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Foundations of Science: Applications of Organismal and Environmental Biology ISB 202 Summer 2017 Instructor: Samantha Noll Office: 100 North Kedzie E-mail address: [email protected] READ THIS INFORMATION CAREFUL LY. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS IN THIS HANDOUT. Course Description: The course focuses on the nature of science as a reliable method of acquiring knowledge about the natural world. Students will learn how to apply key scientific facts, concepts, laws and theories to distinguish science from non -science, bad science, and psedudoscience by analyz ing a variety of claims and case studies. By employing an innovative, interdisciplinary approach to science education, this course is designed to increase science literacy and critical thinking skills for introductory -level students who are not science maj ors. The rationale for this course is to enhance your scientific literacy by making science both interesting and relevant. This will be accomplished by helping you understand how science works and how you can apply science in your daily life, especially wh en evaluating extraordinary/unusual claims in which almost everyone is interested – including UFOs, ESP, and mysterious creatures like Big Foot. Course Objectives: The experiences in the course are designed … • to enhance your understanding and appreciation of science as a proven and reliable method of comprehending the natural world. • to distinguish scientific from non -scientific and pseudoscientific ways of thinking about the world. • to provide you with skill s that will allow you to better engage with science material in the future. • to help you think more critically and to know how to make informed decisions. Course Outline: This course is completely online. There is no face -to-face component. Each week the class will typically proceed through the following items: 1. Checklist – A list to keep you on track for what activities you need to do for the module. 2. Instructor Video – Detailing how the module will progress and what to look out for 3. Reading – Detai led in the schedule below 4. Lesson – Voiced over Powerpoints that cover science content 5. Folder of additional resources – A list of some sites you might want to explore if there are things you are confused about. 6. Scientist trainer –These exercises ar e to hone your skills to think, speak, see, and act like a scientist. a. Speak Like a Scientist: short presentation and activity that helps you to master jargon. You have a discussion forum post associated with this exercise. b. See Like a Scientist: activ ities that help you to interpret visuals. You have a discussion forum post associated with this exercise. c. Act Like a Scientist: podcast on how to get involved in science topics. You will use some of what you hear in this podcast for your other posts. 7. Think Like a Scientist: a. Critical Thinking Lesson: voiced over Powerpoints that cover science content b. Case Study: You will be applying what you have learned in the reading, the lesson, and critical thinking presentations. You will be assessed in th is course on your ability to critically think and synthesize information based on your posts to Think Like a Scientist discussion forums and these Case Study exercise. c. Evaluation and assessment: You are required to complete these surveys and quizzes so that we can measure how effective the experience is and how we can improve in the future. It will also be a way for you to see what you have learned over the course of the semester and to give us your thoughts and opinions on the course, so please take the se seriously … although they do not affect your grade. All of your assignments are listed on the Checklist for each module. Be sure to use the checklist to make sure you are staying on target and not missing assignments. Communication: To communicate with co urse faculty, the fastest way is t o post to the "Class Questions" discussion forum under the “Help ” tab in the toolbar of our course site. We will try and answer posts within 24 hours (although if you kn ow the answer to someone else's question, please feel free to answer). Instead of emails, if you would like to personally talk with the instructor and TA, we will be using D2L ’s Private Discussion Forum function. This will be a discussion forum that is a vai lable to just you and course instructors (no other s tudent will be able to see your p ost). We will try to respond to posts in the Private Discussions forum (which is under the “Help ” tab in the navigation bar) within 48 hours. If the matter is not private, ple ase post to the Class Questions forum as this he lps us to respond to questions in a n open forum where everyone can benefit. Once questions have been answered, I wi ll move the answers over to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) also under the “Help ” tab. In addition, you are always welcome to set up an office hour or a live Zoom session. Feel free to use our Twitter feed on the site to pass a long new items or thoughts that might be of interest to the class. Use