Course Syllabus

Summer 2023 | BIO-1250-VO01 - Wildlife Ecology

Online Class

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

Faculty

Lindsay Webb
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Ryan Joy

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

This course is the study of the ecology and life histories of common animal species and their habitats. The underlying scientific and technical principles will be 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 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

We will be using several methods for learning in this course:

• Active online discussion questions with classmates and the instructor
• Textbook, journal articles, and online information reading and written response
• Weekly assignments and quizzes.

Evaluation Criteria

You will be evaluated on your general mastery of the Essential Objectives for the course, level of participation, and overall quality of work (including written mechanics). In particular, I will be using the following areas to evaluate your work:

• Discussion Forums (25%)
• Weekly Assignments (30%)
• Quizzes (25%)
• 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

• Each weeks starts on Tuesday morning (12:01 am to be exact).
• To be considered "present" each week in class, you must indicate you are there, by posting in the discussion forum or handing in an assignment by Monday night.
• Each week there is a discussion forum that you must participate in which includes an initial post and commenting on two other posts.
• Each week there will be at least one assignment that is due by midnight Monday night.
• There are several quizzes throughout the semester based on the content covered in class.
• There is one research paper due at the end of the semester.

Missing & Late Work Policy

I do accept late work, but out of respect for those who get their assignments in on time, there will be a late penalty assessed (1% off for each day it is late). Please reach out to me if extenuating circumstances prevent you from handing in your work.

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