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UoPeople Online Syllabus Repository (OSR)

Health Science

BIOL 1122 Biology II for Health Science Majors

BIOL 1122: Biology II for Health Science Majors

Credits: 4

Prerequisites: Biology I for Health Science Majors

Recommended: None.

Course Description:  

This course is the second in a series of two biology courses and follows Biology 1 for Health Studies Majors. In Biology 2, students study biology at the organism, population and ecosystem level of organization. Topics covered include evolution, biodiversity, plant and animal structure and function, and ecology. This course includes a virtual laboratory component which compliments topics covered in the assigned readings. 

Required Textbook and Materials: UoPeople courses use open educational resources (OER) and other materials specifically donated to the University with free permissions for educational use. Therefore, students are not required to purchase any textbooks or sign up for any websites that have a cost associated with them. The main required textbooks for this course are listed below, and can be readily accessed using the provided links. There may be additional required/recommended readings, supplemental materials, or other resources and websites necessary for lessons; these will be provided for you in the course's General Information and Forums area, and throughout the term via the weekly course Unit areas and the Learning Guides.

Software Requirements/Installation: This course requires a modern web browser such as Mozilla Firefox (https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/products/), a spreadsheet software capable of opening .xls files such as LibreOffice Calc (https://www.libreoffice.org/), and a basic text editor such as SciTE (http://www.scintilla.org/SciTE.html).

Learning Objectives and Outcomes:

By the end of this course students will be able to:

  1. Describe evolution as the mechanism for speciation.
  2. Describe biological diversity and distinguish among viruses, prokaryotes, protists, fungi, plants and animals.
  3. Describe plant structure and function.
  4. Describe animal structure and function.
  5. Describe ecology and the four levels of ecological research.

Course Schedule and Topics: This course will cover the following topics in eight learning sessions, with one Unit per week.

Week 1: Unit 1 - Evolution

Week 2: Unit 2 - Diversity: Viruses and Prokaryotes

Week 3: Unit 3 - Diversity: Protists and Fungi

Week 4: Unit 4 - Diversity: Plants

Week 5: Unit 5 - Diversity: Animals

Week 6: Unit 6 - Plant Structure and Function

Week 7: Unit 7 - Animal Structure and Function

Week 8: Unit 8 - Ecology

Week 9: Unit 9 - Course Review and Final Exam

Learning Guide: The following is an outline of how this course will be conducted, with suggested best practices for students.

Unit 1: Evolution

  • Read the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
  • Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
  • Complete and submit the Written Assignment
  • Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 2: Diversity: Viruses and Prokaryotes

  • Peer-assess Unit #1 Written Assignment
  • Read the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
  • Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
  • Make entries to the Learning Journal
  • Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 3: Diversity: Protists and Fungi

  • Read the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
  • Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
  • Complete and submit the Written Assignment
  • Take the Self-Quiz
  • Take the Graded Quiz

Unit 4: Diversity: Plants

  • Peer-assess Unit #3 Written Assignment
  • Read the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
  • Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
  • Make entries to the Learning Journal
  • Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 5: Diversity: Animals

  • Read the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
  • Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
  • Make entries to the Learning Journal
  • Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 6: Plant Structure and Function

  •  Read the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
  • Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
  • Make entries to the Learning Journal
  • Take the Self-Quiz
  • Take the Graded Quiz

Unit 7: Animal Structure and Function

  • Read the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
  • Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
  • Complete and submit the Written Assignment
  • Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 8: Ecology

  • Peer-assess Unit #7 Written Assignment
  • Read the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
  • Participate in the Discussion Assignment (post, comment, and rate in the Discussion Forum)
  • Take the Self-Quiz
  • Complete and submit the Course Evaluation

Unit 9: Course Review and Final Exam

  • Review the course and take the Review Quiz; it will not be included in the final grade
  • Prepare for, take, and submit the Final Exam
  • The Final Exam will take place during Week/Unit 9 (UoPeople time); exact dates, times, and other details will be provided accordingly by your instructor

Course Requirements:

Discussion Assignments & Response Posts/Ratings
Some units in this course require that you complete a Discussion Assignment. You are required to develop and post a substantive response to the Discussion Assignment in the Discussion Forum. A substantive response is one that fully answers the question that has been posed by the instructor.

In addition, you must extend the discussion by responding to at least three of your peers’ postings in the Discussion Forum.

Discussion Forums are only active for each current and relevant learning week, so it is not possible to contribute to the forum once the learning week has come to an end. Failure to participate in the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum as required may result in failure of the course.

Written Assignments & Assessment Forms
Some units in this course require that you complete a Written Assignment. You are required to submit your assignments by the indicated deadlines and in addition, to peer-assess three of your classmates’ assignments according to provided instructions. During this peer-assessment, you are expected to provide details in the feedback section of the assignment’s Specimen Assessment Form, indicating why you awarded the grade that you did to your peer. Failure to submit assignments and/or peer-assessments may result in failure of the course.

