INSTRUCTOR : Dr. David Byres Phone: 646-2038
OFFICE : D-119 (South Campus) Email:dbyres@fscj.edu
HOME PAGE (Website) : http://web.fccj.edu/~dbyres
TEXT: Biology; by Belk & Borden 2nd Ed. ISBN# 0131489690
1. Description. : This course gives a broad overview of Biology. There are no prerequisites and the course assumes that you have had 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 4 hours of lecture a week, 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, to take the 3 lecture tests. If you fail to take a lecture test, you will automatically fail the course (FN grade: fail due to non-attendence).
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 you:-
Print out the essential notes from the website.
- Read the chapter in the textbook to make sure you understand the notes. (Optional)
- Do the Internet worksheet assigned for that week.
- Study and learn the essential notes in detail before the test.
- Before you take the 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, B12 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 Any student that ignores this requirement will be withdrawn from the class.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 3 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 Mondays at 10a.m. at South Campus. 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 12 exercises, each worth 5 points. 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 can print out the worksheets, go to the websites listed and answer the questions, then E-mail the completed worksheets every week.
7. Points : 3 lecture tests ( 50 points each ) 150 points
12 Internet worksheets (each 5 points) 60 points
Online Discussion 60 points
-----------
Total points 270 points
8. 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 two weeks before the end of the semester.
Grade scale: Grade Percent Points
A 90 - 100 % 243 - 270
B 80 - 89.9 % 216 - 242
C 70 - 79.9 % 189 - 215
D 60 - 69.9 % 162 - 188
F 0 - 59.9 % 0 - 161
9. Important reminders : textbooks can be ordered online ( see http://www.gettextbooks.com/). Note: you can often buy a used copy of the textbook (ISBN# 0131489690) for less than $20 online, including shipping.
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.
10. Assistance : If you are having difficulty with the course, please contact me for additional help. You may come to my office during office hours, or E-mail me.