Course Syllabus for BIOL 1413
General Zoology
2010 Spring Standard Semester

Note to Students:  This may not be the most recent syllabus for this course, and any dates shown may apply to a previous semester. Any assignments included in this syllabus may change in the syllabus distributed on the class start date. Textbook information in this syllabus may also change. For current textbook information, refer to the Course Details accessed by clicking the course title in the online Course Schedule.

BIOLOGY 1413

Zoology

Syllabus

***NOTE-THIS IS A TENTATIVE SCHEDULE, AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT THE INSTRUCTOR\'S DISCRETION!!!***

I. Basic Information for the Course

A. Course title - Biology 1413 - Zoology

B. This is an online class that uses Moodle as a platform for class information.

C. Prerequisites - No prerequisites

D. Credit hours - 4 credit hours

E. Requirements for major areas of study - There are no prerequisites for BIOL 1413 other than the ability to read and write proficiently at the college level.  This is a reading/writing intensive class.

There is a text book and lab manual for the course, as well as your virtual labs, and supplement magazines.

        This is an on-line based class, so you must have a firm knowledge of computers.   (If assignments are not completed/late because of technical difficulty, the assignment will not be accepted unless it is on-time).  All assignments will be posted with ample time to complete the assignment.  This is a college level course, so you are expected to perform in a responsible and professional college manner. 

F.  Course objectives-This course is designed to give the student a firm understanding of basic principles of zoology.

II. Instructor/Course Information

A. Jessica Jemison-Williams

B. Phone - 325-574-7958

C. Email - jwilliams@wtc.edu, please use this as the form of communication

D. Required Text: Animal Diversity

(Additional material comes with the packet from the bookstore)

All materials are available in the WTC bookstore. Any other editions of these texts are not acceptable!!!

III. Grades and Grading

 A. Grades will be of four types in this course:

• 1) Lecture - 60%,
• a. Major exams-30%
• b. Quizzes-20%
• c. Critical thinking question-5%
• d. Literature assignments-5%
• 2) Lab-40%

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Lab Assignments:

*All students need to register at the virtual lab websites as soon as possible.  There are two websites that will be used for the virtual labs.

For all virtual labs, you will need to take a screen shot of the last page of each lab, which is a congratulations page.  This page must be emailed to me in order to receive credit for the completed online lab.

        Directions to take a screen shot:

• 1. On last page of lab (congratulations page) hit the print screen button on your keyboard.
• 2. Open up Microsoft Word (all written assignments unless otherwise specified should be submitted using Microsoft Word)
• 3. Paste screen shot into page in Microsoft Word (Ctrl + V or Edit then Paste)
• 4. Your screen shot will appear
• 5. Save this according to the name of completed lab (Ex. Orientation lab, Microscopy lab, etc...)
• 6. Attach this into an email, and email it to jwilliams@wtc.edu

Online labs:

Orientation

Microscopy

Heredity

Cell division

Animal Behavior

Foraging Strategy

Deriving E from Food

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Literature Assignments:  Choose only one from the list

        Volume 1:  On the Termination of Species, Counting the Last Fish

        Volume 2: Detecting Mad Cow Disease, The Mammals that Conquered the Seas

        Volume 3: Endangered Wild Equids, The Littlest Human

Volume 4: Preparing for a Pandemic, Protecting More than Animals, Sustaining the Variety of Life

        Volume 5: Cancer Clues from Pet Dogs, Restoring Americas Big Wild Animals

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**There will be at least five major exams (including the final) given during this course, with the opportunity to drop your lowest exam grade. 

**THERE ARE NO MAKE-UP EXAMS BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DROP YOUR LOWEST EXAM GRADE!!  THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS POLICY!!!

**THERE IS NO EXTRA CREDIT AVAILABLE!!! 

**Major exams cover an extended body of material and will be given as per below. Tests may be taken anytime during the days indicated, but only one chance at each exam will be given.  NO EXCEPTIONS!!

**There will be quizzes administered as well, which cover material from each chapter.  These will be pop quizzes, so you will not know about it until it is assigned.

