Course Syllabus

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BSC2011.001 and BSC2011.004: General Biology 2

Department of Biology, College of Science

4 Credit Hours

 

Table of Contents

 

Instructor Information 

  • Instructors: Melinda Donnelly, Ph.D. (1st half of semester), Christa K. Diercksen, Ph.D. (2nd half of semester)
  • Office Location: Virtual on Webcourses
  • Office Hours: Posted on Webcourses

  • Contact Information

    • Email: Melinda.Donnelly@ucf.edu or christa.diercksen@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: Spring 2021
  • Course Number & Section: BSC2011.001 and BSC2011.004
  • 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 Zoom sessions and Webcourses chat sessions (not mandatory) and exam days. Exam days are the only days students will be required to attend during scheduled time below.
  • Class Meeting Time
    • Section1 : MWF 8:30-9:20 am
    • Section 4: MWF 1:30-2:20 pm
  • Course Modality: V1

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 (Biology 2) is the second of a two semester General Biology sequence. Biology 2 builds on concepts from BSC 2010 and serves as a pre-requisite for other upper level biology courses and/or for admission requirements for many post-graduate programs. The course is divided into 3 main themes: 

  1. Evolution of Life
  2. Biodiversity
  3. Ecology and Conservation

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
    • Lecture Videos
    • Exam review material
    • Weekly Quizzes
    • 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

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 Activities

  • Weekly Chapter Readings
  • Video Lectures for Weekly Topics
  • Weekly Content Quizzes
  • Active Learning Activities with Live Lectures
  • 5 Exams
  • Laboratory
  • Extra credit opportunities will be provided at the discretion of the instructor

 

Assessment and Grading Procedures

Assignments are weighted by group:

Assignment Group Weight
Active Learning 12.5%
Weekly Quizzes 12.5%
Exams (3 exams x 12.5% each,
lowest of 4 semester exams dropped)		 37.5%
Exam 5 (given during final exam period, can not be dropped) 12.5%
Laboratory Final Grade 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 instructor 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, January 15th, by 5 pm.
    • 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 January 15th will receive 1 bonus raw point towards exam 1.

Active Learning (12.5% 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

Weekly Quizzes (12.5% 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 multiple choice, true/false, and matching of figure 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: Monday, February 1st
    • Exam 2: Wednesday, February 17th
    • Exam 3: Wednesday, March 10th
    • Exam 4: Friday, April 2nd
  • The lowest scoring lecture exam (Exams 1-4) 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 since the previous exam.
  • 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 1: 8:30-9:20 am; Section 4: 1:30-2:20 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 1 Final Exam will be on Wednesday, April 28th, 7:00 am to 9:50 am
        • Section 4 Final Exam will be on Monday, May 3rd, 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.  Donnelly and Diercksen 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 (with a few exceptions based on exam dates) and include lecture files and links to on-line resources associated with the topics included in the textbook chapters listed for each week in the schedule below. The modules are designed for you to complete at your own pace over the course of the week. On all weeks except after 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 Zoom sessions during scheduled class times will be held on Mondays of each week for general class announcements and to answer questions related to the material in the previous week's module. Instructors will be available to answer questions on the Webcourses Chat during class times on Wednesdays and Fridays of each week. The class day before each exam will have live Zoom sessions to go over the information included in the Active Learning Exercise documents for each unit (see schedule below).  Live Zoom sessions are not mandatory for attendance and Active Learning Exercise reviews will be recorded and posted on Webcourses if you can not attend during the normal class time.  Any changes to the schedule will be announced to the class through Webcourses. 

***Important: You will be required to complete the exam on Webcourses during your scheduled class time as listed on your official UCF schedule on myUCF. Please make note of the exam dates in the course schedule to ensure availability during those days and times. 

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

 

 

Course Summary:

Course Summary
Date Details Due