Memo To: The Faculty of Arts and Science Academic Regulations and Curriculum Committee
(ARCC)
Memo From: Dr. Dave Hackett, Chair, Department of Biology and Chemistry
Re: Adding a new course CHEM 1991, modifying some courses, proposing a Minor in
Environmental Science, and fitting the ENBT Program to the Common Template.
Date: November 22, 2014
Motion 1:
That ARCC recommend to the Arts and Science Executive to approve the addition of
CHEM 1991, Chemistry Essentials for Non-scientists.
Rationale: With the recent success of online science courses, such as CHEM 1911, there have
been calls to further expand our distance education science course offerings to reach a wider
audience. For example, off-campus Business students and Nursing students have requested
additional science courses for non-scientists that can be delivered online to fit in with their
already busy schedules. We expect that this course will attract large numbers of online students.
Motion 2:
That ARCC recommend to the Arts and Science Executive to approve the cross-coding of
BIOL 2206 – Introduction to Biochemistry, BIOL 3306 – Enzymology, and BIOL 4347 –
Chemistry in the Life Sciences as CHEM 2207 – Introduction to Biochemistry, CHEM 3306
– Enzymology, and CHEM 4347 – Chemistry in the Life Sciences
Rationale: These three ‘BIOL’ courses are heavily Chemistry-intensive and could be taught by
either a Biology Department or a Chemistry Department at a larger university. The courses were
originally created to support the two Biology Programs (Biology and Environmental Biology &
Technology) offered by the Department of Biology and Chemistry at Nipissing University.
However, the Chemistry portion of our department has been growing. If we now recognize these
courses for their Chemistry content, we will have more options for building Chemistry
programming for the students; the students will have more choices and fewer scheduling issues
as they try to build Chemistry courses into their timetables.
Motion 3:
That ARCC recommend to the Arts and Science Executive to approve the unbanking of
BIOL 3397, Introductory Soil Science.
Rationale: This course has not been taught since Keith Topps retired several years ago. This has
left Nipissing University without a ‘Soils’ course although this is an unfortunate omission for
students of forestry, plant science and the environment. We have a new faculty member (Lesley
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Lovett-Doust) with expertise in this area, who needs another course to teach. This is an excellent
opportunity to recover an important course that had been ‘retired’ and banked.
Motion 4:
That ARCC recommend to the Arts and Science Executive to approve the revision of the
course description for BIOL 4706, Literature Research and Seminar.
Rationale: The new course description clarifies that the Literature Review and Seminar course is
to be taken concurrently by students who are doing an Honours Thesis project, in support of their
research efforts.
New Description: This course is a companion course to the Honours Thesis that supports an
intensive exploration of the published scientific literature related to the thesis research topic.
Credit is based on writing assignments and seminar presentations. Emphasis is placed on a
review of relevant background literature and the development of specific hypotheses.
Old Description: This course is an intensive study of scientific literature related to the topic of
the honours thesis. Credit is based on writing assignments and seminars. A wide range of topics
is available. Emphasis is placed on the development of specific hypotheses.
Motion 5:
That ARCC recommend to the Arts and Science Executive to approve the revision of the
course description for BIOL 4607, Environmental Biology Seminar.
Rationale: The new description clarifies that this course is no longer associated with the Thesis
course. It allows fourth-year students, whether or not they are doing a Thesis project, to engage
in an intensive study of environmental biology and ecology.
New Description: In this seminar course, students will critically evaluate and present seminars
on topics in environmental biology and ecology from the current research literature. Topics will
vary from year-to-year.
Old Description: In this seminar course, students will critically topics in environmental biology
and ecology from the current research literature and present seminars on their preliminary
honours thesis results as well as topics outside their thesis area.
Motion 6:
That ARCC recommend to the Arts and Science Executive to approve changes to the title,
restrictions and descriptions of BIOL 1011, currently called Introduction to Molecular and
Cell Biology for Nursing and Physical Health Education.
