Johnson State College
External Degree Program
BIO-1210-JY01 Introduction to Biology
Syllabus – Spring 2015
Instructor: Barbara Pratt
bigskyvt@gmail.com
Dates: Jan 19 to May 10 (no class Apr 6 to 12)
Location: Online using Moodle (http://myjsc.jsc.edu)
ADA Statement: Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in
this class are encouraged to contact JSC’s Learning Specialist in Academic Services, as soon as
possible to ensure that accommodations, if needed, are implemented in a timely fashion. Please
call 802-635-1264 or email Richard.Simmons@jsc.edu.
Academic Honesty: (from JSC Catalog) Students are expected to conform to the highest
standards of academic honesty in all of their academic work at Johnson State College. Academic
dishonesty in any form is prohibited and unacceptable. Acts of dishonesty for which a student
may be disciplined include, but are not limited to, receiving or providing unauthorized assistance
on an examination and plagiarizing the work of others in writing assignments. The American
Heritage Dictionary defines plagiarism in the following way: “To steal or use (the ideas or
writings of another) as one’s own.” Students are responsible for knowing what specific acts
constitute plagiarism; if students are uncertain as to whether a particular act constitutes
plagiarism, they should consult with their instructors before turning in assigned work.
Course Description:
An introduction to biological principles and concepts. Topics include cell biology, genetics,
physiology, evolution, and ecology. These topics will be studied in a diversity of organisms
including microbes, protists, fungi, plants, and representative animal groups. Includes a lab.
Essential Objectives:
The successful student will be able to:
1. Explain what is included in the study of biology, how it has evolved, how biology is related to
the other major branches of science, and how it relates to the issues confronting humanity.
2. Define and employ the terms necessary to the study of biology.
3. Describe the structure, function, and chemical composition of the cell as the basic unit of life.
4. Analyze the importance of energy transfer systems and how they relate to the Laws of
Thermodynamics.
5. Compare and contrast the two types of cellular reproduction.
6. Summarize the relationships between DNA, genes, chromosomes, and the behavior of
inherited traits.
7. Summarize the principles of the classification system of living things.
8. Discuss the evidence and mechanisms for evolution including the origin of life.
9. Construct a working definition of ecology using the terms population, community, and
ecosystem.
10. Demonstrate proficiency in understanding, interpreting, evaluating and applying quantitative
data and information.
Lab Objectives:
1. Employ the tools of the laboratory, including microscopes and measurement devices.
2. Conduct appropriate experiments to illustrate biological principles and concepts.
3. Evaluate data from laboratory experiments.
4. Incorporate the scientific method into the design of a research project and prepare a report
following the format of a scientific paper.
5. Write a correctly formatted laboratory report including relevant sections on (1) purpose of the
lab, (2) materials and procedures, (3) data and observations, (4) graphs and charts, (5)
calculations, and (6) conclusion and analysis.
Textbook:
The only material you need to purchase for this course is a subscription to a so-called SimUText,
published by Simbio (www.simbio.com). It is a custom collection of chapters and materials
prepared for this course. You will be able to buy your subscription either through the Johnson
State College Bookstore or directly through the Simbio web site. The cost, directly from Simbio
is about $35; the cost through the Johnson State College Bookstore will be a bit higher. To buy
directly from the Simbio web site requires a credit card. You can use financial aid vouchers at
the Johnson State College Bookstore (Call 802-635-2503 or go to www.jsc.bkstr.com).
Methods:
I have written Moodle books, as the equivalent of conventional textbook chapters. The topics to
be covered are listed in the week-by-week syllabus activities below. In addition to these weekly
readings, we will use Simbio Lab Tutorials. These labs include interactive and experimental
simulations that allow you to work with the material you’re learning in a hands-on way. They
can be accessed both online and offline as well as printed.
Each week, you will read the weekly reading, discuss it with your classmates in our weekly
discussion board, and work on labs or open book quizzes to help you digest the material and
concepts. I teach biology from the point of view that anyone can learn, regardless of background.
It takes time and effort but there should be no difference in how well you do, when comparing
students with no science background to those with a varied science background. This is a general
education course designed to broaden your view of the natural world around you.
