Supplemental Syllabus:
NSCI 280 - Ecology
Instructor Information

Required Media

Julie Zhu
Textbook: Environmental Science: lzhu@bryantstratton.edu or call
A Study of Interrelationships, 13th
Julie Zhu at 315-652-7280 (9:00pm ed. Eldon D. Enger, McGraw-Hill, to 10:30pm) or by appointment.
ISBN: 9780073383279

Instructor’s Approach:

Welcome to Ecology! I am pleased to be your Instructor for the next 7.5 weeks! I would first like to stress how important it is to me that you be successful in not only this course and this college, but throughout your life. You will be supported by me in a learning environment that will build on what you already know by requiring you to engage actively in framing a question, research and apply answers and communicate the results. You will develop employment strategies and career expectations though online classroom instruction and interaction with your peers in the online classroom. We will discussion and implement strategies to help you achieve professional, educational, and personal success. The sharing of information through online discussion and activity from both me and your classmates can provide you with valuable insight.
My teaching philosophy is “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”. In this course, you will learn the environmental related issues through reading textbook chapters, handouts, online lectures readings, online discussion forum activities and environmental research projects. You will evaluate the historical relationship of and impact of human societies on the environment. You will learn how to identify the primary issues that challenge the field of environmental science. You will examine various methodologies that are used to isolate environmental changes as well as those that are used to effect environmental changes. I look forward to learning together with you in this Ecology class! Please let me know if you have any questions for this class. I am very happy to help you.

Virtual Office Hours:

Week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Fridays from 3:00pm to 4:00pm online Chat through Angel Online class by appointment. Instructor’s Late Policy:

While it is a good idea to submit all work by established deadlines, I understand there are times when things happen and your time is spent dealing with issues you weren't expecting. Keeping that in mind, I follow a late policy designed to help you be successful. However, the following conditions apply: Any assignment turned in late will have points deducted in the following manner:
1 day late= 5 point deduction
2 days late= 10 point deduction
3 or more days late= 15 point deduction
You will never see a late deduction of more than 15 points. Also, you are encouraged to submit all assignments no matter how late they are. Any score you earn will be better than a 0.
Grade Allocation:
Grading is broken into the following weighted categories:

Weekly Discussion 10%
Weekly Reflections – Weeks 2-7.5 10%
Midterm Exam - will occur in Week 4 15%
Final Exam – will occur in Week 7.5 15%
Final Research Project - (submission week 7) 20%
Weekly Assignments (activities) 30%

Grading Scale:
90-100%
A
B+
85-89%
B
80-84%
C+
75-79%
C
70-74%
D+
65-69%
F
0-64%

Course Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Evaluate the historical relationship of and impact of human societies on the environment.
2. Identify the primary issues that challenge the field of Environmental Science.
3. Examine various methodologies that are used to isolate environmental changes as well as those that are used to effect environmental changes.
4. Research and analyze contemporary environmental concerns from a variety of perspectives – historical, social, economic, and scientific – and advocate environmentally responsible course of action. 5. Follow established methods of inquiry and mathematical reasoning to form conclusions and make decisions.

Program Outcomes:
Liberal Arts courses work to support