Rationale: BIOL 1011 was originally designed to serve both the Nursing and Physical and
Health Education students; however, the Physical and Health Education students are no longer
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required to take BIOL 1011. Therefore, there is no need to include ‘Physical Health Education’ in
the title, restrictions and description of BIOL 1011. When Physical Health and Education
students wish to take upper-year Biology courses, they take BIOL 1006 and/or BIOL 1007 as the
prerequisites.
New Title: Introduction to Molecular and Cell Biology for Nursing.
Old Title: Introduction to Molecular and Cell Biology for Nursing and Physical and Health
Education.
New Restrictions: Restricted to students in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
Old Restrictions: Restricted to students in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing or the Bachelor of
Physical and Health Education.
New Description: This course examines the fundamentals of biology at the molecular and
cellular levels and is designed for students in the Nursing program.
Old Description: This course examines the fundamentals of biology at the molecular and
cellular levels and is designed for students in the Nursing and Physical and Health Education
programs.
Motion 7:
That ARCC recommend to the Arts and Science Executive to approve changes to the
course description of BIOL 4227, Nutrition.
Rationale: BIOL 4227 was originally designed with the Physical and Health Education students
in mind. Later, the Phys Ed Department created its own Nutrition course, PHED 4227, focused
on nutritional requirements for physical activity and sport. The BIOL 4227 course was then able
to focus on scientific aspects of nutrition of interest to Biology and Nursing students. BIOL 4227
and PHED 4227 are now very different courses aimed at different audiences; the course
description of BIOL 4227, Nutrition, needs to be updated.
New Description: This course examines the digestion, absorption and subsequent utilization of
macronutrients and micronutrients in relation to human health and disease. Sources of nutrition
are evaluated with particular emphasis being placed on a comparison of plant and animal
products in light of dietary choices or restrictions and nutritional content.
.
Old Description: This course presents fundamental nutritional principles. The nutritional
requirements for physical activity and sport are emphasized, including issues such as weight
control and weight management. This course is also offered as PHED 4227.
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Motion 8:
That ARCC recommend to the Arts and Science Executive to approve changes to the antirequisite and pre-requisites of BIOL 4227, Nutrition.
Rationale: Since BIOL 4227 and PHED 4227 are now very different courses, there is no need to
list PHED 4227 as an anti-requisite. If Physical and Health Education students take BIOL 4227,
they can add a scientific understanding of nutrition to the practical understanding of nutrition for
physical activity and sport gained by taking PHED 4227, while gaining a second ‘teachable’.
The previous pre-requisites (BIOL 2706/2707) are still appropriate for most students but those
who come from the Psychology, CHFS, or Nursing Bridging Programs have already taken
courses that can be substituted for BIOL 2706/2702.
New Anti-requisite: PHED 4227 prior to 2014.
Old Anti-requisite: PHED 4227.
New Pre-requisites: BIOL 2706/2707 or PSYC 2006/2007 or CHFS 2106/2107 or PHED
2216/2217. Students in the Nursing Bridging Program require BIOL 1011 and BIOL 2116.
Old Pre-requisites: BIOL 2706/2707
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DEPARTMENTAL CURRICULUM APPROVAL FORM
(to be used to substantiate the approval of any department/discipline/program affected by
proposed curriculum changes)
The School of Physical and Health Education supports the changes proposed by the Department
of Biology and Chemistry to:
-
Drop the words ‘and Physical Health Education’ from the title, restrictions, and course
description of BIOL 1011 … since this is no longer a compulsory course for PHED students;
-
Change the anti-requisite, pre-requisite, and course description of BIOL 4227 – Nutrition
since this course no longer closely resembles PHED 4227 - the Nutrition course designed
for PHED students.
DEPARTMENT/
DISCIPLINE
School of Physical and
Health Education
NAME (print)
Jim McAuliffe
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SIGNATURE
DATE
November 28,
2014
Motion 9:
That ARCC recommend to the Arts and Science Executive to approve the addition of a
Minor in Environmental Science.
