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BIOL 1309  SUMMER 2008	11 Week Session (16284) (004) 2^nd 5½ Week Session (15601) (003)
LIFE ON EARTH

BIOL 1309 SYLLABUS

Keeping in Touch With Blackboard Course Format Videos Print Materials Students with Disabilities Objectives Exams and Testing Centers Extra Credit Grades     Schedule: 11 Week Schedule 2nd 5½ Week Schedule Study Tips Student IDs Scholastic Integrity Withdrawals Incompletes Library Web Resources  Student Information Sheet

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Enrollment in BIOL 2306 requires that you have scored at least a 5 on the skill level placement test for both Reading and Writing, or you must be exempt from taking that test. See the Texas Success Initiative. Dr. Muzos may drop you from this class without notice if you do not meet this prerequisite.

PROFESSOR: Dr. Steve Muzos

OFFICE:  Room 820 Pinnacle Campus (PIN)

TELEPHONE:  223-8228 (with voice mail)

Email: smuzos@austincc.edu
ALWAYS add BIOL 1309 to the subject line.

Do NOT send attachments.

Add this address to your email “safe” list.

WEB PAGE: http://www2.austincc.edu/muzos

FAX:  (512) 223-8900 Add a cover sheet with Dr. Muzos' name.

OFFICE HOURS:
May 27 - July 2

Mon. – Thurs. 11:30 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.

July 7 - August 12

Tues. 12:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Thurs. 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Other Hours by Appointment

Please feel free to drop by or call during these office hours, or make arrangements in advance in order to contact Dr. Muzos at other times.

KEEPING IN TOUCH REQUIREMENTS
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Note: To view these video programs, you need to install the current RealPlayer or greater.  This free download works just fine. If you have any problems watching the video clips in this syllabus, click this link.

(Even though the video clip mentions an email list, ignore that.)

You are required to do the following for this class.

• Have and use an email account (available for free).
• Add your working email address to the Blackboard (Bb) system during the first week of class. Do that in Bb by clicking on the “Assignments” button on the left side of the screen, then click on the “Email” link and proceed from there.
• Have internet access (available for free from student-accessible computer labs or libraries at ACC campuses).
• Use the ACC Blackboard system as your main source for class announcements and communications.
• Log in to Blackboard at least twice every week and, check the announcements (current and past), and read the Discussion Board postings for this course.

In order to learn how to do these things, go to the Blackboard login site  and click on the Student Guide - Getting Started With Blackboard link. You can also access the Blackboard system itself from the Log In to Blackboard link on Dr. Muzos’ web site.

It is a good idea to stay in touch with other students who are enrolled in this course in order to form real or virtual study groups. You can post questions, comments and replies to everyone in the class through the Blackboard discussion group. Students can send emails to anyone in the class from the Communication button in Bb. You will receive Super Extra Credit for asking and answering questions about BIOL 1309 in the Bb Discussion Board (the Discussion Board button on the left side of the 1309 Bb page).

Your Guide to Finding Information in Bb
Getting Started Log in, click the My ACC tab at the top of the page, then click on the The Living Planet link. The Announcements page for BIOL 1309 should appear. Now, use the table below.
Button on left side of the screen	Topics Available
Assignments	Syllabus, Schedule, Orientation BIOL 1309 Course Calendar Study Guide - Information & Corrections Exams and Study Tips Using the Discussion Board Email Extra Credit BIOL 1309 Chat Room
Info: Units 1-6	General Information and Links Information and Resources for each unit
Discussion Board	This is where to post and read messages about the course
Email	Send email to other students
Faculty Info	Dr. Muzos’ office hours and contact information
Tools	BIOL 1309 Calendar Grades Personal Information User manual
Announcements	Course announcements

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COURSE INFORMATION

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COURSE FORMAT

LIFE ON EARTH is an ACC Distance Learning  course, available by Online/Personal Computer with Modem (PCM) video tape format. The videos are available only in the ACC libraries; they are not broadcast or streamed. The course consists of six units of material which survey the major groups of plants and animals, and their evolution and natural history. Students must watch 13 one-hour video programs (episodes) produced by the BBC and narrated by David Attenborough. These videos are required course materials.