Learning Journals
The Learning Journal is a tool for self-reflection on the learning process. In addition to completing directed tasks and assignments, you should use the Learning Journal to document your activities, record problems you may have encountered, and draft answers for Discussion/Written Assignments. The Learning Journal should be updated on a weekly basis, because they will be assessed by your instructor as part of your final grade.

Quizzes
This course will contain three types of quizzes – the Self-Quiz, the Graded Quiz, and the Review Quiz. These quizzes may contain multiple choice, true/false, or short answer questions.

The results of the Self-Quiz and the Review Quiz will not count towards your final grade. However, it is highly recommended that you complete the Self-Quiz each week to ensure that you have adequately understood the course materials. Along with the Reading Assignments, the results of the Self-Quiz should be used as part of an iterative learning process, to thoroughly cover and test your understanding of course material. You should use the results of your Self-Quiz each week as a guide to go back and review relevant sections of the Reading Assignments again. Likewise, the Review Quiz should be used to assist you in a comprehensive review and full understanding of all course material, in preparation for your Final Exam.

The results of the Graded Quiz will count towards your final grade. 

Final Exam
The Final Exam will take place following the completion of eight units of work. The format of the Final Exam is similar to that of the quizzes, and may contain a combination of different question types. The exam is a maximum of one hour in duration and is graded electronically. Specific instructions on how to prepare for and take the exam will be provided during Week/Unit 9.

Course Forum
The Course Forum is the place to raise issues and questions relating to the course. It is regularly monitored by the instructors, and is a good place to meet fellow students taking the same course. While it is not required to participate in the Course Forum, it is highly recommended.

Classroom Forum
The Classroom Forum is available only to students in the same classroom or group. The Classroom Forum is only activated when there are many groups of students taking the course at the same time. Participation in this forum is an excellent way to get to know your classmates and is also a platform for raising issues and questions relating to the course. While it is not required to participate in the Classroom Forum, it is highly recommended.

Course Policies:

Grading Components and Weights
Each graded component of the course will contribute some percentage to the final grading scale, as indicated here:

Learning Journals

10%

Graded Quizzes

20% (two at 10% each)

Discussion Assignments

20%

Written Assignments

20%

Final Exam

30%

TOTAL

100%


Grading Scale
This course will follow the standard 100-point grading scale defined by the University of the People, as indicated here:

Letter Grade
 Grade Scale Grade Points
A+ 98-100 4.00
A 93-97 4.00
A- 90-92 3.67
B+ 88-89 3.33
B 83-87 3.00
B- 80-82 2.67
C+ 78-79 2.33
C 73-77 2.00
C- 70-72 1.67
D+ 68-69 1.33
D 63-67 1.00
D- 60-62 0.67
F Under 60 0.00


Grade Appeal
If you believe that the final grade you received for a course is erroneous, unjust, or unfair, please contact your course instructor. This must be done within seven days of the posted final grade. For more information on this topic, please review the Grade Appeal Procedure in the University Catalog.

Participation
Non-participation is characterized by lack of any assignment submissions, inadequate contributions to the Discussion Forums, and/or lack of peer feedback to Discussion/Written Assignments. Also, please note the following important points about course participation:

  • Assignments must be submitted on or before the specified deadline. A course timeline is provided in the course schedule, and the instructor will specify deadlines for each assignment.
  • Any student showing non-participation for two weeks (consecutive or non-consecutive) is likely to automatically fail the course.
  • Occasionally there may be a legitimate reason for submitting an assignment late. Most of the time, late assignments will not be accepted and there will be no make-up assignments.
  • All students are obligated to inform their instructor in advance of any known absences which may result in their non-participation.

Academic Honesty and Integrity
When you submit any work that requires research and writing, it is essential to cite and reference all source material. Failure to properly acknowledge your sources is known as “plagiarism” – which is effectively passing off an individual’s words or ideas as your own. University of the People adheres to a strict policy of academic honesty and integrity. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in sanctions by the University, including dismissal from the University or course failure. For more information on this topic, please review the Academic Integrity Policy in the University Catalog.

Any materials cited in this course should be referenced using the style guidelines established by the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA format is widely used in colleges and universities across the world and is one of several style and citation formats required for publication in professional and academic journals. Purdue University’s Online Writing LAB (OWL) is a free website that provides excellent information and resources for understanding and using the APA format and style. The OWL website can be accessed here: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html

Code of Conduct
University of the People expects that students conduct themselves in a respectful, collaborative, and honest manner at all times. Harassment, threatening behavior, or deliberate embarrassment of others will not be permitted. Any conduct that interferes with the quality of the educational experience is not allowed and may result in disciplinary action, such as course failure, probation, suspension, or dismissal. For more information on this topic, please review the Code of Conduct Policy in the University Catalog.