Students attending New Mexico Junior College will be evaluated according to the following grading scale:

						90 - 100%	=	A
						80 -  89%	=	B
						70 -  79%	=	C
						60 -  69%	=	D
					 	 0 -  59%	=	F

Class Discussion: Your initial post answering the main topic question is due by mid-unit and your secondary posts are due by the end of the unit. You should make at least two (2) secondary posts. Please use the REPLY feature when answering the Main Topic question or replying to someone. (See Grading Rubric)

Assignments/ Labs: All assignments should be completed in Microsoft Word or Works, saved in .doc or .rtf format then submitted to the Assignments area. (See grading rubric.)

Lecture & Lab Midterm/ Final Exam: This course contains a Lecture Midterm Exam, Lecture Final Exam, Lab Midterm Exam, and Lab Final Exam. All Exams will be completed online within the course shell. The Exams are timed and password protected. The Lecture Midterm and Final Exams consist of multiple choice questions. The Lab Midterm and Final Exams consist of multiple choice questions, labeling questions, and matching questions using figures, diagrams, micrographs, etc. Exams cannot be completed after the time and date that is presented in the Course Outline below.

* To achieve the maximum point value, your main post must be posted early in the unit and you must continue posting to your fellow students with meaningful discussions throughout the unit.

* Late posts will not be accepted.

Retrieving Grades from Banner System
Go to the New Mexico Junior College Banner login page. Please enter your User Identification Number (ID), which is your Banner ID or your Social Security Number without hyphens, and your Personal Identification Number (PIN). When finished, click Login.

Tips for Success in Online Courses:
1. Log in to class regularly.
2. Pay attention.
3. Take notes.
4. Keep up with readings and assignments.
5. Ask questions when you do not understand something.
6. Utilize your professor’s office hours and e-mail.
7. Read the text.
8. Adhere to the deadlines posted in the course outline.

New Mexico Junior College's broad range of science courses provides students with an opportunity to achieve their academic goals by fostering higher order thinking skills, basic academic success skills, discipline-specific knowledge and skills, and scientific and academic values.

The course content of BI 114 supports NMJC’s mission which is “promoting success through learning” by encouraging students to accomplish the following:

1. Describe the process of scientific inquiry.

2. Solve problems scientifically.

3. Communicate scientific information.

4. Apply quantitative analysis to scientific problems.

5. Apply scientific thinking to real world problems.

Upon completion of this course, the students should be able to:

1. Distinguish between living and nonliving things using the basic characteristics of life.
2. Compare and contrast organisms within the three domains & four kingdoms.
3. Construct a hierarchy of biological organization.
4. Design an experiment using the scientific method and distinguish between hypotheses and theories.
5. List in order the 8 taxonomic categories used for identifying organs. AND define “binomial nomenclature”.
6. Draw an atom and label the subatomic particles.
7. Distinguish between the different types of chemical bonds.
8. List the four properties of water that benefit organisms.
9. Define the terms: pH, acid, base, and buffer.
10. Identify the structures and functions of the major organic molecules & give examples of each.
11. Distinguish between dehydration synthesis & hydrolysis reactions.
12. State the tenets of the cell theory.
13. Distinguish between prokaryotic & eukaryotic cells.
14. Identify plant and animal cellular organelles and state their functions.
15. Identify the components and state the functions of the plasma membrane.
16. Distinguish between the different types of cellular transport mechanisms.
17. State the two energy laws important for living things.
18. Identify the role that enzymes and substrates play in chemical reactions AND identify factors that affect the rate of product being formed.
19. Draw a molecule of ATP and explain its function.
20. Draw a chloroplast and labels its structures. State the function of chloroplasts.
21. Write the chemical formula for photosynthesis & state examples of organisms capable of this process.
22. Compare and contrast the light-dependent and Calvin cycle reactions that are associated with photosynthesis.
23. Briefly explain the three stages of the Calvin cycle.
24. Draw a mitochondrion and labels its structures. State the function of mitochondria.
25. Write and explain the chemical formula for cellular respiration.
26. Distinguish between aerobic and anaerobic cellular respiration.
27. Calculate the yield of ATP per glucose molecule from glycolysis, preparatory stage, Citric Acid (Krebs) cycle, and electron transport system.
28. Contrast the following by defining the terms: somatic & germ cell, sexual & asexual reproduction, haploid & diploid
29. Compare and contrast mitosis and meiosis.
30. List the stages of the cell cycle and describe what events occur during each.
31. Describe the process of binary fission.
32. Compare and contrast mitosis in plant and animal cells.
33. Describe the events that occur during mitosis & meiosis.
34. Contrast the following by defining the terms: spermatogenesis & oogenesis, autosomes & sex chromosomes, meiosis & fertilization
35. Explain Mendel’s three laws of genetics.
36. Recognize and solve genetic problems involving monohybrid & dihybrid crosses.
37. Define the following terms: heterozygous, homozygous, genotype, phenotype, co-dominance, incomplete dominance, dominant alleles, recessive alleles, and testcross.
38. Discuss and give examples of the following factors that influence phenotypes: pleiotrophy, polygenic genes, and multiple alleles.
39. Describe the following types of mutations dealing with chromosomal variations: inversion, translocation, deletion, duplication, polypoid, and aneuploid.
40. Define karyotype and discuss how it can be used to identify genetic disorders.
41. Recognize autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, and sex-linked disorders using pedigree charts.
42. State examples and give a brief description of the following: autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, and sex-linked disorders.
43. Explain the structure and function of DNA.
44. Discuss the semi-conservative model of DNA replication.
45. Explain how a gene is expressed thru the processes of transcription and translation.
46. Identify the functions of mRNA, tRNA, & rRNA.
47. Compare and contrast frame shift & point mutations.
48. Explain the different levels used by prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells to regulate gene activity.
49. Describe what can happen to a cell that fails to control its cell cycle.
50. Explain the role and importance of tumor suppressor genes and proto-oncogenes.
51. Discuss how cancer can be prevented.
52. Describe the process used to produce recombinant DNA and its uses in biotechnology.

