BI 103 ONLINECOURSE SYLLABUS
ROGUECOMMUNITY COLLEGE
Instructor: Jim Van BruntOffice:RWC F-Building
Contacts: Phone (541) 956-7081E-mail:
Office Hours: By appt.
Students who are having trouble with this courseshould please seek assistance before it becomes too late. I encourage you to email me, phone me, or stop by my office. I can help you with the material, give study tips, encouragement, or whatever else it takes to lead you on the right track to success in Introduction to Biology.
Instructor Contact: You may email me using the email address listed above or from within Rogue Online using the email tool found on the “Course messages” link.
All communications (i.e. emails, voicemails, etc.) directed at me will usually be answered by the following day by 5 pm, except for those received on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, which will be answered the following Monday. For example, if I receive an email on a Wednesday, it will be answered by Thursdayby 5 pm. I generally donot check nor answer emails, voicemails, etc. on weekends or holidays.
Really Important Things About This Course:
This course is designed to be completed online via at-home assignments and labs and online activities. At no time do you have to come to campus. That said, I have an office on the Rogue Community College Redwood Campus in Grants Pass, Oregon. You are always welcome to set up a time to meet with me in person.
While I will direct your studies and provide the information for you to learn and work with, as an online course you will find that this class requires a great deal of self-discipline and self-direction. It is your responsibility to keep up on all assigned topics and readings and to know when assignments, quizzes, and tests are due and to submit them in a timely manner. Failure to do so will result in a zero.
Weekly Readings, Assignments, and Activities
The material you will learn in this course is organized into folders according to each week of the term. Within each folder, you will find directions for the required textbook readings, accompanying Powerpoint outlines, and any other activities designed to help you learn the material. Each week’s folder also has directions for the required lab assignment for that week. You must complete all material during the assigned period, so please pay careful attention to all directions that I include for each week’s activities.
Quizzes and Exams
Every week, you will have an online 10 point quiz covering material from that week’s folder. The quizzes will be short (10 questions) and multiple choice. They will be timed, so you will not have the opportunity to look up all the answers if you want to finish in time. You must know the material well to succeed on the quizzes. Keep in mind that once you begin the quiz, you cannot restart it and must finish in the time allotted. Quizzes will be available for you to take anytime during the assigned week and will close at the end of the week at 11:59 pm.
Three times during the quarter, you will have an online 100 point lecture test (exam). The tests will be multiple choice and true/false. Like the quizzes, each test will be timed. You will generally have a window of about seven days to take each test. I will always remind you of upcoming tests and the dates when the tests open and close. Each test will cover all text readings, Powerpoint outlines, and any online activities assigned since the previous test. The tests are not cumulative over the material covered by previous tests.
All quizzes and tests can be accessed from the weekly assignment folders which are located under the “Course Lessons” link on the left menu of our homepage.
Labs
Lab exercises will be performed at home using the materials in your eScience Labs kit. These kits are purchased separately by you according to the directions listed below. The cost of the kit is $149 + shipping. You should purchase your kit in advance so that you are ready to do labs the first week of the term. Generally, it takes 6-10 business days from the time you order your kit until you receive it, so plan ahead.
To order your kit, follow the steps outlined below:
- Go to
- Go to the top right corner and create a new account (if you do not have one already)
- Once logged in, click on the “Have a Code” button on the upper right side of the page
- Enter your kit SKU, which is RCCBIO10, and proceed to check out
Once you have received your kit, please go through the packing list included in the kit and make sure that all the materials that are supposed to be in the kit are actually there. If anything is missing or broken, please contact eScience Labs right away and they will replace the item—but, you must contact them right away because after the first 30 days, they will not replace the item.
While I will give suggestions and help you if you run into problems, it is up to you to ensure that you set up and complete each lab in a timely manner. You will be able to access each week’s assigned lab activities through each week’s assignment folder on Blackboard as well as through the eScience website.
Lab activities will be assigned each week; however, pay close attention to the due dates, as they will generally be due at one of several assigned lab deadlines throughout the quarter. It is your responsibility to make sure that they get done and turned in by the assigned deadline for that lab. For each lab that you do, a lab report, questions/answers, tables, graphs or photos may be required to be submitted for grading. Please refer to the instructions for each week’s assignments for exact details.