Rationale: This minor will allow students from a variety of disciplines to study the science
behind environmental problems that are changing the modern world on a daily basis. It will
encourage more students to investigate the ENSC series of courses, and prepare more students
for the Masters of Environmental Science Program at Nipissing University. We plan to add
further ENSC courses on themes such as ‘Water’ and ‘Food’. Note that it will be relatively easy
for the Bracebridge Campus to offer this minor by adding to the ENSC 1005 course that they
already have with further ENSC courses based on local expertise in topics such as water science
and forest science.
Motion 10:
That ARCC recommend to the Arts and Science Executive to approve the ‘common
template’ rearrangement of the Honours Specialization in Environmental Biology and
Technology.
Rationale: When other Nipissing University programs were being standardized into a ‘common
template’, the ENBT program was not included because, as an articulated program involving
both Nipissing University and Canadore College, it was felt that too many courses were
considered ‘requirements’ by the two institutions and it would be difficult to reshape the program
to fit the NU common template. However, rearrangements have been made and without losing a
single ‘required course’, the program now fits the same template used by virtually all other NU
courses. This Honours Specialization in ENBT offers a more practical and technical set of
experiences than the Honours Specialization in Biology, and allows students to earn both a
university degree and a college diploma within four years.
Motion 11:
That ARCC recommend to the Arts and Science Executive to approve the ‘common
template’ rearrangement of the Specialization in Environmental Biology and Technology.
Rationale: The rationale is the same as stated for Motion 9. Similarly, this Specialization in
ENBT offers a more practical and technical set of experiences than the Specialization in Biology,
and allows students to earn both a university degree and a college diploma within four years.
Motion 12:
That ARCC recommend to the Arts and Science Executive to approve that the title of BIOL
3436, currently called ‘Conservation Biology’ be changed to simply ‘Conservation’.
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Rationale: The Professor instructing the course feels that the course content has broadened to
reflect a wider view of ‘Conservation’, therefore ‘Conservation’ is a more appropriate title.
These motions have been approved by the Department of Biology and Chemistry at
meetings held on November 6, 13 and 20.
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PROPOSED NEW ONLINE COURSE: CHEM 1991 – CHEMISTRY ESSENTIALS FOR
NON-SCIENTISTS
A) Descriptive Data:
Course Code
CHEM 1991
Course Title
Chemistry Essentials for Non-Scientists
Course Prerequisite
CHEM 1911 or Grade 12 Chemistry
Course Corequisite
Antirequisite
CHEM 1006, CHEM 1007
Total Hours
 36 hours
Breakdown of Hours
 Other Online delivery of course
Course Credits
 3 credits
Course Description
(Restricted to 50-75 words,
present tense and active
voice)
This course is intended for non-science students who are seeking
a better understanding of the basic principles of general
chemistry, organic chemistry and biochemistry. The topics
covered include an overview of organic functional groups, an
introduction to the primary biomolecules and a survey of the
major metabolic pathways. These subjects may be of particular
interest to students with a nursing, physical education, or
business background.
Course Grouping or Stream
Does this course belong to a Group or Stream?
 No
Program Implications
6 credits
Other Click here to specify
Other Click here to specify
Yes Click here to specify
Does this course have program implications?
No
Cross-Listing or CrossCoding
72 hours
Yes Click here to specify
Cross-Listed - this course may be credited towards
Click here to specify
Cross-Coded - this course is cross-coded with
Click here to specify
Learning Expectations/
Outputs
(6-8 points, visible,
measurable and in active
voice)
By the end of the course students will be able to:
- Identify the different classifications of matter and write the
names of simple compounds
- Categorize chemical reactions by type and anticipate the
outcome of these reactions
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(
- Classify compounds based upon their functional groups and
predict general physical and chemical properties
- Compare and contrast the structural and chemical properties of
proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and nucleic acids
- Interpret the role biomolecules play in metabolism
- Describe the basic molecular requirements and outputs of the
primary metabolic pathways and describe how these pathways
are interconnected
B) Statement of Need:
With the recent success of online science courses, such as CHEM 1911, there have been calls to
further expand our distance education science course offerings to reach a wider audience. For
example, business students have requested additional science courses for non-scientists that can
be delivered online to fit in with their already busy schedules. At present, Nipissing University
does not offer any chemistry courses geared to meet these needs.
