Biology Level I, First Semester
Course Overview
The study of biology is the study of life. This study of living things encompasses much
more than plants and animals. It also includes, at one end of the scale, the study of cells—
how they produce and use energy; how they form tissues, organs, and organ systems; and
how they reproduce and pass along genetic information. At the other end of the scale,
biology includes the study of ecosystems made up of diverse life forms and their
environment.
It is important for you to be biologically literate so that you can live a responsible life
with respect to other people and to the environment. Hopefully, throughout the course
you will gain information that will help you look at your surroundings in a new way and
evaluate your current living practices. I also hope that you will have a greater
appreciation of the complexity of life in one of the few machines that can operate for over
a 100 years: your human body.
The two semesters of biology divide the study of life into four different areas of study:
cells, genetics, evolution, and ecology. The first semester of biology, which is covered in
this course, looks at cells and genetics; the second semester will cover evolution and
ecology. Each semester will include eight lessons plus a midterm exam and final exam.
Here is a brief summary of this semester's lessons and exams:
Lesson 1: Biology in the 21st Century
Biologists study of life in all its forms. Unifying themes connect concepts from many
fields of biology. Science is a way to thinking, questioning, and gathering evidence.
Technology continually changes the way biologists work. Understanding biology can
help you make informed decisions.
Lesson 2: Chemistry of Life
All living things are based on atoms and their interactions. Water's unique properties
allow life to exist on Earth. Carbon-based molecules are the foundations of life. Life
depends on chemical reactions. Enzymes are catalysts for chemical reactions in living
things.
Lesson 3: Cell Structure and Function
Cells are the basic unit of life. Eukaryotic cells share may similarities. The cell membrane
is a barrier that separates a cell from the external environment. Materials move across
membranes because of concentration differences. Cells use energy to transport materials
that cannot diffuse across a membrane.
Lesson 4: Cells and Energy
All cells need chemical energy. The overall process of photosynthesis produces sugars
that store chemical energy. Photosynthesis requires a series of chemical reactions. The
overall process of cellular respiration converts sugar into ATP using oxygen. Cellular
respiration is an aerobic process with two main stages. Fermentation allows the
production of a small amount of ATP without oxygen.
Lesson 5: Midterm Exam
The midterm exam covers material from chapters 1 through 4. This lesson provides
information about the midterm exam and tips for studying for the exam.
Lesson 6: Cell Growth and Division
Cells have distinct phases of growth, reproduction, and normal functions. Cells divide
during mitosis and cytokinesis. Cell cycle regulation is necessary for healthy growth.
Many organisms reproduce by cell division. Cells work together to carry out complex
functions.
Lesson 7: Meiosis and Mendel
Gametes have half the number of chromosomes that body cells have. During meiosis,
diploid cells undergo two cell divisions that result in haploid cells. Mendel's research
showed that traits are inherited as discrete units. Genes encode proteins that produce a
diverse range of traits. The inheritance of traits follows the rules of probability.
Independent assortment and crossing over during meiosis result in genetic diversity.
Lesson 8: Extending Mendelian Genetics
The chromosomes on which genes are located can affect the expression of traits.
Phenotype is affected by many different factors. Genes can be mapped to specific
locations on chromosomes. A combination of methods is used to study human genetics.
Lesson 9: From DNA to Proteins
DNA was identified as the genetic material through a series of experiments. DNA
structure is the same in all organisms. DNA replication copies the genetic information of
a cell. Transcription converts the gene into a single-stranded RNA molecule. Translation
converts the mRNA message into a polypeptide, or protein. Gene expression is carefully
regulated in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Mutations are changes in DNA that
may or may not affect phenotype.
Lesson 10: Final Exam
The final exam covers material from chapters 5 through 8. This lesson provides
information about the final exam and tips for studying for the exam.
Required Materials
The following textbook and CD-ROM are required for this course:
Nowicki, Stephen. Holt McDougal Biology. Indiana edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,
2012. ISBN 978-0-547-41444-7
Science: Biology Virtual Investigations CD-ROM. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.
ISBN 978-0-03-093244-1
Lesson Design
Altogether, there are eight lessons with content for you to study and two lessons
providing tips for the exams. Each study lesson is divided into five to seven sections that
follow the sections in the textbook. You should complete the lessons, and the sections
within them, in the order given. The course is cumulative, so information from previous
lessons provide the building blocks for later ones.
Here's how to complete each lesson:
1. Before you begin a lesson, open the lesson's study guide by clicking the
appropriate link on the syllabus. After the study guide opens, save it to your
computer. (Hint: Save it somewhere you can find it.) The study guide will help
you take notes and organize what you are learning. You will turn in the completed
study guide as part of your lesson assignment.
