Course Information

Course Title:	Introduction to Biology Laboratory
Course Code:	BIOU 101L
Credits:	1 credits
Credit Provider:	UMass Global
Grading Mode:	Standard letter grade
Proctored Final:	Yes

Textbook Requirement:
Free Digital Textbook! The textbook needed for this course is free. Textbook: Biology 2e by OpenStax.
Textbook link: https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/1-introduction

Course Description

This is the laboratory part of Introduction to Biology and is taken in conjunction with the main course. In this lab, students will learn about lab safety and investigate topics such as the microscope, cells and the scientific method. Students will also gain an understanding of basic chemistry, cells structure, plant and animal dissections, energy systems, mitosis and genetics.
The laboratory component of this course is delivered using downloadable labs and simulations.

THE LABORATORY MUST BE TAKEN WITH THE MAIN COURSE, CREDIT WILL NOT BE ISSUED FOR JUST THE LAB.
If students have previously taken the course part with Westcott, they can take the laboratory later as long as the two courses are in the same term. i.e. Spring term runs from January 1st – May 31st, so if a student enrolls in the course part in January and the laboratory in April, the two courses will fall in the same term.

Prerequisite:   None

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of this lab, students should be able to:

1.   Apply basic laboratory skills.
2.   Explain the characteristics of living organisms including their chemical composition, cellular structure, and cellular metabolism.
3.   Compare and contrast prokaryote and eukaryote diversity.
4.   Describe cell structures and processes.
5.   Explain the relationship between evolution and the diversity of life.
6.   Explain ecological relationships at the population, community, and ecosystem level.
7.   Describe fundamental variation in genetics and inheritance.
8.   Identify vertebrate diversity.
9.   Describe the basics of ecological interactions.
10.   Apply basic vertebrate and plant dissection skills.

Lab Activities

1.   Introduction to Microscopes & Lab safety	Students should complete all the coursework before starting the labs.
2.   Introduction to Chemistry
3.   Cell Observations - Cell Structure & Function of Prokaryotes
4.   Cell Observations - Cell Structure & Function of Eukaryotes
5.   Biomolecules
6.   Bacterial Transformation
7.   Protists & Fungi
8.   Mitosis
9.   Plant dissection OR pH
10.   Frog dissection
11.   Virtual Field Trip
12.   Ecology of Organisms
13.   Energy and Photosynthesis
14.   DNA and RNA & Mendelian Genetics
15.   Vertebrate Diversity
16.   Population Genetics

Methods Of Evaluation

Lab Practicals 35%
Lab Quizzes 40%
Final Exam 25%
(You must get at least 50% on the proctored final in order to pass the class with a C or better.)

Proctored Final: 25%

This course goes towards a 4-year degree; thus, it requires a proctored final.

Students are responsible for proctoring fees.
We have an approved online proctor service that students can use if they have a web camera with their computer. This can be a laptop with a built in camera or a desktop with a web cam. This service charges $60 for group sessions and double for private sessions. A student can also be proctored at college testing center, Sylvan Learning Center, Prometric Testing center, or Pearson Vue Testing Center. No other options are available.

A valid driver's license or State ID must be shown at the testing center. An expired license or State ID will not be accepted. Use this link to help you find a college testing center or Sylvan Learning center near your home: Proctored Final

The final exam is a comprehensive final covering all of the chapters of the course. Other than scratch paper, you may view the "Authorized Materials" list for the final exam for each class.

^*Students must obtain a 50% or better on the final exam in order to get a C or better in the class.
The 50% rule was set in place to protect the integrity of online education by requiring a display of competency in exchange for a grade. All schools which are regionally accredited adhere to online standards. Your college is accepting this course because it goes through a regionally accredited university, which tells your college that standards have been met. Your college will not accept a class from a school that is not regionally accredited, because they know the standards won't be met.

Assessment

A 90-100 A Clearly stands out as excellent performance and, exhibits mastery of learning outcomes.
B 80-89 B Grasps subject matter at a level considered to be good to very good, and exhibits partial mastery of learning outcomes.
C 70-79 C Demonstrates a satisfactory comprehension of the subject matter, and exhibits sufficient understanding and skills to progress in continued sequential learning.
D 60-69 D Quality and quantity of work is below average and exhibits only partial understanding and skills to progress in continued sequential learning.
F 0-59 F Quality and quantity of work is below average and not sufficient to progress.

Time on Task

This course is online and your participation at home is imperative. A minimum of 8 - 10 hours per week of study time is required for covering all of the online material to achieve a passing grade. You must set up a regular study schedule. You have five months of access to your online account with a thirty-day extension at the end if needed. If you do not complete the course within this time line, you will need to enroll in a second term.

Schedule

The time on task for this lab class is a minimum of 2.8 hours per week of study time. This is the time required for covering all of the online material to achieve a passing grade.
Below is the suggested time table to follow to stay on a 17 week schedule for the course. The following schedule is the minimum number of sections that need to be completed each week if you would like to finish in a regular semester time frame. You do not have to adhere to this schedule. You have five months of access plus a 30 day extension at the end if needed. You can finish the course as soon as you are able, with a minimum coursework time of at least four weeks.

Week	Complete Lab
1	1
2	2
3	3
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7
8	8
9	9
10	10
11	11
12	12
13	13
14	14
15	15
16	16
	Final Exam

Code of Conduct:

It is the student's responsibility and duty to read the information below and become acquainted with all provisions of what constitutes academic misconduct involving cheating and plagiarism. Students are required to read each statement below, and the given repercussion. There are no exceptions to these policies, and the pretext of not reading each part will not be deemed as a reasonable excuse to contest the policies.

