NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE

COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Course title:  Human Anatomy and Physiology I

Course prefix, number, and section number: BIOL 2401 0490

Semester/Year of course:  Spring 2026

Semester start and end dates: January 12^th 2026 – May 9^th 2026

Modality (Face to face/Synchronous or Asynchronous online/Hybrid): Hybrid, 80 minutes face to face lecture and 1 hour & 50 minutes face to face lab once a week.  Attendance is mandatory

Class meeting location, days, and times: Wednesday 5:30pm – 6:50pm COR Room 264

Lab meeting location, days, and times: Wednesday 7:00pm – 8:50pm COR Room 259

Semester credit hours: 4

Course Description: Anatomy and Physiology I, is the first part of a two-course sequence. It is a study of the structure and function of the human body including cells, tissues and organs of the following systems: integumentary, skeletal, muscular, nervous and special senses. Emphasis is on interrelationships among systems and regulation of physiological functions involved in maintaining homeostasis. The lab provides a hands-on learning experience for exploration of human system components and basic physiology. Systems to be studied include integumentary, skeletal, muscular, nervous, and special senses. 48 lecture hours + 32 laboratory hours. Meets NCTC Core Curriculum Requirement

Course prerequisites: None

Course Materials

Starting in Spring 2026 NCTC is partnering with Barnes & Noble College (BNC) to make purchasing course materials easy and affordable.  When students register for classes, they are automatically opted in to the Lion Book Bundle which will provide students first day access to course materials.  In this program students are charged $24 per credit hour ($96 for a 4-hour class) as a fee on their NCTC student account. (This is labeled as “Book Fee” on NCTC invoices). Students may choose to opt out of this program, but would then be required to purchase needed class materials on their own. If opting out, students would receive a refund on their NCTC student account. Students may choose to opt out starting one month prior to classes beginning through the first week of class. Students might benefit from opting out if they are enrolled in classes that use OER (free course materials).  Note: The Lion Book Bundle applies to all classes a student is registered for in a given semester (both 16-week and 8-week). A student must either opt in or out for ALL classes—not each class individually.  If you want to take advantage of the Lion Book Bundle, no action is needed as students are automatically opted in.  If you would like to opt out of the program, you must go to the Opt-out page.

Click here for more information: Lion Book Bundle information

Sharpen is a college study app for exam prep. It goes with our textbook, “Anatomy and Physiology: The Unity of Form and Function” and our Connect platform. You will use it to study, take practice quizzes, and stay on track. Connect and Sharpen are required for this course. On the first day of class, you will use your school credentials to: 

1. 1. 1. Login to your Canvas course. 
      2. Login to McGraw Hill Connect to complete required homework and readings. 
      3. Login to Sharpen to begin using all study resources on Day 1. 
      4. Download the Sharpen app in the App Store or Google Play. Sign in with your school email address. Study-on-the-go, using flashcards and videos!  

Required Course Materials:

Anatomy and Physiology: The Unity of Form and Function by Kenneth Saladin 10^th Edition (2023)

(ISBN: 1266039279) and an access code to the Connect.

**You will need McGraw Hill Connect Access to access the ebook, the quiz/homework assignments, and the virtual lab activities/assignments**

INCLUDED in the Lion Book Bundle: Your Textbook, Connect Access, and Sharpen is included in the Lion Book Bundle

NOT INCLUDED in the Lion Book Bundle: Required materials are part of the Lion Book Bundle

Name of instructor: Ryan Hunt

Office location: Corinth Campus, Room 331

Telephone number: Contact me via email or Canvas.

Email address: rhunt@nctc.edu

Office hours for students: Tuesday and Wednesday: 4:00-5:00pm

If you are unable to come to in-person hours, an appointment can be set via WebEx.

SYLLABUS CHANGE DISCLAIMER

The faculty member reserves the right to make changes to this published syllabus if it is in the best interest of the educational development of this class. Any such changes will be announced as soon as possible in person and/or writing.

SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

List of graded assignments: homework, quizzes, discussion boards, lecture exams, lab assignments via McGraw Hill, lab exams, final project.

Final grade scale: 

A = 89.50% - 100%

B = 79.50% - 89.49%

C = 69.50% - 79.49%

D = 59.50% - 69.49%

F = 0% - 59.49%

Extra credit: If offered, usually is in the form of bonus questions on exams. Otherwise, it is at the instructor’s discretion.

It is the responsibility of the student to amend their professional/personal schedule to meet the class expectations. Students who elect to quit working in the course or who decide to no longer attend are required to complete the drop slip with the registrar’s office. Students who fail to participate and complete the drop slip will accumulate a grade of “0” on all incomplete assignments.