Each lab report must be submitted to me as a MS Word compatible file or pdf. This means it must be in a .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf file format. If it is not submitted in one of these formats, it WILL NOT BE GRADED. All lab reports must be submitted in the designated “Drop Box” in each weekly lesson folder.
You are welcome to submit your labs anytime before the due date. However, keep in mind that I generally will not grade labs until the due date. As a rule, you should expect to receive your grade for a lab by one week after the due date.
To verify that the lab was actually performed, you may also be required to attach a digital photograph of your lab experiment in progress, along with your lab report.
If you have any questions or problems with your labs, remember that you can always ask me for help.
Lab Exam
During the last week of the term, you will have a 100 point lab exam. Like the other tests, the lab exam will be online and will be timed. It will be cumulative over all lab material (that is, it will cover everything you did in all the labs from the beginning of the term until the end) and will include specific questions about lab experiments, procedures, principles, and microscopic studies.
Grades
Your grades can be accessed via the “Grades” link found on the left menu of our homepage. You may access this at any time for an up-to-date total of your points.
Prerequisites for this Course: RD 30 and MTH 60
Course Description: The Introduction to Biology sequence (I, II, III) is intended for non-biology majors. In this sequence, students will be introduced to the basic concepts of biological principles and techniques. The specific focus of Biology 103 includes an exploration of evolution, the diversity within groups of microbes, fungi and plants, and the basic principles of ecology. This class will be taught completely online in weekly modules consisting of reading assignments, online activities, quizzes, tests, and hands-on lab activities which will be performed at the student’s home using a designated lab kit.
Course Objectives:
Expected Course Outcomes: / ILO / Assessment Methods:Having successfully completed the course, the student will be able to:
- Describe the basic concept of evolutionary change.
- Compare, contrast, and categorize various organisms utilizing scientific classification techniques.
- Name and describe the basic features of representative phyla in the kingdoms Protista, Fungi, and Plantae.
- Describe the basic structures and functional organization of tissues found in plants.
- Compare and contrast the different factors that create various biomes.
- Explain the structure and dynamics of populations, with particular application to human populations.
- Describe the structural features and dynamics of communities.
- Explain the energy flow and chemical cycles of ecosystems and how alteration of one variable can change the cycling patterns.
- Explain the term biodiversity and describe several factors impacting biodiversity.
- List key management techniques for sustaining ecosystems and minimizing harmful environmental factors.
Required Materials:
Text: Biology: Life on Earth, 10th edition by Audersirk, Audersirk, & Byers.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson / Prentice Hall (available in the bookstore or online from various book sellers)
Lab Kit: Kit # RCCBIO10 ordered from eScience Labs, Inc.
-the lab kit includes access to all the lab activities required for this course
*Note: the lab kit must be purchased separately from your text
Software: You will need to be able to view MS Word and PowerPoint files. If you don’t already have MS Word or Powerpoint, you can try using Open Office software to view these files. Open office can be downloaded here.
Textbook Website: The publisher of your textbook maintains a companion website called “Mastering Biology”, which can be found at This site contains study guides, chapter practice quizzes, web tutorials, animations and many other resources to help you in this course. This site is not affiliated with our BI 103 course homepage and is optional for your use. Most students will find it beneficial, though. To access it, you will need an access code which is included in brand new copies of our text. If you bought your book used, you will likely not have a card.
To use the website, go to the web address mentioned above and enter your information to gain access. If you do not have a card, you may purchase access at the website. Remember, though, that this is optional and not required for this course! The internet has many other free resources which you may find just as useful.
Objectives will be met through the following methods of evaluation:
lecture exams that require the synthesis of material, analysis of data, and conclusions to be drawn, weekly quizzes, and lab participation. Exams and quizzes are only available to take during the dates and times designated by your instructor. Make-ups will not be given.
Note: technology often fails; do not wait until the last minute to finish your quizzes and tests.
- Lecture: There will be three exams each worth 100 points. The material on these exams is not cumulative, but previously learned material may be needed to answer current exam questions.
- Lab: As this is a lab science course, at least 70% of the labs must be accomplished with a “C” grade or better in order to get a passing grade for the course. For example, if you had an 80% in the class, but only turned in 50% of the lab assignments, you would still receive a failing grade for the course. Lab write-ups will be completed for each lab. There is also a cumulative lab exam at the end of the term.
- Quizzes: There will be a quiz given each week covering that week’s material.