• EXAMS WILL BE POSTED BY 8:00 A.M. THURSDAY AND CLOSE BY 8:00 P.M. SATURDAY!! 
• THERE ARE NO EXTENSIONS GIVEN FOR ANY EXAM, AND EXAMS ARE TAKEN ONLY ONCE!!

IV. Natural Sciences-Educational Objectives, Course Competencies, Learning Outcomes

These may seem somewhat confusing and overlapping but suffice it to say that this section deals with the esoteric and not so esoteric requirements of a good liberal arts education. In our course we pretty well restrict ourselves to the more tangible aspects and leave the esoteric ideas to other disciplines such as psychology, languages and the like.

The objective of the study of a natural sciences component of a core curriculum is to enable the student to understand, construct, and evaluate relationships in the natural sciences, and to enable the student to understand the basis for building and testing theories.

Exemplary Educational Objectives

1. To understand and apply method and appropriate technology to the study of natural sciences.

2. To recognize scientific and quantitative methods and the differences between these approaches and other methods of inquiry and to communicate findings, analyses, and interpretation both orally and in writing.

3. To identify and recognize the differences among competing scientific theories.

4. To demonstrate knowledge of the major issues and problems facing modern science, including issues that touch upon ethics, values, and public policies.

5. To demonstrate knowledge of the interdependence of science and technology and their influence on, and contribution to, modern culture.

Intellectual Competencies - Below are a series of basic competencies that are essential to the learning process of any discipline. The ones that are especially pertinent to our study have been marked.

1. Reading __X__ 

2. Speaking ____

3. Critical Thinking __X__

4. Writing __X__

5. Listening ___

6. Computer Literacy __X__

Individual Development and Educational Assessment (IDEA) - An acronym that is used as one of the primary assessment tools for students to evaluate the course. There are several criteria in this instrument - again, some very esoteric and perhaps somewhat nebulous. However, for the natural sciences only two of these have any real direct bearing on learning for a first year science student. At the end of the semester you will be given a chance to evaluate the class and the instructor as to whether or not these two objectives were achieved. 

1. Essential Objectives- Gaining factual knowledge (terminology, methods, trends, and classifications.

2. Important Objectives - Learning fundamental principles, generalizations and theories.

Student Learning Outcomes - These are somewhat different from learning objectives in that they vary from discipline to discipline and even from course to course within a particular discipline. Outcomes not only state the desired learning outcome but, also the method of assessing the learning be it a test or other instrument. Basically these are some things you will do while in this course.

1. Students will demonstrate an ability to use the scientific method to interpret data and facts in virtual lab assignments.  Lab assignments will be done on a weekly basis.

1. Students will be given the opportunity for critical thinking and interpretation with a critical thinking essay/short answer question.  Students must explain the answer using literature found either in periodicals, or scientific journal articles.  The internet sites will be allowed as a source.

3.    Students will write a review of articles found in the Scientific America supplements.  Each write-up must be in essay format, and give a concise and on topic review of the read material.

V. Scope and Sequence of Topics in Course - Here is a tentative schedule of material to be covered during the six week course.  It is subject to change at the professor\'s discretion, but for the most part, this will be the course outline.

Week 1 Chapter 1,2-Science of Zoology & Evolution of Animal Diversity, Animal Ecology

Week 2 Chapter 3,4-Animal Architecture, Classification and Phylogeny of Animals

 Week 3 Exam 1   

Week 4 Chapter 5,6-Protozoan Groups, Phylum Porifera

Week 5 Chapter 7,8-Radiate Animals, Acoelomate Bilateral Animals

Week 6 Exam 2   

Week 7 Chapter 9,10-Pseudocoelomate animals, Molluscs

Week 8 Chapter 11,12-Segmented Worms, Arthropods

Week 9 Exam 3

Week 10 Chapter 13,14-Lesser Protostomes, Echinoderms and Hemichordates

Week 11 Chapter 15,16-Chordates, Fishes

Week 12 Exam 4

Week 13 Chapter 17,18-Tetrapods and Modern Amphibians, Reptilian Groups

Week 14 Chapter 19,20-Birds, Mammals

Week 15 Final Exam

****NOTE****There will be lab assignments, and literature assignments to be done throughout the weeks, as well as a critical thinking question chosen by the professor.