Because the Biology Programme’s structure has changed several times since 2009, you may be slightly uncertain about the credit/prerequisite situation involving Biology 230 (and other past and present UBC ecology offerings). This document outlines answers to several frequently-asked questions on the topic.
Here is a brief outline of what you can expect in Biology 306 this July.
Lectures: daily from Mon 9 July through Wed 1 August, 10AM-12noon. Lectures are Powerpoint-slide-based, and include iClicker questions and small-group discussion-questions. Slideshows are posted on Vista after having been completed in class. You are expected to undertake pre-readings from the text – Cain et al. 2/e Ecology (Sinauer) – for which your work is evaluated online with weekly quizzes.
The course is structured around four main questions:
Why do populations differ in their dynamics?
How can populations coexist?
Are ecological communities stable?
How much biomass is produced, and what is its fate?
Coverage is divided about equally across these four topic-areas (approximately four lecture-days per question). There will be no lecture on Thu 2 August; the final exam will occur on Friday 3 August, at roughly the normal lecture-time (details TBA). In week 4 several time-periods will be set aside for pre-exam review/office-hours, and you will be provided with sample exam questions for practice.
Field lab: you register for a trip on one afternoon in week 1, led by me and one TA; class data will be compiled at the end of week 1, and you will have 10 days to analyze it and write up a brief report. Detailed instructions on how to do this will be posted on our Vista site. A proficiency in Excel (perhaps gained during Biol 304 or 230) is expected.
Discussion tutorials: you register for a section (two afternoon timeslots) in week 2. No written submissions – these are judged entirely on your contribution to discussion, as evaluated by me (not the TA). One topic will require you to read a journal article and consider associated questions, and the other will be a more broadly-based discussion of ecological ideas (details TBA).
Evaluation: course components are assessed as follows: iClicker participation 5%; pre-reading quizzes (on Vista) 3%; surveys on your knowledge/attitudes about ecology (on Vista) 2%; field lab report 15%; tutorial participation 15%; final exam 60% (no midterm in a course this brief).
Comparison with Winter course structure: the same lecture coverage is given, Winter or Summer. In Winter, three field labs are given, but a four-week Summer course limits us to only one. There are no tutorials in Winter, but they work well in Summer as an adjunct to the other course components. iClicker and Vista grading is essentially the same in either term. In Winter, one or two midterms are given (depending on instructor preference) in addition to the final, and exams in Winter combine to account for 70% of the total grade.
Other comments: if you are unfamiliar with Summer Session courses, be advised that the time slips away incredibly quickly… less than 4 weeks from the start to the exam, compared to 14 weeks in the Winter Session, so staying on top of things is essential. Of course many of you have to do paid work in the summer to survive, but I advise you to minimize your commitments to this, and/or to volunteering, as well as limiting yourself to registration in only one course at a time. Doing two Summer Session courses simultaneously is similar to doing about eight courses in a single Winter Session term – not many students will be able to achieve well in that situation!
Best wishes for your work between now and July – WG
As promised on the SSC page for Summer 2012, here is a brief outline of what you can expect in Biology 230.
Lectures: daily from Mon 4 June through Wed 27 June, 10AM-12noon. Lectures are Powerpoint-slide-based, and include iClicker questions and small-group discussion-questions. Slideshows are posted on Vista after having been completed in class. You are expected to undertake pre-readings from the text – Cain et al. 2/e Ecology (Sinauer) – for which your work is evaluated online with weekly quizzes.
The course is structured around four main questions:
What determines the number of species present?
Why do populations not expand infinitely?
Why are there so many more plants than animals?
Are human activities degrading ecosystem services?
Coverage is divided about equally across these four topic-areas (approximately four lecture-days per question), and at the beginning of the course some time is spent on a consideration of the history of ecology, and why the study of ecology matters. There will be no lecture on Thu 28 June; the final exam will occur on Friday 29 June, at roughly the normal lecture-time (details TBA). In week 4 several time-periods will be set aside for pre-exam review/office-hours, and you will be provided with sample exam questions for practice.
Field lab: you register for a trip on one afternoon in week 1, led by me and one TA; class data will be compiled at the end of week 1, and you will have 10 days to analyze it and write up a brief report. Detailed instructions on how to do this will be posted on our Vista site. Note that a proficiency in basic Excel is expected; you will be given a small practice Excel assignment which we will discuss in class.
Discussion tutorials: you register for a section (two afternoon timeslots) in week 2. No written submissions – these are judged entirely on your contribution to discussion, as evaluated by me (not the TA). One topic will require you to read a journal article and consider associated questions, and the other will be a more broadly-based discussion of ecological ideas (details TBA).
Evaluation: course components are assessed as follows: iClicker participation 5%; pre-reading quizzes (on Vista) 3%; surveys on your knowledge/attitudes about ecology (on Vista) 2%; field lab report 15%; tutorial participation 15%; final exam 60% (no midterm in a course this brief).
Comparison with Winter course structure: the same lecture coverage is given, Winter or Summer. In Winter, three field labs are given, but a four-week Summer course limits us to only one. There are no tutorials in Winter, but they work well in Summer as an adjunct to the other course components. iClicker and Vista grading is essentially the same in either term. In Winter, one or two midterms are given (depending on instructor preference) in addition to the final, and exams in Winter combine to account for 70% of the total grade.
Other comments: if you are unfamiliar with Summer Session courses, be advised that the time slips away incredibly quickly… less than 4 weeks from the start to the exam, compared to 14 weeks in the Winter Session, so staying on top of things is essential. Of course many of you have to do paid work in the summer to survive, but I advise you to minimize your commitments to this, and/or to volunteering, as well as limiting yourself to registration in only one course at a time. Doing two Summer Session courses simultaneously is similar to doing about eight courses in a single Winter Session term – not many students will be able to achieve well in that situation!
Hope to see you in June – WG
Here is Ruth Sharpe’s ad for a field assistant to work in Ecuador in Summer 2012.
Wayne