BIO 305 The Animal World Fall 2009
Dr. Michael Gable Course Syllabus Online Course



Text: No text required, but required readings accompany most modules.

Course Schedule: See last two pages of Syllabus.

Course Information

BIO 305 is a three-credit course designed for non-science majors. This course fulfills the GER
Science requirement for a 3-credit, non-laboratory course. BIO 305 has also been approved as an
LAC Tier 2 course that meets the Natural Sciences requirement. This is an online course; it is not
a self-paced course. You are participating in the course in tandem with other students, not at your
own pace. Readings are assigned for most modules, and test questions will be taken from these
readings. World maps will be used in conjunction with lecture material. Pictures will be used to
give you visual images of the organisms discussed, so that lecture material will be more easily
remembered by associated mental pictures. Surfing the web should provide many sites with
animal pictures for those students who wish additional visual aids. Some test questions will use
maps and pictures.

The Animal World is a course that covers the entire world of animals, not just dogs, cats, horses
and large zoo animals, all of which are vertebrates, animals with backbones. Over 99% of
animals are invertebrates, animals without backbones; the majority of this course will be devoted
to the invertebrates. The course will cover the basic biology of many animal groups, how these
animals affect their environment, and how they interact with other animals, including humans.

Keeping up with assignments and meeting deadlines are essential in an online course. You must,
as one of your own self-directed tasks, study the Syllabus with its Course Schedule carefully. You
would be wise to use the Course Calendar Tool to remind yourself of assignment dates, test times,
project deadlines, etc. (Be sure to click on the “Private” Button; if you do not, everyone in the
course might be able to see your calendar.) If you do not already possess good time management
skills, you might use this course to develop them: on your calendar indicate blocks of time each
week for studying BIO 305, or get even more organized and split up the blocks of time based on
different elements of the course. NO EXCUSES will be accepted for missing any course activity.
If you are a procrastinator and put off taking a quiz or test until a few minutes before the
deadline, fine, but if you get sick, if you have to take someone in your family to the emergency
room, if the power fails, if you have computer problems, and on and on, that prevent you from
taking a quiz/test or turning in an assignment . . . too bad, ZERO. Meeting deadlines is essential.

The assessment tools listed on the Course Schedule will determine your grade. You can pick up a
few points simply by complying with the Animal House directions given for the first few days of
class. You will garner a few more points by taking the mandated Pre-Test on which you must
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