Course Title: INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY Summer I 2021,

6 week
Welcome to: BIO 112-19Z1 (#1735) AND BIO 112-19Z2 (#1736)
Class type: Standard Online Course Please see BCTC Student Handbook – BCTC Learning
Options for details.

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:
Instructor: Professor Norm Strobel, PhD
Email: Norman.strobel@kctcs.edu This is the preferred mode of communication.
Phone: 859-246-6456 (leave a message or use email instead)
Office Location: 205K NSEC
Office Hours: Online by appointment only. Request an appointment by emailing me.
Virtual None
Communication:
SUMMER ASSISTANT DEANS
Assistant Dean (May 11 – June Angie King
28):
Email: Angie.King@kctcs.edu
Campus-Office: Newtown Campus – NCB 311G
Phone: (859) 246 – 6696
Assistant Dean (June 28 – August Vicki Partin
5):
Email: Vicki.Partin@kctcs.edu
Campus-Office: Newtown Campus – NCB 311S
Phone: (859) 246 – 6414
BCTC INFORMATION
BCTC Website: Bluegrass.kctcs.edu
KCTCS Blackboard: elearning.kctcs.edu
KCTCS MyPath: mypath.kctcs.edu (access to Email, Student Self-Service, etc.)
BCTC Academic For important information, including BCTC Academic Policies and BCTC
Policies & Student Resources and Student Services, please see the BCTC Student Handbook.
Services:
BCTC ACCOMMODATIONS
BCTC Students with disabilities who require accommodations (academic
Accommodations: adjustments and/or auxiliary aids or services) for a course, must contact
BCTC’s Disability Support Services (DSS). Students should not request
accommodations directly from the instructor.
 DSS Email: BL_DSS@kctcs.edu
 DSS Toll-Free Phone: 1 – 866 – 774 – 4872 ext. 6728

Summer 2021 Page 1

COURSE INFORMATION
COURSE DESCRIPTION Basic study of structure, function and interactions of living organisms including
cell theory, genetics, energetics, evolution and ecology. Lecture: 3 credits (45 contact hours). Not for Life
Science majors. Prerequisites: None.

COURSE COMPETENCIES Student Learning Outcomes for Natural Sciences

In BIO 112, students will learn to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the methods of science inquiry by using the logic of the
scientific method to answer biological questions and draw sound scientific conclusions.
2. Explain basic concepts and principles in one or more of the sciences by comprehending basic
biological concepts and principles that govern living organisms as presented in class.
3. Apply scientific principles to interpret and make predictions in one or more of the sciences by
solving genetics problems and experimental design problems.
4. Explain how scientific principles relate to issues of personal and/or public importance by
understanding the position of humans in the hierarchy of life.

GENERAL EDUCATION COMPETENCIES 

Students should prepare for the twenty-first century by gaining:
A. Knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural worlds through study in the sciences
and mathematics, social sciences, humanities, histories, languages, and the arts.  
B. Intellectual and practical skills, including inquiry and analysis, critical and creative thinking,
written and oral communication, quantitative literacy, information literacy, teamwork, and
problem-solving.  
C. Personal and social responsibility, including civic knowledge and engagement (local and global),
intercultural knowledge and competence, ethical reasoning and action, foundations and skills for
lifelong learning.  
D. Integrative and applied learning, including synthesis and advanced accomplishment across
general and specialized skills. 

ADDITIONAL COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Learning outcome: Students will understand the following basic biological concepts and principles:
1. Evolution as the unifying theory of the study of life
2. DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis
3. The molecular basis of inheritance
4. The Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance
5. The cell as the basic unit of life
6. Cell function, cell growth, and cell reproduction.
7. The diversity of life on Earth
8. Photosynthesis and cellular respiration
9. Energy (ATP) as the common denominator of life

Summer 2021 Page 2

CLASS MATERIALS
Required Technology/Equipment: Regular and consistent access to a computer and high-speed internet
is required for this course. Mobile devices such as cellphones and some tablets may not be sufficient to
access all components of the course. Access to required technologies is necessary and expected, even
when open computer labs or public library access might be limited, so students should plan access to
technologies as needed. If you need assistance meeting this requirement, please contact your instructor
immediately.
Please see BCTC Student Handbook – Technology Essentials for BCTC Minimum Equipment
Requirements and BCTC Required Software.

Required Textbook/Supplies:
Required Text: Taylor, Simon, Dickey, Hogan & Reece:  Campbell Biology: Concepts and Connections,
10th edition (2018), Pearson/Benjamin Cummings Publishers. This textbook comes as an E-text within
the Blackboard course shell.

