UTF-8\'\'Sci100Syllabus Fall 2020ss PDF

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Science 100-100/300: “Water; An Interdisciplinary Study” Monday Lecture/Friday Lecture Fall 2020 Syllabus Instructor: Ms. Susan Schreier Office Hours: By appointment using either BB Collaborate or WebEx E-mail: [email protected] (this is the BEST WAY to reach me) Graduate Teaching Assistants: Ms. Melisa Argañaraz-Gomez; [email protected] Mr. Jason Chase [email protected] Ms. Beatriz Shobe [email protected] Lecture meetings: Monday (section 100) OR Friday (section 300): Our synchronous lecture meetings will be held @ 1:00PM2:15PM in BB Collaborate. Goals and Objectives: The purpose of this course is to offer those students not majoring in the natural or physical sciences, an interdisciplinary lab science experience, integrating principles of biology, chemistry, physics and earth sciences around the central theme of water. Unlike traditional courses, this course will take an inquiry-based approach in lab, will be somewhat flexible in the topics covered. As we are fully online this semester, the laboratory portion will consist of both virtual simulations and collaborative work where students will work in groups designing, implementing, analyzing and presenting the results of experiments in a variety of formats. It is expected that students will have the motivation necessary to complete the online activities to the best of their abilities and in a timely fashion. This course will provide students with the opportunity to develop the following skills and abilities:  To experience the application of the scientific process: development of hypotheses, implement and design an experiment, collect and analyze data, and communicate results  To describe the importance of water to living organisms, from sub-cellular to ecosystem level processes  To be able to think critically about science and society  To explain the chemical, physical, and biological factors that affect water quality and how they are applied  To read and comment on issues relating to water, water quality, (and science) at local, national and international levels  To demonstrate basic computer skills necessary to succeed in academia as well as the current business world

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To demonstrate oral and written communication skills To experience working in a group setting

This course fulfills the university distribution requirement for a science + lab course and it addresses the listed competencies as defined by the Maryland Higher Education Commission: Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning, and Technological Competency. Taking this course Pass/Fail will NOT satisfy the University GFR/GEP science + lab requirement; you MUST take it for a grade and pass with a C or better for it to count. Structure of the Course: Class will meet synchronously, at the schedule lecture and lab times, through Blackboard Collaborate. There are quizzes, homework assignments and online journal activities to complete between class meetings. It is imperative that you have good internet connectivity and a device you can use to access and complete course work. Method of Evaluation Please check the lecture/lab schedule for relevant times and due dates. NOTE: Assignments are routinely due at the start of either lecture or lab as stipulated in the schedule. Please see the late work policy in course policy section. A. Exams- 22.5% -(Midterm @10% and Final @12.5%) Exams consist of multiple-choice questions and will cover material from both the lecture/ discussion and lab portions of the class. The Final Exam will be cumulative but will stress the last half of the course. Final exam dates are set by UMBC. Travel plans are not an acceptable reason to take the exam at a time other than scheduled by the University. In the event of a conflict exam, appropriate arrangements will be made. B. Estuary Lab Report- 10% There will be one formal lab report due during the course of the session, worth 10% of your grade. General and specific details on writing a lab report, including a grading rubric, are available online. You are highly encouraged to read this material prior to writing the first lab report. C. Group Project - 20% You will be working as a group in lab to design and analyze data on local water quality. The group research project includes the following: a group project preparatory statement and bibliography, a lab report, an oral presentation, and a peer evaluation. Details on the group project can be viewed on the course website. D. Quizzes– 10% (100 pts; 5@20 pts each): There will be 6 quizzes on Blackboard worth 20 points each. This does not include the syllabus/course quiz covering the syllabus and grading methods in this course. Quizzes may be taken only once. Once you start the quiz, it must be completed. Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped. NOTE: You will not have access to these quizzes until you have completed the Course Quiz with a score of 100%.

E. Other Assignments–30% You will have several assignments to complete online/in Blackboard (Simbio and Weekly Water Journals topics). You will also be using a group discussion board in order to develop and complete your group research project. This portion of your grade also includes participation in class & lab, as well as the Simbio workbooks Simbio SimUText Virtual Labs – 20% (50 points each, 200 pts total): There are 4 SimBio virtual lab exercises to be turned in – deadlines are listed on the lecture/lab schedule. Participation on Blackboard = Weekly Water Journal – 10% (100 pts): You will be expected to routinely access Blackboard, once a week, and make a meaningful post about a topic of interest related to science and/or water. Your will be responding specific topics that will be posted in the Weekly Water Journal section of the course. At the end of the semester, journal entries will be graded. Note that you can only post entries in the time frame assigned. Please see the guidelines online for specific requirements F. Class Participation – 7.5% (75 points): You will be able to earn participation points over the semester, for both lecture and lab). Lab Participation Points (5.5%) may be earned by turning assignments in by the end of your lab session (for in lab group work) or by submitting required assignments at the start of your scheduled lab time. If you do, you will earn 5 points towards class participation. If you cannot turn the assignment in the start of lab/on time, you may still submit it, with the loss of a participation point per day up to three days past its due date. Once that time has passed, you may not earn these participation points. The points breakdown is as follows: 5 pts turned in by the start of lab (e.g. Tuesday 10:00am) 4 points: turned in by end of day lab is scheduled (Tuesday by 11:59pm) 3 points turned in by end of day, day after lab (Wednesday by 11:59pm) 2 points end of day 2 days after (Thursday by 11:59pm) 1 point three days after (Friday 11:59pm) Past the third day, a lab assignment will still be accepted for grading up to end of day on the 5th day after lab day for credit (although it will not earn participation points). After 5 days lab assignments will not be accepted for a grade. Lab on Tuesday >>> 5th day is Saturday Lab on Wed >>> 5th day is Sunday Lab on Thursday >>>> 5 th day is Monday Lab on Friday >>>> 5th day is Tuesday Lecture Participation (2%): From time to time through the semester you will be asked to complete short assignments from lecture, either in groups or individually. Due as assigned by the instructor. Total =100%

Final Letter Grade Assignment: Final letter grades will be assigned according to the following scale: ≥90% = A 80% -89.9% = B 70% -79.9% = C 60% -69.9% = D...