Course Syllabus

Summer 2025 | BIO-1250-VO01 - Wildlife Ecology

Online Class

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

Faculty

Kristel Guimara
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

Through field trips and/or individual field work, students examine the ecology and life histories of common animal species and their habitats. The underlying scientific and technical principles are examined as they relate to wildlife conservation efforts by federal, state, and private agencies. This course places special emphasis on Vermont's wildlife.

Essential Objectives

1. Demonstrate understanding of the methods of scientific investigation in wildlife ecology including observation, and hypothesis testing.
2. Analyze wildlife population dynamics as expressed both by population growth equations and by basic quantitative population measures including sex ratio, birth rate, recruitment, survivorship, and mortality.
3. Analyze the effects of genetic diversity and environment on wildlife behaviors including predation, competition, territoriality, mating systems, and reproductive strategies.
4. Explain basic population sampling theory and modeling, as well as techniques including census, estimate, and index.
5. Analyze the integral relationships within and between wildlife and their habitats including selection, adaptation, and preferences.
6. Examine the life histories of common mammals, fish, waterfowl, reptiles, and amphibians.
7. Demonstrate proficiency in making field observations by following scientific protocols, keeping accurate records, and writing detailed reports.
8. Examine the impact of human behavior on wildlife populations including, but not limited to, species extinction, habitat loss, and climate change.
9. Examine wildlife management practices and policies at private, state, tribal, and federal levels, and their impacts on wildlife populations and human societies.
10. Discuss laws and politics related to wildlife ecology including the Endangered Species Act, US and VT Fish and Wildlife Service, and Conservation Commissions.
11. Demonstrate proficiency in understanding, interpreting, applying, and evaluating the accuracy of data and information sources.
12. 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 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.

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.

Integrated: This course's generative AI policy acknowledges the use of AI is an essential skill in today's world. By using genAI for specific purposes, students become equipped with relevant skills and tools necessary to thrive in a technology-driven society. Emphasizing the mastery of generative AI should empower you to harness its potential, enhancing your problem-solving abilities and preparing you for future challenges and opportunities. Be aware, however, that any time generative AI is used at any point in the assignment without attribution it may be considered a violation of CCV's Academic Integrity Policy.

A Few Words about Generative AI (e.g. ChatGPT)

Writing is integral to thinking. It is also hard. Natural language processing (NLP) applications like ChatGPT or Sudowrite are useful tools for helping us improve our writing and stimulate our thinking. However, they should never serve as a substitute for either. And, in this course, they cannot.

Think of the help you get from NLP apps as a much less sophisticated version of the assistance you can receive (for free!) from a CCV tutor. That person might legitimately ask you a question to jump-start your imagination, steer you away from the passive voice, or identify a poorly organized paragraph, but should never do the writing for you. A major difference here, of course, is that an NLP app is not a person. It’s a machine which is adept at recognizing patterns and reflecting those patterns back at us. It cannot think for itself. And it cannot think for you.

With that analogy in mind, you will need to adhere to the following guidelines in our class.

Appropriate use of AI when writing essays or discussion board entries:

• You are free to use spell check, grammar check, and synonym identification tools (e.g., Grammarly, and MS Word).
• You are free to use app recommendations when it comes to rephrasing sentences or reorganizing paragraphs you have drafted yourself.
• You are free to use app recommendations when it comes to tweaking outlines you have drafted yourself.

Inappropriate use of AI when writing essays or discussion board entries:

• You may not use entire sentences or paragraphs suggested by an app without providing quotation marks and a citation, just as you would to any other source. Citations should take this form: OpenAI, chatGPT. Response to prompt: “Explain what is meant by the term ‘Triple Bottom Line’” (February 15, 2023,https://chat.openai.com/).
• You may not have an app write a draft (either rough or final) of an assignment for you.

Evidence of inappropriate AI use will be grounds for submission of an Academic Integrity report. Sanctions will range from a zero for the assignment to an F for the course.

I’m assuming we won’t have a problem in this regard but want to make sure that the expectations are clear so that we can spend the semester learning together—and not worrying about the origins of your work.

Be aware that other classes may have different policies.

Methods

• small and large group discussions
• interactive projects and/or activities
• readings, writing, and inquiry-based research

Evaluation Criteria

Percentage	Tasks (Assignments)
30	Discussion Forum
25	Field Journal Entries
20	Homework Questions and Case Studies
25	Wildlife Research Proposal Project 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

• 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 (a)synchronous course means a student appeared in the live [online] 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.

Missing & Late Work Policy

• • Due to the design of the online course the attendance is allocated only in the submission of the weekly completed assignments.
  • Late work
    • All assignments have a specific due date and timeframe. This information is presented in the course outline, weekly module checklist and individual weekly assignments.
    • Extra Credit: Extra credit is not provided.
    • Late Submissions: All assignments have a specific due date and timeframe. Late submissions will not be accepted.
      • However, consideration will be made-on a case by case scenario- should you accrue a zero due to illness or family matters. Send me an email of the circumstance. I will work with you to catch up on missed assignments.
        • (Please note if this becomes a habitual request-a broader discussion will take place to include tutoring/student resources to address/offer assistance to aid in internal/external factors affecting grades in the course.)
      • To receive credit on a missed assignment(s) due to an absence (and you would like to submit the late assignment) requires the following in your email:
      • Kindly do the following:
        • Check the syllabus to see what module was covered in the class.
        • In the event of a missed assignment. Include in the email the missed assignment(s) that you would like to receive credit due to an absence (and you would like to submit the late assignment).
        • Please use the below format within an email:
          • Place a subject in the subject box that describes the email content
          • Indicate the title of the course
          • Indicate the assignment(s) you missed and would like to submit the late assignment(s)
          • Kindly use proper capitalization, grammar, and spelling in the email.
            • This may seem tedious. However, this aids in providing/discussing the answers to the missed assignment(s) to your fellow classmates.

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

Apply Now for this semester.