Course Fee:
Upon registration, a digital course fee was added to your student bill. This fee grants you access to the
eText and online content from the first day of class for less cost than the standard text. The eText and
online content can be accessed through Blackboard. No hardcopy of the text is required. No additional
purchases required for eText access.
Optional Textbook/Supplies: None

CLASS POLICIES AND EXPECTATIONS

Attendance/Participation:
This is a standard online course. All content and assignments are delivered online through Blackboard.
There are no scheduled online meetings, but I will be available by email appointment. Routine online
participation (at least 4-6 hours per week) is highly recommended, and it is monitored with respect to
student financial assistance. So much material is covered that most students will not find it possible to
earn a satisfactory grade unless they work consistently on the course material.
Attendance Verification (“No Show”):
Any student who does not complete the attendance verification assignment (Self-introduction posted in
DISCUSSION BOARD ASSIGNMENTS) area by the due date of NOON on Wednesday May 26, 2021will be
declared a “NO SHOW” for the course. Those students may be dropped and will not be eligible to
continue working in the course.

Academic Integrity Policy:

It is an expectation for all college classes that all academic work, written or otherwise, submitted by a
student to an instructor or other academic supervisor, is the result of the student’s own thought,
research, or self-expression. Utilizing outside resources and study groups for guidance of learning
concepts is strongly encouraged. However, all submitted work should be completed solely by the
student. This class follows the policies outlined in the KCTCS Code of Student Conduct.

Summer 2021 Page 3

Class Communications/Email Policy:
All email communication with your instructors must take place through the KCTCS email system. All
emails should include the SUTUDENT NAME and COURSE and SECTION NUMBERS in the subject line
(either BIO 112-19Z1 or BIO 112-19Z2, use the correct one for a more efficient response from me).
Emails are answered within 24-48 hours, but often much sooner. You should use proper English and
grammar and avoid “text-speak”. Communications that do not adhere to these policies may not receive
a response.

BCTC Equity and Unity Statement

BCTC welcomes and respects people of all cultures, religions, ages, socio-economic statuses, sexual
orientations, gender identities, national origins, languages, and abilities.  We celebrate individual
differences as we evolve to be the face of a unified world. Our differences strengthen our resolve to
deliver the highest standard of education in the Bluegrass Region.  (endorsed by BCTC Board of Directors –
3/1/2017) 
In this class, we build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates diversity. 
You belong. You should engage and participate. You matter.

CLASS REQUIREMENTS – What we will do in this course

Graded Course Components:
Discussion board posts: I will assign projects totaling 50 points. Topics may include (but are not limited
to) a self-introduction (due on or before the NO SHOW date of 5-26-21) and your own summaries and
critical responses to web-based articles related to biology chosen by the student from a list of options
posted by the instructor. Watch for announcements of these assignments throughout the semester.

Homework: I assign 15 online homework assignments (in Blackboard) worth 10 points each. These
assignments are typically 10-15 questions apiece, with one or two assignments per chapter to spread
out the workload. Note from the schedule at the end of this syllabus that all work from each workbook is
due by/on the day of the exam over that material. Of course, it is okay to submit work and exams before
the deadline, and I encourage you to do so! Blackboard will grade your homework and tell you which
items you got incorrect but will not indicate the correct answer. You are permitted unlimited attempts
so you should be able to get full points on all homework assignments. Start early and make full use of
the unlimited attempts you are allowed per assignment to maximize your learning and your grade! I
have Blackboard set such that only your highest score is recorded in the gradebook.

Quizzes:
Vocabulary quizzes: You will be submitting answers to 11 vocabulary quizzes in Blackboard. Some
chapters will have vocabulary quizzes and some will not. I recommend doing vocab quizzes before you
do the related homework.
Chapter quizzes: Preceding each exam is a set of quizzes over the chapters covered on the exam. As
with homework assignments, you can work on these quizzes offline before submitting your answers.
However, you are only allowed 2 submission attempts (30 minutes each) per chapter quiz.

Summer 2021 Page 4

Exams: There will be three regular exams as well as a comprehensive final exam all taken online (= a
total of four exams). Consult the course calendar for the schedule of exam dates. The first three exams
will primarily include material covered since the previous exam, but may require integration of Exams
continued: information learned earlier. The final exam will be comprehensive (at least 50% of questions
over the last material, the remainder over the prior material) and will also require some integration of
information learned over the course of the semester. Regular exams have 40-50 questions, and the final
exam has 100 questions. Exams 1-3 will include 4-5 short answer or essay questions. You will be
informed of the general topics addressed by those questions before you take the test, and you should
prepare for them in advance. Do not use web sources, only your E-text and my workbooks. Write your
own answers and be sure to answer the questions asked briefly but completely. Short answers
essentially cut and pasted from websites will not be given credit and will receive an additional penalty of
10 points for each occurrence. Please allow 7-10 days for grading of online exams and discussion board
posts. The exams (including the final) will not be proctored. The final exam will be available to you from
9 am Thursday 6-24 until 11 pm Friday 6-25-2021.

