Concepts of Modern
Biology is an introductory course that reviews the conceptual underpinnings
of modern biological thought. This course is a focused survey of selected
biological principles and topics and their application to higher-order
problems in the biological sciences. Teachers successfully completing
this course will have the conceptual background and problem-solving
skills necessary to undertake the College of Chemical and Life Sciences Master of
Chemical and Life Sciences Program for Teachers at the University of Maryland at
College Park
Textbook: Campbell,
N.A., Reece, J. B., and Mitchell, L. G. Biology (5th ed.); Benjamin/Cummings
Science, Menlo Park, CA., 1999. (Note, it is imperative that individuals
taking this course have the CD-ROM that comes with the text.)
Format:
This web-based course uses a cooperative distance-learning model of
directed self-exploration. However, the course is not exclusively web-based.
Rather the course provides a focused survey of topics contained in the
required textbook. This book and associated CD-ROM provide the informational
structure of the course upon which the more advanced topics in the course
are built.
The course is organized
around ten concept units, grouped into two broad subject areas of five
units each.
Part
I: Cell Biology, Molecular Biology and Genetics
Unit
1: Macromolecules, cellular structure and membranes
Unit
2: Metabolism, cellular respiration and photosynthesis
Unit
3: Cell cycle and meiosis
Unit
4: Mendelian genetics and chromosomal basis of inheritance
Unit
5: Molecular basis of inheritance and protein synthesis
Part
II: Evolution, Ecology and Systematics
Unit
6: Evolution and population genetics
Unit
7: Speciation, phylogeny and systematics
Unit
8: Origin of life and organismal diversity
Unit
9: General, behavioral and population biology
Unit
10: Community ecology, ecosystems and conservation biology
Each of the ten
units within the program contains four components:
1.An introduction
that provides the overall objectives and framework for the unit
2.A list of key
terms necessary to comprehend the material covered in the unit
3.A list of key
concepts, taken from the text, the course CD-ROM and selected web
sites, that must be mastered during the course of the unit
4.A set of three
or four discussion topics that require the application of concepts
from this unit and their underlying linkages to current biological
research. While all of these questions are relevant to the topics
being discussed, only one or two need be submitted for grading (see
below). Each unit should take one week to complete.
At the end of
every unit, each student will electronically submit his/her written
responses to one of the unit discussion topics for grading. The grade
for each answer will be based on the written response. Access to the
subsequent unit is contingent upon submission of answers to one of
the current discussion questions.
Evaluation
and Grading
The total number
of topic questions you are required to answer over the course of the
semester is 16. As stated above, one of these must be from each of
the 10 topic areas, and the other six can be from any topic area you
wish, with the provision that no more than two questions of the 16
can be from any one topic area, and you three of these must be from
Division I of the course and three from Division II of the course.
You must turn in three of the six additional topic areas from Division
I of the course by the time of the mid-term examination and three
from Division II of course by the time of the final.
To make this clear,
please note the following:
* Each week you
must submit an answer to one of the discussion questions posted for
that week's unit. * No later than the close of Unit 5, you must submit
answers to three additional questions from units 1 to 5, but no more
than one of these can be answers to a question from any one unit.
* No later than the close of Unit 10, you must submit answers to three
additional questions from units 6 to 10, but no more than one of these
can be answers to a question from any one unit.
Evaluation
and Grading
The performance
of teachers in this course is based on a combination of unit discussion
topics and a final examination. As discussed above, each unit requires
the electronic submission of responses to up to four assigned discussion
topics based on recent biological research. Each topic is worth 10 points.
The final examination consists of 50 multiple choice questions (2 points
each) and 10 short essays (10 points each).
Point totals for
the course are:
- Ten unit discussion
topic sets (@ 40 points each) = 400 points
- Final examination
= 200 points
- Total = 600 points
Course
Preparation
The instructors
for the course assume participating teachers have a basic understanding
of introductory biology and inorganic chemistry. Before beginning Unit
1 of the course, teachers should refresh their understanding of basic
chemistry with the online review module contained within the course
website. Chemistry concepts included within this module are:
- Chemical bonding
- Orbitals
- Energy levels
- Energy of activation
- Structure of
oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, phosphorus, sulphur
- Entropy
- Properties of
water
Also included within
the review module are concepts related to the nature of scientific enquiry:
- Nature of science
and biology
- Underlying assumptions
of scientific research
- Difference between
hypothesis and theory
Notes
on the Use of Blackboard for This Course
We will make extensive
use of the study groups to which students will be assigned. Each group
will have its own work area in Blackboard in which to have discussions and
prepare their answers to unit questions. Participants in one group will
not be able to see the discussion of participants in other areas. However,
it should be noted that the course instructors and teaching assistants
will have access to all of the discussion areas.
Evaluation
and Grading
Finally, a very
important person for this course is Ms. Lori Davis. Lori serves as "TA"
(for want of a better term) of the course and has worked closely with
both of us over the years. She will be primary grader in the course,
and you should anticipate a good number of interactions with her. Indeed,
she is the source of a great deal of information about the mechanics
of the course as well as its content, and you should be sure and introduce
yourselves to her right away. Her eamil is <gladavis@comcast.net>
