Course Syllabus

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BSC2011.002 and BSC2011.003: General Biology 2

Department of Biology, College of Science

4 Credit Hours

 

Table of Contents

 

Instructor Information 

  • Instructor: Dr. Melinda Donnelly
  • Office Location: Discussion Board on Webcourses
  • Office Hours: M: 1:30-3:20, W: 1:30-3:20 (schedule subject to change and will be posted on Webcourses)

  • Contact Information

    • Email: Melinda.Donnelly@ucf.edu

    • All emails will receive a response within 24-48 hours, excluding weekends

    • UCF policy requires students to use KnightsMail when contacting faculty, any emails sent from other programs will not receive a response

    • Email must include the following information

      • Salutation
      • Your name
      • Your UCF ID
      • Include that you are enrolled in Biology II and Section Number 
      • Before emailing me with a question about course policies, you must read the lecture syllabus to find the answer yourself.

Course Information

  • Term: Fall 2020
  • Course Number & Section: BSC2011.002 and BSC2011.003
  • Course Name: General Biology 2
  • Credit Hours: 4
  • Class Meeting Days: This semester will be primarily asynchronous and can be completed at your own pace. See class schedule for live lectures (not mandatory) and exam days. Exam days are the only days students will be required to attend during scheduled time below.
  • Class Meeting Time
    • Section 2: 1:30-2:20
    • Section 3: 2:30-3:20
  • Course Modality: V

Enrollment Requirements 

Course Prerequisites: BSC 2010 (General Biology I) or equivalent course
Course Co-requisites: BSC 2011 Laboratory is a required component of this course

Course Description

BSC 2011 is the continuation of BSC 20210, with an emphasis on problem solving, analysis, synthesis of information, and applying data effectively. This course focuses on organismal anatomy and physiology as it relates to biodiversity, ecology and evolution. 

Course Purpose

BSC 2011 (General Biology 2) is the second of a two semester General Biology sequence for science majors. Biology 2 builds on concepts from BSC 2010 to build a foundation of knowledge of the field of biology.  This course serves as a pre-requisite for other upper level biology courses and/or for admission requirements for many post-graduate programs.

Course Activities

  • Pre-Unit Quizzes
  • Weekly Chapter Readings
  • Video Lectures for Weekly Topics with Participation Quizzes
  • Weekly Content Quizzes
  • Active Learning Activities with Live Lectures
  • 4 Lecture Exams
  • Final Exam (non-cumulative)
  • Laboratory
  • Extra credit opportunities will be provided at the discretion of the instructor

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Given terms and facts pertaining to evolution, biodiversity, and ecology, students will be able to classify them correctly.
  • Given biological examples, students will be able to correctly differentiate how they relate to evolutionary concepts and theories.
  • Given phylogenetic relationships, students will be able to correctly interpret the level of organisms’ relatedness.
  • Given organismal features, students will be able to correctly reconstruct phylogenetic classifications.
  • Given real biological observations, students will be able to correctly implement the concepts of evolution and biodiversity.
  • Given the descriptive characteristics of animals, students will be able to correctly identify distinguishing features of animals in general as well as key features of major animal divisions from simple invertebrates through advanced vertebrates.
  • Given the characteristics of a given ecosystem, students will be able to make connections between biotic and abiotic factors and understand how organisms are linked to their environment as well as each other through trophic level interactions.

Course Materials and Resources

Required Materials/Resources

Textbook: The required textbook for this course OpenStax Biology 2e is available for free online.
Print ISBN 1947172514
Digital ISBN 1947172522
www.openstax.org/details/books/biology-2e

Since this textbook is an Open Educational Resource (OER), specific sections of the text, relevant to this course, have also been integrated into Webcourses Modules. Students are highly encouraged to utilize this curated version of the online text in order to focus on the necessary content in an efficient manner.  

Students  can also access the full text book in one of the following ways:

Internet Access and Webcourses

  • Webcourses will be used for aspects of this class, including class related material and communication:
    • Lecture and Laboratory Syllabi
    • Weekly Modules
    • Videos of lecture
    • Exam review material
    • Weekly Quizzes, Participation Assignments
    • Announcements
      • To ensure that you receive important announcements, you are required to have your announcements setting turned on. You are responsible for information sent to students via Webcourses Announcements. 
    • Grades for all course components

 

Assessment and Grading Procedures

Assessment Percentage of Grade
Participation 5%
Active Learning Activities 5%
Pre-Unit Quizzes 5%
Weekly Quizzes 10%
Three highest scoring lecture exams (12.5% each, drop lowest grade of lecture exams) 37.5%
Final Exam (Exam 5, cannot be dropped) 12.5%
Laboratory 25%
Total 100%

Final letter grades for the semester will use the following grading scale:

Letter Grade

Percent

A

90-100

B

80-89

C

70-79

D

60-69

F

59 or below

Semester grades will be based on the grading scheme above.  Overall semester grades will NOT be rounded.  In other words, a 79.99 is a “C.”  With so many students in this course, we strive for consistency and fairness.  For this reason, there will be no additional assignments or end-of-semester extra credit given.  There will be no “retakes” on any exam, assignment, or laboratory exercise.

*In compliance with FERPA, no grades will be given via email or phone

    • Students wishing to discuss their grades must request an appointment with Dr. Donnelly by email.
    • Grades will not be discussed with any individual (even parents) other than the student

Course Activity Details

Attendance Verification for Financial Aid Students

  • Faculty are required to document student attendance/participation in this course so that financial aid monies are disbursed appropriately and in a timely manner.
  • To document your attendance and participation in this course you are required to complete the Academic Engagement Activity - Syllabus Quiz in Webcourses no later than Friday, August 28th.
    • Failure to complete this quiz will result in the delay of your financial aid funds
    • This quiz is related to the lecture syllabus. Your score on this quiz will not count towards your grade in this course, but students who complete this quiz by 5 pm on August 28th will receive 1 bonus raw point towards exam 1.

General Participation Grade (5% of semester grade)

  • Your Participation grade will be evaluated based on responses to questions embedded in weekly video lectures and discussion postings.  At the end of the semester, the lowest 2 participation grades will be dropped. Contact Dr. Donnelly if additional participation activities are missed; documentation may be required at the discretion of instructor for additional excused participations.

Active Learning (5% of semester grade)

    • Will use Webcourses quizzes for submission and grading
    • Assignment information will be available on Webcourses one week before scheduled live lecture (see Course Schedule for dates).  The live lecture associated with each Active Learning Activity will go over the material and questions and provide opportunities for students to ask questions. 
    • The lowest scoring assignment will be dropped
    • See Course Schedule for Active Learning Dates

Pre-Unit Quizzes (5% of semester grade)

  • At the start of each new unit, a pre-unit quiz will test your existing knowledge of the material to be covered.
  • Pre-Unit Quizzes will open the day after the previous unit exam and will be available for one week after opening.
  • You will have unlimited time to complete the quiz, but only one attempt. 
  • You will receive credit for completing the pre-unit quiz within the open timeframe- correct answers are not neccessary to receive credit, so answer to the best of your ability.
  • Important: There are NO makeups or excused absences for missed Pre-Unit Quizzes (unless a student can provide documentation affecting them longer than 1 week, e.g. extended hospitalization, sequestered jury duty, etc. that prevented computer access).
  • Technical or internet difficulties will NOT be accepted as an excuse for missing Assignments. 
  • Students are responsible for knowing the assignment due dates which can be found on Webcourses.

Weekly Quizzes (10% of semester grade)

  • There will be nine online quizzes given through Webcourses, one per week except for the first week of classes and any week an exam is being given.
  • Each quiz will consist of 10 multiple choice questions based on module content.
  • These quizzes are intended to help you learn along the way. The quizzes are open-book and un-timed but you only have ONE (1) attempt to take the quiz.
  • Your lowest (1) quiz grade will be dropped from your final grade.
  • Quizzes will be available to students for one week, opening on Mondays and closing at 11:59PM the following Monday.
  • Important: There are NO makeups or excused absences for missed quizzes (unless a student can provide documentation affecting them longer than 1 week, e.g. extended hospitalization, sequestered jury duty, etc. that prevented computer access).
  • If you miss taking a quiz, you will receive a zero (0) for that quiz’s grade. Therefore, do NOT wait until the last minute to take the quiz.
  • Technical or internet difficulties will NOT be accepted as an excuse for missing quizzes.
  • Students are responsible for knowing the quiz due dates which can be found on Webcourses.

Lecture Exams Details (37.5% of semester grade)

  • Four multiple choice exams will be given throughout the semester
    • Exam 1: Wednesday, Sept. 16th
    • Exam 2: Monday, October 5th
    • Exam 3: Friday, October 23rd
    • Exam 4: Friday, November 13th
  • The lowest scoring lecture exam will be dropped
  • The three highest scoring exams are worth 12.5% each of final grade
  • Exam content is based on material covered in modules.
  • Exams are open notes and open book, however, Lockdown browser will be required when taking the exam. 
  • Exam Protocol
    • Failure to take the exam in the correct lecture section during the scheduled time will result in a zero (0) grade for the exam
    • Exams will start on Webcourses promptly at your scheduled class time (Section 2: 1:30-2:30 pm; Section 3: 2:30-3:20 pm) and you will have 50 minutes to complete.
      • See your schedule in myUCF to determine your registered section number. 
    • Any students signing in late to the exam must complete the exam in the time remaining
    • Students must take lecture exams during the scheduled lecture section in which they are enrolled

Final Exam Details (12.5% of semester grade)

      • The final exam must be completed during your scheduled lecture section:
        • Section 2 Final Exam will be on Monday, Dec. 7th from 1 pm to 3:50 pm.
        • Section 3 Final Exam will be on Wednesday, Dec. 9th from 1 pm to 3:50 pm. 
        • There are no alternative final exam times
        • Missing the final exam due to oversleeping, not being aware of the day/time, etc. will result in a zero score.
      • The final exam begins promptly at the scheduled start time
        • Students logging in late must complete the exam in the time remaining
        • Students who miss their final exam time for unexcused reasons are not guaranteed a make-up opportunity. If such an opportunity is provided, the final exam score will be penalized 10%.
      • The final exam will be not cumulative and covers material from the last modules of the semester.
      • Exams are open notes and open book, however, Lockdown browser will be required when taking the exam.
      • The final exam is required and cannot be dropped

Laboratory Grade Details (25% of semester grade)

  • There is a REQUIRED  laboratory component to BSC 2011C. 
  • All detailed information concerning the laboratory will be covered in the separate laboratory syllabus found in your laboratory section's  Webcourses.
  • Please direct all lab-related questions and grading to your GTA.  Dr. Donnelly can NOT answer lab content or lab logistic questions.

Make-up Exams and Assignments

Per university policy, you are allowed to submit make-up work (or an equivalent, alternate assignment) for authorized university-sponsored activities, religious observances, or legal obligations (such as jury duty). If this participation conflicts with your course assignments, I will offer a reasonable opportunity for you to complete missed assignments and/or exams. The make-up assignment and grading scale will be equivalent to the missed assignment and its grading scale. In the case of an authorized university activity, it is your responsibility to show me a signed copy of the Program Verification Form for which you will be absent, prior to the class in which the absence occurs. Other absences may require documentation to be excused at the instuctor's discretion. In any of these cases, please contact me ahead of time to notify me of upcoming needs.

Consult the latest Undergraduate or Graduate catalog for regulations and procedures regarding grading such as Incomplete grades, grade changes, and grade forgiveness.

Course Schedule

See the complete Course Schedule for dates and deadlines.

Weekly modules will open on Mondays and include lecture files and links to on-line resources associated with the topics included in the textbook chapters. The modules are designed for you to complete at your own pace over the course of the week. On all weeks except exam weeks, quizzes will open on Monday with the module information and be due by 11:59 pm on the following Monday. Quizzes will test knowledge of material presented in the weekly module and associated textbook readings.

Live lectures during the scheduled class times will only occur on the Active Learning Activity dates as listed in the complete Course Schedule. These will go over the information included in the Active Learning Activity packets for each unit and will be an exam review.  These are not mandantory for attendance and will be posted on Webcourses if you can not attend during the normal class time. Weekly virtual office hours on the Discussion Board will be scheduled during class times on Mondays and Wednesdays throughout the semester and announced on the Webcourses homepage. Any changes to the schedule will be announced to the class through Webcourses. 

COVID-19 and Illness Notification

Students who believe they may have a COVID-19 diagnosis should contact UCF Student Health Services (407-823-2509) so proper contact tracing procedures can take place.

Students should not come to campus if they are ill, are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, have tested positive for COVID, or if anyone living in their residence has tested positive or is sick with COVID-19 symptoms. CDC guidance for COVID-19 symptoms is located here: (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html)

Students should contact their instructor(s) as soon as possible if they miss class for any illness reason to discuss reasonable adjustments that might need to be made. When possible, students should contact their instructor(s) before missing class.

In Case of Faculty Illness

If the instructor falls ill during the semester, there may be changes to this course, including having a backup instructor take over the course. Please look for announcements or mail in Webcourses@UCF or Knights email for any alterations to this course.

 

University Services and Resources

Academic Services and Resources

A list of available academic support and learning services is available at UCF Student Services. Click on "Academic Support and Learning Services" on the right-hand side to filter.  

Non-Academic Services and Resources

A list of non-academic support and services is also available at UCF Student Services. Click on "Support" on the right-hand side to filter.  

If you are a UCF Online student, please consult the UCF Online Student Guidelines for more information about your access to non-academic services.

Policy Statements

The University of Central Florida considers the diversity of its students, faculty, and staff to be a strength and critical to its educational mission. UCF expects every member of the university community to contribute to an inclusive and respectful culture for all in its classrooms, work environments, and at campus events. Dimensions of diversity can include sex, race, age, national origin, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, intellectual and physical ability, sexual orientation, income, faith and non-faith perspectives, socio-economic class, political ideology, education, primary language, family status, military experience, cognitive style, and communication style. The individual intersection of these experiences and characteristics must be valued in our community.

 

 

Course Summary:

Course Summary
Date Details Due