The course being proposed would fill this gap, by delivering a distance education course to a
wide audience in a cost-effective manner. Additionally, the subject matter covered, while general
in nature, compliments the health science related curricula and would be of interest to students
enrolled within these programs.
C) Statement of Resources:
This course is intended to be delivered online. Additional resources such as lab supplies or
library holdings will not be required.
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Fitting ‘Environmental Biology and Technology’ to the Common Template
Honours Specialization in Environmental Biology and Technology (ENBT)
Graduation Requirements
In addition to the program requirements listed below, students must also satisfy the Bachelor of
Science (Honours) degree requirements, including regulations on first year and subject maximum
and breadth requirements. Please refer to the Degree Requirement section for further
information.
Program Requirements
 Students must complete BIOL 1006, BIOL 1007 and ENSC 1005 with a minimum grade
of 60% in each.

Many courses in this program require the use of computers. Students with little or no
computer background are therefore strongly encouraged to include an appropriate
Computer Science course in their Electives in first year.

Students planning to apply to graduate studies are advised to include Physics or
additional Mathematics and/or Computer Science courses among their 18 credits of
Electives.
**The 30 credits required in Year 2 are offered in collaboration with the Environmental
Protection and Compliance Technician Diploma Program at Canadore College.
Students will need to achieve a minimum 70% average in the 60 credits presented for the
Honours Specialization in ENBT.
Students must complete 120 credits including 60 credits in the Honours Specialization, as
follows:
BIOL 1006 Introduction to Molecular and Cell Biology
3 cr.
BIOL 1007 Introduction to Organismal and Evolutionary Biology
3 cr.
ENSC 1005 Introduction to Environmental Science
6 cr.
BIOL 2446 Principles of Ecology
3 cr.
BIOL 2337 Biology of Seed Plants or
BIOL 2336 Seedless Plants
3 cr.
BIOL 2836 Invertebrate Zoology or
BIOL 2837 Vertebrate Zoology
3 cr.
BIOL 3117
Biostatistics
3 cr.
Biology Upper Level
18 cr.
Biology 3000 or 4000
9 cr.
Biology 4000
9 cr.
= 60
cr.
Other Science Requirements:
CHEM 1006 General Chemistry I
3 cr.
CHEM 1007 General Chemistry II
3 cr.
GEOG 1017 Introduction to Physical Geography
3 cr.
Three credits of 1000 level MATH from the following list:
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MATH 1036, MATH 1037, MATH 1046, MATH 1056MATH 1257)
3 cr.
Breadth Requirements:
ACAD 1601 Academic Writing
3 cr.
Humanities, Social Sciences or Applied and Professional Studies
6 cr.
Canadore Courses**
30 cr.
=51 cr.
Allows for an additional 9 cr. Electives to equal 120 cr.
Note:
 Students must be in the Honours Biology program or the Honours Environmental
Biology and Technology program to enrol in the following courses: BIOL 4506,
BIOL 4607, BIOL 4706, BIOL 4886, BIOL 4887, BIOL 4976, BIOL 4986, BIOL
4995, or BIOL 4997.
Students pursuing a thesis must choose BIOL 4706 Literature Research and Seminar and
BIOL 4995 Thesis.
Specialization in Environmental Biology and Technology (ENBT)
Graduation Requirements
In addition to the program requirements listed below, students must also satisfy the Bachelor of
Science degree requirements, including regulations on first year and subject maximum and
breadth requirements. Please refer to the Degree Requirement section for further information.
