BIO100-01 CONCEPTS OF BIOLOGY

Spring 2024
WCSU Department of Biological & Environmental Sciences

I. COURSE DESCRIPTION
BIO100 an introductory course for the non-science major. Basic concepts from cell structure and function to evolution
and ecology are studied and related to current human concerns. Laboratory activities, which range from microscope
investigation to field study, complement the lecture. This course meets the WCSU Scientific Inquiry (SI) general
education competency.

The course has two components: Lecture and Laboratory. Students learn fundamental biological concepts during
lecture and acquire hands-on scientific inquiry skills while conducting experiments during the laboratory class each
week. Students must participate in both the lecture and lab portions of this course. This semester, your BIO100 class will
be conducted in a hybrid format, with the lecture portion (BIO100) of the class taking place online asynchronously and
the laboratory portion (BIO100B) meeting in-person each week.

II. LECTURE INSTRUCTOR

Dr. Sharon Lynch
Email: lynchs@wcsu.edu
Office Hours: T 10-11 AM, through collaborate or email Dr. Lynch for an appointment time if you cannot meet
during scheduled office hours.

III. LAB INSTRUCTOR

The labs are taught by Biology Dept. graduate student teaching fellows. It is a separate course on blackboard.
Please be sure to check that blackboard course for laboratory course material.

Your lab instructor will advise you of the best method for reaching him/her regarding your laboratory work.
You should only contact your laboratory instructor about lab-related matters. He/she will not be able to help
you address questions related to the lecture portion of BIO100.

IV. COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students taking this course will …
1. understand the role of evolution in shaping unity and diversity of life on Earth
2. discuss major scientific issues in our world today
3. use inductive and deductive reasoning skills

V. REQUIRED MATERIALS
1. Textbook: Biology for a Changing World (Shuster et al.), third edition
Available in print or electronic:
Print ISBN: 9781319050573
E-book ISBN: 9781319159207

Please obtain your textbook as soon as possible to help you complete your lecture assignments. The textbook
was chosen for BIO100 as it is in a format that is very reader-friendly and the graphics are very helpful for
students to understand key concepts. The text is available new or used from the WCSU bookstore (which can
accessed and searched online at https://www.bkstr.com/wcsustore/shop/textbooks-and-course-materials) or
the text can be purchased from other sources (e.g., Amazon.com). Please note that if you do purchase the text
from anywhere outside of WCSU, you must check that you have selected a book with the correct ISBN# listed
above. Note that you will not need the Launchpad or Physiology options that are sometimes offered with this
textbook, so be careful not to purchase those if offered. The textbook is used for the lecture portion of this
course. You do not need to bring your textbook to your lab class.

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2. Microscope Eye Guards: AmScope EG-SM Microscope Eyepiece Eye Shields

These eye guards are required for BIO100 lab students to safely use the microscopes provided during your lab
class meeting. You may purchase the eye guards at the WCSU bookstore (see link above) or at Amazon using
this link. Please obtain your eye guards NO LATER than February 1 so you can use them in the laboratory when
needed. Please bring them to every lab class meeting.

VI. COURSE FORMAT

This section of Concepts of Biology will be conducted in a hybrid format, with the lecture portion of the class taking
place online and the laboratory portion meeting in-person. Please plan your time accordingly so that you can manage all
the expectations to be successful in this course. Students enrolled in Concepts of Biology must participate in both the
lecture and lab components of this course, which are described below. Note that lecture and lab materials are posted
as in separate Blackboard courses for lecture (BIO100) and lab (BIO100B).

1. LECTURE is conducted online asynchronously. This means that there are no scheduled in-person meeting times.
You are responsible for completing lecture coursework independently each week. See the Lecture Course Topic
Schedule posted on Blackboard for a list of topics we will cover during this semester in BIO100. The lecture
component of this course requires you to watch short video “lectures” that I pre-record and post to Blackboard.
Assignments will be posted every week to Blackboard and will generally include a combination of these mini video
lectures, readings (from your textbook and other sources provided to you), and other multimedia resources. The
textbook will help reinforce the key concepts, but it’s critical that you always watch the video lectures, as they will
commonly contain material not found in the textbook.

Your work will primarily be assessed by weekly lecture quizzes, participation on our lecture class discussion board,
and other homework that is assigned weekly. Weekly lecture assignments will be available to view and complete on
Blackboard every Monday and will be due to be completed no later than Sunday at the end of the week. Graded
assignments will be based on all the material provided on Blackboard and not only the textbook readings, so it is
crucial that you complete all the posted assignments and feel comfortable with the material prior to attempting a
quiz, discussion board post, or other homework. Quizzes are not timed, and you may use your textbook/notes/other
BIO100 materials provided to you during the quiz. However, you will be given ONE attempt to complete each
assignment and many of the questions will require you apply your knowledge of concepts to examples that you will
not have seen before. Therefore, it is critical that you study the material prior to attempting a quiz. All weekly
assignments must be submitted via Blackboard by 11:59pm on Sundays. Quizzes and other homework MUST be
completed before the deadline! Late or missing assignments will receive a grade of 0.