Students occasionally say that they have trouble understanding David Attenborough's British accent. Here are suggestions if that happens to you.

• The non-required book that accompanies this series has most of the names of locations and organisms mentioned in the series.
• Ask questions on the Bb Discussion boards.

This course is offered through the Virtual College of Texas (VCT)  as well as for students enrolled through ACC. See the ACC VCT Student Information page as well.  VCT students should be in touch with the local contact person at their local campus for information about facilities and testing for this course. The names of local contacts may be found at the VCT web site, then click on the Admin. button, click on View VCT Contacts, then find your local college.

If you have questions about ACC or Distance Learning courses call the DISTANCE LEARNING HELP LINE at 223-8026, or toll free at 1-888-223-8026, from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Mon.-Fri.

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VIDEOS

The videos are available only in the ACC Libraries at each of the following locations: Cypress Creek (CYP)*, Eastview (EVC), Northridge (NRG)*, Rio Grande (RGC)*, Riverside (RVS)*, Pinnacle (PIN)*, South Austin (SAC)*, Fredericksburg High School (FBG), and the ACC San Marcos Center (SMC). Starred (*) locations have VHS or DVD copies available for 3-day checkout in addition to copies for use in the library. All tapes are formatted with two programs per tape. For hours and locations of these sites, and availability of the checkout copies, see the ACC Library Online Catalog.

These videos are not available as streaming video. There is a commercially available set of 2 VHS tapes which is a shortened version and it will not work for this course. The complete series with all 13 episodes is available on DVD for Region2 (the UK), so it may not work on DVD players in the USA.
The video episodes are numbered, and each one also has a title, which corresponds to the titles given in the Study Guide.

Episode (Tape) Number and Title

1  The Infinite Variety
2  Building Bodies
3  The First  Forests
4  The Swarming Hordes
5  The Conquest of the Waters
6  The Invasion of the Land
7  Victors of the Dry Land
8  Lords of the Air
9  The Rise of the Mammals
10  Theme and Variations
11  The Hunters and the Hunted
12  A Life in the Trees
13  The Compulsive Communicators

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PRINT MATERIALS

The study guide BIOL 1309, Life on Earth Concepts and Questions, 4th edition, 2007, by Speer et al. is required. It is available:

• from your local ACC campus bookstore location.  If they are sold out, ask the bookstore staff to transfer a copy for you from another bookstore location (you fill out a short form and pre-pay) and one should arrive within 48 hours. Let Dr. Muzos know if there are problems.
• Online - Yes, it is the same as the print version.

The Study Guide includes the objectives for the course.

You may want to consider a supplemental book called the Geography Coloring Book, which should be available in local bookstores. It is being used in some sections of this course to help students locate the regions discussed in the videos. Another good resource for the same material would be a world atlas, which you should be able to find at any bookstore, including used book stores. Good online resources are described in Bb at the Assignments button.

Although it is out of print and not required, the book Life on Earth: A Natural History, by David Attenborough, which was written to accompany the videos, may be available for purchase at used bookstores or from web-based book vendors. Copies are also on reserve (two hour, one day, or three day) in the ACC library at RGC, NRG, PIN, and SAC. VCT students may find copies at their local campus library or through interlibrary loan. Be aware that some topics covered in the book are not mentioned in the videos and vice versa. This book may be useful for the names of various organisms and places.

There are various places in this course where the video (or other sources) and the Study Guide do not agree completely.  The Study Guide and its references provide the most recent information, so you should consider it to be the more accurate source. Dr. Muzos may post corrections or additions to the information in the Study Guide in Bb, in which case assume that what he says is the most accurate.