COURSE GRADE
Midterm Grades and Official Course Grades:
Midterm grades will be posted as indicated on the BCTC Academic Calendar. Blackboard shows in-
progress grades only. Official Midterm and Final Course Grades are accessed through your Student Self-
Service account. See instructions for accessing grades.
Final Course Grade:
Final grades are calculated as follows:
Discussion Board postings 50 points
Homework (15 chapter assignments) 150 points
Vocabulary quizzes 150 points
Chapter quizzes (15) 150 points
“Regular” exams 3 x 100=300 points
Lowest regular exam dropped -100 points
Final exam 1 x 150=150 points
--------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL 850 points

Points Percentages Grade

765-850 90-100 A
680-764 80-89 B
595-679 70-79 C
510-594 60-69 D
Less than 510 0-59 E

Summer 2021 Page 5

MAKE-UP WORK/LATE WORK POLICY
This course allows you a limited degree of time flexibility within individual course blocks (workbooks), but there
are also hard deadlines to respect at the end of each block. Other hard deadlines include:
No show date (noon on Wednesday 5-26-21), and regular exam dates, by which time all related work must be
submitted (see schedule, next page). Discussion board postings (TBA) will also have firm deadline dates. The last
day of classes is Wednesday 6-23-21; ALL online work (except the final exam) is due no later than 11 PM.

WITHDRAWAL POLICY
I allow students to withdraw until Wednesday 6-23-21. Submit online request early using this link:
https://bluegrass.kctcs.edu/admissions/information-for/online-distance-learners/student-
resources/add-drop-a-class-withdraw.aspx
Through the Midterm (until Monday June 7), you may withdraw from any BCTC course without
instructor permission. After Midterm, you may withdraw until the last day of classes before the Final
Exam, with instructor permission. Instructor permission will be granted if you have met the
attendance/participation requirements of the course and have not yet taken the Final Exam.
For more information and instructions on how to withdraw see BCTC Withdrawal Procedures.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
STUDENT SUCCESS HUB:
The BCTC Student Success Hub (The Hub) provides student orientations, peer mentoring, study skills
workshops, study abroad opportunities, facilitates tutoring services, and is a general resource for all
students.
 BCTC Student Services Handbook
 Do you have a general question about student services? Reach out to bctc-hub@kctcs.edu!

FREE TUTORING:
Free on-campus Tutoring is available while campuses are open. Additionally, BCTC has free online
tutoring available through Thinkingstorm. See the Tutoring Website for general information or this
Tutoring Schedule link.

BCTC CLOSED CAMPUS – REMOTE INSTRUCTION CONTINGENCY PLAN

Please see BCTC Student Handbook – Closed Campus Contingency Policy for important information
about campus closures. Should we have an extended campus closure and be required to go to remote
learning, the following will detail any changes to our class. Please note, each instructor’s policies may
differ. Please check your email and/or course messages often for updates.
FOR BIO 112-19Z1 AND 19Z2 ONLINE:
An extended campus closure will not have a significant impact on our original online course content
delivery or policies.

Summer 2021 Page 6

COURSE SCHEDULE/CALENDAR BIO 112-19Z1 and 19Z2 SUMMER I, 2021

Dates in bold are absolute deadlines you must not miss!!! It is OK to work at faster!
Days Dates Topics Vocab quiz (=VQ) Homework (=HW)
M/Sun 5/17-23 Get oriented! Read syllabus, START HERE; make own work plan/schedule!
(Workbook 1) Submit self-intro (discussion board post #1)
Intro to bio in E-text Chap1 No VQ; HW1
Ecologic roles 1st half Ch37 VQ37-1 HW37-1
Ecologic roles 2nd half Ch37 VQ37-2 HW37-2
M/Tu 5/24-25 Cell structure/Function Ch4 No VQ HW4
Cell function Ch5 VQ 5 HW5
W 5/26 No Show date; must submit a minimum of one assignment by noon!!!
5/26 Chapter quizzes 1,37,4,5; before taking exam #1
***********Exam #1 due before 11 pm on Sunday 5-30-21***********

M/Sun 5/31-6/6 Okay to start this earlier/work faster!

(Workbook 2) Discussion board post 2, watch for announcement of topic
Energy/ Cell Respiration Ch6 VQ6 HW6
Photosynthesis Ch7 VQ7 HW7
Digestive system Ch21 VQ21 HW21
Circulatory system Ch22 NO VQ HW22
Respiratory system Ch23 NO VQ HW23
Chapter quizzes on chapters 6,7,21,22,23
***********Exam #2 due before 11 pm on Sunday 6-6-21***********

M/Sun 6/7-13 (M 6/7 is the last day to withdraw without my permission)

(Workbook 3) Discussion board post 3, watch for announcement of topic
Homeostasis Ch25 VQ25 HW25
Hormones Ch26 VQ26 HW26
Nervous system Ch28 VQ28 HW28
Immune system Ch24 VQ24 HW24
Chapter quizzes on chapters 24,25,26,28
***********Exam #3 due before 11 pm on Sunday 6-13-21***********

M 6/14 W 6/25 Discussion board posts 4-5, watch for announcements

(Workbook 4) Cell division No VQ HW8
Patterns of inheritance No VQ HW9
Molecular biology of cells VQ10 HW10
Chapter quizzes on chapters 8,9,10
Catch-up/Make-up opportunities
(W 6/25 is the last day to withdraw (at my discretion)
*********** Comprehensive Final Available 9 am Th 6/26, deadline 11 pm F 6/27***********

Summer 2021 Page 7