Syllabus

This course will introduce you to the themes that unify the main fields in biology. We will study what living organisms are made of, how they function, obtain energy, pass on and express their genetic material, and ultimately study the process of evolution. The most important thing to do well in this course is your very own motivation to study and do the hard work. 

After the completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Explain how science is discovered
• Relate the structure and composition of living things to how they function
• Identify the relationship between the structure, organization and function of cells
• Explain how living things obtain energy
• Apply the principles of genetics to make predictions
• Identify the principles of molecular biology that determine physiology
• Apply biological concepts to make predictions about biological processes
• Explain the diversity of living forms in terms of evolutionary theory

Help: If you aren't doing well in the course and would like to go over exams or talk about whatever problems you have, please come and talk to us. We want you to do well, but if you suffer in silence, what can we do? Sometimes, a simple change of studying strategy makes all the difference. Your TAs and instructors are here to help you, so keep in touch.

NOTE: This syllabus is subject to change. Please check the on-line syllabus often for possible modifications and changes to exam dates.

Please review the FIU policies page as it contains essential information regarding guidelines relevant to all courses at FIU and additional information on the standards for acceptable netiquette important for online courses.

Cheating Policy: We will follow the "Student Handbook" regarding cheating. Formal and informal procedures can be found under the section "Academic Misconduct" in the "Conduct & Policies" chapter. Anyone caught cheating will be given an "F" for the course and a petition will be sent to Academic Affairs. We will go by the University's policy. Note: Plagiarism is a form of cheating.

Conduct: We expect all students to follow the university’s policies for online classes. It is important to have respect towards the instructors and fellow classmates. Inconsiderate, disrespectful, dishonest, or disruptive behavior, as the instructor or your fellow classmates perceive it, or as is described in the Student Handbook, is unacceptable for adults in this course.

Plagiarism Policy: Plagiarism is a serious offence to the University Code of Conduct and it will not be tolerated in this course. If plagiarism is detected in any submission, the group will not receive any credit for that week and it may be subject to an Academic Misconduct investigation. Plagiarism includes not providing appropriate citations and not paraphrasing content from other sources.

Self-motivation and willingness to work hard. Successful students report working 15-20 hours a week on this course. Every week you will have to take at least one quiz and submit at least one assignment. 

This course has no pre-requisites, but you must be registered in the lab (BSC1010L) during the same semester you take this course.

For more information about prerequisites, click here.

Students enrolled in online courses are expected to have moderate proficiency using a computer. Please go to the "What's Required" page to find out more information on this subject.

This course utilizes the following tools:

1. Adobe Reader
2. Adobe flash player
3. QuickTime plug-ins

Please visit our technical requirements page for additional information.

Obtain more detailed information about the specific limitations with the technologies used in this course.

Review Blackboard's Accessibility Commitment for more information.

For additional assistance please contact our Disability Resource Center.

There will be 2 on campus exams in this course (one midterm and one final).

Please check the schedule to make sure you will be on campus for the exams. If you cannot attend one or both on campus exams, notify the instructor before the end of the add/drop period (first week of classes).

If you choose to use an off-campus testing center, or ProctorU's online service to have your Midterm/Final exams proctored for you instead of coming to campus, you are responsible for paying any fees associated with using the testing center to take your exam.  For further details, please click here.

This is an online course, meaning that most of the course work will be conducted online. Expectations for performance in an online course are the same as for a traditional course; in fact, online courses require a degree of self-motivation, self-discipline, and technology skills that can make them more demanding for some students.

Students are expected to:

• Become familiar with the Blackboard environment using the Blackboard Learn Orientation.
• Participate in discussions, chats, etc, and interact with instructor and peers.
• Keep up with the course schedule, assignments, quizzes, etc. 
• Read and study weekly assigned material.
• Log in to the course at least 3 times per week.
• As for any 3-credit course, students are expected to spend at least 10 hours per week in course-related work. 
• Follow the directions outlined in this syllabus, announced in class, and distributed via Email, blackboard announcements or messages, plus others. We are not responsible for issues resulting from lack of knowledge due to students not checking these resources. Also, not having access to these resources is not an excuse - Email/internet not working. 

The instructor will :

• Log in to the course at least 3 times per week.
• Reply to messages within 24 - 72 hours, excluding weekends.
• Be available during online office hours.
• Grade quizzes, assignments, participation, exams within 10 business days of due date.

Use the discussion boards to ask questions about the material. Please limit the use of email to private and personal issues. Using discussion forums to ask and answer questions benefits you and your fellow students: students will often answer questions for you faster than we will, and many students may be having the same question and benefit from the public answers. The instructor will list common questions into a FAQ section.

You may also contact the instructor live using Skype. Instructor's Skype username: Prof.Gavassa (no spaces).

Visit our writing resources page for more information on professional writing and technical communication skills.

In order to mitigate any issues with your computer and online assessments, it is very important that you take the "Practice Quiz" from each computer you will be using to take your graded quizzes and exams. It is your responsibility to make sure your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements.

Please note assessments in this course are not compatible with mobile devices and should not be taken through a mobile phone or a tablet. If you need further assistance please contact FIU Online Support Services.

These quizzes will help you assess your understanding of the material and familiarize yourself with the type of questions you are expected to answer in the exams.   

