Course Syllabus for The Human Organism (BIOL1147)

Course Description:

Introduces the structure and function of the human body. Emphasizes the principles of biological and physical science as they relate to life processes in health and disease. Proper structure and function of all twelve body systems will be reviewed, followed by examination of dysfunction and disease.

Required Textbook:

Virtual textbook: Anatomy & Physiology on Openstax (Free Access)

Assignments and Grading

Weekly Quizzes: 40%

There is a total of 11 quizzes on the topics reviewed in the presentations and readings. Quizzes are due each Sunday by midnight, EST. The quizzes will contain 10 questions consisting of multiple choice, matching, ordering, true/false, identification, fill in the blank. There is a 25-minute time limit and it can only be opened & submitted once. After you submit the assessment, all you will see is your score. You will not know which questions you answered incorrectly until after the late deadline when all students complete the assessment.

Discussions: 40%

There will be a weekly discussion on the Canvas discussion forum. Students will be required to post a primary response to the posted topic/question of no less than 250 words. Students are also required to respond to one of their classmate’s primary posts. These secondary responses must review a different question from your primary. In summary, all students will post 2 times a week in response to 2 different topics/questions) Primary responses are due by 11:59pm EST on Thursdays, EST. Secondary responses are due by 11:59pm EST on the subsequent Sunday. Citations are required and content must go beyond lecture/text. Use at least two sources that are not your textbook or the weekly lecture. Quotations that involve more than five words or occur more than twice are not allowed.

All responses must be in your own words. Citing a source does not give students the right to use information verbatim. Plagiarism will NOT be tolerated. Changes, such as substituting a few words or moving the order of clauses, do not constitute your own words. Any plagiarized response will not receive credit. I have posted a plagiarism checker on Canvas so you can double check your work before you submit your posts. ALL STUDENTS MUST POST THE PRIMARY TO TURNITIN & THE DISCUSSION BOARD FOR CREDIT. Further discussion board requirements and expectations are outlined in the course Canvas site. Students are required to review this document and contact instructor with any questions.

The class will be divided into groups and will work together to prepare a power-point presentation on a disease/disorder affecting your assigned body system. Each student will be assigned a group numberafter the last day to add a course ends. The topic and research article must be approved by the instructor. Each presentation should include no less than seven sources from news sources or the primary literature. Each slide should include audio narration. Each group member is required to participate in the narration. If I must reach out to a student more than once about participating, the student will be removed from the group and receive a zero.

Project outline and grading rubric are posted on your course site.

Students are to provide thorough feedback on two other group presentations. Peer reviews are posted to Canvas and contain two parts: A rating system and an editorial review.

Extra credit assignments or curves are not available. Grade is assigned according to breakdown on course site.

The three lowest quiz and three lowest discussion board grades will be dropped from the final average.

Policy on late work

There is a penalty of 10% per day taken off for late discussion board responses, quizzes, group projects, and peer reviews. Late assignments will not be accepted after 2 days.

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure the appropriate software, operating system and reliable internet connection are obtain in order to complete assignments. Assessments will not be reset for any technology issue that occurs more than once. Chrome is the recommended browser for Canvas.

Problems submitting work require students to contact the instructor immediately by email and provide a screenshot of the error. Students are also required to contact the HELP desk to submit a ‘ticket’. https://its.northeastern.edu/support/

In canvas, there is a Help icon on the front page.

Here you will find several live and 24 hr access to help either with Canvas directly or Northeastern’sTech Support. Great resources!

Academic Integrity:

All work is expected to be the student’s OWN individual work, and cheating will not be tolerated. Anyone caught cheating will be punished to the full extent that the college allows, the minimum punishment being receipt of a failing grade on the assignment in question. Refer to the following website for academic integrity policies of Northeastern University: http://www.northeastern.edu/osccr/academichonesty.html

Course Schedule

A lecture accompanies each class to direct your focus in the text and present additional material.

The instructor reserves the right to amend this syllabus, both online and the document itself, during the term and will notify students of the change(s). The revised syllabus is the official record of the schedule of due dates.

How We Will Work Together Online

How We Will Communicate

Here is how I plan to use the Canvas communication tools:

• Announcements: I will post announcements beginning of each week. I will also use the announcements tool to communicate any important or time sensitive updates in the course. Please turn your announcement notifications on in your Canvas settings so you also receive announcements in email. This will help you keep on top of late-breaking developments.
• If you have questions about content or assignments: I have set up a discussion called “General Course Q&A". Please post questions about content and assignments here, so your classmates can benefit from the answers. I recommend that you Subscribe to the forum so you also receive forum messages in email.
• Email: Feel free to email me with questions of content or of a personal nature if there is an issue I should be aware of in terms of deadlines or access to University student support/help. You can reach me at [email protected] through your NU email account, or you can click Inbox in the course menu, search for our course and locate me or your lab instructor. See Instructions for how to use the Canvas Inbox here. You can expect a response within 24 hours on weekdays, 48 hours on weekends. Check your Northeastern email daily.

Academic Support

The We Care program is a support system that aids students when significant issues arise that impede their success. We Care assists departments in dealing with student crisis and provides information to faculty and staff who request guidance in identifying existing Northeastern resources and policies that can help students succeed.

The Disability Resource Center is dedicated, in partnership with their diverse constituents, to being a model access office with state-of-the-art technology, cutting edge service provision, and exemplary customer service.

The DRC serves Northeastern students who have documented disabilities as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act as Amended (ADAAA) of 2008.

Students looking for additional assistance outside of the classroom are advised to consider working with a Peer Tutor through Knack. Northeastern University has partnered with Knack to provide students with access to

Technology Requirements and Support

I will be teaching this course using Canvas. I recommend bookmarking canvas.northeastern.edu/login for easy access. Prior to taking this course, review the basic computer specifications for Canvas. You can access Canvas

If you need help to using Canvas, online chat and phone support are available 24/7 by clicking on the help menu in the left-hand navigation. For additional help, around-the-clock Northeastern tech support is still availablestudents. For technology questions or assistance, contact the IT Service Desk 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, learn about ways to contact ITS Service Desk here.