Course Syllabus

Spring 2024 | BIO-1211-VO01 - Introductory Biology: Ecology & Evolution

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Lindsay Webb
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Ryan Joy

General Education Requirements

VSCS Natural Science

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

In this introductory biology course, students explore the "process of science" with hands-on field and laboratory experiments. Concepts in the evolutionary history of biological diversity, ecology and the biosphere, and conservation biology are covered in this course. (Students needing a full year of introductory biology should also complete BIO-1212.)

Essential Objectives

1. Summarize principles of classification of life and identify organisms across kingdoms (archaea, bacteria, algae, protozoa, fungi, non-vascular and vascular plants, and animals).
2. Describe and model how energy and matter are cycled through ecosystems.
3. Explore and identify the different scales of ecological investigations (populations, communities, ecosystems).
4. Identify and evaluate the historical and present-day evidence for evolution, including phylogenetics.
5. Distinguish between biomes by evaluating abiotic and biotic factors.
6. Relate how conditions present in biomes have influenced adaptive changes, speciation, and evolution.
7. Describe the factors that affect changes in population size, including birth/death rates, carrying capacity, survivorship curves, reproductive strategies, and the various types of community relationships that exist between species.
8. Analyze case studies to identify mechanisms of evolution within organisms, populations, and communities.
9. Assess human factors influencing ecology, including conservation biology and human population growth.
10. Explain the significance of biodiversity and discuss current threats to ecosystems and biodiversity as well as the ways conservation strategies can address them.
11. Demonstrate proficiency in applying, interpreting, evaluating, and extrapolating quantitative data.
12. Use data to construct models of phylogenies, carrying capacity, r-selected and k-selected species, symbiosis, and trophic structure.
13. Explain how knowledge created in the natural sciences has contributed to the creation, maintenance and dismantling of social inequalities and discuss the impacts of diversity and inclusion on scientific research and practice.
Lab Objectives:
1. Apply knowledge of the scientific method to:
a. formulate and evaluate real-world scientific questions;
b. ethically plan and implement accurate data collection;
c. analyze and evaluate data;
d. generate conclusions based on analysis and justify claims with evidence;
e. integrate the related work of other scientists; and
f. propose ideas for further inquiry.
2. Communicate findings in a format appropriate to the discipline and type of investigation, such as a laboratory notebook, laboratory report, observational study, field investigation report, poster, or presentation using appropriate evidence to support these findings.
3. Understand the structure and purpose of peer-reviewed publications.
4. Evaluate scientific information for validity, accuracy, reliability, and methodology.
5. Identify and follow lab safety techniques that are aligned with CCV’s Chemical Hygiene Plan, Lab Safety Agreements and chemical Safety Data Sheets (SDS).

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

This course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations.

Spring 2024 textbook details will be available on 2023-11-06. On that date a link will be available below that will take you to eCampus, CCV's bookstore. The information provided there will be specific to this class. Please see this page for more information regarding the purchase of textbooks/books.

BIO-1211-VO01 Link to Textbooks for this course in eCampus.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Methods

We will be using several methods for learning in this course:

• Learning with textbook, journal articles, and other online materials.
• Active weekly online discussion forums with classmates and the instructor.
• Weekly assignments and occasional quizzes to demonstrate your comprehension and critical thinking skills.
• Weekly online lab modules that apply knowledge of the scientific method and demonstrate your compression of course topics.

Evaluation Criteria

You will be evaluated on your general mastery of the Essential Objectives for the course, level of participation, and overall quality of work (including written mechanics). In particular, I will be using the following areas to evaluate your work:

• Discussion Forums (25%)
• Weekly Assignments (25%)
• Quizzes (15%)
• Labs (35%)

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

• Each week starts on Tuesday and ends the following Monday.
• To be considered "present" in class, you must indicate you are there, by posting in the discussion or handing in an assignment by Monday at midnight.
• Each week there is a discussion forum that you must participate in which includes an initial post and commenting on two other posts.
• Each week there will be at least one assignment that is due by midnight Monday night.
• There are several quizzes throughout the semester based on the content covered in class.
• Each week you will have a lab to complete, most through our online lab module program (SimUText), and then a lab report to complete.

Missing & Late Work Policy

I will accept assignments that are late, but out of respect for those who get their assignments in on time, there will be a penalty (2% off for each day it is late). Please reach out to me if extenuating circumstances prevent you from handing in your work.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity