College of the Redwoods
SELECTED TOPIC CURRICULUM PROPOSAL
1. Course ID and Number: BIOL 99A
2. Course Title: Ecology of Selected Ecosystems
3. Check one of the following:
New Course (If the course constitutes a new learning experience for CR students, the course
is new)
Updated/revised course
If curriculum has been offered under a different discipline and/or name, identify the
former course:
Should another course be inactivated? No
Yes
Inactivation date:
Title of course to be inactivated:
4. If this is an update/revision of an existing course, provide explanation of and justification for changes to
this course. Be sure to explain the reasons for any changes to class size, unit value, and
prerequisites/corequisites.
5. If any of the features listed below have been modified in the new proposal, indicate the “old” (current)
information and proposed changes. If a feature is not changing, leave both the “old” and “new” fields
blank.
FEATURES
OLD
NEW
Course Title
Catalog Description
(Please include complete text
of old and new catalog
descriptions.)
Grading Standard
Select
Select
Total Units
Lecture Units
Lab Units
Prerequisites
Corequisites
Recommended
Preparation
Maximum Class Size
Other
Curriculum Approval: April 11, 2008
Academic Senate: April 18, 2008
Page 1 of 6
College of the Redwoods
SELECTED TOPIC COURSE OUTLINE
1. DATE: 8 February 2009
2. DIVISION: Math, Science, and Engineering
3. COURSE ID AND NUMBER: BIOL 99A
4. COURSE TITLE (appears in catalog): Ecology of Selected Ecosystems
5. LOCAL ID (TOPS): 0401.00; 0408.00 (Taxonomy of Program codes
http://www.cccco.edu/Portals/4/AA/CP%20&%20CA3/TopTax6_rev_07.doc )
6. NATIONAL ID (CIP): 0401.00; 0408.00 (Classification of Instructional Program codes can be found in Appendix B of the
TOPS code book http://www.cccco.edu/Portals/4/AA/CP%20&%20CA3/TopTax6_rev_07.doc)
7. Discipline(s) (Select from CCC System Office Minimum Qualification for Faculty [copy following web address
and paste into web browser
http://www.cccco.edu/SystemOffice/Divisions/AcademicAffairs/MinimumQualifications/MQsforFacultyandAdministrators/tabid/75
3/Default.aspx ]Course may fit more than one discipline; identify all that apply): BIO
8. FIRST TERM NEW OR REVISED COURSE MAY BE OFFERED: Summer 2009
9. TOTAL UNITS:
0.5,-2.0
[Lecture Units:
0.33- 1.33
10. Lab Units: 0.17-0.67
11. ]
TOTAL HOURS: 15- 60
[Lecture Hours: 6- 24
Lab Hours: 9-36]
(1 unit lecture=18 hours; 1 unit lab=54 hours)
11. MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 24
12. WILL THIS COURSE HAVE AN INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FEE? No
Yes
Fee: $
(If “yes,” attach a completed “Instructional Materials Fee Request Form”—form available in Public Folders>Curriculum>Forms)
GRADING STANDARD
Letter Grade Only
Pass/No Pass Only
Grade-Pass/No Pass Option
Is this course to be offered as part of the Honors Program? No
Yes
If yes, explain how honors sections of the course are different from standard sections.
DESCRIPTION OF SELECTED TOPIC-- The description should clearly describe the scope of the course, its level, and
what kinds of student goals the course is designed to fulfill. The description should begin with a sentence fragment.
Hands-on field studies of selected biological communities or ecosystems focusing on the features of
particular interest and salience to the biological sciences
Special notes or advisories (e.g. field trips required, prior admission to special program required, etc.):
Field trips are required. The College does not provide transportation.
PREREQUISITE COURSE(S)
No
Yes
Course(s):
Rationale for Prerequisite:
Describe representative skills without which the student would be highly unlikely to succeed .
Curriculum Approval: April 11, 2008
Academic Senate: April 18, 2008
Page 2 of 6
COREQUISITE COURSE(S)
No
Yes
Course(s):
Rationale for Corequisite:
RECOMMENDED PREPARATION
No
Yes
Course(s): English 150
Rationale for Recommended Preparation:
Students must be able to read technical field guides, and be able to compose coherent written
answers to exam questions.