EXAM QUESTIONS ARE BASED ONLY ON MATERIALS IN THE VIDEOS,  STUDY GUIDE, REFERENCES AND WEB SITES LISTED IN THE STUDY GUIDE, AND POSTINGS / ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM DR. MUZOS.

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STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

All students who have ACC approval for accommodations must give Dr. Muzos a current copy of their ACC accommodations letter and discuss their situation with Dr. Muzos during office hours of the first week of class.

Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented disabilities. Students with disabilities must request accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to do this before the start of the semester.

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EXAMS AND TESTING CENTERS
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Exams are available in the ACC Testing Centers at Cypress Creek, Eastview, Northridge, Pinnacle, Rio Grande, Riverside, Round Rock, San Marcos, South Austin, and Fredericksburg.  For additional information, Testing Center guidelines, locator maps, and hours of operation see the ACC Campus Locations, or the Academic ACC Testing Center Hours and Locations .

For each unit there are two different test versions (Form A and Form B) from which to choose. You may take either one of them first and use the other form as an alternate exam. Each exam is scored as being worth 167 points, even though there are extra points available on each exam.

Exams 5 and 6 are online exams taken on a computer at the testing center (except at FBG and SMC).

This means that you will take the multiple choice / true-false part of the Unit 5 and 6 exams at a computer terminal in the testing center rather than with a pencil and a Scantron sheet. You will also answer the short essay questions that have been on the sheet with the map questions as part of the online exam.

The map questions will still be on paper and you will mark your answers on the paper map just like exams 1-4.

You will need to know your Bb user ID and Bb password to log in and take the exam. The exam will call these your ACC On-Line Services User ID and Password. You will also need to know the section and synonym numbers for this course. Click here for all the details of what you will need and what to expect.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Other exams may become available in online format as well. Announcements will be posted on Bb if that happens.

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Exam Form A

Form A has all of the following three types of questions:

1) 41 multiple choice, true-false, or matching questions worth three points each. The Testing Center will provide you with a Scantron answer sheet for Form A. Bring your own #2 pencil and eraser.

2)  30 points of fill-in-the-blank and short answer questions

Sample question:  The free-floating / swimming form of jellyfish is called the _________________  stage. It undergoes sexual / asexual (circle one) reproduction.

3)  Six Geography/ Map Questions worth three points each.  

The quizzes will use a copy of the map available to print online , and also in Bb at the Assignments button, then the Exams link.

You will be asked to identify and locate features, organisms, populations, places, etc. which are mentioned in the study guide and videos. A list of these is available in Bb by clicking on the Assignments button. As you progress through each unit, print a blank copy of the map, look up the locations for that unit and mark them precisely on the map. Learn those locations as you study the material.  World atlases and the Attenborough text are available at various ACC Library locations. One suggested web site for looking up locations is World Atlas.Com , others are listed in Bb at the Assignments button then the Exams link.

Sample questions:

Shade in the proper location of Brazil, and label it B.
            Put an X where coelacanths are found naturally.

Exam Form B

Form B is an essay exam requiring you to answer 10 questions from a possible 14 or 15 questions. The questions are worth 17 points each, so the exams are worth 170 points. Here is a sample question.

    1.    Answer the following items concerning XXXXXXXXXX.
            a. Describe the fossils of XXXXXXXXXX, including their unique adaptations.
b. Explain why these fossils are important in the study of evolution.
            c. When did these organisms become extinct?
            d. In which locations around the world (be specific) have their fossils been found?

You may not repeat the same exam form once you have taken it for a unit.
Dr. Muzos will count the higher score if you take both forms of the exam for a Unit.

Be sure to fill out the Testing Center's request form correctly, and check to see that you receive the correct exam. You do not need a permission slip from Dr. Muzos in order to take the exams.

The Testing Center will grade the Scantron portion of Form A and give you a receipt with the grade for that portion of the exam. Keep that receipt! The map and short answer portion of the exam will be sent to Dr. Muzos for grading. Form B will be sent to Dr. Muzos for grading (again, keep your receipt!). All grades will be posted to your grade book in Bb (click the Tools button).