Program Requirements
 Students must complete BIOL 1006, BIOL 1007 and ENSC 1005 with a minimum grade
of 60% in each.

Students will need to achieve a minimum 60% average in the 54 credits presented for the
Specialization in ENBT.

Many courses in this program require the use of computers. Students with little or no
computer background are therefore strongly encouraged to include an appropriate
Computer Science course in their Electives in first year.
**The 30 credits required in Year 2 are offered in collaboration with the Environmental
Protection and Compliance Technician Diploma Program at Canadore College.
Students will need to achieve a minimum 60% average in the 54 credits presented for the
Specialization in ENBT.
Students must complete 120 credits including 54 credits in the Specialization as follows:
BIOL 1006 Introduction to Molecular and Cell Biology
3 cr.
BIOL 1007 Introduction to Organismal and Evolutionary Biology
3 cr.
ENSC 1005 Introduction to Environmental Science
6 cr.
BIOL 2446 Principles of Ecology
3 cr.
BIOL 2337 Biology of Seed Plants or
BIOL 2336 Seedless Plants
3 cr.
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BIOL 2836 Invertebrate Zoology or
BIOL 2837 Vertebrate Zoology
BIOL 3117
Biostatistics
Biology Upper Level
Biology 3000
Biology 4000
Other Science Requirements:
CHEM 1006 General Chemistry I
CHEM 1007 General Chemistry II
GEOG 1017 Introduction to Physical Geography
Three credits of 1000 level MATH from the following list:
MATH 1036, MATH 1037, MATH 1046, MATH 1056MATH 1257)
Breadth Requirements:
ACAD 1601 Academic Writing
Humanities, Social Sciences or Applied and Professional Studies
Canadore Courses**
Allows for an additional 15 cr. Electives to equal 120 cr.
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3 cr.
3 cr.
18 cr.
6 cr.
6 cr.
= 54 cr.
3 cr.
3 cr.
3 cr.
3 cr.
3 cr.
6 cr.
30 cr.
=51 cr.
When developing a new Minor, please keep in mind the following:



No more than six credits at the 1000 level can count towards a Minor.
If you do not want any cross-listed courses to count in the Minor, you must specify in
your proposal (i.e. Minor in Social Welfare and Social Development located in the 2014
Academic Calendar).
If including courses from another department, they will need to be contacted and approve
(in writing) of their courses being used for the Minor.
Please refer to the Undergraduate Regulations and Information section of the Academic Calendar
(http://www.nipissingu.ca/calendar/Pages/default.aspx) for more information.
Minor in: Environmental Science
Rationale for new Minor:
This minor will allow students from a variety of disciplines to study the science behind
environmental problems that are changing the modern world on a daily basis. It will encourage
more students to investigate the ENSC series of courses, and prepare more students for the
Masters of Environmental Science Program at Nipissing University. We plan to add further
ENSC courses on themes such as ‘Water’ and ‘Food’. Note that it will be relatively easy for the
Bracebridge Campus to offer this minor by adding to the ENSC 1005 course that they already
have with further ENSC courses based on local expertise in topics such as water science and
forest science.
Students must complete 18 credits in Click here to enter text. as follows:
Course Code and Title
Credit Amount
ENSC 1005 Introduction to Environmental
6 credits
Science
ENSC 2006 Topics in Environmental Science
6 credits
I, ENSC 2007 Topic in Environmental Science
II
BIOL 2346 Techniques in Forest Ecology and
6 credits from this group
Management, BIOL 2446 Principles of
Ecology, BIOL 3236 Plant Ecology, BIOL
3277 Animal Ecology, BIOL 3436
Conservation, BIOL 3437 Community
Ecology, CHEM 2046 Environmental
Analytical Chemistry , CHEM 2106 An
Introduction to Analytical Chemistry, ENSC
3007 Environmental Issues in Forestry.
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