2. LABORATORY meets in-person in Science Building 135 lab classroom at the time designated by your section. You
are expected to attend all labs during your scheduled laboratory class time. Some labs build upon skills or
experiments from previous weeks’ labs so it’s critical that you do not miss lab. Missed labs cannot be made up.

Lab handouts will be posted on Blackboard no later than one week prior to a designated week’s lab meeting.
Students must print out lab handouts in advance and bring them to each week’s lab class. You must also review
lab handouts before coming to each lab class to familiarize yourself with the week’s lab exercise. A short, pre-
laboratory quiz will be given at the start of each week’s lab class, pertaining to that day’s lab exercise. There will be
enough time to complete laboratory worksheets during class. Lab worksheets must be submitted to your instructor
prior to leaving class unless instructed otherwise.

You must wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose to every lab class meeting. Log into your BIO100B Lab
course on Blackboard for more information about lab class format and expectations.

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VII. GRADING & MAKE-UP POLICY

There will be no formal exams this semester in BIO100 lecture. Making up lecture assignments is not allowed, except in
very extenuating circumstances (with written documentation provided by the student). Laboratory assignments cannot
be made up because there is an extensive amount of time needed to set up and break down each lab, and the fact that
many lab activities are conducted with a partner or group. I know, however, that sometimes circumstances beyond
one’s control result in students needing to miss an assignment or lab. Therefore, your lowest grade on any lecture quiz,
pre-lab quiz, and lab worksheet will be dropped before calculating your final course grade.

Lecture and Laboratory assignments each count for 50% of your overall BIO100 grade as follows:

Course Component Description Percent of final grade

Lecture Quizzes, discussion board posts, and other 50%
weekly assignments

Laboratory Weekly lab assignments (incl. Pre-lab quizzes 50%

and lab worksheets)

TOTAL 100%

The following scale will be used to assign final BIO100 grades:

92.5-100% = A 82.5-86.5% = B 72.5-76.5% = C 62.5-66.5% = D

89.5-92.5% = A- 79.5-82.5% = B- 69.5-72.5% = C- 59.5-62.5% = D-
86.5-89.5% = B+ 76.5-79.5% = C+ 66.5-69.5% = D+ 59.5% or below = F

VIII. EXPECTATIONS
1. Student time/study expectations:
A traditional 3 credit course includes 3 hours of in-class instruction each week for ~15 weeks. And at the college
level, students are also expected to spend an average of twice the in-class time performing out-of-classroom
activities like reading, completing assignments, studying, etc. In addition to reviewing and completing the
assignments each week, you are responsible for contacting me and/or your laboratory instructor about material
that you do not understand.

2. Course materials on Blackboard:

All course content, including video lectures, assigned readings, quizzes, homework, and laboratory course
material, will be administered via the BIO100 lecture course (BIO100) or lab course (BIO100B) found on WCSU’s
Blackboard learning management system online. It is your responsibility to check Blackboard frequently for
updates and announcements, assignments, or other important material. Grades will be posted on Blackboard as
well. Your BIO100 Blackboard course can be accessed using the following URL: https://wcsu.blackboard.com.
.
3. Contacting Dr. Lynch
 Office hours – For quick, minor clarifications about lecture material, contacting me by email may be
sufficient. However, an in-person meeting is best for going over major course material questions or
discussing grades/personal/time management issues. Office hours are meant for YOU – so if you need help,
please log on to collaborate during my scheduled student office hour times so I can help you as needed. If
you cannot make my assigned office hours, send me an email to discuss alternate meeting times. To ensure I
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have enough time to spend solely with you during office hours, can consider making an appointment in
advance.
 Email etiquette – I am a person, not a robot. As such, I respond to polite emails more rapidly than impolite
ones. A polite email consists of:
- A salutation (e.g. Dear Dr. Lynch….)
- The content of your message, with every attempt made to compose it in grammatically
correct English.
- A sign off (e.g., Thanks! Or Sincerely,…), followed by your name.

 Email response time – While sometimes I can respond to emails quite rapidly, I am not always able to do so.
the week, I will respond to emails within 24 hours (and within 48 hours on weekends). Please note that I
will not respond to emails asking for information you could easily find by reading this syllabus – so please
always check there about questions pertaining to course expectations.

4. Contacting your lab instructor

Your lab instructor will provide you with the best method for contacting him/her as needed, to discuss lab class
material or assignments.

IX. HONESTY
Cheating will not be tolerated in this course under any circumstance. Unless noted otherwise, students are expected to
complete class assignments (including lecture and lab quizzes and discussion board posts) independently. For lab
activities conducted with partners or groups, students should still use their own words and ideas when completing lab
worksheets. Students are expected to familiarize themselves with the University Policy on Academic Integrity, found at:
https://www.wcsu.edu/trc/general-policies-b/academic-integrity-policies/. ANY violations of the policy (including but
not limited to: cheating, fabrication, tampering, plagiarism, talking about quiz/exam materials with students who
haven’t taken them yet) will NOT be tolerated. Failure to abide by policy standards may result in no credit for the
submitted work, an F for the course, and possible suspension/expulsion from the University.