Using word-processing software (such as Word, Google Docs, or OpenWriter),
follow directions in the the appropriate section of the study guide to complete it as
you work through each textbook section. An especially effective way to use the
study guide is to first do the reading, then try to answer the study guide questions
from memory, and finally go back to the textbook and online lesson to check your
work. This will help you make sure that you understand and remember the content
as well as you think you do!
2. To access a lesson, click on the lesson link on the syllabus. The lesson will open
in a new tab or window, just like this introduction did, and you will navigate
through the lesson using the menu along the left side of that screen. Each lesson is
divided into five to seven sections. You should complete each section in the order
given before moving to the next section.
3. Each section has the following parts; you should complete each part in the order
given.
1. Objectives tell you what you should be able to do upon completion of the
section. Read the objectives to get a quick idea of what the section is about
and of what you need to learn.
2. The introduction gives you an overview of the section's content. It will
help prepare you to read and understand what's in your textbook.
3. The reading assignment tells you which pages to read in your textbook.
4. The presentation summarizes and expands the section content. It
combines audio with text and graphics.
4. After you've finished the lesson, go back to the syllabus and click the lesson's
ClassZone links, which take you to Animated Biology simulations. I strongly
urge you to take advantage of the fun and helpful resources on the textbook's
ClassZone website! The interactive vocabulary and chatper reviews, practice
quizzes and tests, and other virtual demonstrations will reinforce—and help you
remember—chapter content.
Note: The first time you go to the biology animations or the main ClassZone
website, you may need to select the subject area, state, and/or book. Select the
following: High School Science, Indiana, and Biology 2012 Indiana.
Once you've completed a lesson, you're ready to do the lesson's assignments. We'll talk
about those in the next section.
Assignments
Each lesson has three graded assignments: a multiple-choice quiz, the lesson's study
guide, and a virtual lab assignment. You'll take the quiz in the Oncourse Tests & Surveys
tool. You'll submit the other two assignments by uploading them at the Oncourse
Assignments tool.
Assignments will count for 70 percent of your course grade, so it's worthwhile to give
them your time and attention.
Multiple-Choice Quiz
Each lesson quiz consists of 25 to 35 multiple-choice questions. You may spend as much
time as you need to complete the quizzes, and you may use your notes, textbook, and
other resources. However, you may take each quiz only once.
To complete a quiz, click the lesson quiz link in the syllabus or the Tests & Surveys link
in the Oncourse menu, then select the quiz you want to take. When you submit the quiz,
Oncourse will grade it immediately and send your grade to the gradebook.
Be sure to review any questions you missed. If you aren't sure why you missed a question,
please ask your instructor!
Study Guide and Virtual Lab Assignments
For each lesson, you'll submit two documents to be graded:
1. the completed lesson study guide, and
2. your answers to a set of questions based on a virtual lab activity on the CD-ROM.
The lesson study guide is the same study guide that you saved to your computer and
completed as you worked through the textbook sections.
The virtual lab involves completing an online lab simulation on the CD-ROM and then
answering questions about it. To complete a virtual lab, click on the Assignments link on
the syllabus or go to Assignments in the Oncourse menu. Fnd the lesson's lab activity,
open the document, and save it to your computer. Follow the instructions for selecting the
lab activity, work through the activity on the CD-ROM, and then answer the questions in
the lab document.
Once you've completed both the study guide and virtual lab, submit them by opening the
appropriate assignment in the Oncourse Assignments tool and following the directions
you find there. You will need to attach the document files and submit them.
In grading your study guides and lab write-ups, I will attempt to minimize the turnaround time, but there are always possible situations that may delay your receipt of
feedback. It is wise for you to await feedback on your assignments before submitting
your work for the next lesson.
Examinations
Your midterm and final exams account for 30 percent of your course grade. The midterm
exam will cover lessons 1 through 4; the final exam will cover lessons 5 through 8. Each
exam contains 100 multiple-choice questions.
You will have a maximum of two hours to complete each exam. When taking an exam,
you may not use your textbook, course guide, study notes, electronic devices (e.g., cell
phone, PDA, BlackBerry, etc.) or other materials.
Remember that even though the exams comprise only 30 percent of your grade, to pass
the course you must earn an average of at least a D– (60 percent) on the examinations.
Grades
Your course grade will be based on your performance on assignments and exams. In
calculating the course grade, the lab assignments are worth 10 percent, the quizzes are
worth 20 percent, the study guides are worth 40 percent, and the exams are worth 30
percent. The grading scale is as follows:
Percentage Grade
76.5–79.4
C+
96.5–100
A+
72.5–76.4
C
92.5–96.4
A
69.5–72.4
C–
89.5–92.4
A–
66.5–69.4
D+
86.5–89.4
B+
62.5–66.4
D
82.5–86.4
B
59.5–62.4
D–
79.5–82.4
B–
0.0–59.4
F
Note: For you to pass the course, the average of your two exam grades must be at least a
D− (60 percent). Even if your assignment grades are excellent, you will not pass the
course unless you fulfill this requirement.