*Slight modifications in course objectives may occur throughout the course.

Student Requirements
If you have not already received login information for Blackboard/Banner/E-mail, you will need to contact the Enrollment Management office at (575) 492-2546.

Check first-time login page for instructions at www.nmjc.edu/distancelearning/coursescourseschedules/blackboardinstructions.aspx.

Blackboard Assistance

• Call the Blackboard helpdesk at (575) 399-2199 to gain an understanding of the software environment for your class.

You must have access, on a regular basis, to a computer that supports the Blackboard minimum specifications and has an active connection to the Internet. See the minimum computer specification requirements at www.nmjc.edu/distancelearning/coursescourseschedules/blackboardinstructions.aspx.

Students will be held responsible for the information on these pages.

Attendance Policy and Participation Expectations
It is expected that you regularly log into class at least three times weekly and check your Blackboard mail to ensure you have not missed any changes/updates. Students are expected to complete discussions/quizzes/tests/ assignments before deadlines expire.

Online Learning Environment
By participating in an online class, you undertake responsibility for your own progress and time management.

• Pay attention to deadlines and do not forget them (keep a calendar if it helps).
• Carefully read and understand all assignments.
• Complete assignments according to posted instructions and notes. Do not just glance at an assignment before attempting to complete it (this is likely to result in a poor grade).
• Questions may be posed for clarification in the class discussion area or by sending an e-mail to your instructor.

Academic Honesty
Each student is expected to maintain the highest standards of honesty and integrity in online academic and professional matters. The College reserves the right to take disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, against any student who is found guilty of academic dishonesty or otherwise fails to meet these standards. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, dishonesty in quizzes, tests, or assignments; claiming credit for work not done or done by others; and nondisclosure or misrepresentation in filling out applications or other College records. Cheating or gaining illegal information for any type of graded work is considered dishonest and will be dealt with accordingly.

Plagiarism
Offering the work of another as one’s own, without proper acknowledgment, is plagiarism; therefore, any student who fails to give credit for quotations or essentially identical expression of material taken from books, encyclopedias, magazines and other reference works, or from the themes, reports, or other writings of a fellow student, is guilty of plagiarism. Plagiarism violates the academic honesty policy and is considered cheating.

Withdrawal Policy
The instructor has the right to drop any student who has failed to log on to Blackboard for two weeks or more, but it is not guaranteed that the instructor will drop you. If you choose to stop participating in an online class, you should withdraw yourself from the class by contacting the Enrollment Management Office (575-492-2546 or 800-657-6260), completing the proper paperwork by 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 8, 2010, and notifying your instructor. Failure to withdraw yourself from a course by this date may result in your receiving an “F” in the course.

Late Assignments
Assignments must be submitted by the date and time listed. It is not possible to make-up any assignments without prior approval from the professor.

Blackboard Help
If you experience difficulty with Blackboard you may reach the Blackboard Helpdesk at Bbhelpdesk@nmjc.edu, or by calling the 24 hour helpdesk phone at (575) 399-2199.

Online Tutoring Assistance
Free online tutoring services are available to all NMJC students (after the third week of class) through Smarthinking.com. If you experience difficulty utilizing Smarthinking, please contact the Blackboard Helpdesk at Bbhelpdesk@nmjc.edu, or by calling the 24 hour helpdesk phone at (575) 399-2199.

ADA Information
Any student requiring special accommodations should contact the Special Needs Student Services Coordinator at (575) 492-2576 or by e-mail at specialneeds@nmjc.edu.

Netiquette
The professor is responsible for monitoring and evaluating student conduct and student behavior within the Blackboard course. By registering for this class, the student is assumed to have entered into an agreement with New Mexico Junior College and the professor to log into the class regularly and to behave in an appropriate manner at all times. Disruptive behavior may result in the student being removed from the class and dropped for the semester. For comprehensive information on the common rules of netiquette and other online issues, please review the NMJC Online Student Handbook.