X. INCLEMENT WEATHER OR OTHER ISSUES THAT CAN AFFECT CLASSES

In the event of severe weather or other emergencies that could affect the functioning of WCSU classes, please visit the
WCSU website for any alerts or instructions. You should also check Blackboard announcements regularly for any
updates from your lecture or lab instructors.

Note that additional safety measures will be implemented in the BIO100 lab classroom to prevent the spread of the
SARS-CoV-2 virus. For more information about the WCSU plan for operating during the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit
https://www.wcsu.edu/reopen/.

XI. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

WCSU AccessAbility Services (AAS) engages in an interactive process with each student and reviews requests for
accommodations on an individualized, case-by-case basis. Depending on the nature of the functional limitations of the
student’s documented disability, he/she may be eligible for accommodations. AAS collaborates with students and their
faculty to coordinate approved accommodations and services for qualified students with disabilities. If you have a
documented disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact
AccessAbility Services (AAS) as soon as possible. You may contact AAS by calling (203) 837-8225 (voice), (203) 837-3235
(TTY) or by e-mailing aas@wcsu.edu. Detailed information regarding the process to request accommodations is available
on the AAS website at www.wcsu.edu/accessability. If your request for accommodation(s) is approved and you request
accommodation letters, an accommodation letter will be emailed to faculty members. (Note: Student request for
accommodations must be filed each semester and accommodations are not retroactive). Students with accommodation
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letters from AAS should make an office hours appointment to speak privately with their lecture and laboratory
instructors to discuss their accessibility needs.
XII. COUNSELING SERVICES
Students can face many challenges beyond those that are solely academic in nature. The WCSU Counseling Center is a
wonderful resource and offers free and confidential services to the WCSU community. You can find more information
about the Counseling Center or schedule an appointment at http://www.wcsu.edu/counseling/.

XIII. TUTORING
The WCSU Tutoring Resource Center is an open, versatile space in the Haas Library where students can request support
from peer tutors with coursework, work on projects, discuss effective learning strategies, and deepen their connection
with their academic surroundings. Tutoring is free for students and available on a drop-in basis or by appointment. More
information can be found at https://www.wcsu.edu/trc/.

XIV. FLEXIBILITY CLAUSE

During these uncertain times, we know things may change depending on a variety of circumstances including health and
safety concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For this reason, course requirements, scheduling, or policies for this
course may need to change as a result. I do not expect this to happen but if it does, you will be notified asap via
Blackboard and/or by email. Thanks in advance for your patience and flexibility!

BIO100 CONCEPTS OF BIOLOGY TOPIC SCHEDULE

Week # Week Lecture Topic Textbook Assignment(s)* Assignment Due
begins on chapter (by 11:59pm)
1 - Learning Assessment 1/28
First day About this course
of class is (LA)1**
1/17 An asynchronous "Hello!” Discussion Board 1 1/28
Biology & the process of 1 LA2 1/28
science
2 1/22 Chemistry of Life 2 LA3 1/28

Rethink your drink: It's pHun! Discussion Board 2 1/28

3 1/29 Cell structure and function 3 LA4 2/4

Transport across membranes LA5 2/4

4 2/5 Biomolecules and nutrition 4 LA6 2/11

Enzymes and metabolism 4 LA7 2/11

Snacktime Selfie Discussion Board 3 2/11

2/12 Energy and photosynthesis 5 LA8 2/18
5

Best Biofuels Discussion Discussion Board 4 2/18

2/19 Dietary energy & cellular 6 LA9 2/25

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respiration
6
Diabetes Risk Calculator LA10 2/25
2/26 DNA structure and replication 7 LA11 3/3
7

PCR and Profiling 7 LA 12 3/3

3/4 Chromosomes, amino acids 8 LA13 3/10
8 and gene expression
Cell cycle 9 LA14 3/10

9 3/11 Spring Break

3/18 Sexual reproduction and 11 LA15 3/24
10 meiosis

Inheritance 11 LA16 3/24

3/25 Natural selection & adaptation 13 LA17 3/31
11
In the News: Elephant 3/31
evolution Discussion Board 5
4/1 Non-adaptive evolution and 14 LA18 4/7
12 speciation

Evidence for evolution 15 LA19 4/7

4/8 Life on Earth 16 LA20 4/14
13
Human Evolution 19 LA21 4/14
Population ecology 20 LA22 4/21
14 4/15
Community ecology 21 LA23 4/21
15 4/22 Ecosystem ecology 22 LA24 4/27

Sustainability 23 LA25 4/27

Optional: Make up one missed 5/6
16 4/29 lecture week's assignment(s)!

Important: Textbook chapters provide a framework for this course but contain only a portion of the content you must
read, view, and consider as you learn about biology. Watching the recorded video mini-lectures provided each week is an
integral part of your online lecture activities and is essential for your success as a BIO100 student.

*This schedule is tentative and may be subject to change. There may also be additional readings, videos, and
assignments required each week. You should check Blackboard regularly for updates.

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**LA = Learning Assessment (quiz or written homework assignment to be completed and turned in using
Blackboard).

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