Evaluation Criteria:
This is a four-credit science laboratory course. All four-credit science laboratory courses are a lot
of work, regardless of whether they are taught in a conventional classroom and conventional onthe-ground lab, or whether they are taught online. That's because the format is that the 'classroom
part' of the course takes the same amount of time as a regular three-credit college course. The
additional 'laboratory component' (the so-called 4th credit lab part) takes the same amount of
time as the classroom part. That means that, in all likelihood, you will be putting in twice as
much time on this course as you would on a regular three-credit course. I tell you this so you can
plan accordingly.
This course is organized into fifteen-week blocks. Each week of class begins on Tuesday
mornings and ends on the following Monday midnight. It's important that you work on this
course throughout the week; it's not the kind of course where assignments are due at the end of
the week. You need to be actively engaged with the class, via our discussion board, and via using
the online interactive materials throughout the week.
All work you hand in individually to me does have a due date of Monday midnight - the end of
each week of class. However, it's critically important to note that online courses are highly
interactive. You need to engage with your classmates and with me, online, throughout the week.
The best way to think about this is to think that you will look at each new week of activities each
Tuesday morning. You will immediately begin reading and studying the topic of the week, via
the assigned chapters. You do not have to have finished all of your reading to begin posting in
the new week of discussion. Post questions you have about what you are reading, post thoughts
you have as you are reading, address discussion board assignments, read the posts gradually
added by your classmates throughout the week, respond to as many as you can to help develop
discussions. You'll be amazed at how much you learn this way and how deeply you feel you get
to know your classmates. The most important thing to remember is that online learning is highly
interactive. It is far more than a medium to pick up assignments and to submit them.
Grading Criteria:
Conventional letter grades will be used. Your final course grade will be weighted as follows:
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Weekly Discussion Assignments and Participation: 30%
Quizzes: 30%
Lab Reports/Assessments: 30%
Final Exam: 10%
I assess mastery of course objectives, as evidenced by several different types of assignments
outlined above. An online grade book is available to you at all times. It shows all scores, on all
assignments, as they accumulate during the semester. An up-to-date weighted average, showing
your course grade at any point in time, is available as soon as each assignment is graded.
Attendance Policy:
You must participate, at a satisfactory level, in at least 13 of the 15 weekly class discussions, to
be eligible to pass this course with a satisfactory grade of C- or better. Missing three or more
weeks of class will result in an automatic failure.
To be eligible to pass this course with a satisfactory grade of C- or better, you must complete
satisfactory work on all seven biweekly quizzes and on all six lab reports; these biweekly
assessments must be handed in, when due, for maximum credit. Extensions on due dates will
only be granted: 1) when requested for extenuating circumstances that can be verified and; 2)
when asked for at least 24 hours before the due date; there are no exceptions to these rules.
They are designed to keep you in touch with the class and to keep you in a position to complete
the course within the time we have to work together.
Weekly Syllabus:
Unit 1: Cells and Molecules
Week 1: 1/19 – 1/26: General Introduction to Biology, Quiz #1
Week 2: 1/27 – 2/2: Chemistry You Need for Know, Quiz #2
Week 3: 2/3 – 2/9: Biomolecules and Cell Anatomy, Quiz #3
Week 4: 2/10 – 2/16: What Cells Do, Action Potential Lab
Week 5: 2/17 – 2/23: Obtaining Energy From Food, Cellular Respiration Lab
Week 6: 2/24 – 3/2: The Making of Food, Quiz #4
Unit 2: Genetics
Week 7: 3/3 – 3/9: How Cells Reproduce, Mitosis and Meiosis Labs
Week 8: 3/10 – 3/16: Heredity and Inheritance, Mendelian Pigs Lab
Week 9: 3/17 – 3/23: Population Genetics; Mendelian Pigs Con’t; Quiz #5
Week 10: 3/24 – 3/30: Genes and the Genetic Code, Sickle Cell Lab
Week 11: 3/31 – 4/6: Gene Expression, Lactase Gene Lab Activity
Note: 4/7 – 4/13 = Spring Break
Unit 3: Evolution and Ecology
Week 12: 4/14 – 4/20: Evolution – An Introduction; Darwinian Snails Lab
Week 13: 4/21 – 4/27: Evolution – Speciation; Experimenting w/Snails Lab
Week 14: 4/28 – 5/4: Ecology; Isle Royale Lab
Week 15: 5/5 – 5/10: Final Reflections, Final Exam