Course Syllabus

Spring 2024 | BIO-1240-VO01 - Forest Ecology

Online Class

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

Faculty

Matthew Davis
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Danielle Lafleur Brooks

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

This course examines 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. Field trips required.

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 no cost textbook or resource class. ***

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

Methods

This course is intended to introduce students to the fundamentals of Environmental Science. Therefore, the teaching methods employed will provide opportunities for students to experience this discipline first hand.

Learning activities will include but are not limited to the following:

• Discussion Forums
• Field Observations
• Field Journal
• Mapping Projects
• Simulations
• Required readings
• Current issue analysis
• Scientific research project

Evaluation Criteria

Class participation and preparation - 20%: You will be expected to contribute to our course "community" as every student has the capability to bring their knowledge to the group. As residents of the natural world we all have some experience the environment, and this experience is very relevant to the topic. Your participation grade will be based upon the frequency in which you participate in discussions and the frequency in which you complete various activities in Canvas. Your preparation grade will be based upon how well you prepare yourself for participation and how well you use the resources provided to do so.

Discussion Forums - 20%: You will be expected to participate in discussion forums weekly and in some cases you will be expected to lead a discussion. You will be assessed based upon your original responses to the instructors posts, your response to your peers, and your initiation of discussions. The following criteria will be considered in assessing your forum contributions.

• Demonstrating critical thinking.
• Referencing readings and/or other resources provided.
• Referencing your own experience and observations.
• Crafting questions that inspire others to think.
• Good grammar and use of proper English.

Projects - 20%: There are several smaller projects you will be asked to complete in this course.

Field observations and Field Journal - 20%: Because Forest Ecology is an observation based discipline, I will be asking you to spend time outdoors making observations. I will expect you to keep a journal of these experiences and attempt to relate your observations to topics discussed in the course. There will also be a "mapping" component of the field experience though this will fall under the "project" umbrella.

Scientific research project - 20%: I will be ask you to complete a research project on some aspect of Forest Ecology. You will arrive at a specific question related to a topic in the discipline and will use this question to direct your research. You have the option of creating an 8-10 slide Powerpoint type presentation, or writing a 5-6 page research paper.

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

• Read the assigned material and demonstrate an understanding of those resources in your assignments and posts. Readings and resources should be cited using APA format.
• Post an original response to the weekly prompt(s) before Friday at midnight (11:59 PM) and a minimum of two responses to peers before Monday at midnight (11:59 PM). You are welcome to post early and/or more frequently, as your schedule allows, but you will not receive full credit if you do not meet these minimum requirements and/or deadlines.
• Posts should be substantive and demonstrate college-level writing. A substantive post is well-developed, a minimum 150 words, and references the reading or another appropriate source. A substantive post is NOT one or two sentences of general statements or unsupported opinion.

Missing & Late Work Policy

• Late assignments can be submitted up to one week 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.
• 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.
• 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 your instructor as soon as possible.
• Students who know that they will not have course access for any given week should make arrangements with their instructor to complete assignments and participation requirements prior to the absence.

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