Course Grading Scale and Points:
Lecture Exams300 points89.5 % - 100.0 % = A
Lecture Quizzes100 points79.5% - 89.4 % = B
Lab Write-ups100 points69.5% - 79.4 % = C
Lab Exam100 points59.5% - 69.4 % = D
Total points possible600 points00.0% - 59.4 % = F
Attendance and Drop Policy:
While this is a fascinating course, it is also a difficult course. Students who do not keep up on all assignments and put in maximum effort will have a very difficult time succeeding in this class. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that he/she keeps track of all course assignments and deadlines and complies with them.
Student Responsibilities:
- It is each student's responsibility to be aware of all college procedures, such as how to add, drop, or withdraw from a class, and the available student services. For more information, refer to your Student Handbook, Schedule of Classes, and the Student Rights, Freedoms, and Responsibility Statement.
- CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM ARE VIOLATIONS OF THE COLLEGE POLICY AND ARE CONSIDERED SERIOUS OFFENSES. THE DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES TAKES ALL INCIDENTS OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY SERIOUSLY AND ACTS ACCORDINGLY: THIS INCLUDES A FAILING GRADE FOR THE COURSE OR EXPULSION FROM THE COLLEGE.
Students With Disabilities:
Any student that feels that he or she may need an academic accommodation for any disability, such as vision, hearing, orthopedic, learning disabilities, psychological or other medical conditions, should make an appointment with the Support Services Office (located in the Wiseman Tutoring Center on the Redwood Campus, or Wards/G-207 at the Riverside campus).
Examination Policy:
There will be NO opportunity to make up missed exams. This should never be an issue for you, as the exams may be taken anytime during the assigned window of one week. Failure to take the exam will result in a zero.
Syllabus Disclaimer:
A syllabus is designed to provide the student with a guide to course procedures, requirements, and grading policy. Sometimes it is necessary to alter the assignments or point totals due to availability of materials, emergencies, or to create the most productive learning program for the success of the student. I reserve the right to alter the grade total, to change the assignments to deal with emergencies as needed, or to alter the suggested test or lab schedule to create a more productive learning program for student success.
Time Management
The ability to successfully manage one’s own time is critical to the success of students in general. It is of particular importance to students in Web-based classes.
I expect that you will spend at least as much time (or more) on this Web-based course as you would on an in-class course. A general “rule of thumb” is that a successful college student will spend a minimum of 12—15 hours per week on a 4-credit course. For an in-class course, that time includes attending class, working on class projects, and reading and studying outside of class. In this Web-based course, we will be completing a variety of learning activities which will require the same, if not more, time than an on-campus/in-person course.
You must also pay very close attention to the due dates for each week’s quizzes, labs and any exams. The due dates can be found in each week’s folder in the document titled “Directions for Week X Assignments”.
Netiquette
Netiquette refers to etiquette on the Internet. The guidelines below generally apply to e-mail and other types of online communication.Please keep these basic guidelines in mind as you communicate.
1. Read messages carefully to make sure that you understand them.
2. Carefully read what you send in order to reduce misunderstandings.
3. Label humor or sarcasm clearly. One method for this is using emoticons, such as
8) ;-) :-).
4. Know your audience. Make sure that the people to whom you are sending your
message are members of your intended audience.
5. Be patient with people new to discussion boards, e-mail, and other communication
technologies.
6. Keep messages as straightforward and concise as possible. Recipients may hit the
"delete" button if they see a lengthy, cluttered, and unclear message.
7. Quote relevant parts of a message to which you are responding so the original sender
(or others who may read the email) understands the context of your response.
8. Make sure your name and the message's subject are included.
9. Focus on one topic in each message. If you try to cover multiple topics, some of your
points may be missed.
10. Type in lowercase. Using uppercase means that you're SHOUTING.
11. Keep in mind that for many Internet users, English is not their first language. Ask
senders for clarification before making judgments and jumping to conclusions.
STUDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL ANNOUNCED CHANGESIN THE COURSE SYLLABUS
Tentative Schedule of Lecture Topics & Readings:
LECTURE
WeekTopicChapter
1Principles of Evolution,14
Systematics 18
2Prokaryotes and Viruses19
3Protists20
4EXAM #1 (CH 14, 18, 19 and 20)
Fungi22
5Plants21+
(includes sections from CH 43, 44, 45)