If you are not satisfied with your grade, you may take the other exam form for that unit, but you must wait at least 24 hours before taking the alternate exam for the same unit. You may go back and take the alternate exam form for a unit at any later time during the semester, until the Absolute Exam Deadline.

Dr. Muzos will keep all exams and grade sheets. Students are not allowed to copy or keep any of these materials.

GRADES AND HELP are available from Dr. Muzos by:

• talking to him when he is in his PIN office. Office hour times are posted in Blackboard (click the Faculty Information button), and also at the beginning of this Syllabus.
• posting questions on the Blackboard Discussion . . . log in, go to your BIOL 1309 page, click the Discussion Board button, then click on the proper category.
• accessing posted grades in Blackboard,  . . . log in, click the Tools button on the left side of the screen, then click on the My Grades link.
• phone, answering machine, or voice mail (if you have given written permission to release your grade), if you call and request specific grades.
• sending him an email message to  smuzos@austincc.edu   requesting specific grades (if you have given written permission to release your grade by email). ALWAYS add BIOL 1309 to the subject line of your email.

If you have questions about ACC or Distance Learning courses, call the Distance Learning Help Line Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., at 223-8026, or toll free at 1-888-223-8026, from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Mon.-Fri.

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EXTRA CREDIT
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Listed below are the ways to earn extra credit in this course. The readings from Scientific American which were described in the video clip are no longer available.

1.   FIND ONE WEB SITE WHICH APPLIES TO THE MATERIAL IN A UNIT. (3 points per unit)

• Post the complete web address (URL), including http:// . . . . (so that it becomes an active link) to the Bb discussion for that unit. References from Wikipedia and other encyclopedia-type sites are not allowed. Do not post sites that are already listed in Bb.
• Include a description of how the information in the site is useful for the Unit, and explain why you picked that particular site.

You may post one URL per unit, as long as no one else has already posted that URL. URLs for any unit must be posted no later than three calendar days for the 11-week session (two calendar days for the 5.5 week session) after the recommended deadline for the exam for that unit, except that Unit 6 URLs are due before the Absolute Deadline.

2. LEARNING STYLE SELF ASSESSMENT (3 points)
Complete the online workshop called Learning Style Self Assessment before you take your first exam for this course. See the Assignments button in Bb then the Extra Credit link for specific instructions.

3. PASSPORT TO SUCCESS (3 points)
Complete the online workshop called Passport to Success before you take your second exam for this course. See the Assignments button in Bb then the Extra Credit link for specific instructions.

4. CHARITABLE WEB DONATIONS (free to you) --- (8 points max for the course) ---  Visit and "donate" to any or all of the web sites on the clawz page. You may donate to any or all of the sites only once per day. Each of the sites uses support from sponsors, and each time you "donate" at that site by clicking a button, the sponsors actually provide real donations to the cause supported by that web site. These donations are free to you, and do not result in you receiving any junk email or spam in return.

For details, visit the Assignments button in Bb then the Extra Credit link.

5. SUPER EXTRA CREDIT (12 points max for the course)

• Ask a relevant question on the Bb Discussion Board.  (1 point for each posting)
• Be the first one to post a correct answer to another student's question on the Bb Discussion Board.  (1 point for each posting)
• Be the first student to point out any errors (typos, content, etc.) in any of the BIOL 1309 ACC and Bb web materials.  (1 point for each posting)
• Dr. Muzos may announce other ways to get such points periodically by email or on Blackboard.

Assignments may be submitted by any of the following methods.

• Send them by ACC campus mail to Dr. Muzos at PIN, to arrive by the deadline.
• Bring them to Dr. Muzos' office at 820 PIN during office hours, or at other times just slide them under his office door (not under the door to the hallway) by the deadline.
• Send them by U.S. mail to Dr. Muzos (ACC, Biology Department, 7748 Highway 290 W, Austin, TX 78736, to arrive by the deadline.
• Send by email to smuzos@austincc.edu in the message of the email, not as an attachment.  You can copy and paste from your word processing program.  ALWAYS add BIOL 1309 to the subject line of all email.

