INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

OFFICE HOURS

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education Course Manual/NCTC Catalog

GRADING CRITERIA

COURSE SUBJECT OUTLINE (Major Assignments, Due Dates, and Grading Criteria)

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered.  All absences are considered to be unauthorized unless the student is absent due to illness or emergencies as determined by the instructor.  It is the student responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval and judgement by the faculty member.  Approved college sponsored activities are the only absences for which a student should not be held liable and only when provided by a college official ahead of the absence.  Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work.  Students will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence unless they have reasons acceptable to the instructor.  A student who is compelled to be absent when a test is given should petition the instructor, in advance if possible, for permission to postpone the exam.  Student will be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives.    Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered sufficient cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL)

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is ______November 9, 2017_______.

DISABILITY SERVICES (Office for Students with Disabilities)

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides support services for students with disabilities, students enrolled in technical areas of study, and students who are classified as special populations (i.e. single parents).

Support services for students with disabilities might include appropriate and reasonable accommodations, or they may be in the form of personal counseling, academic counseling, career counseling, etc.  Furthermore, OSD Counselors work with students to encourage self-advocacy and promote empowerment. The Counselors also provides resource information, disability-related information, and adaptive technology for students who qualify.

If you feel you have needs for services that the institution provides, please reach out to either Wayne Smith (940) 498-6207 or Yvonne Sandman (940) 668-3300.  Alternative students may stop by Room 170 in Corinth or Room 111 in Gainesville.

CORE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREA (For classes in the Core)________     

          Communication

          Mathematics              

          Life and Physical Science

          Language, Philosophy & Culture

          Creative Arts

          American History

          Government/Political Science

          Social and Behavioral Sciences

          Component Area Option

REQUIRED CORE OBJECTIVES (For classes in the Core)

             Critical Thinking

             Communication

             Empirical and Quantitative

             Teamwork

             Personal Responsibility

             Social Responsibility

COURSE TYPE

             Academic General Education Course (from ACGM but not in NCTC Core)

          Academic NCTC Core Curriculum Course

          WECM Course

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the student handbook and published online.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, academic falsification, intellectual property dishonesty, academic dishonesty facilitation and collusion.  Faculty members may document and bring charges against a student who is engaged in or is suspected to be engaged in academic dishonesty.  See Student Handbook, “Student Rights & Responsibilities: Student Conduct ([FLB(LOCAL)]”. 

Consequences for academic dishonesty may include:

• Receive a grade of F (0 points) for the violated work; or
• Withdrawal from the course with a grade of F, depending on the gravity of the offense.

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BIOLOGY 1408

Most of you are not planning to be science majors and many of you may consider the science course graduation requirement a difficult obstacle. My goal is to engage you in learning biology so that this course becomes a positive component of your community college experience…not just a stepping stone to a degree, but something that enriches your life. I will do my best to stress using the facts that you read about in your textbook rather than just memorizing information. To that end I will be emphasizing homework and class participation over lectures and test taking. I hope the teaching methods I use will significantly change the way you view biology, science in general, as well as the world around you. Sometimes you will practice applying material alone, but for the majority of the course, you will be learning biology with members of your team.

I want to foster an interest in biology and science that continues beyond the date of the final exam. I also want to help to prepare you to make effective choices in both your personal and public lives, to help you make informed choices in the voting booth, to enable you to be a better citizen of the world, and to help you acquire critical thinking skills that will aid you in any other endeavors.

To accomplish my goals, I will do my best to make classes and laboratories interesting and engaging, however, you will be required to be an active participant in your own learning.  Active learning does not make the course easier and does not take less of your time.  Nevertheless, if you follow my guidelines, you will not only enjoy the course material more but also increase your likelihood of success in the class. 

To be successful, YOU MUST TAKE RESPONSIBIOLITY FOR YOUR OWN LEARNING. This syllabus describes how to do this and is a resource for the entire course.

