What You’ll Do
Each of you is different. That means many things but in the context of learning, it means that having variety in our assignments is important to ensure everyone is supported and challenged. That is at the core of the design of this course.
In each module you will find,
- Learning objectives, which define the new knowledge and skills you will acquire
- Content, which will be comprised of readings and videos
- Graded work, such as assignments, discussions, and quizzes.
When you enter a weekly module, for the most part all of the items, such as readings, assignments and tests are linked so that you don’t have to go searching for items. All you need to do is click on the text!
Assignments
Almost every week, there will be an assignment for you to complete based on the module’s content. The assignments include answering a series of questions, case studies, and conducting an experiments and reporting results as well as gathering data and drawing conclusions. These assignments are used to determine if you have met the learning objectives for the week. You will receive a grade on each of them.
Discussions
We’ll be using Brightspace’s Discussions for conversations in which we will write to one another or share a video.
Quizzes
During the semester, you will be asked to complete short quizzes. The objective of the quizzes is to ensure you have understood the readings and learned the vocabulary of biology and the different biological concepts and processes of the module.
You will notice at the end of the chapter in the Openstax book, there are sections, key terms, visual connection questions, and review questions and critical thinking questions. These questions make a great study guide and will help you prepare for the quiz. Don’t skip them! Take notes on it as you read the module. It will highlight key terms and concepts that you will need to be familiar with for the quiz.
Things to know about our quizzes:
- Each quiz is timed and the amount of time is indicated in the directions of the quiz.
- Questions will appear one at a time and you cannot go back.
- The quiz will close once the indicated time has lapsed.
Final Project
You will produce final project instead of taking a final exam. You will get to choose the topic for your project. One purpose of the project will be to help you make connections between our course and Biology in your everyday life. It is my hope that the project, as well as the other course activities are meaningful, memorable, and encourage you to see the world in a new way.
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