Course Syllabus

Fall 2024 | BIO-1240-VO01 - Forest Ecology

Online Class

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

Faculty

Jen Guarino
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Jarod Waite

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

Through field trips and/or individual field work, students examine the structure and dynamics of forest communities. Consideration is given to geographic and ecologic factors shaping forest communities, to biological and chemical interactions among forest species, and to the human impact on forest stability. All forest types are discussed with an emphasis on temperate deciduous and northern coniferous forests.

Essential Objectives

1. Demonstrate understanding of the methods of scientific investigation in forest ecology including observation and hypothesis testing.
2. Define energy and trace the energy flow in a forest, including the grazing and detritus food chain.
3. Describe the stages of forest succession.
4. Discuss the impact soil type, moisture, light, and temperature have on the forest ecosystem.
5. Analyze how forestry practices impact forest ecosystems, local economies, and local cultures.
6. Using a global scale of analysis, examine the impact of human behavior on forest ecosystems and discuss the role that forests play in the biosphere.
7. Identify common trees and the major forest types in Vermont.
8. Demonstrate proficiency in understanding, interpreting, applying, and evaluating the accuracy of data and information sources.
9. Discuss how laws and politics prevent or promote human access to healthy forests, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Wilderness Act, and Vermont’s Act 250.
10. 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.

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 is a low cost ($50 or less) textbook or resource class. ***

This course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations, along with free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials.

Fall 2024 textbook/book details will be available on 2024-05-20. 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-1240-VO01 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.

Artificial Intelligence(AI) Policy Statement

CCV recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI tools are widely available and becoming embedded in many online writing and creative applications.

Allowed: This course's generative AI policy acknowledges technology, including generative AI, plays a supportive role in learning and feedback. During our class, we may use AI writing tools such as ChatGPT in certain specific cases. You will be informed as to when, where, and how these tools are permitted to be used, along with guidance for attribution. Any use outside of these specific cases constitutes a violation of CCV's Academic Integrity Policy.

Please note that presenting AI-generated work as your own constitutes plagiarism, which violates CCV's Academic Integrity Policy.

Methods

Teaching methods for this asynchronous, online class will include the following:

• Instructor presentations via written and video communications
• Weekly discussion forums
• weekly readings and website viewings
• outdoor academic study in forests near you
• periodic quizzes
• short research papers
• a final fieldwork project (research, paper, online presentation)

I will be available via email and will respond within 24 hours, 48 hours at the latest. I'm happy to schedule a zoom session to meet one on one as well. If the class is interested, we’ll schedule office hours.

Evaluation Criteria

Students will be evaluated as follows. The percentages indicate the weight of each category on your final grade for the class.

20%: discussion forum contributions (includes responding to my weekly prompt, responding to other students as requested, and completing all posts on time)

25%: homework assignments and individual fieldwork assignments

20%: quizzes

20%: two short research papers (10% each)

15%: final fieldwork project (completed in several parts over time)

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

Please strive for active and effective participation in this class. This is the best strategy for maximizing your learning and helping to build a community that benefits all participants.

Important participation elements include:

• curiosity and engagement in discussions and activities
• a mind that is open to new information and different perspectives, and expects to be challenged
• thoughtful online writing in response to discussion forum prompts and other students' posts
• fully developed work that follows assignment instructions and is submitted on time
• individual fieldwork in forests near you
• scientific sketches and photos to document your fieldwork (Don't worry - this is not an art class! Our sketches will focus on capturing important details that you observe)
• a video presentation for your final project (I'll teach you how)
• communicating with me, as needed, to do your best work. I welcome inquiries so I can support your learning!

Important notes:

• In our Course Resources module on Canvas, please look for an item called Preparing for Fieldwork. There, you'll see a list of supplies and suggestions.
• All communications should show respect for members of the class (the instructor and the students), reflect your learning, and add value to class exchanges. Before submitting your work, please review it carefully with these qualities in mind.
• Please take note of the Attendance Policy, which pertains to all CCV classes. It is important that you attend class each week.
• If you have questions about being able to fully participate in this class, please contact me as soon as possible.

Missing & Late Work Policy

Meeting assignment due dates is important to maximize your learning, earn your best grade, and keep the class flowing along smoothly. Please look at our weekly due dates and develop a plan to make sure that your work is submitted on time. The information below outlines what happens when work is missing or late.

• Late assignments can be submitted up to one week (7 days) past the deadline. You will lose 10% each day that an assignment is late. After a week, it will no longer be accepted for credit and you will receive a zero on it.
• Late work is not accepted in the discussion forum. Interacting with classmates is an essential part of online discussions and cannot be made up after the fact. Please note that there are four parts to every discussion forum assignment: (1) Responding to my initial prompt, (2) Responding to fellow students, (3) The quality of your posts, and (4) Meeting the due dates for forum contributions.
• Extensions will be granted only in extenuating circumstances. If a lengthy medical problem or other emergent personal issue will result in missing weekly discussions and/or assignments, please contact me as soon as possible.
• Students who know that they will not have class access for a given week should make arrangements with me to complete assignments and participation requirements prior to the absence.

I understand that sometimes things happen that get in the way of your completing your work on time. So I will extend one “life happens ticket" to each student over the semester, which allows you to turn in late work within a week after the due date without penalty. This ticket excludes assignments that impact fellow students, like discussion forums.

Experiential Learning Expectations

Hours: 11-14

Students in this class will engage in individual fieldwork activities to complete assignments. Students will choose their fieldwork sites in forests near their home, and transport themselves to these sites.

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