INSTRUCTOR : Dr. David Byres Phone: 646-2038
OFFICE : D-119 (South Campus) Email:dbyres@fscj.edu
HOME PAGE (Website) : http://web.fccj.org/~dbyres
TEXT: Biology; by Belk & Borden 2nd Ed. ISBN# 0131489690
1. Description. : This online course gives a broad overview of Biology. There are no prerequisites and the course assumes that you have studied little, or no, biology before. We basically start from scratch. The course covers biochemistry, cell structure, genetics, evolution and ecology.
2. General outline : This course is a 3 credit hour course. Typically you would have 6 hours of lecture a week in an 8-week course, but in this online course, most of your work is done on the computer (see the schedule). You must come into campus, or to a proctored testing site, every 2 weeks to take a test.
3. Course outline and study hints. : This course is taught on the web. The online website will have notes that summarize the main information from the textbook. You may need the textbook because it will explain the notes, and provides diagrams, photos etc so that you can understand the material. In addition, there will be Internet worksheet exercises that you will do to supplement the information. Finally, you will get points for contributing to online discussions.
To do well in this class I suggest that every week you:
- Print out and study the essential notes from the website.
- Read the chapter in the textbook to make sure you understand the notes. (Optional)
- Complete the Internet worksheet assigned for that week (see the schedule).
- Post a comment on the weekly Discussion Board in the Blackboard website
- Before you take a lecture test, print out and answer the sample test questions.
4. E-mail : In this online course E-mail will be an important method of communication. In any E-mail please include your name and the online course (BSC 1005 C8 term) at the bottom of the E-mail. Both E-mail and discussion forums require that you follow standard rules of "netiquette" : do not write any offensive material. Any student that ignores this requirement will be withdrawn from the class. Note: all E-mail from Blackboard will be sent to your FSCJ E-mail account, not your regular (such as Yahoo) E-mail. Make sure you check your FSCJ E-mail at least twice a week.
5. Tests: You will take 4 lecture tests during the semester. The lecture tests are based on the material in the essential notes. Tests will be a mixture of short answer, write a sentence and multiple choice. Each lecture test is worth 50 points. To see which chapters are covered by a particular test, look at the schedule. Tests are scheduled for Wednesdays at 11a.m. at South Campus, room D-202. If you CANNOT take the test then, please E-mail me so we can make other arrangements.
6. Worksheets : Internet exercises will be used to supplement the lecture notes. You will do 8 exercises. Note: this is individual work, so you need to do this work yourself. If two students hand in exactly the same answers they will both get 0 points for the worksheet. You should print out the worksheets, go to the websites listed and answer the questions. You should E-mail the completed worksheets to me the week that they are due. Late work will not be accepted.
The deadline for your assignments every week is midnight on Saturday (Eastern Time).
7. Discussion Board : Every week there will be an online Discussion Board set up in the Blackboard website. Your comments will be graded for content and for correct spelling and grammar.
8. Points : 4 lecture tests ( 50 points each ) 200 points
8 Internet worksheets (each 6 points) 48 points
Online Discussion 52 points
-----------
Total points 300 points
9. Grades : Students who are currently getting a passing grade and have completed 75% of the course, but are unable to complete the course may request an incomplete ( I ) grade. The request for the I grade must be in writing, and handed in at least one week before the end of the semester.
Grade scale: Grade Percent Points
A 90 - 100 % 270 - 300
B 80 - 89.9 % 240 - 269
C 70 - 79.9 % 210 - 239
D 60 - 69.9 % 180 - 209
F 0 - 59.9 % 0 - 179
10. Important reminders : textbooks can be ordered online ( see www.distancelearning.org or http://www.gettextbooks.com/).
Once you start the course, check the "Announcements" section of the online course website at least every week as this will have reminders about work that is due, and any changes to the schedule.
11. Assistance : If you are having difficulty with the course, please E-mail me for additional help.