BIOL 1408

Introductory Biology:The Unity of Life

Dr. Sal Tavormina

Dr. Sal's Homepage for BIOL 1408

BIOL 1408 is an introductory college-level biology course for non-science majors. In BIOL 1408 you will learn about the unity of life as you explore many of the features that living organisms share in common. Major topics include the process of science, the characteristics of life, the molecular and cellular basis of life, genetics, evolution, immune processes, reproduction, and development. The class is 4 credits and includes a lab. For an official description of this and all other biology courses at ACC, along with a list of course prerequisites, please consult the ACC Course Catalog.

Course Syllabus

BIOL 1408 Course Syllabus for Spring 2012

Orientation

If you registered for BIOL 1408, you MUST complete an online course orientation. For Spring 2012, orientation begins on Jan 14th and ends on Jan 21st. If you do not complete the orientation by Jan 21st, you will be dropped from the class. Please note that your orientation is NOT considered complete until you have completed the orientation quiz with a score of 100%.

To complete the orientation, carefully read the course syllabus (link above.) After you have read the syllabus, log into Blackboard (see next section), click on the link for BIOL 1408 (this link will not appear until Jan 14th), and then follow the instructions on the BIOL 1408 Announcements page.

Blackboard

Blackboard is an ACC Web site where you can find course information and a variety of instructional tools designed to help you. An electronic Discussion Board and a Virtual Classroom allow you to communicate with other members of the class. The Discussion Board has a forum that you can use to look for a study partner or study group. You can also use Blackboard to check your grades in the class.
Blackboard Support Site - information, user's manuals, and student support
Log-in to Blackboard

Smarthinking

ACC provides students with free access to Smarthinking, an online tutoring service in several college-level subjects including biology and chemistry. To access free tutoring help from Smarthinking, you must log onto Blackboard (see section above), click on the link for BIOL 1408, and then follow the instructions on the BIOL 1408 Announcements page.

Other Study Aids and Resources

Dr. Tavormina’s BioNotes - powerpoint slides on key topics covered in BIOL 1408

How to Improve your Grade - if you want to know how you can improve your grades in BIOL 1408, then this is the site for you

ACC Learning Labs (Tutoring Labs and Computer Centers) - free on-campus tutoring and computer access

ACC Distance Learning - information and help for distance learning students

ACC Testing Centers - information on locations, phone numbers, hours of operation, policies, and guidelines for using the Testing Centers

ACC Library - search library catalogs, the Internet, journals, reference sources, and more!

Biology Resources on the World Wide Web - an list of biology resources on the Web, maintained by the ACC library

Biology I Animations, Movies, & Interactive Tutorials - dozens of animations, movies, and tutorials on topics covered in BIOL 1408

The Chemistry of Health - excellent booklet about chemistry by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Inside the Cell - excellent booklet about cells by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences

The New Genetics - excellent booklet about genetics by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences

The Structures of Life - excellent booklet about molecular structure by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences

On-line Biology Book - one of the better on-line general biology textbooks

Kimball’s Biology Pages - a more extensive and detailed general biology reference

Introduction to Biology - excellent notes on a many topics covered in BIOL 1408

The World of Biology - a collection of useful study notes and practice exercises

Cells Alive! - study notes and practice exercises on cell biology

Genetics Practice Problems - an interactive tutorial on how to predict the outcome of some simple (and not so simple) genetics crosses.

VassarStats Web Site - provides a wide variety of statistical tests including the Chi-squared test

"The first step to better times is to imagine them." - Confucius

	Dr. Tavormina’s BioNotes - powerpoint slides on key topics covered in BIOL 1408
	How to Improve your Grade - if you want to know how you can improve your grades in BIOL 1408, then this is the site for you
	ACC Learning Labs (Tutoring Labs and Computer Centers) - free on-campus tutoring and computer access
	ACC Distance Learning - information and help for distance learning students
	ACC Testing Centers - information on locations, phone numbers, hours of operation, policies, and guidelines for using the Testing Centers
	ACC Library - search library catalogs, the Internet, journals, reference sources, and more!
	Biology Resources on the World Wide Web - an list of biology resources on the Web, maintained by the ACC library
	Biology I Animations, Movies, & Interactive Tutorials - dozens of animations, movies, and tutorials on topics covered in BIOL 1408
	The Chemistry of Health - excellent booklet about chemistry by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences
	Inside the Cell - excellent booklet about cells by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences
	The New Genetics - excellent booklet about genetics by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences
	The Structures of Life - excellent booklet about molecular structure by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences
	On-line Biology Book - one of the better on-line general biology textbooks
	Kimball’s Biology Pages - a more extensive and detailed general biology reference
	Introduction to Biology - excellent notes on a many topics covered in BIOL 1408
	The World of Biology - a collection of useful study notes and practice exercises
	Cells Alive! - study notes and practice exercises on cell biology
	Genetics Practice Problems - an interactive tutorial on how to predict the outcome of some simple (and not so simple) genetics crosses.
	VassarStats Web Site - provides a wide variety of statistical tests including the Chi-squared test