Course Syllabus

Spring 2026 | BIO-1240-VO01 - Forest Ecology

Online Class

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

Faculty

Heather Fitzgerald
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Danielle Lafleur Brooks

General Education Requirements

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 computer recommendations Support page.

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. ***

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.

Prohibited: The use of generative AI is not allowed in this course, with the exception of spellcheck, grammar check and similar tools. This course rests in the value of students engaging in the learning process without relying on AI-generated content. Students will develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills independently, owning their learning journey from start to finish. If you use these tools, your actions would be considered academically dishonest and a violation of CCV's Academic Integrity Policy.

You can use nature apps, like Seek and iNaturalist and Merlin! Just don't use AI to take a shortcut on any of the reading or writing asked of you in this course--make sure everything you turn in was thought up by your own brain.

Methods

To learn the material in this asynchronous online course, you will be completing weekly readings, contributing to an interactive weekly discussion of these readings and the issues they raise, and (usually) going outside to try out applying some of the material. (A spot within walking distance of your home will suffice.)

Evaluation Criteria

Here's what our assignments will be:

• 50-100 pages of reading and skimming and participation in one written discussion each week
• An extremely short scientific question write-up
• A short tree ID quiz
• A presentation on your choice book, possibly in a group (Choice Book Presentation)
• A discussion-based final quiz
• Biweekly visits to a Home Base that you choose (within walking distance of where you live recommended), plus a 2-3 page Home Base write-up and presentation
• A lab write-up on a question the class decides on together

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

Full participation in this course looks like:

• Putting in quality time with the readings--this will take a significant portion of your time
• Putting in quality time with the discussions and following the detailed directions to make them worthwhile for all of us
• Completing your home base and other field activites as we go
• Completing other assignments (quizzes, a scientific question, a lab write-up, a presentation on a book of your choosing)

Missing & Late Work Policy

Please note the following:

• Discussions happen in real time, and therefore can't be made up later. Nobody can participate with you after it's over!
• I often give specific and actionable feedback, and students who submit assignments on time have the opportunity to respond to my feedback and resubmit the assignments for higher grades. If you turn something in late, I will not have the time (or organization skills!) to give you detailed feedback and look at a resubmission.
• My advice is always to turn in a highly imperfect version of the assignment rather than waiting to turn it in till you get it perfect. In my experience, students who get significantly behind have a very difficult time catching up. If I see any issues with an assignment, I'll offer you my comments (on the work, not your personal worthiness, which is a given!) and you can resubmit if you want to. I call it (drumroll)...learning!
• This course is designed to be done in real time over the weeks we have together. Putting things off and then trying to get it all done at the last moment will not result in the same learning experience. It is also not fair to fellow students (with whom you will not be able to participate in activities with) or to me (who will have to scramble to respond to the crush of your last-minute work). For these reasons, I will feel free to only award half credit to late assignments handed in during the last month of class, especially if we have not worked something out in advance.

Experiential Learning Expectations

Hours: 6-10

You'll be finding a Home Base site that is easily accessible to you from your home and visiting it multiple times during the semester. If you want to know more, click on the Home Base document in Week 1.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/student-support/accessibility-services/
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

Apply Now for this semester.