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES –This section answers the question “what will students be able to do as a
result of taking this course?” State some of the objectives in terms of specific, measurable student actions (e.g.
discuss, identify, describe, analyze, construct, compare, compose, display, report, select, etc.) . For a more complete
list of outcome verbs please see Public Folders>Curriculum>Help Folder>SLO Language Chart. Each outcome
should be numbered.
1. Discuss the role of physical environmental factors on the makeup of the
community and ecosystem.
2. Interpret the effect of these abiotic factors on the numbers and geographical distribution of
living organisms.
3.Analyze specific anatomical and physiological features in order to explain the adaptive
significance to various habitats and environments
4. Identify dominant species of organisms that characterize the selected ecosystems of community.
REPRESENTATIVE LEARNING ACTIVITIES –This section provides examples of things students may do to
engage the course content (e.g., listening to lectures, participating in discussions and/or group activities, attending
a field trip). These activities should relate directly to the Course Learning Outcomes.
1. Listening to instructor presentations (in a classroom and/or in the field) on ecological
principles and phenomena.
2. Participating in laboratory exercises studying the phylogeny and anatomy of selected
living organisms.
3. Participating in field trips to observe and identify living organisms in their natural
habitats.
ASSESSMENT TASKS –This section describes assessments instructors may use to allow students opportunities to
provide evidence of achieving the Course Learning Outcomes.
Representative assessment tasks (These are examples of assessments instructors could use):
1. In-field activities that demonstrate student understanding of systematics and ecology.
2. Compilation of field observations (data) into a field book to be used for subsequent
analyses.
3. Written and/or specimen-based examination that requires students to demonstrate
their understanding of ecological principles.
Required assessments for all sections (These are assessments that are required of all instructors of all sections at all
campuses/sites. Not all courses will have required assessments. Do not list here assessments that are listed as representative
assessments above.):
Curriculum Approval: April 11, 2008
Academic Senate: April 18, 2008
Page 3 of 6
COURSE CONTENT –This section describes what the course is “about”—i.e. what it covers and what knowledge
students will acquire. Each item should be numbered.
Describe course content and list texts for two representative selected topics, demonstrating clearly that each will
provide significantly different content.
Representative Topic #1
Course Title: Intertidal Ecology
Concepts: What terms and ideas will students need to understand and be conversant with as they demonstrate course
outcomes?
1. Evolutionary theory and the role of natural selection in generating diversity in the intertidal
region.
2. Phylogenetic systematics is based on the closeness of relationship which is reflected in
the biology of living organisms.
3. All scientists adhere to a set of international rules that define the process of naming
organisms (Nomenclature).
4. Species are adapted to different levels of salinity, light, wave action and substrate type depending
on where they are located in the intertidal region.
Issues: What primary tensions or problems inherent in the subject matter of the course will students engage?
1. Responsible environmental stewardship.
2. The role of the public in evaluating and setting the goals and objectives of science.
Themes: What motifs, if any, are threaded throughout the course?
1. Patterns of similarity due to relatedness and diversity due to adaptation.
2. The relationship between anatomical structure and function.
3. The relationship between physical environmental factors and anatomical,
physiological, and behavioral adaptations of intertidal organisms.
4. Human influence on ecosystems.
Skills: What abilities must students have in order to demonstrate course outcomes? (E.g. write clearly, use a
scientific calculator, read college-level texts, create a field notebook, safely use power tools, etc.)
1. Utilize dichotomous keys to identify intertidal organisms.
2. Interpret tide prediction tables.
3. Use and handle laboratory equipment and microscopes properly.
4. Delineate the four principal intertidal zones and identify key organisms characteristic
of each zone.
EXAMPLES OF APPROPRIATE TEXTS OR OTHER READINGS –This section lists example texts, not
required texts.
Author, Title, and Date Fields are required
Author Koehl
& Rosenfeld
Author Morris,
Author Brusca
Author D
Title
Wave-Swept Shore: The Rigors of Life on a Rocky Shore
Abbott & Haderlie
& Brusca
Title
Title
Intertidal Invertebrates of California
A Naturalist's Seashore Guide
Raggaelli SJ Hawkins
Title
Intertidal Ecology
Date
Date
Date
Date
2006
1980
1978
1996
Other Appropriate Readings:
Curriculum Approval: April 11, 2008
Academic Senate: April 18, 2008
Page 4 of 6
Representative Topic #2
Course Title: The Pygmy Forest
Concepts: What terms and ideas will students need to understand and be conversant with as they demonstrate
course outcomes?
