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This is a draft syllabus, changes may occur before summer session starts

Instructor: Joan McKearnan                Office: S108

Phone numbers:  Office: 433-1232             

E-mail: joan.mckearnan@anokaramsey.edu

Website: webs.anokaramsey.edu/mckearnan

Office hours: TWTh 2:30-3:30pm, or by appointment

Meeting time: Lecture TWTh 9-11am in S145

                     Lab TWTh 11:15-2:25pm in S130

Official communication: Your e-mail account registered on D2L is considered the official method of communication in this course.  Please check it once a day for any announcements.

Desire to Learn: D2L will be used for recording grades, posting lecture notes and news items, and possibly depositing homework assignments

Required Textbook: 

Blair, R. B., D. Flinn, A. R. B. Rager. 2008. Big Wood, Big Rivers – University of Minnesota Extension Service:  St. Paul MN.

Duffey, L. and M. Hoff. 2008. All about Minnesota’s Forests and Trees: a primer. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.  St. Paul, MN.

Big Woods Big Rivers Linnaeus List

Optional Material: Field Guides, Binoculars, hip boots

Course Description: (Meets MnTC Goal 3 and 9) Introduction to identification of native plants and animals. Emphasis is placed on ecological relationships. Local and regional field trips are conducted to study forest, grassland and aquatic ecosystems.   

Learner Outcomes:

·  Demonstrate understanding of scientific theories and process.

·  Demonstrate an understanding of:

§     identification of native plants and animals

§     general principles of taxonomy

§     interactions between organisms at the community and ecosystem

§     analysis of forests, grassland and aquatic ecosystems

§     basic principles of natural ecosystem management

·  Explore human effects on ecosystems and evaluate management options

·  Analyze and reflect on the ethical dimensions of legal, social, and scientific issues.

·  Demonstrate service to the community

Class activities:

    Material is presented in lecture and in active learning group activities.  Students will be expected to read assigned material before coming to class and will be quizzed twice a week on that material.  Labs will be conducted both inside and outside and students should be prepared for outdoor activities on days indicated in the schedule.  There is also a service learning component which students will undertake mostly outside of scheduled class time.  Actual time spent in lab and lecture each day may vary.   

Grading:

    Lecture grade is based on two lecture exams.  Quizzes on reading material are given each Tuesday and Thursday, except where noted in the schedule.  Quizzes are first given to the individual and then to your small group.  Finally, each student must participate in a 10-hr service project during the semester.  Further information will be provided later on the service projects.

The grading opportunities in lecture are:

        2 lecture exams - 50 pts. each                               100 pts.

        8 pre-lecture quizzes - 5 pts. each                           40 pts.

        Plant & Animal Identification Exams- 25 pts each       50 pts.

        Small group lab activities                                        50 pts.

        Capstone Service project                                         60 pts.

        Total                                                                                300 pts.

Your final grade will be based on the sum of your lecture points and the letter grade will be determined by the following percentage criteria:

90-100% = A          > 270 pts.                  60-69%   = D     180-209.5 pts.

80-89%   = B         240-269.5 pts.            < 60%     = F     <180 pts.

70-79%   = C         210-239.5 pts.

        If a grade is borderline, e.g. 89.5%, the grade will be upgraded only if the student shows effort (judged by attendance, promptness and preparedness) and has at least one test in the higher grade range.  Any requests for Pass/Fail grade needs to be discussed in the first week of class.

Attendance and Absences: Given the compression of a 16-week semester into a 5-week session, any day missed in class is equivalent to missing one week of a regular semester class. Therefore only one prearranged absence will be accepted and the student will be responsible for acquiring all missed notes from classmates.  Valid excuses include religious holidays, sickness, a court appearance, a death in the family, or direct participation in a school-sponsored activity.  I reserve the right to ask for documentation for the excuse.   You must contact me prior to your absence.  If you cannot reach me, leave a message on my voice mail or send an e-mail.  Make-up exams will be taken no later than one week after the original exam date.  Late assignments will result in 10% decrease in the total points for every day that the assignment is late and will not be accepted more than five school days after the assignment was due.  An unexcused absence from a lecture exam or group activity will result in a zero grade for that activity.  Labs cannot be made up.  Be on time to class.

Academic Integrity - An exam or assignment which was conducted under dishonest behaviors, e.g., cheating or plagiarism (see Student Handbook) will result in no credit for that exam or assignment.  If you knowingly allow someone to copy an exam or non-group assignment you will receive no credit for the exam or assignment.  Exchange of information is allowed for most homework assignments, but all written material for credit should be in your own words or properly acknowledged (citation and quotation marks).  If any work turned in is discovered to be too close to someone else’s (class mates, book, websites, etc.), no credit will be received by the individual or group. Any subsequent violations will result in an “F” for the course.  All incidents of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Students.

Classroom Civility – Students are expected to behave in a respectful manner in lecture, including but not limited to coming to class on time, not leaving early, turning off cell phones even when outside, not talking when professor or other people are addressing the entire class, not coming to class under the influence of alcohol or drugs, dressing respectfully, not using computers for other than class-related activities, etc. 

