Course Description and Learning Objectives

Course Description

BISC207 is the first semester of a two semester Introductory Biology course designed for students majoring in disciplines, primarily Science disciplines, that require a knowledge and appreciation for basic Biological principles. This includes all Biology majors who use this course as the groundwork for future courses. The major topics include Biological Molecules, Cellular Structure and Function, Enzyme Function, Energy Transfer (Cellular Respiration and Photosynthesis), Cell Division, and Molecular and Classical Genetics.

Content Objectives

At the conclusion of the course students should understand

• the major classes of biological molecules and their function in cellular activity
• the structure of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
• the structure and function of the cell membrane (osmosis; transport mechanisms)
• the structure, function, and regulation of enzymes
• the connection between cellular respiration pathways and photosynthetic pathways
• the molecular nature of the gene
• the mechanism of protein biosynthesis in cells
• asexual and sexual modes of cell division
• the principles governing inheritance

During the course of the semster students will learn

• to cooperate with others to achieve a group goal
• to take responsibility for their contribution to a group goal
• to use resources to find information needed to solve a problem
• to evaluate the resources and the information they contain
• to apply content information to the solving of a problem
• to recognize new applications of content information
• to appreciate the role of Biology in the world today

Mastery of content objectives will be measured in the following ways

• performance on three assessment examinations related to lecture material that will consist of a multiple choice and  objective section and possibly a section requiring that students write short answers or solve simple problems
• scientific content of the debates about current issues of importance to the biological sciences and society
• reports related to the debate topics
• peer evaluations of group and individual contributions to the debates
• performance on debate- related content questions on assessment examinations

Progress on process objectives will be determined in the following ways

• Peer evaluations from group members reflecting each group member's contribution to the group
• References and resources used, included in reports and used in support of debate positions
• Attendance at group sessions in class and at all debates
• Attendance at group sessions called by the group out of class
• Quality of the group performance during the debate