1. Evolutionary theory and the role of natural selection in generating diversity in an edpahic
ecosystem.
2. Phylogenetic systematics is based on the closeness of relationship which is reflected in
the biology of living organisms.
3. Topography, climate, vegetation type, and age are the important factors affecting the
development of soils in the pygmy forest.
4. Species occur together in communities when they share similar soils and climate.
Issues: What primary tensions or problems inherent in the subject matter of the course will students engage?
1. Responsible environmental stewardship.
2. The role of the public in evaluating and setting the goals and objectives of science.
3. The difficulty of recognizing and naming communities makes it difficult to protect them.
Themes: What motifs, if any, are threaded throughout the course?
1. Patterns of similarity due to relatedness and diversity due to adaptation.
2. The relationship between anatomical structure and function.
3. The relationship between physical environmental factors and anatomical,
physiological, and behavioral adaptations of species in the pygmy forest.
4. Human influence on ecosystems.
Skills: What abilities must students have in order to demonstrate course outcomes? (E.g. write clearly, use a
scientific calculator, read college-level texts, create a field notebook, safely use power tools, etc.)
1. Identification of dominant species that characterize the community
2. Recognition of the abiotic factors that form the community.
3. Proper use and handling of laboratory equipment including microscopes..
EXAMPLES OF APPROPRIATE TEXTS OR OTHER READINGS –This section lists example texts, not
required texts.
Author, Title, and Date Fields are required
Author R.
Sholars Title The pygmy forest and associated plant communities of coastal Mendocino
County, California: Genesis-vegetation-soil Date 1982
Author
J. Sawyer and T. Keeler Wolf
Author
Title
Date
Author
Title
Date
Title
Manual of California Vegetation
Date
March, 2009
Other Appropriate Readings:
COURSE TYPES
1.
Is the course part of a Chancellor’s Office approved CR Associate Degree?
No
Yes
If yes, specify all program codes that apply. (Codes can be found in Outlook/Public Folders/All Public Folders/
Curriculum/Degree and Certificate Programs/choose appropriate catalog year):
Required course for degree(s)
Restricted elective for degree (s)
Restricted electives are courses specifically listed (i.e. by name and number) as optional courses from
which students may choose to complete a specific number of units required for an approved degree.
Curriculum Approval: April 11, 2008
Academic Senate: April 18, 2008
Page 5 of 6
2.
Is the course part of a Chancellor’s Office approved CR Certificate of Achievement?
No
Yes
If yes, specify all program codes that apply. ( Codes can be found in Outlook/Public Folders/All Public Folders/
Curriculum/Degree and Certificate Programs/choose appropriate catalog year):
Required course for certificate(s)
Restricted elective for certificate(s)
Restricted electives are courses specifically listed (i.e. by name and number) as optional courses from which
students may choose to complete a specific number of units required for an approved certificate.
3.
Is the course Stand Alone?
4.
Basic Skills: NBS Not Basic Skills
5.
Work Experience: NWE Not Coop Work Experience
6.
VATEA Funded Course (applies to vocational and tech-prep courses only):
7.
Purpose: A Liberal Arts Sciences
8.
Accounting Method: W Weekly Census
9.
Disability Status: N Not a Special Class
Submitted by:
No
Yes
(If “No” is checked for BOTH #1 & #2 above, the course is stand alone)
Greg Grantham, Teresa Sholars
Division Chair/Director: Dave Bazard
Tel. Ext.: 2687, 2686
yes
no
Date: 9 February 2009
Review Date:
CURRICULUM COMMITTEE USE ONLY
Approved by Curriculum Committee: No
Academic Senate Approval Date: 3.6.9
Curriculum Approval: April 11, 2008
Academic Senate: April 18, 2008
Yes
Date: 2.27.9
Board of Trustees Approval Date: 4.6.9
Page 6 of 6