Course Syllabus

Spring 2024 | BIO-2250-VO01 - Freshwater Ecology

Online Class

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

Faculty

Jaimi DeFeo
View Faculty Credentials

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 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

*** 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.

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.

Methods

* Field Observations with report

* Weekly Discussion forum

* Quizzes and essays

* Internet research activities

* Homework reading and writing assignments

* Video reaction papers

* Interpreting and evaluating data sets

Evaluation Criteria

65% Homework Assignments, including Quizzes/Exam

25% Discussion Forum

10% Self-Guided Field Trip Observations

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

A note about time: CCV lists a 3-credit course as taking about 8-10 hours a week, and a 4-credit course requires 14-16 hours, including the contact time and homework. Please keep in mind that because this is an online course, we cannot cover the 3 hours of instruction and activities that would have been provided in an in-person class. Therefore, you will need to compensate for this by dedicating time to reading and completing tasks that would have been covered during our lectures. Additionally, you will still be responsible for completing the homework that would have been assigned outside of class. Sometimes, the homework from an online class may seem like more, but we cover the same material as we would have if we met in person. (Just think of all the time you save getting ready to go out and then commuting and being in class!)

I understand it may take some people longer to do the work than others, as we all go at a different pace for different reasons. Getting into the flow and routine may take a little time, too. How long it takes you is very subjective; I've had some students finish assignments in 2 hours that took other students 4 hours or more. It also depends on how detailed and complete your assignments are; more effort results in better grades. Be patient, learn how to pace yourself, and finish early if you can to reduce the anxiety and stress of a deadline, especially if you aren't grasping something right away. Also, ask for help when you need it. If you feel the work is exceeding these hours, please reach out and let me know.

Missing & Late Work Policy

Remember to check the Canvas modules every Tuesday as the semester progresses to stay updated on the latest news and assignments. Assignments are due on a weekly basis. If you fail to submit an assignment on time, a penalty of 5% will be deducted for each day it is late, up to a maximum of one week. If you do not submit an assignment within that time, it will automatically close in Canvas, and you will no longer be able to upload it. If you require any assistance or have any special circumstances, please contact me, and I will do my best to help you. However, please do not wait until the end of the semester.

It's important to keep in mind that the discussion topics cannot be created after the start of a new week. This is because we will be starting a new discussion every week, and you won't be able to participate in the previous week's discussion if it's already past the due date. I suggest completing the discussion early in the week.

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