BIOLOGY 121
HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I
Internet Blended Course Syllabus
Firelands High School
Fall Semester 2015
Dr. Kathryn A. Durham
Office Location
My office is located on the second floor of the Health Science building (HS 210P). Although you are
taking this course at the Firelands High School please feel free to stop and visit me anytime. I have
listed my office hours below and if these times do not work just let me know and we can arrange a
time to meet that works for both of us
Office Hours
Monday: 10 am - 11 am
Tuesday: 8 am - 10 am; 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Wednesday: 10 am – 11 am
Thursday: 8 am - 10 am; 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Friday: 10 am – 11 am
Or by appointment
Contact Information
Please feel free to contact me at any time during the semester either through the CANVAS course
mail or through my regular e-mail: kdurham@lorainccc.edu
I check both of these e-mails several times each day and will get back with you within 24 hours or
sooner. If I plan on being out of town and will not have access to a computer I will let you know in
advance through the CANVAS course mail
You may also contact me by phone…my office phone number is: (440) 366-4739
Personal Information
Hello everyone and welcome to Anatomy and Physiology I (Biology 121). My name is Kathy
Durham and I am one of the full-time Biology Professors at Lorain County Community College.
I was born and raised in a small town about 60 miles southeast of Montreal in Quebec, Canada. After
graduating from high school I moved to Montreal and studied nursing at a school comparable to
LCCC. I subsequently worked for many years as a Registered Nurse at the Montreal General
Hospital in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit.
I married in 1978 and shortly after my husband and I relocated to Ohio. In 1992 my husband and I
divorced and I was left with the reality that I was now a single Mom with 4 young children to raise. I
decided that it was the right time for me to go back to school and further my education so that I could
establish a more secure financial stability for my family.
I completed a Bachelor of Science in Biology at Bowling Green State University and applied for
graduate school. In 2002 I graduated with a Ph.D. in Biology and was hired as a tenure tract Biology
Professor by LCCC. The courses I teach for LCCC are: Anatomy and Physiology I & II (Biology
121 & 122), Principles of Biology I (Biology 161) and Genetics (Biology 275). I am also an advisor
to a small group of undergraduate students who conduct research investigating the algae blooms in
Lake Erie.
In my spare time I enjoy playing golf and bridge…no I am not an old lady, I just love playing
bridge!! I have four grandchildren Tommy, Lucas, Madison and Mason. I will post some pictures of
them in CANVAS
Important Information about the Development of this On-Line Blended
Anatomy and Physiology I Course
I originally developed this blended on-line course for the students at Lorain County Community
College, however the Dean of our division asked me if I would be interested in offering it as a
College Credit course to students at several High Schools in the area. I decided that this would be a
wonderful opportunity so, together with the help of your high school teacher, Anatomy and
Physiology I will be offered this semester and Anatomy and Physiology II next semester. Due to the
fact that I have a full schedule at the college it was decided that your teacher would co-teach the
course with me at your high school. You will be required to watch and take notes from the lecture
videos I have prepared and your teacher will do the laboratory with you. Your teacher will also
answer questions you might have about the lecture material, help you review before the exams and
proctor the exams. Remember that I too am available to answer any questions you might have.
Please just e-mail me and I will answer you back within a reasonable period of time.
I have worked very diligently on the development of this course and encourage all of you to let me
know if there is anything else I can do to make it more user-friendly.
Learning and Retaining the Lecture Material
Anatomy and Physiology I is an extremely demanding class. I have made every effort to present the
lecture material in a manner that will be easily understood by the students. When you log into
CANVAS you will see 3 boxes on the home page: “Getting Started”, “Lecture Materials” and
“Lab Materials”. Please begin by clicking on the “Getting Started” box. This will take you to a
page with two boxes: “Virtual Tour” and “Trouble Shooting”. Click on the “Virtual Tour” box
and this will take you to a page where you can learn the navigation of the course. After completing
the Virtual Tour, next click on the “Troubleshooting” box and this will take you to a page detailing
my contact information, some important numbers such as distance learning and the main biology
office number and how to get CANVAS support. Once you have completed these first steps, go back
to the “Home Page” and click on the “Lecture Materials” box. This will take you to a page with 6
boxes. The first 5 boxes correspond to all the materials you will need for each of the 5 lecture exams.
