Graduate Curriculum Committee Course Proposal Form
for Courses Numbered 6000 and Higher
Note: Before completing this form, please carefully read the accompanying instructions.
Submission guidelines are posted to the GCC Web site: http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/gcc/index.cfm
1. Course prefix and number:
BIOL 6240
2. Date:
12/06/2012
3. Requested action:
x
x
x
New Course
Revision of Active Course
Revision & Unbanking of a Banked Course
Renumbering of an Existing Course from
from
to
#5800
Required
#6240
Elective
4. Method(s) of delivery (check all boxes that apply for both current/proposed and expected
future delivery methods within the next three years):
Current or
Proposed Delivery
Method(s):
X
On-campus (face to face)
Expected
Future Delivery
Method(s):
X
Distance Course (face to face off campus)
Online (delivery of 50% or more of the instruction is offered online)
5. Justification. Identify the committee or group (e.g., Graduate faculty of the Department of
English) that conducted the assessment of curriculum and student learning. Explain why the
unit wishes to offer or revise the course. Include specific results from the unit assessment that
led to the development or modification of the course. If applicable, cite any accrediting
agency/ies and reference the specific standard/s.
Following assessment of the biology graduate curriculum the Biology
Department Graduate Committee approved revision of the current course to
rectify a preponderance of undergraduate enrollment, and to increase the
diversity of course offerings for biology doctoral students. The revised
course would be a requirement for the MS Molecular
Biology/Biotechnology program, and an elective for the MS Biology and
IDPBS programs.
Approved by GCC April 2012; posted summer of 2012
6. Course description exactly as it should appear in the next catalog:
BIOL 6240. Principles of Biochemistry I (3) Formerly BIOL 5800
P: Graduate standing in biology or consent of instructor. Intermediary
metabolism and metabolic regulation of major groups of compounds in
organisms and current research topics in biochemistry.
7. If this is a course revision, briefly describe the requested change:
Change from 5000 level to 6000 level course and revised course description
8. Course credit:
Lecture Hours
3
3
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
Lab
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Studio
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Practicum
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Internship
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Other (e.g., independent study) Please explain.
s.h.
3
Total Credit Hours
9. Anticipated annual student enrollment:
10
10. Changes in degree hours of your programs:
Degree(s)/Program(s)
Changes in Degree Hours
MS Molecular
Biology/Biotechnology
MS Biology
none
none
11. Affected degrees or academic programs, other than your programs:
Degree(s)/Program(s)
Changes in Degree Hours
Ph D IDPBS
none
12. Overlapping or duplication with affected units or programs:
Not applicable
X
Documentation of notification to the affected academic degree programs is
attached.
13. Council for Teacher Education (CTE) approval (for courses affecting teacher education):
Not applicable
X
Applicable and CTE has given their approval.
14. University Service-Learning Committee (USLC) approval:
Not applicable
X
Applicable and USLC has given their approval.
Approved by GCC April 2012; posted summer of 2012
s.h.
s.h.
15. Statements of support:
a. Staff
X Current staff is adequate
Additional staff is needed (describe needs in the box below):
b. Facilities
X Current facilities are adequate
Additional facilities are needed (describe needs in the box below):
c. Library
X Initial library resources are adequate
Initial resources are needed (in the box below, give a brief explanation and an
estimate for the cost of acquisition of required initial resources):
d. Unit computer resources
X Unit computer resources are adequate
Additional unit computer resources are needed (in the box below, give a brief
explanation and an estimate for the cost of acquisition):
e. ITCS resources
X ITCS resources are not needed
The following ITCS resources are needed (put a check beside each need):
Mainframe computer system
Statistical services
Network connections
Computer lab for students
Software
Approval from the Director of ITCS attached
16. Course information (see: Graduate Curriculum and Program Development Manual for
instructions):
a. Textbook(s) and/or readings: author(s), name, publication date, publisher, and
city/state/country. Include ISBN (when applicable).
BIOL 6240. Biochemistry I. Required textbook:
Jeremy M. Berg, John L. Tymoczko, Lubert Stryer. 2012. Biochemistry 7th
Edition. W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, NY. ISBN-10: 1-4292-29365 ISBN-13: 978-1-4292-2936-4
Approved by GCC April 2012; posted summer of 2012
b. Course objectives for the course (student – centered, behavioral focus)
If this is a 5000-level course that is populated by undergraduate and graduate students,
there must be differentiation in the learning objectives expected.
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Compare nomenclature, structure, and properties of biological
macromolecules: proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids.
2. Use biochemical theory and concept to interpret relationships between
structure and function of biomacromolecules such as hemoglobin and
lecithin.
3. Discuss metabolic regulations by enzymes (activation/inhibition) and
emphasize conditions that determine catalytic strategies of enzyme
regulations.
4. Explain biochemical pathways and their relationship to the physiology of
familiar activities such as exercise versus rest, fed versus fasting.
5. Establish a molecular evolutionary perspective from analysis of common
biochemical pathways, gene and protein sequences.
6. Describe biochemical causes of human diseases such as diseases of
protein misfolding and diseases of altered ubiquination.
7. Discuss the molecular nature of metabolic processes and predict an
organism’s responses to different physiological and environmental
conditions.
8. Perform a comprehensive literature search to gain an understanding of
the multidisciplinary span of biochemistry research and present the
findings on specific topics.
9. Develop a hypothesis-driven research proposal and design research
strategies to investigate a biochemistry research problem identified by
literature search or other initiatives.
c. Course topic outline
The list of topics should reflect the stated objectives.
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Basic biochemical concepts
Proteins, composition and structure
Carbohydrates
Lipids and cell membranes
DNA and RNA
Proteins in action
Enzyme activity and kinetics
Catalytic Strategies
Regulation of enzyme activity
Metabolism: basics
Glycolysis and gluconeogenesis
The citric acid (Krebs) cycle
Oxidative phosphorylation
Exploring Evolution and Bioinformatics
Photosynthesis, the light reactions
Photosynthesis, the Calvin cycle and pentose phosphate pathway
Approved by GCC April 2012; posted summer of 2012
d. List of course assignments, weighting of each assignment, and grading/evaluation system
for determining a grade
Class time will be spent as a combination of lectures and in-class active
learning exercises. Students will be assigned four homework problem sets and
one term paper on advanced topics in biochemistry. For in-class active learning
exercises, groups of students will lead discussions of advanced topics in
Biochemistry. Exams will be a combination of multiple choice and short answer
questions.
Evaluation scheme:
Hour exams (2) = 44% percent of the total grade (22% each)
Final exam (based on cumulative and new material) = 24%
Homework problem sets = 12% total (3% each)
Term paper = 15%
Participation in class exercises and discussion: 5%
Grading scale:
A
B
C
F
= 90-100%
= 80-89
= 70-79
 69
Approved by GCC April 2012; posted summer of 2012