I’m Professor Loretta Brancaccio-Taras. I will be your instructor for Biology 100: Selected Topics in Biology. Please take two minutes to view my video and learn a bit about me. Then, explore the rest of this page to get prepared for our course.
Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or (718) 368-6651 with your questions or concerns.
See you online!
How This Course Works
- This is a 12-week, asynchronous, online course.
- All readings are available on KCC Brightspace course site – no need to purchase a textbook!
- You will learn in a supportive community and have opportunities to communicate with one another.
- To get started in developing our course community and let me know you are able to access our Brightspace course and complete the introduction discussion board.
- This course is organized into weekly learning modules. Each weekly module has learning outcomes for the week, material to read or watch as well as assignments, quizzes, or discussions for you to complete. In addition each week has a checklist to help you keep track of your course work.
With a few exceptions:
- assignments are due on Wednesdays by 11:59 PM. You will be submitting all assignments through Bb as either an MS Word doc or PDF doc. I will grade them and return them to you by Friday, at the latest. It might be sooner, but definitely by Friday.
- discussions are due on Thursdays. For many discussions, you will be asked to post and respond to your classmates. To earn full credit, you will need to do both, post, respond, and respond to all aspects listed in the discussion prompt .
- quizzes will take place on Mondays. You will have access to the week’s quiz from 8 AM – 11:59 PM to complete it. Make sure you have a strong internet connection and you use a laptop or computer desktop when taking quizzes. Quizzes are challenging to complete using your phone.
- Instead of a final exam, you will submit a final project. For your final project, you will create a public service announcement on a topic you choose that is approved by your instructor. The project is divided into four parts, with assigned due dates and grades for each part.
- remember to ask for help whenever you need it!
My Commitment to You
I recognize being a student with all of life’s other responsibilities can be stressful. In addition, the current political circumstances have added significant stress and trauma to all of our lives. While racial injustice is not new in our country, it is more visible. You are coping with a lot more than you might even realize. These stressors may affect your ability to process information and manage your learning. Give yourself grace as you try your best. I will support you throughout this course so that you are successful! It’s really important that we stay in communication. I believe in you and I’m in this with you!
My Teaching Philosophy
I believe everyone is capable of learning and the differences each person brings into a course enrich the learning of the group. Each person learns at a unique rhythm, which is precisely why I love online classes! Unlike a live classroom, asynchronous online environments, like ours, provide you with added time to think and reflect before you engage. They create a seat at the table for everyone. They also encourage us to use the world as our classroom. I design my courses to showcase and celebrate the diversity of the members of our learning community and to encourage each student to connect our course content to their own life.
Our Pact
What you can expect from me
What I expect from you
- I’ll provide you with a clear, organized course that is designed to ensure you meet our course outcomes in a meaningful manner.
- I’ll provide a variety of assignments to ensure your learning needs are met.
- I’ll be actively present in your learning.
- I’ll provide a supportive and safe environment for sharing ideas.
- I’ll reach out to you when I sense that you need support.
- I won’t be perfect. I’m human and will make mistakes. I’ll view them as an opportunity to learn and grow.
- You’ll treat me and your peers with dignity and respect.
- You’ll strive to be an active participant in our class and meet due dates
- You’ll keep an open line of communication with me so I know how to support you.
- You’ll contact me if you have any concerns about our class and what you will do.
- You’ll strive to regularly contribute to collaborative activities so members of the community have time to read, listen, reflect, and respond to you ideas.
- You’ll do you best to have patience with the technology. We’ll get through hiccups together.
- You’ll give yourself and others grace. Mistakes are part of learning and growing.I’ll treat you with dignity and respect and be flexible to support your individual needs.
Equity & Inclusion Statement
In an ideal world, science would be objective. However, much of science is subjective and is historically built on a small subset of privileged voices. I acknowledge that much of scientific research and publications have been the work of white men. With that in mind, I have tried to select topics and activities that broaden the voice of science as well as consider and respect difference. However, although I have tried to address inequities in science, there may be both overt and covert biases in the materials you read during the course. Please contact me if you have any suggestions to improve the quality of the course materials. One of my teaching goals is to create a learning environment that supports a diversity of thoughts, perspectives, and experiences, and honors your identities (including race, gender, class, sexuality, religion, ability, etc.). To help accomplish this:
- I will ask you to tell me the name and/or set of pronouns you would like me to use to address you.
- I want to be a resource for you. If you feel like your performance in the class is being impacted by your experiences outside of class, please don’t hesitate to connect with me to talk about it.
- Like so many people, I am still in the process of learning about diverse perspectives and identities. I will make mistakes!
How to Be Successful in Online Courses
Research on student learning has determined the ingredients for successful online students. Some of these ingredients are:
- self-directed
- good managers of time and create a schedule for weekly work
- motivated to work on their own
- able to effectively communicate their ideas in writing
To get you started, watch these videos about online learning:
- Introduction to Online Learning (9:45 min.) Start at 1:50 min.
- Getting Tech Ready (10:51 min.) Start at 56 seconds.
- Communication Skills for Online Learning (8:22 min.)
- Online Reading Strategies (5:06 min.)
Your Success Plan – you got this!
Online courses move quickly and getting off to a good start is the best way to prepare yourself for success. Read this page carefully and you’ll have all you need to start this course on the right foot.
Although classes begin September 5th, Bio 100 will be available to you in Brightspace by August 22nd. Developing a game plan for when you will do your class work will really help you be successful. Think about the time you have during the week that you can dedicate to class work. I recommend you spread the work out over a number of days. Also, try not to wait until the day an assignment is due to complete it. If you run into trouble, it might be difficult to get your questions answered.
How to Get Your Questions Answered
Need individual help or guidance with our class? I am here for you!
I prefer that you contact me through CUNY e-mail at [email protected]. I will respond to e-mails Monday – Friday from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Please give me 24-48 hours to respond to your email. However, don’t be surprised if I respond on the weekend or in less than 24 hours!
If you are interested, we can meet using zoom.us or have a telephone conversation to discuss any course topics or other issues you might have.
On holidays and weekends, I need a break too, so I may be slower or I may not respond until Monday. If you prefer to meet with me live, please e-mail me with a few time options that you are available. Once we find a time that works for both of us, we can meet in Zoom (click on the Virtual Office link on our homepage) or via phone.
Have a general course-related question?
Use the student lounge discussion forum in our course. Your question will be seen by fellow students and if anyone has the answer – by all means, answer it! If your question is of a confidential nature, contact me directly through e-mail.
Need assistance/help that is not specific to our course?
Visit one of the KCC web pages below and if you’re still not sure who to contact, let me know and I’ll steer you to the right resource!
This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