Clicking on each of the “Module” boxes will take you directly to the lecture videos, handouts and
animations for that unit of material. The 6th box will take you to a set of games I have prepared for
each of the 5 lecture units. Once you are familiar with this navigation go again to the home page and
click on the “Lab Materials” box. This will take you to the page containing all the lab material for
the semester.
Students should expect to study 10-15 hours per week outside of the time devoted to watching the
video topics and taking down lecture notes. Often it is helpful to find someone else in the class to
study with and you will have the opportunity to review lecture materials with your teacher during
your scheduled lecture class each week.
Remember…your Teacher and I are available to help you!!
Discussion and Self Introduction Forums
In the tool bar on the left side of the page you will see a “discussion tab”. Initially clicking on this
tab will bring up a self introduction forum as well as a discussion forum. Please complete and submit
a short self introduction so that I can know each of you a little better. Please do this as soon as
possible as this forum will close after 2 weeks into the semester. The discussion forum should be
used for any questions about the lecture or lab material and will remain open all semester.
Anatomy and Physiology I Required Textbook and Laboratory Manual, Required Technology,
Course Prerequisites
Lecture Textbook: Human Anatomy and Physiology, Erin C. Amerman, 1st Edition
Laboratory Manual: Exploring Anatomy &Physiology in Lab, Amerman, 2nd Edition
ISBN 9781617310560
Required Technology: Students must have regular access to a computer (either PC or Mac) with a
high- speed internet connection so that CANVAS video lectures, animations,
etc. can be viewed
Video lectures can be viewed in two formats:
1. Microsoft Silverlight Video Player (a free download for any
browser)
2. iTunesU (downloadable to mobile devices)
For additional technical assistance please go to the troubleshooting page or
contact me (440) 366-4739 or distance learning (440) 366-7582
Course Prerequisites: Although there are no listed prerequisites for Anatomy and Physiology I it is
highly recommended that students are college-ready for mathematics and
reading
Class Time and Room Location
This class will meet Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 12:54 pm to 1:38 pm and Wednesday from
1-2:30 pm in room 224. The three 44 minute periods on Monday, Tuesday and Friday are dedicated
for laboratory activities and the Wednesday meetings for lecture review, “fun” extra credit activities
and exams. Please be aware that your teacher will be checking your lecture notes every week to
make sure they are complete and that you are keeping current. Please note that you must be present
in order to get the extra credit points.
Examinations and Grading Policy
Lecture Exams
There will be five scheduled lecture exams during the semester and one final comprehensive exam
that you will take on Thursday January 27, 2016 during your final week of class. All regular
semester exams will be proctored by your teacher and taken as a group during the Wednesday regular
class time. The 5 lecture exams will have a variety of question types, including multiple choice, fillin-the blank, matching, short answer and case application. The comprehensive final exam will be
101 multiple choice questions. Your teacher will discuss the lecture exam format with you in more
detail before your first exam. I will make every attempt to stop by and visit several times throughout
the semester.
Students are expected to be present for all exams. If you miss an exam it is mandatory that you
inform your teacher of your absence by e-mail or leave a voice mail within 24 hours of the actual
exam time. Students will be allowed to complete an essay format makeup exam to replace a missed
exam however it must be completed within one week of the original exam date.
Your exams will be graded and posted in the CANVAS grade book within 48 hours of the exam
being taken. Students will have the opportunity to review each exam during the following week’s
scheduled lecture class. I do not allow students to keep, photograph or make copies of their exams.
If you wish additional review of any of your exams you may do so in your teacher’s office at any
time during the semester.
Students taking all of the regular semester exams will have their lowest exam score replaced with the
equivalent percentage achieved on the comprehensive final exam if that percentage is higher than the
percentage of your lowest lecture exam score.
Laboratory
All students will be required to complete a lab safety quiz before the second week of lab as well as
weekly pre-lab and in-lab assignments. In addition there will be 7 lab quizzes and one
comprehensive final for lab. Students taking all lab quizzes will have their lowest quiz score replaced
with the equivalent percentage achieved on the lab comprehensive final exam if that score is higher
than their lowest lab quiz score. The laboratory grade will account for 25% of your overall course
grade. Materials covered in the laboratory are intended to supplement the lecture materials.
