute to the discussion by bringing up different similarities and differences.
3. It is perfectly okay and even encouraged to bring up new material, point out interesting websites, and add more information in your posts, as long as the material posted pertains to the concepts and organisms covered in that section under discussion. You may also post questions and answers about study guide materials, but try to make sure that you cover all the discussion topics, too.
4. Be polite to each other. It is okay to disagree with someone else’s opinion or interpretation but disagree politely. Remember that people may not be able to tell if you are being sarcastic or witty when they are reading your posts. Be careful and considerate! The instructor can remove you from your discussion group for inappropriate postings. If this happens, your grade for any remaining discussion topics will be a zero (0) and you will not be given the chance to make these points up.
5. You will receive a grade for your participation in your group discussion forum for a total of 200 points.
Discussion grades will be assessed using the following criteria:
a. Did you contribute at least twice to the discussion?
b. Were your posts made on the same day (bad) or on at least two separate days (good)?
c. Were posts relevant to the discussion topic?
d. Did posts show evidence of thoughtful analysis? (Were your posts meaningful?)
e. Did you read and respond to ideas of your classmates? You MUST reply at least once to another student to get full credit for your posts.
f. To make the discussion groups feel like a real discussion, it helps if you ask questions as part of your postings. Such questions make it easier for other students to reply. A good place for such a question is at the end of the post.
7. During the first week, you are required to greet your group: make a post describing a bit about yourself and why you are taking the course. Your greeting post will be worth 10 points.
8. Posts made after the posting deadline for each unit will not be counted for full credit. A post made one or two days after the posting deadline will receive partial credit. After that, no credit will be awarded for late posts. See the section on important dates for the posting periods. The deadline for posting to the discussion groups will be two days before the deadline to take the test.
9. Please, don’t use abbreviations in your posts. Take pity on those of us who are not text-messaging experts!
10. To find your discussion group, look in the frame on the left side of the course Blackboard site. You’ll see “Discussion Groups” listed there. Click on this to get to a list of discussion groups. There will be only one group that you can click on—that is your group.
11. What to do if your group is full of procrastinators: Try nagging them with emails! Ask me to nag them with emails if your emails aren’t working! If that doesn’t work, I will move you into a more active group.
TIMELY POATING OF GRADES: Exam grades will be graded within 2 weeks.
HOW TO SUCCEED IN THIS COURSE:
Active Learning: The foundation in science that you develop in this course will be valuable in your further studies. Therefore you will need to be actively involved in your learning. The following are ways to be active learners in biology or any other field:
• Follow schedule carefully. Read all background material and answer all the assigned questions. Watch the video and answer the assigned questions. Take notes during the video if necessary.
• Communicate. Let me know if you don’t understand an idea. Discuss within your group concepts that are unclear, and bring up ideas that you believe are related to the class. If something doesn’t make sense to you, it probably doesn’t make sense to others in the class, too, so bring it up.
• Actively Participate in Discussions. “Science is NOT a spectator sport.” Biology requires your participation because you learn better when you participate but also because we will be learning about things that directly impact your life and how you think about our world. Because this is a Distance Learning course, we do not meet in one location for traditional group discussion. Utilize the Online Discussion forum to express your ideas and share your own understanding with others.
• Know your learning style. We all learn in different ways. Here is a site that will give you a free 5-minute quiz, and tell you how you learn and strategies to help you learn better. Log onto
COURSE POLICIES:
A. WITHDRAWAL: If you decide to drop the class, you are responsible for completing all necessary paperwork. If you stop attending class and do not withdraw yourself from the course, you will end up with a grade of F for the semester.
The last day for students to withdraw from the class without a “w” appearing on their transcript is Sept. 8th. The last day to withdraw from the semester is Nov. 18th.
B. INCOMPLETE: A grade of incomplete (I) will be assigned only if you have all of the following:
- A valid reason (instructor makes decision) with written documentation
- Requested a grade of “I” in writing
- Completed all of the course work scheduled before the drop deadline
- Completed more than 50% of the course work, and
- At least a 70% (c) average on completed work.
C. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office of Students with Disabilities (OSD) on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the semester. Students who are requesting accommodation must provide the instructor with a letter of accommodation from the OSD at the beginning of the semester. Accommodations can only be made after the instructor receives the letter of accommodation from OSD.
D. SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY: “Acts prohibited by the college for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited or cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work. Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research or self-expression. Academia is defined as, but not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper, projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations, and homework.”
E. STUDENT DISCIPLINE: Any student caught cheating as described above will receive a “0” for that section and further disciplinary actions will be considered. Students should be familiar with the current policies and procedures in the ACC Student Handbook (also available in the Student Development Office), and the ACC General Catalog (also available in the Admissions and Records Office).
F. ACADEMIC FREEDOM: Institutions of higher education are conducted for the common good. The common good depends on a search for truth and upon free expression. In this course the professor and students shall strive to protect free inquiry and the open exchange of facts, ideas and opinions. Students are free to take exception to views offered in this course and to reserve judgment about debatable issues. Grades will not be affected by personal views. With this freedom comes the responsibility of civility and a respect for a diversity of ideas and opinions. This means that students must conduct themselves in a civilized manner and refrain from personal attacks, insults etc. Inappropriate behavior will be privately counseled, and, if continued, could result in the withdrawal of the disruptive student from the course by the instructor.
ACC Policy Concerning Copyrighted Materials: All class materials provided on the instructor's web page, Blackboard, CD, and/or in printed form (videos, objectives, assignments, etc.) are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the copyright holder (this may be the instructor, ACC, or a publisher). Reproduction consists of photocopying, scanning, copying, or posting files on a server or web site. Students currently registered for this section have permission to print one copy of course materials for their own personal use. No permission is given for posting any course materials on web sites.
TESTING CENTER POLICY: Exams will be given through the testing center. For the policies go to:
STUDENT SERVICES and INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES: The following websites can provide valuable information and resources:
Student Services Web Site:
Student Handbook:
Services for Students:
Campus-based Student Support Services Overview:
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