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GRADES

To find your grades in Blackboard (Bb), click on the Tools button, then the My Grades link.

Your points for all of the course activities are totaled at the end of the course.  Scores for this course are not "curved."  The following scale is used to determine your final course grade:

Total Points Earned     Course Grade
   900 or more          A
   800-899.5             B
   700-799.5             C
   600-699.5             D
   below 600             F

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YOUR COPY OF THE GRADE SHEET

UNIT	Form A  (167 points/exam)	Form B  (167 points/exam)	EXTRA CREDIT (3 points/unit)
1
2
3
4
5
6
			Web Donations (8) Super Extra Credit (12)
TOTALS
COURSE TOTAL
COURSE GRADE

Use the following scale if you want to know a letter grade for each of your exams.

150-171 = A
133.5-149.5 = B
116.5-133 = C
100-116 = D

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SUMMER 2008 - 11 WEEK SCHEDULE
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The Course Calendar is available in Bb in calendar form at the Assignments button.

The schedule contains both Recommended Deadlines (they are flexible) and Absolute Deadlines (they are not flexible). It allows about the same amount of time for each unit, with a little extra time for Units 1 and 5. Please note that any exams which are taken after the Absolute Deadline will not be accepted.

BIOL 1309 DEADLINES for SUMMER 2008 – 11 WEEK
	VIDEO PROGRAM (EPISODE NUMBER	RECOMMENDED DEADLINE (these are flexible)	ABSOLUTE DEADLINE*
Exam 1	1 & 2	June 10	August 12*
Exam 2	3 & 4	June 20	August 12*
Exam 3	5 & 6	July 3	August 12*
Exam 4	7 & 8	July 16	August 12*
Exam 5	9, 10 &11	August 1	August 12*
Exam 6	12 & 13	August 12*	August 12*
Required Online Orientation			June 6
Unit 1 extra credit			June 14
Unit 2 extra credit			June 24
Unit 3 extra credit			July 7
Unit 4 extra credit			July 20
Unit 5 extra credit			August 5
Unit 6 extra credit			August 11
Super Extra Credit			August 11
Web Donations extra credit			August 11
Withdrawal from the course			July 29

* ALL exams taken on August 11 & 12, 2008 must be taken at the PIN Testing Center – regardless of what testing center personnel may say.

Be careful to pay attention to the hours for the Testing Center which you plan to use.

The last day to WITHDRAW from this class and not have a “W” on your transcript is Thursday June 5, 2008.

+++ The last day to WITHDRAW from this class is Tuesday July 29, 2008.  +++

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SUMMER 2008 – 2^nd 5½ WEEK SCHEDULE
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The Course Calendar is available in Bb from the Assignments button.

The schedule contains both Recommended Deadlines (they are flexible) and Absolute Deadlines (they are not flexible). It allows about the same amount of time for each unit, with a little extra time for Units 1 and 5. Please note that any exams which are taken after the Absolute Deadline will not be accepted.

BIOL 1309 DEADLINES for SUMMER 2008 – 2^nd 5½ WEEK
	VIDEO PROGRAM (EPISODE NUMBER	RECOMMENDED DEADLINE (these are flexible)	ABSOLUTE DEADLINE*
Exam 1	1 & 2	July 14	August 12*
Exam 2	3 & 4	July 20	August 12*
Exam 3	5 & 6	July 25	August 12*
Exam 4	7 & 8	July 30	August 12*
Exam 5	9, 10 &11	August 6	August 12*
Exam 6	12 & 13	August 12*	August 12*
Required Online Orientation			July 18
Unit 1 extra credit			July 17
Unit 2 extra credit			July 23
Unit 3 extra credit			July 28
Unit 4 extra credit			August 2
Unit 5 extra credit			August 9
Unit 6 extra credit			August 11
Super Extra Credit