Laboratory Points Breakdown
Safety Quiz, Pre-lab and In-lab Assignments 50 points
Lab Quizzes (7 @ 25 points each)
175 points
Lab Comprehensive Final
25 points
Total
250 points
Extra Credit Points
You will be offered extra credit points throughout the semester however if you are not present at the
time they are offered then those points will be forfeited.
Course Points Breakdown
Lecture Exams (5 @ 100 points each)
Laboratory
Final Exam (comprehensive)
Extra Credit
Total
500
250
250
~30
~1030
A:
B:
C:
D:
F:
900-1000+
800-899
700-799
600-699
< 599
Although the total points available throughout the semester totals ~1030, the grade will be calculated
out of 1000 (the extra ~30 are free).
***Students must achieve a score greater than or equal to 700/1000 (70%) to be considered for
or to continue in any of the Allied Health and Nursing Clinical Programs. A grade lower
than 700 points…even 699/1000 (69.9%) will not be moved up to a “C”***
Viewing Grades
To view your grades at any time, click on the grades tab on the left hand side of the Home Page in
CANVAS. This will take you to a complete account of your scores on all exams you have completed
in both lecture and lab and your overall grade in the class to date. In addition the dates for all lecture
and lab exams will appear on the Syllabus page and in the calendar.
Midterm Grades
Lorain County Community College requires all faculty to record a midterm grade that represents your
overall progress in the class to that point. Although you always have access to your most current
overall grade in CANVAS, the college's intent for this "midterm" grade is to make you aware of your
grade so you can take steps to improve it if necessary. This grade is only for your information, and
with the exception of the Failure Administrative Withdrawal (FAW -- see next paragraph), it will not
appear on your transcript. You can see your midterm grades online through your My-Campus
account. Students who receive an unsatisfactory midterm grade (i.e. D or lower) should contact me
so that I can help you get your scores up before the end of the semester (even better -- don't wait for
the midterm grades to come out, contact me early in the semester if you need help!).
A Failure Administrative Withdrawl (FAW) will be recorded for any student who is enrolled in the
class but is not actively participating in any of the class activities for a period of more than 3 weeks.
These activities include: attending lecture, attending lab, taking lecture exams and completing any
assignments given to the students during class. I understand that sometimes extenuating
circumstances, such as illness, may interfere with your ability to participate in class for an extended
period of time. In this case please let me know and we will work out a plan. Please note that if an
FAW is recorded as the midterm grade, it will appear on your transcript and it will impact your grade
equivalent to receiving an “F”. In addition students who receive an FAW will not be eligible for a
refund of tuition or fees they have paid.
Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities must provide your teacher with approved documentation from the Special
Education Teachers during the first week of class so that proper accommodations are made. All
student disability information will be kept confidential.
Academic Honesty and Student Conduct
Inappropriate behavior and academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. During exams all books and
notes must be secured within a book-bag or placed on the desk in the front of the room. Cell phones
must be turned off and placed on the desktop in plain view and there should be no talking. Students
are not allowed to leave the classroom during an exam to use the restroom. Anyone caught cheating
will receive a zero on that exam with no possibility of replacing it with the final comprehensive exam
score.
Netiquette Expectations
Students are expected to be respectful of other students and the instructor when e-mailing or posting
discussion forums. Any inappropriate e-mails or postings will be removed promptly by the
instructor. Arguing or slandering of any kind will not be tolerated and could result in disciplinary
action. I would appreciate that you limit the use of abbreviations because I don’t know what most of
them mean (LOL)
Please proofread all e-mails and posts for accuracy before submitting them and correct spelling
errors. Please include a subject line in all e-mails and acknowledge and return messages promptly. If
you have an emergency please remember that I check my e-mails often every day and I will get back
with you very quickly.
Withdrawal Policy
The last date to withdraw from the course is (Friday, November 13, 2015). Students can retrieve the
withdrawal forms at the Connections Center. Before making the decision to withdraw, please come
and discuss it with me as I might be able to help you be more successful in the class. Remember…I
am mandated by the college to record a final grade of “F” for those students who stop attending class
but don’t officially withdraw.