BIOLOGY 1000 ONLINE SYLLABUS
BIOLOGY 1000 THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT
"A study of the human relationships with and responsibility for the health and
well-being of our Earth."
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
INSTRUCTOR: Eric Schroeder
OFFICE #: D 207
PHONE: 224-0597 if no answer, please leave message through Voice Mail.
EMAIL: eric_schroeder@ivcc.edu - I will try to respond to every student within
48 hours. You may also use Blackboard's Instructor's discussion area to post
general questions about the course (if you are confused about the course then
other students are also probably confused so post it in the general question
are), your private email area to correspond private with me, and the optional
Live Chat sessions to discuss questions on the current module.
BLACKBOARD:
Blackboard provides all class notes, instructions, study guides, test scores,
project info, homework handouts, and schedules. If you have a question about
when something is due or need a copy of a handout, please check Blackboard.
To access Blackboard type
blackboard.ivcc.edu, no need for www.
OFFICE HOURS: See schedule
I will be available during the posted office hours. Students are ENCOURAGED to
use this time for any questions or concerns about the course. I usually log on
to the course 3 times a day (morning, afternoon, and night) Monday through
Friday. On Saturdays I try to stay away from the computer but often find myself
logging on in the evening. Sundays I may or may not log on. I've provided
several ways to contact me, so please don't hesitate to do so.
MEETING TIME:
As the nature with online courses, there are no required meeting times or
locations. Groups may meet at a scheduled time but the students set that.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course runs 16 weeks, including an online orientation. You will probably
spend a minimum of 7-10 hours a week working on the course itself, however the
time commitment will vary depending on your input, needs, and personal study
habits. The asynchronous online format provides flexibility as to when and where
participants study, interact with the materials, their classmates, and
instructor. Participants are required to log on to the course a minimum of 3
times a week, but as discussions develop, you will probably log on more often
(4-5 days a week).
Several topics to be covered in this course are the following:
1. Environmental Economics, Politics, and Worldviews
2. The Human Population: Size and Distribution
3. Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability
4. Climate Change, Ozone Depletion, and Air Pollution
5. Solid and Hazardous Waste
6. Water Resources and Water Pollution
WITHDRAWAL:
I can withdraw a student from the course at your request or at my discretion.
The last day to withdraw
from the course is November 8th..
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
Any student caught cheating will automatically receive a 0 for that work. The
student is also subject to further disciplinary action according to the IVCC
Student Code of Conduct. You are encouraged to discuss class projects and
homework assignments with other students; however, all assignments must be your
original work and in your own words.
LATE POLICY: Completed assignments will be turned in through Blackboard. Late
assignments will receive a 25% grade reduction for each day that it is late.
(HINT: Better late than Never, see the grading rubics)
ASSESSMENT:
Assessments will be performed using assessment rubrics. The rubrics can be found
under Assessment Rubrics within the Course Information link.
PEDAGOGICAL RATIONALE FOR ASSIGNMENTS
Course Orientation:
As a culminating activity for the course orientation, students will submit a
short biography of themselves to the discussion forum. This assignment gives
participants practice with using the discussion program and creates a sense of
community. It also helps students find common links among themselves.
Module Discussion Questions:
The questions serve as advance organizers to encourage critical thinking and
informed participation. Due by the date they are listed on the course calendar,
specific discussion questions(requiring a 150-300 word response) will be
assigned to individuals with ensuing discussion from all course members. The
time specified for the initial posting ensures that all participants have ample
opportunity to interact. Some of the most important discussion questions will be
recycled throughout the course. Students will thus have the opportunity to
consider more in-depth responses to key questions as the course progresses.
Module Article/Web Resource Critiques:
Students will be asked to submit weekly critiques of an online article or Web
resource relevant to the course content. The critiques will be due by the date
specified on the course calendar. This activity has three functions:
· It brings outside resources into the course.
· It provides participants with an extensive list of summaries of related
resources, which they can choose to read or archive for later use.
Module Summaries:
By the end of the module, students will submit a 100-200 word summary of what
they feel to have been the most important points covered in the course for that
module. This exercise has four functions:
· It helps the students reinforce and synthesize the material covered.
· Each student personalizes the material, adapting it to his/her own specific
professional needs.
· Students get a multitude of perspectives on the week's subject and how it
could be useful to them.
· It gives insight to the instructor to understand what parts of the course have
been effective and what may need to be taught in more depth the next time.
Collaborative Group Assignment
Based on expressed areas of interest (gleaned from the biography assignment
described above), participants will be arranged in small groups of 3-5 students.
You will visit several online courses and choose one to critique together in
light of the topics discussed in class. In order to accomplish this assignment,
you will collaborate in a private asynchronous conference set up for you in
Blackboard. You may also choose to use Blackboard's chat function to meet
synchronously, but this is not required. The group will prepare a collaborative
critique and submit it to the class discussion forum for review by other class
members. The pedagogic rationale for this activity is threefold:
· The experience of working collaboratively to complete the assignment will give
the participants insight into how collaborative group work can be accomplished
online.
Student Expectations:
The following activities and requirements apply to this course:
· Complete the online course orientation prior to the start of the course.
· Read the instructor's lesson introductions and assigned articles from the Web.
· Answer weekly discussion questions related to the assigned Web articles.
· Engage in positive and meaningful dialog with classmates concerning the course
subject matter.
· In each Module, critique a web-based resource about online learning or develop
a supplemental question, which furthers the class discussion.
· Write a summary of the key items covered each week.
GRADING SCALE:
A 100-90%
B 89-80%
C 79-70%
D 69-60%
F >59%