Course Description: Basic structure and function of cells and the molecular aspects of cell biology. Emphasis on cell evolution; organic compounds, including macromolecules; structure and function of proteins, organelles, and cellular membranes; energy transformations; and classical and molecular genetics. Lecture and laboratory. Prerequisite: a strong background in high school chemistry or CHEM 110. BIOL 120 and BIOL 122 may be taken in either order. Fall, Spring (Group II)
Course Delivery- Hybrid: I intend to record my lectures as short, narrated PowerPoint presentations. I will keep these to 10 minutes or so and offer 5-10 per week. Students will be expected to watch the videos and take notes and then do the associated readings. I will be using a message board system to collect questions about the lecture or readings. I will then make short videos where I answer these questions. I did this for my online Cancer course this summer and received very good feedback. In order to maintain physical distancing, I will split the class into two sections and meet in-person with each section on alternating days. Students will, therefore, have in-class commitments once or twice each week. These meetings will be Q&A-style discussion sections where we will review the lecture and reading material they have studied previously.
Course Description: Basic structure and function of cells and the molecular aspects of cell biology. Emphasis on cell evolution; organic compounds, including macromolecules; structure and function of proteins, organelles, and cellular membranes; energy transformations; and classical and molecular genetics. Lecture and laboratory. Prerequisite: a strong background in high school chemistry or CHEM 110. BIOL 120 and BIOL 122 may be taken in either order. Fall, Spring (Group II)
Course Delivery- Hybrid: For now, I plan to hold class meetings as scheduled with students physically distanced. Students will be expected to complete readings with quizzing through OpenStax Tutor prior to each class session. Class time will be spent reviewing the key points in the readings and addressing any questions or confusion. We will also spend time in class applying the material to case studies and problems. I will hold office hours and one-on-one meetings with students via Zoom for additional support and to help with questions.
Course Description: An introduction to ecology, evolution, and the diversity of life at the organismal level. Students investigate the structure, function, physiology, life history, evolutionary adaptations and ecology of organisms using both laboratory and field techniques. Students engage in experimental design and statistical analysis. Lecture and laboratory.BIOL 122 and BIOL 120 may be taken in either order. Fall, Spring (Group II)
Course Delivery- Hybrid: BIOL 122 lecture will be a combination of in-class lectures and "flipped classes" and all content and assessment will be available online (through Blackboard). Students who are able to meet in person will have in-class lectures, as well as use class time to work on worksheets, scientific article discussion, case studies, etc. One day per week (likely Fridays) will be designated as "remote" day where I can engage with everyone online, regardless of how they are attending the course. I will still be present in the classroom this day for students that prefer to ask questions or work in person.
Labs will alternate between in-person and remote attendance with students attending on alternate weeks. For example, I will break my Tuesday AM lab into two groups (A and B). Group A will attend in person during week 1, while group B does the remote activity. This will alternate the next week. The final hour of lab will be offered to the group not attending in person to answer questions, get help, etc. In person labs will be posted as a set of power-point slides with instructions, photos, videos, etc for students who are attending entirely remotely.
Course Description: A broad-based course in genetics. Topics to be covered include the principles and cellular mechanisms of inheritance, including the inheritance of human traits and diseases; the molecular nature of the gene including the regulation of gene expression; and modern genetic techniques and topics including genetic engineering, cloning, genomics, and proteomics. An optional lab (BIOL 272) is available. Prerequisite: BIOL 120. Fall, Spring (Group II)
Course Delivery- Hybrid: There will be two ways to attend class: in person and virtually. For people on campus and healthy, I strongly encourage you to come to class. Class time will include lectures and activities designed to practice and learn the material. For students learning remotely, you will be expected to watch recorded lecture videos on your own. I also plan to set aside 50 minutes at the end of our scheduled class time (11:30 – 12:20 EST) on most Thursdays to meet with students via Zoom; remote learners in particular, will be strongly encouraged to attend. The exact plan for each virtual session will vary depending on how many students there are and what has been happening in the course. At a minimum, it will be a time to check in and for Q and A. However, it will also be a time for us to do some work as a group. I will provide weekly updates prior to the online sessions, which will be open to all students in the course.
We will use a combination of in-person and online or digital labs. For most in-person labs, remote learners will be paired with one or two in-person learners as their lab partners. The in-person learners will be encouraged to take short videos or pictures of themselves in action in the lab to share with their remote lab partner. The in-person learners may also send pictures or data for their remote lab partners to analyze and write up. At the discretion of the lab partners, the remote learners may take the lead on making nice figures or writing part of a collaborative lab report.