Permission to Cross-list an Undergraduate Course with a Graduate Course
(To be used only for courses already approved by the UPCC or GPCC)
Title of Undergraduate Course
______Evolutionary Biology___________________________
Course Prefix & Number
_______________Biol 3380_________________________
Department Offering Course
_____Biology & Physics______________
Title of Graduate Course
___Evolutionary Biology_______________________________
Course Prefix & Number
_____Biol 5380____________________________________
Graduate Program
_______Masters of Arts in Teaching Science (MAT-Science)__
(1)
Please provide a brief rationale for cross-listing these courses.
One of the primary objectives of the MAT-science degree program is to provide
prospective teachers with the appropriate depth and breadth in their subject area
so that they are fully prepared to convey current, in-depth, and accurate content
knowledge to their students. This course, Biol 3380, is intended to deepen and
broaden the graduate students’ understanding of ideas of evolutionary biology that
are central to the discipline. Biol 3380 is currently offered as an upper-level
required content course in our programs.
(2)
In what ways will there be a substantial difference between undergraduate and
graduate instruction?
Instruction during class will focus on helping undergraduate and graduate students
understand the core concepts of evolutionary biology while the graduate students
will independently, and with guidance outside of class time as needed, seek to
find connections and intersections between this course and the state-adopted
secondary science curriculum, the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS). The
expectation is that the graduate student will have a stronger foundation of content
knowledge and will thus be expected to extend that understanding further than
his/her undergraduate colleague.
(3)
In what ways are there substantially greater expectations for students enrolled
for graduate credit?
Graduate students will be expected to write a research paper and deliver a class
lecture on the topic of their paper. By doing so, they will be expected to
demonstrate how they will incorporate aspects of Evolutionary Biology into the
courses they teach. The paper should be written at a level that can be understood
by the students they would be teaching.
(4)
In what ways will the combined instruction of graduate and undergraduate
students will be structured to ensure appropriate attention to both groups?
Nothing is changing in terms of the undergraduate population. The additional
work expected of the graduate students will be done outside of class time. The
graduate students will be able to discuss their research project, and ways by which
the can incorporate information from this class into their classrooms, by having
discussions with the instructor of record.
(5)
Who will be the Instructor of Record for this course (the instructor of a crosslisted course must meet the university requirements for Provisional or Full
Graduate Faculty status).
Ronald H. Matson, Ph.D., 19 years of experience at KSU; undergraduate faculty
status
Thomas McElroy, Ph.D; years of experience at KSU; undergraduate faculty
status
Both have the qualifications necessary to be given graduate faculty status.
(6)
Please attach an undergraduate syllabus and a graduate syllabus for the crosslisted course (the requirements and expectations for students in each course must be
identified in separate syllabi, which clearly identify evidence of substantially greater
expectations for students enrolled for graduate credit.
See attached syllabi
(7)
Please provide a summary diagram showing a comparison of requirements and
expectations for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the course.
BIOL 3380/5380
Undergraduate Expectations
Graduate Expectations
By the end of this course, students will
Same as undergraduate with the following
additional expectations and modifications:
1) Demonstrate an understanding of the
centrality of evolutionary theory to all of
biology.
2) Explain the impact of gene distribution in
populations on evolution, adaptation, natural
selection and speciation.
3) Be able to manipulate allele frequencies
Write a 10-15 page research paper on a
topic of their choice, but with the notion
that the information they learn will be
incorporated into the classes they teach
in high school.
Present the results of their research to the
class.
using Hardy-Weinberg.
4) Demonstrate the importance and
usefulness of evolutionary theory in practical
or applied applications.
5) Rely exclusively on empirical data when
dealing with science issues.
6) Demonstrate the use of evolutionary
theory as an integral theme in the Biology
courses you teach.
Approved______________________________ ____Graduate Program Director__________Date
Approved___________________________________Department Chair
__________Date
Approved_____________________________________ GPCC Chair
__________Date
Approved____________________________________ Graduate Dean
__________Date