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2023-24

Essential Objectives

Course Syllabus


Freshwater Ecology




Credits:
Semester Dates: Last day to drop without a grade: 06-10-2024 - Refund Policy
Last day to withdraw (W grade): 07-08-2024 - Refund Policy
This course has started, please contact the offering academic center about registration

Faculty

Not Yet Assigned
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Course Description

This course is an introduction to the study of aquatic ecosystems including streams, wetlands, and lakes. Topics include watershed processes, biological communities, physical habitats, nutrient cycling, energy flow, and management issues. The course culminates with individual research projects focused on local watersheds. Field trips are required.


Essential Objectives

1. Describe unique aspects of water as an environment.
2. Observe and identify diverse aquatic organisms.
3. Compare biological communities across different aquatic habitats.
4. Explain differences in energy flow patterns among aquatic ecosystems, including those differences highlighted by the river continuum concept.
5. Analyze population changes over time for different aquatic species.
6. Compare patterns of nutrient cycling in lakes, rivers, and wetlands.
7. Articulate ways in which hydrologic processes affect landscapes, from local to global.
8. Assess the health of aquatic habitats based on biological, chemical, and physical indicators, and evaluate how water quality influences ecosystem services for humans.
9. Discuss how laws, politics, and socioeconomic factors prevent or promote human access to clean and healthy aquatic ecosystems, including the Clean Water Act, National Aquatic Invasive Species Act, Vermont’s Wetlands Protection Act and Vermont’s Act 250.
10. Examine the impact of human behavior on freshwater ecosystems and discuss the role that freshwater plays in the biosphere and overall global sustainability.
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

Link to Textbooks/Resources Information for this course in eCampus.

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.


Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

 HighLow
A+10098
A Less than 9893
A-Less than 9390
B+Less than 9088
B Less than 8883
B-Less than 8380
C+Less than 8078
C Less than 7873
C-Less than 7370
D+Less than 7068
D Less than 6863
D-Less than 6360
FLess than 60 
P10060
NPLess than 600


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.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:


CCV strives to mitigate barriers to course access for students with documented disabilities. To request accommodations, please
  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


CCV has a commitment to honesty and excellence in academic work and expects the same from all students. Academic dishonesty, or cheating, can occur whenever you present -as your own work- something that you did not do. You can also be guilty of cheating if you help someone else cheat. Being unaware of what constitutes academic dishonesty (such as knowing what plagiarism is) does not absolve a student of the responsibility to be honest in his/her academic work. Academic dishonesty is taken very seriously and may lead to dismissal from the College.