Read this syllabus carefully!  Note especially your responsibilities in this course. All class and laboratory meetings require active involvement. To participate, you must be prepared before each class.  SPEND ENOUGH TIME STUDYING—GENERALLY, YOU SHOULD EXPECT TO SPEND THREE HOURS STUDYING FOR EACH HOUR THAT YOU SPEND IN CLASS. Your homework material is critical and is more important than just studying for the tests.

Be on Time!

Arrive promptly to class and sit with your team. Team activities will always be conducted during the first 20-30 minutes of class. During in-class activities and lab exercises you will work together, so your team members need you to be there at the beginning of class to hear any instructions. Remember, your team mates will be scoring your participation and preparedness several times during the semester. Don’t make things difficult for them!

No Cell Phones!

Turn off cell-phones and put them away in a purse or backpack. Absolutely NO cell phone usage permitted during class or lab unless it is part of the activity and I give specific instructions to “look something up”. If it is important, the caller will leave you a message or call you back! If it is not important…it can wait until you are out of class! Repeated use of a cell phone at unacceptable times will result in removal from class or lab and an absence recorded in attendance. Lap-top computers are allowed in class/lab for taking notes and doing research only. Any improper use of a lap-top during class or lab by one student may result in ALL students being prohibited from bringing a lap-top to class. 

No cell phones or lap-top computers will be allowed in class/lab during exams. Also, do not leave the classroom during an exam.

Assignments and Homework

Learning the vocabulary for each chapter is essential and you may need to use the textbook index or glossary to learn about them. After reading the assigned chapter material, complete any homework activities such as reading questions, vocabulary assignments, or application questions, and be prepared to discuss your results during the next class period.  (Participation in class is important!)  Remember, read the appropriate textbook chapters and take notes from any assignment BEFORE each class!

Homework is to be done before class meetings. This will be a change from what you may have experienced in previous classes. E-mail or send me a text before 7:00 AM on the day of each class if you have specific questions or topics you want me to clarify and I will respond at the beginning of class. If I receive no questions or requests, I will assume that everyone in the class understands the reading on the topic and is prepared. I will not spend time explaining information that you were supposed to read/prepare/write about. You are responsible for any concept provided in the chapter readings, even if I do not discuss it in the class. You are also responsible for letting me know about anything you want me to explain further, and you cannot do this without first reading the chapter, taking notes, and asking questions.

Class time is for in-class activities and lectures that assume your prior knowledge from reading the chapters and/or working the assignments. You will work with your learning team for many of the activities that we do in class. Some will be fun, and all will help you apply your knowledge and prepare you for quizzes and upcoming tests. If you fail to read the chapter or take notes from the assignments before each class, you will let your learning team down, and you will not acquire comprehension and expertise during the activities. Your learning team will be scoring your participation and preparedness for team activities on several occasions during the semester.

During the last minutes of each class meeting, you will describe in writing your Murkiest Point—anything from that class that you still do not fully understand or would like me to elaborate on in the discussion section of Canvas. If you understand everything, instead describe the Most Interesting Point—anything that you enjoyed or caught your attention during that class.  You will sign this paper and place it in your team folder as you leave. This will help me keep up with attendance, so to be marked as attending the class, you must write something other than your name! Check the discussion section of Canvas daily for information, notes, or answers to student questions. You might just find an answer to a test question or two there! (This is an important opportunity for additional clarification, so use it to ask more questions!)

LEARNING TEAMS AND BEHAVIOR

As part of an activity during the first class, you will be randomly assigned to a learning team.  You will work with these students in and out of class for the entire semester.

Choose one team member to be the Team Coordinator or Team Leader. This person should be able to facilitate discussions, organize answers, and keep me informed of progress and problems in the team. On the first day of class you should determine a time during the week when you are all available outside of class. During the first class, you should exchange information such as telephone numbers and e-mail addresses among yourselves.

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS

If you have just read this entire syllabus, e-mail me before 7:00 A.M. on the third day of class (Sept. 1^st) with a statement of the most important thing you learned from this syllabus, and you will begin the semester with three extra credit points!