Course Syllabus

Spring 2024 | BIO-1211-VO02 - Introductory Biology: Ecology & Evolution

Online Class

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

Faculty

Fred Kosnitsky
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
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, along with free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials.

Spring 2024 textbook/book 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-VO02 Link to Textbooks for this course in eCampus.

For Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials details, see the Canvas Site for this class.

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

In this online and asynchronous course we will have weekly modules with assigned readings, videos, course content assignments, and lab exercises/activities.

The readings are from our text, Campbell Biology 12th edition, and occasional short additional readings. The videos are generally short and they help supplement the material for the week.

Written assignments are a mix of short answers about the week's content and some essays about the content. There are also some Discussion assignments where students can analyze and synthesize and then comment on each others work.

The lab exercises include outdoor field work, Scientific Skills exercises from the text, virtual field trips to museums and natural sites, and online computer simulations.

Evaluation Criteria

Students will be evaluated based on their weekly assignments (40%), their Labs and Discussions (40%), and their final research paper (20%).

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

Students are expected to complete all assignments, Discussions, Labs, and the final paper.

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