2483A Course Outline 2020 PDF

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Biology 2483A

Ecology

Fall 2020

1. General Course Information Lectures: Asynchronous on-line delivery, materials available on the course OWL site. The lecture schedule is divided into Units (including corresponding Chapters) following the organization of the 5th edition of the textbook. There will be a quiz at the end of each Unit. See section 5 of this document for information about what to do if you miss a quiz. The Unit schedule is available on the course website and in section 11 of this document. Tutorials: Tutorials are divided into three types of activities: (i) asynchronous on-line tutorial simulations, (ii) asynchronous discussion forum and (iii) synchronous sessions with the teaching assistants (TAs). The synchronous sessions will occur during some of your scheduled tutorial times (sections 002 – 017). Recording or photographing tutorial sessions is not permitted, except where recording is an approved accommodation. The tutorial schedule and TA contact information are available on the course OWL site. See section 5 of this document for information about what happens if you miss a synchronous tutorial session. Prerequisites: A minimum grade of 60% in either Biology 1001A or 1201A and a minimum grade of 60% in either Biology 1002B or 1202B, or Integrated Science 1001X. Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites. From the Registrar’s website: https://www.registrar.uwo.ca/updates.html. Due to uncertainty around Covid-19, students must have a reliable internet connection and computer that are compatible with on-line learning and testing system requirements. Some courses may also require the use of a remote proctoring platform (such as Proctortrack) to ensure tests are taken fairly in accordance with Western's policy on Scholastic Discipline for Undergraduate Students and Scholastic Discipline for Graduate Students. Refer to section 9 of this document and Western's Remote Proctoring Website for further information. This course requires: Stable internet connection

Laptop or computer

Working microphone

Working webcam

All course material will be posted to OWL: http://owl.uwo.ca. Any changes will be indicated on the OWL site and students will be notified by e-mail. If students need assistance, they can seek support on the OWL Help page. Alternatively, they can contact the Western Technology Services Helpdesk. They can be contacted by phone at 519-661-3800 or ext. 83800. Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are the preferred browsers to use OWL; update your browsers frequently. Students interested in evaluating their internet speed, please click here.

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Online Participation and Engagement Students are expected to participate and engage with content as much as possible. Students are expected to participate in the tutorial-based on-line discussion forum by completing the on-line simulation and then posting a comment no later than 24 hours before their scheduled tutorial session. Students are expected to participate in the TA-led tutorial sessions at their scheduled time. Students may also participate by interacting in the general discussion forums with their peers, TAs and instructors.

2. Instructor Information Course administrator: Dr. Sheila Macfie [email protected] Tutorial and TA coordinator: Dr. Graeme Taylor [email protected] Students are expected to consult the on-line material, the textbook and the on-line general discussion forum before contacting their TA or instructor. We are waiting to hear about getting a single e-mail for Ecology to which students should send questions about the course material. Students must use their Western (@uwo.ca) email addresses when contacting their TAs or instructors. The TA contact information is posted on the course OWL site. E-mail responses can be expected within 2 working days (excludes weekends and holidays). E-mails will usually be addressed during regular work hours (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.). Office hours (via Zoom, connection details to follow): Dr. Macfie: Fridays 1:30-2: 20 pm on Sept. 11, 18, 25, Oct. 2, 9, 23, 30, Nov. 13, 20, Dec. 4 Fridays 10:30-11:20 am on Oct 16, Nov 6, 27. Dr. Taylor: Wednesdays 2:30-3:20 pm

3. Course Description Course content: In addition to covering fundamental concepts about how life on Earth interacts with the environment, this course provides the foundation for 3000- and 4000-level courses in ecology and conservation biology. By the end of the course, students will be able to describe and explain the ecological mechanisms and interactions that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms in the environment at the population, community, and ecosystem levels. Students will also be able to explain ecological concepts within an evolutionary context. Course-level learning outcomes: By the end of this course, students should be able to • Describe and explain the ecological mechanisms and interactions that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms • Explain ecological concepts within an evolutionary context • Interpret and create figures and tables that illustrate ecological concepts and phenomena • Apply knowledge to new situations, scenarios and cases Mode of delivery: On-line. Lectures are asynchronous. Tutorial activities are a mix of asynchronous and synchronous. The dates and times are posted on the course OWL site. Course topics: See section 11 of this document for a break-down of the lecture and tutorial topics covered within each Unit.