the hash tag #M SUFo S to have it show up on the course homepage. Please be respectful in any o f your communication approaches (See the netiquette suggestions below). Students with Disabilities: For students needing accommodations for disabilities, please contact you r instructor and The Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at Michigan State University at (517) 353 -9642. Course Timing: Each module ’s materials will be made available at 12 :01 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, the Monday morning that is listed on the s chedule below. All materials for a module (except some initial posts for discussion forums) are due by the end of that week (SUNDAY 11:59 P.M. Eastern Standard Time). Discussion forum initial posts might have specific due dates throughout that week (Weds., Fri., and Sun.) to allow for response and conversation. All due dates will be noted in the Checklist for the week. Late Assignments: Because of the tight schedule we have for this 7 -week course, late assignments are frowned upon. One day late is an automa tic loss of 25%; two days late is an automatic loss of 50%, and nothing is accepted later than 2 days. Textbook: Schick, T., & Vaughn, L. (2013 ). How to think about weird things: critical thinking for a new age. (7th ed.). McGraw -Hill Humanities/Social Science/Languages. You can use older editions of the text (6 or 5). Some of the details may be different between editions, but the main take home points are the same. You will be drawing examples from your book as w ell as other resources, so as long as you understand the main argument, it doesn ’t matter which details you use. Withdrawal for behavior that Interferes with the Instructional Process: Students should be aware that disruptive behavior that impedes the teaching/learning process will not be tolerated. An instructor may withdraw a student for disruptive behavior that is interfering with the instructional process. Drops and Adds: If you de cide to drop or add, you should immediately make a copy of your amended sched ule to verify you have added or dropped this course. Schedule: Week Reading Critical Thinking Topics Pseudos cience Topics Science Topics 1 Chapter 1 & 7/5 -7/9 Introduction Documents 2 7/10 -7/16 Chapter 2 Chapter 5, 118 -142 Chapter 7, 220 -227 What am I asked to believe ? Witches/ Aliens Psychology:

Observation bias, perception 3 7/17 - 7/23 Chapter 4 Scientific ways of knowing Astrology Astronomy/Physi cs: Introduction to matter and energy, gravity and EM 4 7/24 - 7/30 To be determined What is evidence? Atlantis Geology: Pla te tectonics , buoyancy, and thermal energy 5 7/31 - 8/6 Chapter 7 Chapter 5, 142 -150 Alternative Evidence Alchemy Chemistry: Form and function and chemical energy 6-7 8/7 - 8/18 Chapter 6 Identifying “best ” evidence Cryptids:

Bigfo ot Biology: Ecology and evolution Technical Issues: Regardless of how much we prepare, or how good we are with technology, problems will arise. The University provides assistance with technical questions or problems that come -up. Please call the t echnology 24 hour help line for assistance, and keep this number close by at a ll times: Toll Free: (844) 678 - 6200 (North America an d Hawaii) or locally (517) 432 -6200. Along these lines, it is recommended that for any assignment, assessment, or discussion forum that you do not type directly in Desire2Learn. Instead, you should create a file using a word processing program, where you c an compose your answers and then cut and paste them into De sire2Learn or any other desired location. Then SAVE this file. This will give you a record of your submissions (you can keep them all in the same file). In the case of technical difficulties, you w ill be able to resubmit without a problem. Activities: Read: The book: aside from being fairly easy to read, our text for the course gives you numerous examples to back up the theories we will be discussing each week. You will be asked to include these cas e studies in your writing , so it is important for you to read and synthesize the general messages. A schedu le for when readings are due is included in the schedule above. Seeing like a Scientist: This document will give you some locations to visit on the internet and ask you to put the information together to be able to evaluate different types of graphics used to display data. Watch: Intro video and animation. For each module, I will give you a general overview of the pacing of the module and give you an animation overview of the types of topics in science we will be discussing. Watch these to give you the general gist of the module. You will then have three lesso ns to watch each week, one on a science/pseudoscience com parison, one on critical thinking, and one on scientific jargon. These are voiced over that will help prepare you for the activity and discussion to follow. Listen and Act: Part of learning about science is getting involved with it. For each module, you wi ll be able to listen to a podcast that talks about citizens get ting involved in the scientific process. By the end of the course, you will be expected t o have participated