Code of Ethics:

Regulations and rules are necessary to implement for classroom as well as online course behavior. Students are expected to practice honesty, integrity and respect at all times. It is the student's responsibility and duty to become acquainted with all provisions of the code below and what constitutes misconduct.

Respectful communications:

When contacting Westcott Courses, you agree to be considerate and respectful. Communications from a student which are considered by our staff to be rude, insulting, disrespectful, harassing, or bullying via telephone, email, or otherwise will be considered a disrespectful communication and will result in a formal warning.

We reserve the right to refuse service. If we receive multiple disrespectful communications from person(s) representing the student, or the student themselves, the student will be excluded from taking future courses at Westcott Courses.

Grading information and proctored final policies:

The grading rules are put in place to protect the integrity of online education by stopping grade inflation, which is done by demanding a display of competency in exchange for a grade. By agreeing to the terms of service agreement, you agree to read the 'Grading' Policy from within your account, and the 'Proctored Final Information' page, if applicable. You have 24 hours after your first log-in to notify us if you do not agree to the grading policy and proctored final policy ( if applicable ) outlined in the pages inside of your account, otherwise it is assumed that you agree with the policies. There are no exceptions to these policies, and the pretext of not reading the pages will not be deemed as a reasonable excuse to contest the policies.

The definition of academic cheating is an act of dishonesty in order to obtain a higher grade in the course, and to gain an advantage over other students in the course.

To maintain academic standards, students are expected to practice honesty, integrity and respect at all times. Students who violate the policies of cheating, plagiarizing, or other academic misconduct will result in following actions.

1)   Cheating in any way on the final exam results in an F on the final and an F in the class. This includes, but is not limited to any form of collaboration, use of unauthorized materials, receiving or providing unpermitted assistance on the exam, using outside digital assistance such as a cell phone, tablet, ETC. to communicate with others or access outside websites, having someone else take the exam for you, taking an exam for another student, failing to stop working on the exam when the time is up.

Final exams are secure tests and the intellectual property of Westcott Courses. Taking screen shots of a digital final or copying a paper test is stealing our intellectual property and cheating. It is equivalent to stealing a copy of the final exam off an instructor's desk. When one student obtains the questions on a final, it means that other students who don't have the questions on the final are at a disadvantage. Once a final exam has been compromised it is no longer secure, and the exam is unfair for those who have not performed an act of dishonesty to gain the advantage.

Each of the infractions above represents a result of performing an act of dishonesty in order to obtain a higher grade in the course, and to gain an advantage over other students in the course. The result of any of the above offenses is an F in the course. Students who violate the above policy may retake the course after a first offense; however, a second offense will result in expulsion and students will no longer be able to take other courses at Westcott Courses.

Students are responsible for clicking on the “Proctored Final Information” link (which is on student’s Main Menu), and reviewing the list of Authorized Materials for each course's final exam. Since each course is different, the “Authorized Materials” for each final is different. For example, some courses permit notes, while others do not.

2)   Plagiarism: All of the following are considered plagiarism, and will result in a zero on the plagiarized assignment, and there are no opportunities to redo the assignment.

Merriam-Webster defines plagiarism as “the act of using another person's words or ideas without giving credit to that person” Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

• having somebody else write your assignment for you
• turning in an assignment that contains work that is not your own
• changing words in phrases, sentences and/or blocks of text without giving credit to the source (paraphrase)
• copying ideas, phrases, sentences or entire blocks of text without giving credit to the source
• not crediting the correct source by providing incorrect information

Plagiarism is an act of fraud, and can usually be avoided by using quotation marks and citing the source of the material. Instructors apply plagiarism software to find assignments that contain plagiarized material. Again, assignments that contain one of the above infractions will receive a zero on the assignment and the student will not have the opportunity to redo the assignment.

It is important to note that saving all your assignments to the end of the course, and then turning in multiple assignments that have been plagiarized will result in zeros on all of those assignments. This may mean that you no long have enough points in the course to pass the class. Thus, turning in assignments one at a time and waiting for instructor feedback in-between is important for learning and making sure that you maximize your possible points.

If you have questions, please read more information about plagiarism at plagiarism.org, or ask your instructor.

Other Examples of Academic Misconduct:

1)   Other forms of cheating include altering an exam and submitting it for regarding, providing false excuses to postpone due dates, fabricating data or references, claiming that Westcott Courses lost your test and/or quiz scores, sending emails to Westcott claiming you did not know what you were doing was cheating.
2)   Unauthorized collaboration - working with others on graded course work without specific permission of the instructor, including homework assignments, programs, quizzes and tests.
3)   Copying Westcott Courses content and posting it on the internet. This includes assignments, quizzes, and tests.

By signing up for a course, you are legally signing a contract that states that the person who is named taking this course is the actual individual doing the course work and all examinations. You also agree that for courses that require proctored testing, that your final will be taken at a college testing center, a Sylvan Learning center, or at home using the online proctor. Also, the individual signed up for this course will be the one taking the test. Failure to do so will be considered a breach of Westcott Courses policies.

Important Notes:

This syllabus is subject to change and / or revision during the academic year. Students with documented learning disabilities should notify our office upon enrollment, as well as make sure we let the testing center know extended time is permitted. Valid documentation involves educational testing and a diagnosis from a college, licensed clinical psychologist or psychiatrist.