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4. Course Materials Required Textbook: Bowman and Hacker, Ecology 5th edition. The textbook will be an important resource for students. The 4th edition (Authors: Bowman, Hacker and Cain) is also acceptable. The content is nearly identical and the order of topics in the two editions is the same, except for Chapters 9-11. SimBio software: This software will be used for five of the six tutorial sessions. A discount has been negotiated for Bio 2483A students. You may either i) purchase a SimBio voucher from The BookStore at Western or ii) purchase the software directly from the publisher. Instructions for setting up the software have been posted on the OWL site under the tutorial info tab. Computer and related hardware: Students must have a reliable internet connection and computer that are compatible with on-line learning and testing system requirements. This course will also require the use of a remote proctoring platform (such as Proctortrack) to ensure tests are taken fairly in accordance with Western's policy on Scholastic Discipline for Undergraduate Students and Scholastic Discipline for Graduate Students. Refer to Section 9 of this document and the remote proctoring privacy website for further information OWL website: Students should check OWL (http://owl.uwo.ca) on a regular basis for news and updates. This is the primary method by which information will be disseminated to all students in the class. Items posted to this website include lecture materials, tutorial schedule and TA contact information, a question/answer forum, announcements, and other course information. Official course announcements will be posted on the course OWL site and sent via e-mail to all students registered in the course. Please check the OWL site (htpp://owl.uwo.ca) and your uwo.ca e-mail on a regular basis. Missing course information due to not checking OWL or your uwo.ca e-mail cannot be used as a basis for appeal. Similarly, missing information due to an email account going over quota cannot be used as a basis for appeal. Professors Macfie and Taylor own the intellectual property of the lecture content even when such lectures or materials have been posted online. Students are not to post lectures or lecture materials to any other websites or platforms or use the lecture recording or materials for any other purpose without our consent. We expressly prohibit the recording, copying and/or distributing of the lecture material (video or annotated slide deck).

5. Methods of Evaluation and Evaluation Policies The overall course grade will be calculated as listed below: 49% 6% 6% 39%

*Quizzes (7 x 7% each) **Participation in synchronous sessions with the TA (6 x 1% each) **Participation in asynchronous tutorial discussion forum (6 x 1% each) Final Exam (cumulative; date and time TBA)

*Please see the table in section 11 of this document for the quiz topics and quiz dates. Students may access each quiz from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Eastern time on the posted quiz day. Once a quiz is started, each student will have only 30 minutes to complete the quiz. **The tutorial schedule and TA contact information are available on the course OWL site.

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All quizzes are due at 8:00 pm Eastern Time unless otherwise specified Virtual proctoring will be used for the final exam. Refer to the remote proctoring privacy website and section 9 of this document for further information Written answers to quiz and exam questions may be submitted to Turnitin Multiple choice answers and examples of answers to short answer quiz questions will be made available via OWL 24 hours after the quiz period has ended. Please be patient; after the TAs and instructors have graded the short answer questions, the grades will be posted in the OWL gradebook. If you think that there was a problem with the grading, first review the relevant content in the textbook and take note of those pages for reference, then reach out to your TA. Your TA contact window opens two days after the quiz grades are posted and will close seven days from that time. Students are expected to complete the on-line simulations. Participation in tutorials includes posting comments on the on-line forum as well as attending, and contributing to, the synchronous tutorial discussion session. Students are expected to use Zoom for the synchronous tutorial sessions. Click here for a detailed and comprehensive set of policies and regulations concerning examinations and grading. The table below outlines the University-wide grade descriptors. A+ A B C D F

90-100 80-89 70-79 60-69 50-59 below 50

One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level Superior work which is clearly above average Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory Competent work, meeting requirements Fair work, minimally acceptable Fail

Information about missed evaluations: Missed synchronous tutorial sessions cannot be rescheduled. Students who miss a session without a self-reported absence (SRA) will receive 0% (out of 1%) for each missed session. Up to two missed tutorial sessions with a self-reported absence (SRA) will be accommodated by reweighting the value of the other tutorial sessions. Students who miss more than two tutorial sessions will receive 0% on the third (or more) missed session. See section 8 for information about SRAs. Missed asynchronous tutorial discussion postings cannot be accommodated. Students will receive 0% (out of 1%) for each missed posting. Post your comment(s) to the discussion forum well before the deadline to avoid technical problems! Missed quizzes without self-reported absences (SRA) cannot be accommodated. Students will receive 0% (out of 7%) for each missed quiz. Missed quizzes with self-reported absences (SRA) will be accommodated. The weight of each missed quiz (7%) will be transferred to the weight of the final exam (e.g., one missed quiz means that the weight of the final exam shifts from 39% to 46%). However, students must have completed at least 5 of the 7 quizzes to be eligible to write the final exam. Missed quizzes with academic consideration will be accommodated. See section 8 of this document for more information about academic consideration. The weight of each missed quiz (7%) will be transferred to the weight of the final exam (e.g., one missed quiz means that the weight of the final exam shifts from 39% to 46%). However, students must have completed at least 5 of the 7 quizzes to be eligible to write the final exam.

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A make-up final exam* will be available to those students who have received academic consideration for missing the regularly scheduled exam. See section 8 of this document for more information about academic consideration. If a make-up final exam* is missed by a student who also received academic consideration for missing the make-up exam, the student will receive an INC and complete the task the next time the course is offered. *If you miss the final or SPC exam, please contact your faculty’s Academic Counselling Office as soon as you are able to do so. They will assess your eligibility to write the Special Exam (the name given by the university to a make-up Final Exam). The make-up exam will be held in January 2021. Quiz and examination conflicts: A student with quizzes and examinations having flexible submission times cannot request alternative arrangements unless a conflict cannot be avoided by rescheduling writing the quiz or exam to a different time within the window specified by the instructor. This applies to direct conflicts as well as “heavy load” conflicts (e.g., three exams within a 23-hour period). The student should discuss any concerns about a potential conflict and/or request accommodation with their academic counselling unit prior to the deadline to drop a course without academic penalty. In the case of on-line examinations, an “Examination Conflict Room,” which may be assigned when a student is scheduled to write two proctored exams concurrently, will be interpreted as arrangements for continuous proctoring (back-to-back proctored exams).