Accommodations - Any disability accommodations should be discussed with the Director of Access Services (433-1334).  Religious accommodations should be discussed with the professor at the beginning of the semester.  Military accommodations should be discussed with your professor as soon as you are notified of a deployment. 

Desire2Learn (D2L):

We will be using online materials to supplement our in-class topics.  Course announcements, grades, handouts, quiz study guides, and some activities and assignments will be posted on the D2L course site.  To log in to D2L, go to https://anokaramsey.ims.mnscu.edu.  Your username is your Student TechID, and your default password will be one of the following:

1.       Birth date in YYMMDD format (i.e., 890913 for 13 September 1989)

2.       Last six digits of your social security number

3.       If neither of those options work for you, the default password will be blank (do not enter password for initial login)

All students with D2L access are required to activate and use their free My.AnokaRamsey.edu email account.  If you have not already accessed and activated your student email, please go to the following site for information, instructions, and links http://webs.anokaramsey.edu/Studentmail/ 

Laboratory and Field Trips

Safety – Safety in both lab and in the field are of utmost importance and any gross violations of rules will result in points taken off from class and continued violation will result in removal from class and/or disciplinary action from the Dean.  We will review lab safety on the first day and if you have any questions about procedures, please ask first before continuing with a procedure of unknown safety.   If you are injured in the lab or field, please inform the instructor.  First aid kits are available for student use. NO food or drink are allowed in lab and no open-toed shoes or sandals in lab.   Safety includes no tree-climbing, rock-climbing or wading into water without the instructor’s permission.  Treat all equipment carefully and if you are unsure of its use, please ask the instructor.

Field work ethics – Most of the sites we will be visiting are pristine examples of the habitats we are studying and are on public land.  When we are working at these sites, remember the adage “Take only memories, leave only footprints”.  No littering, no smoking, and no trespassing on privately-owned land without landowner’s permissions.  No collecting rocks, plants, fungi or animals without instructor’s permission.  You may want to bring a camera to take pictures of the organisms we are studying. No leaving the trails without instructor’s permission.  Work quietly to avoid disturbing the animals we have come into the woods to see.

Field trip transportation – We will be taking many field trips throughout the session.  Sometimes a van may be available, but it is unlikely that we will always be using school transportation.  You are encouraged to carpool with classmates or join me in the school van.  You are expected to bring your own water & snacks.  Some sites are isolated and will not have a convenient store or fast food restaurant nearby. 

Field attire – Be prepared to work in whatever weather is expected that day unless it is downpour raining and thunderstorms.  We can work in light drizzle.

So check the weather for the days we are going out and dress accordingly.  Do not wear open-toed shoes or sandals in the field, and it is advised to wear long pants to avoid getting scratched by vegetation and bitten by insects or ticks.  Bring your own insect repellant and sunscreen.

Capstone Service Learning

We will be partaking in at least 10 hours of service learning activities throughout the session, e.g. oak wilt sampling.  Some of the time will be doing some small activities during class time, but each student/group will also be involved in a larger, graded capstone project which should be determined by 11 June.  The Learning Service grade is contingent on an oral presentation on the last day of class.

Purpose of Service Learning – Students can benefit from service learning projects in many ways including:

   a. learning about organisms and issues associated with them

   b. making contact with people in the community who could help with job searches or in other ways.

   c. learning to work cooperatively with others

   d. reflecting on the activity & communicating ideas about the activity.

Project Suggestions – Project could include activities that involve wild animals, such as, wildlife rehabilitation, bird banding, fish counts, frog censuses, or habitat restorations, etc.  Project cannot be for private businesses, unless they are doing something for the community. 

Oral assignment – Student is required to submit a 5-8 minute oral presentation about the service learning experience.  Included in the presentation should be:

a. a summary of the activity & how it was beneficial to the environment and the community

b. reflection of the things you learned about the environment during the activity, e.g., did it give you a better understanding of a habitat?, is there an alternative solution to a problem that might be better?

c. looking up one piece of information on web, newspaper, etc. about your project, e.g., how long does a piece of garbage that you picked up persist in the environment?

d. if done outside of class time, the name of a person and their phone number who could verify that you participated in the project for the required time period – cannot be a family member

Grading for Capstone – You will be graded 45 points for participating in the project (but a presentation must be received for you to get credit) and 15 points for the paper/presentation.  The paper will be graded according to the depth of the discussion, your ability to communicate clearly, and on spelling and grammar. 

Field Biology Schedule

Summer 2015

P = pages in Duffey & Hoff’s Primer, B = pages in Big Woods, Big Rivers, additional readings may be assigned throughout the session

This is a tentative schedule and dates may vary according to weather and other unforeseen events. 

ARCC home         Joan's home      Biology Department

© Joan McKearnan 2007

Send comments to: joan.mckearnan@anokaramsey.edu

Any views expressed on this page are strictly those of the page author or part of an educational activity and not those of Anoka-Ramsey Community College.

Last revised: Wednesday, 11 April 2007