in at least one of these citizen science projects. Discussion Forums: For each modul e, you will be asked to post answers to discussion forum questions associated with the See, Speak, and Think Like a Scientist exercises. Even though these are recorded in a discussion forum format, the main purpose is for you to reflect on these experience s with minimal interaction with other students. For the Case Study we have required that you respond to two other students ’ posts. The Case Study is meant to have us process some of the critical thinking concepts as a community. Evaluation / Assessment: At the beginning and end of each module, you will be asked to fill out mini -quizzes that either test your understanding of content or test your abilities with regard to different skills sets (critical thinking, understanding of science, preparedness for lear ning online, etc.). This feedback will be used to try and improve the course for future classes, as well as the class you are currently t aking. Partly these assessments help me get constructive criticism for what is working and what isn ’t. You should feel free to be positive or negative as long as it is constructive. (i.e. “This is great. ” or “This sucks. ” doesn ’t tell me anything. “Lectures helped me understand . . . ” and “I wasn ’t interested in the podcast topic because . . . ” does). They also help you to be aware about your learning experience and hopefully make you a better student. Grade Breakdown: Introductory Module This week ’s exercises are 15 pts graded on participation only Science Modules Science Skills Posts (each module will have) 1. See li ke a Scientist 6 pts / module 2. Speak like a Scientist 6 pts / module 3. Think like a Scientist 15 pts / module SubTotal: 27 pts X 5 modules 135 pts Case Study Forum Posts (each module will have) Activity 3 pts / module Post 10 pts / module Responses 6 pt s / module SubTotal: 19 pts X 5 modules 95 pts Final Module Posts Summary posts 30 pts Total Course Points 275 pts Before you ask, there are no exams and no final. This course evaluates your learning through your developing and answering questions in your various posts. You will be provided with a rubric that explains what we are looking for each module ’s postings. This writing is expected to be thoughtful and integrate things that you have learned from the different digital experiences. Grading Standards: 4.0=90 -100% 3.5=85 -89% 3.0=80 -84% 2.5=75 -79% 2.0=70 -74% 1.5=65 -69% 1.0=60 -64% Academic Integrity: Article 2.3.3 of the Academic Freedom Report states that "The student shares with the faculty the responsibility for maintaining the integrity of scholarship, grades, and professional standards." This course adheres to the policies on academic honesty as specified in General Student Regulations 1.0, Protection of Scholarship and Grades; the all -University Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades; and Ordinance 17.00, Examinations. (See Spartan Life: Student Handbook and Resource Guide and/or the MSU Web site .) Therefore, unless authorized by your instructor, you are expected to comp lete all course assignments, including homework, lab work, quizzes, tests and exams, without assistance from any source. You are expected to develop original work for this course; therefore, you may not submit course work you completed for another course t o satisfy the requirements for this course. Also , you are not authorized to use the http://www.allmsu.com or www.koofers.com web site to complete any course work for this class. Students who violate MSU rul es may receive a penalty grade, including -- but not limited to -- a failing grade on the assignment or in the course. Contact your instructor if you are unsure about the appropriateness of your course work. (See also the Ombudsperson ’s website on academic dishonesty: https://ww w.msu.edu/unit/ombud/academic -integrity/ ). Limits to Confidentiality : Essays, journals, and other materials submitted for this class are generally considered confidential pursuant to the University's student rec ord policies. However, students should be awar e that University employees, including instructors, may not be able to maintain confidentiality when it conflicts with their r esponsibi lity to report certain issues to protect the health and safety of MSU community members and others. As the instructor, I must report the following informat ion to other University offices (including the Department of Police and Public Safety) if you share it with me: • Suspected child abuse/neglect, even if this maltreatment happened when you were a child, • Allegations of se xual assault or sexual harassment when they involve MSU students, faculty, or staff, and • Credible threats of harm to oneself or to others. These reports may trigger contact from a campus official who will want to talk with you about the incident that you have shared. In almost all cases, it will be your decision whether you wish to speak with that individual. If you would like to talk about these events in a more confidential setting you are encouraged to make an appointment with the MSU Counseling Center .