The instructor also retains the right to dismiss any student who exhibits behavior distracting to the learning environment (i.e., talking while the instructor is providing instructions/lecture, entering or leaving the room while the instructor is providing instruction/lecture, disrespectful to other students or the instructor, etc.)

Late work policy:

Late work is not accepted. Students are expected to complete all assignments by the designated deadlines indicated in the course schedule (located in the Canvas Course). Failure to submit an assignment on time will result in a “0” for the assignment.  NO EXCEPTIONS

SEE CANVAS FOR THE COMPLETE COURSE CALENDAR, OUTLINE, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF GRADED WORK, AND OTHER RELATED MATERIAL.

COURSE POLICIES

Academic Integrity Policy: Consequences for academic dishonesty in the course may include:

1)  A grade of (“0”) will be applied to  the assignment in the gradebook. If the assignment is within a group in which the lowest assignment is dropped, the assignment will not be able to be counted as a dropped score. It will count as part of the grade.

2) A “Scholastic Dishonesty Report Form” will be submitted regarding the incident.

3) Students may be dropped from the course with a failing grade (letter grade of “F”)

Artificial Intelligence Policy:

Prohibited
This course assumes that all work submitted by students will be generated by the students themselves, working individually or in groups. Students should not have another person/entity do the writing of any substantive portion of an assignment for them, which includes hiring a person or a company to write assignments and using artificial intelligence tools.  Any use of smart devices, including but not limited to cell phones, smart watches, smart glasses, wireless earbuds, hidden cameras, smart rings, or the use of another computer or laptop to assist in completing assessments, is strictly prohibited and considered a form of cheating. Students are mandated to remove such devices during an exam. In the case of smart glasses, students must either take the exam without them or provide a backup pair that is not smart-enabled.  You are allowed to use Grammarly for your presentations but that is the only type of AI allowed. Here is a list that contains many of the AI programs that are prohibited, but even if they are not listed, you still may not use them.  This includes, but is not limited to: chatgpt, google gemini, deepseek, perplexity, zapier agents, copilot, siri, Ninja tech AI, Team AI, copilot, and arthropics claude. 

Attendance Policy:

• Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered.
• All absences are considered unauthorized unless the student is absent due to sickness or emergencies approved by the instructor or participation in an approved college-sponsored activity (which requires written approval from the appropriate Dean or Director).
• The instructor is responsible for judging the validity of any reasons given for absence. Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up the required work.
• Students will only be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence if they have reasons acceptable to the instructor. A student compelled to be absent when a test is given should petition the instructor, in advance if possible, for permission to postpone the exam.
• Students may be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been unjustifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives.
• Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories may be sufficient cause for college officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College.
• Students may be dropped from a developmental course required for the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) purposes for non-attendance. Official NCTC TSI rules state that students not passing all sections of the THEA, Compass, or the TSI Assessment test must be enrolled in at least one area of remediation each semester they are enrolled or until all sections are passed, or all remedial requirements have been met.
• Simply logging in to an online course does not constitute attendance. The U.S. Department of Education calculates the last date of attendance by the last time a student participated in an online discussion or made contact (interacted) with a faculty member, and this standard is applied to online courses.

Withdrawal Policy: A student may withdraw from a course on or after the official date of record. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and complete a Withdrawal Request Form.

Last day to withdraw from the course with a “W” is:   March 30^th, 2026

Student Learning Outcomes:

Lecture Learning Outcomes:

• Use anatomical terminology to identify and describe locations of major organs of each system covered.
• Explain interrelationships among molecular, cellular, tissue, and organ functions in each system.
• Describe the interdependency and interactions of the systems.
• Explain contributions of organs and systems to the maintenance of homeostasis.
• Identify causes and effects of homeostatic imbalances.
• Describe modern technology and tools used to study anatomy and physiology.

Lab Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

• Apply appropriate safety and ethical standards.
• Locate and identify anatomical structures.
• Appropriately utilize laboratory equipment, such as microscopes, dissection tools, general lab ware, physiology data acquisition systems, and virtual simulations.
• Work collaboratively to perform experiments.
• Demonstrate the steps involved in the scientific method.
• Communicate results of scientific investigations, analyze data and formulate conclusions.
• Use critical thinking and scientific problem-solving skills, including, but not limited to, inferring, integrating, synthesizing, and summarizing, to make decisions, recommendations and predictions.

Core Objectives: 

Critical Thinking

Communication

Teamwork

Empirical and Quantitative Analysis

COLLEGE POLICIES