Introduction -to- Ecology

CID No., 3 Credits, Fall 2015

Professor

Dr. Andrew Tredennick

Office: Biology, Room 1

Email (best way to contact me): atredenn@gmail.com

Phone: 111-111-1111

Times & Location

Note: class is in different locations depending on the day of the week

Tuesdays, 3-4

Fridays, 11:45-1:40

Office Hours

Times: Thursdays 3-4 pm, or by appointment

Location: Biology, Room 1

Note: my schedule gets very busy during the semester so please try to schedule appointments as far in advance as possible. In general it will be very difficult to set up appointments less than 24 hours in advance.

Course TA

TBD

Email: TBD@tbd.edu

Website

The syllabus and other relevant class information and resources will be posted at http://atredennick.github.io/ecology_class/. Changes to the schedule will be posted to this site so please try to check it periodically for updates.

Course Communications

Email: atredenn@gmail.com

Required Texts

There is no required text book for this class.

Course Description

Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills

Knowledge of basic biology.

Purpose of Course

In this course you will learn how life on Earth came to be, what makes populations of species go up and down through time and space, how so many species can coexist, and why ecological systems are vital for making our planet livable for humans. Essentially, you will learn what makes the nature tick. Along the way you will learn some basic mathematical modeling skills and how to perform analyses in the statistical program R.

Course Goals and Objectives

Students completing this course will be able to:

• Understand and explain foundational ecological concepts
• Use critical thinking skills to solve problems
• Write simple ecological models in R
• Be scientifically literate, and be able to effectively communicate scientific ideas
• Apply the above skills to address novel ecological questions

How this course relates to the Student Learning Outcomes in blank

This course contributes to the…

Teaching Philosophy

This class is taught using a flipped, learner-centered, approach, because many of the concepts and problems we will be working on will require time actively simulating ecological dynamics on a computer or by hand. Flipped classes work well for all kinds of content, but they work particularly well for computer oriented classes. If you’re interested in knowing more take a look at this great info-graphic.

Instructional Methods

As a flipped classroom, students are provided with either reading or video material that they are expected to view/read prior to class. Each week will begin with students watching a video from Crash Course: Ecology. Classes will involve brief refreshers on new concepts followed by working on exercises in class that cover that concept. While students are working on exercises the instructor will actively engage with students to help them understand material they find confusing, explain misunderstandings and help identify mistakes that are preventing students from completing the exercises, and discuss novel applications and alternative approaches to the data analysis challenges students are attempting to solve. For more challenging topics class may start with 20-30 minute demonstrations on the concepts followed by time to work on exercises.

Course Policies

Attendance Policy

Attendance will not be taken or factor into the grades for this class. However, experience suggests that students who regularly miss class struggle to learn the material.

Quiz/Exam Policy

There are no quizes, and 2 exams (one mid-term, one final). The final will be cumulative in the sense that course topics will build on previous material. Most of your grade will come from weekly or bi-weekly assigments.

Make-up policy

Late assignments will be docked 20% and will not be accepted more than 48 hours late except in cases of genuine emergencies that can be documented by the student or in cases where this has been discussed and approved in advance. Time has been allotted in class for working on assignments and students are expected to work on them outside of class. It is intended that you should have finished as much of the assignment as you can based on what we have covered in class by the following class period. Therefore, even if something unexpected happens at the last minute you should already be close to done with the assignment. This policy also allows rapid feedback to be provided to students by returning assignments quickly.

Assignment policy

Assignments are due Monday night by 11:59 pm Mountain Time. Assignments should be submitted via ——-.

Course Technology

Students are required to provide their own laptops and to install free and open source software on those laptops. Support will be provided by the instructor in the installation of required software. If you don’t have access to a laptop please contact the instructor and they will do their best to provide you with one.

University Policies

University Policy on Accommodating Students with Disabilities

TBD

University Policy on Academic Misconduct

Link to university code of conduct.

Etiquette and Communication Courtesy

All members of the class are expected to follow rules of common courtesy in all email messages, discussions, and group work.

Getting Help

TBD

Most importantly, if you are struggling for any reason please come talk to me and I will do my best to help.

Grading Policies

Grading for this course will revolve around a combination of assignments (50%), exams (25%), and an independent project (25%).

There will be 11 equally weighted assignments. One problem from each assignment (selected at the instructors discretion after the assignments have been submitted) will receive a thorough review and a detailed grade. Other problems will be graded as follows:

• Produces the correct answer using the requested approach: 100%
• Generally uses the right approach, but a minor mistake results in an incorrect answer: 90%
• Attempts to solve the problem and makes some progress using the core concept: 50%
• Answer demonstrates a lack of understanding of the core concept: 0%

Independent projects will focus on a review of a foundational concept in ecology.

Grading scale

• A 93-100
• A- 90-92
• B+ 87-89
• B 83-86
• B- 80-82
• C+ 77-79
• C 73-76
• C- 70-72
• D+ 67-69
• D 60-66
• E <60

Course Schedule

The details course schedule is available on the course website at: http://atredennick.github.io/ecology_class//schedule.

Disclaimer: This syllabus represents my current plans and objectives. As we go through the semester, those plans may need to change to enhance the class learning opportunity. Such changes, communicated clearly, are not unusual and should be expected.