There will be a quiz each week except for week 6 (June 17 - 23) when you have your on-campus midterm and week 12 (July 29 - August 2) when you have your on-campus final. We'll drop the lowest grade out of the 10 quizzes. Each quiz is available for one week and you can take the quiz any time during the week, but no later than Sunday by midnight (11:59 PM). During the time the quiz is available, you may take it twice. If you take the quiz twice, the average of the attempts will be your quiz grade. Each quiz consists of 10 questions and you will have 30 minutes to take it.

The purpose of the exams is to prompt you to study, review and ultimately showcase how much you have learned in this course.

Online Exams: There will be two online exams. See the dates in the calendar below, they will each be available for two days. Make sure you have a stable Internet connection. Each exam will be 50-60 questions and you will have 75 minutes to take it once you begin.

On-Campus Exams: There will be a total of 2 on-campus exams in this course (one midterm and one final). Each exam will have around 60-80 multiple-choice questions. See the dates in the calendar below.

Please check the schedule to make sure you will be on campus for the exams. If you cannot attend one or both on-campus exams, notify the instructor before the end of the add/drop period (first week of classes).

On the day of the exam,

• bring TWO sharpened pencils with erasers and your STUDENT ID
• All other materials will have to be placed at the front or back of the class, so it is best not to carry anything to the room on exam day. You will be asked to remove your hats. Please turn off all cell phones.
• We will check your student ID before you are allowed to turn-in your exam and leave. You must sign your exam.
• When you are finished, you must return ALL materials given to you during the test whether filled-out or not. No one can leave unless they have returned the exam.
• You will be provided with a scantron. Please be careful when filling it out, as errors will affect grade.
• Students will not be allowed to use the restroom during the exam. No talking. Cheating will be dealt with seriously and severely.
• If you do not bubble in your last name first, then your first name along with your panther ID and form number on your scantron on the day of your exam, you will lose 10 points on the exam!!

Arriving Late: If you arrive to an exam more than 20 minutes late, or after the first person finishes the test (whichever comes first) you will NOT be allowed to take the exam.

Exam Viewing: After the exam, you can email your instructor to set up an appointment to view your exam. We do not allow students to keep their exams. Students who would like to raise any questions concerning the nature of any particular question on an exam can do so in the written form explaining why you feel the question is ambiguous or incorrect.

Make-Ups: If you miss an online exam you will need to provide the instructor with a VALID document no later than one week from the missed online exam. Once the document is approved, you will be asked to schedule a make-up.

 Examples of acceptable excuses: documented medical emergencies, death of members of immediate family, and jury duty. All of these must be accompanied by a valid and verifiable written letter signed by a professional or some other type of irrefutable and documental proof. Examples of unacceptable excuses: common cold, family problems, transportation problems, etc.

Students who simply do not show up for the on-campus exam will NOT be allowed to take a makeup exam.

WE DO NOT DROP ANY EXAM SCORES!

Group assignments give you a unique opportunity to assess your understanding of the material, get feedback from your peers, prepare for the tests, and keep you up to speed with the objectives of this course.

There will be a group assignment each week except for week 6 (June 17 - 23) when you have your on-campus midterm and week 12 (July 29 - August 2) when you have your on-campus final. You will be assigned to a different group each unit, meaning groups will be reshuffled 4 times throughout the semester.

The assignment must be submitted from one designated group member (it is up to the group to decide who it will be) via turnitin.com by Sunday by midnight (11:59 PM). Individual submissions won’t be accepted. Although one person is submitting the group assignment, everyone in the group is expected to contribute. Each group will have its own private discussion board to discuss the answers to the group assignment.  Ideally, everyone should answer all the questions. However, if your group prefers, you can split the questions among the group members and then each person must post the answer to his/her assigned question(s) by the individual posting deadline. Each person in the group must post to their group’s discussion board no later than Thursday by midnight (11:59 PM). A group member not posting his/her answer(s) in time for the group submission is not an excuse for the group’s submission lacking that answer. Either way, everyone in the group should answer at least one question each week and provide constructive feedback to all the questions. Your grade will be proportional to the number of questions you contribute to. Late submissions will result in a 10% per day deduction.

Your peers will grade your participation in the group assignments using a rubric provided by the instructor. Make sure you use the discussion boards to post your contributions since they will serve as evidence of how much you contributed to the group. Your score in the peer evaluation (on a scale of 0 -5) will determine what percentage of your group’s grade in each assignment you will receive. Regardless of the grade your group gives you, if you do not contribute to your group's discussion, you won't get any credit for your group's submission.

The responses from all group members (including yours) will be averaged, and the percentage of your group’s grade that you receive will be based on the following breakdown: 

Peer evaluations are due at the end of every unit. Not submitting the weekly peer evaluations on time will automatically result in a zero for that week.

Adobe Connect is an online meeting room where you can interact with your professor and fellow students by sharing screens or files, chat, broadcast live audio, and take part in other interactive online activities.

Requirements for using Adobe Connect:

• Disable any window pop-up blocker.
• Adobe Flash Player is required to successfully run your Adobe Connect meeting. You can test your computer to make sure your computer and network connections are properly configured to provide you with the best possible Adobe Connect meeting experience.
• Use of a combination headset and microphone with USB connection is recommended to ensure quality sound and reduce technical difficulties.
  
  Reference Adobe Connect (Tutorials & Help) for additional information.