6. EDI statement The pronouns used by Graeme Taylor are he/him, and those used by Sheila Macfie are she/her. In keeping with our shared values and based on the principles of diversity and equity defined in the policies of Western University (http://www.uwo.ca/hr/diversity/index.html) we have adopted a definition of diversity that includes all facets and any differences that define how individuals perceive themselves.

7. Land acknowledgment We acknowledge that Western University is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron peoples, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum. This land continues to be home to diverse Indigenous peoples (e.g., First Nations, Métis and Inuit) whom we recognize as contemporary stewards of the land and vital contributors of our society. More information about Indigenous Services (https://indigenous.uwo.ca/) and this Land Acknowledgement (https://communications.uwo.ca/comms/land-acknowledgement/) are available.

8. Accommodation and Accessibility Accommodation Policies: Students with disabilities work with Accessible Education (formerly SSD) which provides recommendations for accommodation based on medical

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documentation or psychological and cognitive testing. The Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities policy can be found at: Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities. For specific questions about academic accommodations please contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS): 519-661-2147; http://sdc.uwo.ca/ssd/index.html. Quizzes are timed and will be 30 minutes in length. Students who are very well prepared should be able to complete each quiz within 20 minutes. If you are a student with a disability and require extra time accommodation, please ensure your accommodations are active on the Accommodated Exams website https://studentservices.uwo.ca/Accommodatedexamssignup/ for this course 10 days before the quiz. Any accommodations posted there will be applied to your quiz (and subsequent quizzes). The final exam is timed and will be 2 hours in length. If you are a student with a disability and require extra time accommodation, please ensure your accommodations are active on the Accommodated Exams website https://studentservices.uwo.ca/Accommodatedexamssignup/ for this course by November 20, 2020. Any accommodations posted there will be applied to your final exam.

Policy on Academic Consideration for Student Absence: Students will have up to two (2) opportunities during the regular academic year to use an on-line portal to self-report an absence during the semester, provided the following conditions are met: the absence is no more than 48 hours in duration, and the assessment for which consideration is being sought is worth 30% or less of the student’s final grade. Students are not required to contact their instructors or TA for a self-reported absence. Students are not able to use the self-reporting option in the following circumstances: • • • •

for exams scheduled by the Office of the Registrar (e.g., December and April exams) absence of a duration greater than 48 hours, assessments worth more than 30% of the student’s final grade, if a student has already used the self-reporting portal twice during the academic year

If the conditions for a Self-Reported Absence are not met, students will need to provide a Student Medical Certificate if the absence is medical or provide appropriate documentation if there are compassionate grounds for the absence in question. Students are encouraged to contact their Faculty academic counselling office to obtain more information about the relevant documentation. Students should also note that individual instructors are not permitted to receive documentation directly from a student, whether in support of an application for consideration on medical grounds, or for other reasons. All documentation required for absences that are not covered by the Self-Reported Absence Policy must be submitted to the Academic Counselling office of a student's Home Faculty. For policy on Academic Consideration for Student Absences, see: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_abs ences.pdf and for the Student Medical Certificate (SMC), see: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/medicalform.pdf

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Religious Accommodation: Students should consult the University's list of recognized religious holidays, and should give reasonable notice in writing, prior to the holiday, to the Instructor and an Academic Counsellor if their course requirements will be affected by a religious observance. Additional information is given in the Western Multicultural Calendar: https://multiculturalcalendar.com/ecal/index.php?s=c-univwo You may also be eligible to write the Special Exam if you are in a “Multiple Exam Situation” (see http://www.registrar.uwo.ca/examinations/exam_schedule.html).

9. Academic Policies The website for Registrarial Services is http://www.registrar.uwo.ca. E-mail: In accordance with policy, http://www.uwo.ca/its/identity/activatenonstudent.html, the centrally administered e-mail account provided to students will be considered the individual’s official university e-mail address. It is the responsibility of the account holder to ensure that e-mail received from the University at his/her official university address is attended to in a timely manner. Synchronous tutorial sessions: Tutorial discussions in this course will be conducted using Zoom. You will be required to keep your camera on for the entire session, your microphone should be muted until it is your turn to speak. The tutorial session will not be recorded. Only participants using their UWO credentials will be permitted to access the tutorial session. Completion of this course will require you to have a reliable internet connection and a device that meets the system requirements for Zoom. Information about the system requirements are available at the following link: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us. Please note that Zoom servers are located outside Canada. If you would prefer to use only your first name or a...