BIOL 251: Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology

Introduction

Welcome! I am pleased that you have decided to take BIOL 251. I want this Self-paced Courses experience to be a positive one for you, so if I can offer any assistance, please feel free to contact me.

This is a three credit hour course in human anatomy and physiology. It is divided into twenty lessons, ten of which are practice examinations. While these lessons can readily be fitted into the time scale of a semester, the extensive anatomical detail involved will ordinarily require most students more time, particularly when this course is taken in addition to the full-time activities of a working schedule.

Each lesson includes my comments on each required text chapter. These comments provide a detailed summary of all important points covered by the textbook. In some cases additional information is added to help orient you to the text material. When detected, the occasional and inevitable textbook errors are mentioned.

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About You

I would be very interested to know a little about you, your background, and your reasons for taking this course. If you are willing to tell me something of yourself, please send me an introductory e-mail message.

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Textbook and Materials

Textbook

The textbook for this course is Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology, 6th edition (2007), by Rod R. Seeley, Trent D. Stephens, and Philip Tate.

Your understanding of the material in the textbook will be significantly improved if you pay close attention to the Review and Comprehension and "Predict Questions" that appear in each chapter.

You should also use the materials available to you on the textbook publisher's Online Learning Center.

Optional CD-ROM

The following interactive CD-ROM is recommended to aid your understanding of the text material:

MediaPhys Version 2.0: An Introduction to Human Physiology, 2nd edition (2004) by Tom Stavraky.

Purchasing Information

Both the required textbook and the optional CD-ROM can be obtained from the Higher Grounds bookstore at the Friday Center in person, by ordering online, or by printing and mailing the book order form.

Web Sites

Here is a list of helpful Web sites that you can refer to throughout the course to enhance your study as well as prepare for your written assignments. You are also encouraged to discover other resources available on the Web to complement your studies.

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Course Requirements

Terminology

You are responsible for understanding and being able to recognize and define all terms in bold print in the textbook and any additional terms introduced in the chapter outlines and notes on these Web pages that may not appear in the textbook. One good strategy is to make up separate vocabulary flash cards for each term in a chapter. The Online Learning Center provided by your textbook publisher also has interactive flash cards.

Written Work

Assignments are provided at the end of each chapter discussion within the lesson. These written assignments will be one-page reports (unless otherwise specificed) on a variety of topics. Please complete the assignments in 12-point Times typeface and submit them to both me and to Student Services as e-mail attachments. If you have questions about the preferred file format, contact me before submitting the assignment. Please submit your written work as you finish each lesson, not as you finish each chapter discussion within the lesson.

Some of the written work may require library or other outside resources. If this research presents a problem for you, please contact me. Remember to take advantage of the helpful Web sites listed.

Practice Examinations

The practice examinations should be submitted to me for review. These self-examinations will help you gauge your progress. They will not be a part of your final course grade.

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Lessons

Each lesson includes an introduction, reading assignment, and written assignment. The Discussion section of each reading assignment features:

• The Big Picture--offers an overview of the chapter
• What to Know--presents learning objectives for the chapter
• Snapshots--provides my views and generalizations about that chapter as well as a detailed outline of the most important concepts and terms; relevant figures of the text that illustrate these points are frequently referenced
• Medically Speaking--provides brief examples of the ways in which major bodily structures or activities have everyday importance and relevance.

To view the lesson pages, click on the links below.

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Grading and Final Exam

Your course grade will be determined by a single comprehensive final examination and by the average of the grades you receive on your written work. The examination will count 50 percent of your grade, and the written work average will count 50 percent. A good way to prepare for the final is to answer the questions on your ten practice examinations as well as the Review and Comprehension questions at the end of each assigned text chapter. Your final examination will be composed of questions selected, as is, from each of the practice exams. You must pass the final exam in order to receive credit for the course. This exam must be supervised. You can schedule your exam with the Self-paced Courses office.

The grading scale will be:

A = 90-100
B = 80-89
C = 70-79
D = 60-69
F = 59 and below

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How to Proceed

When you have reviewed the information on this home page, click on the Lesson 1 link above. Complete the assigned reading and written work.

You will send your assignments to be graded by clicking a "Submit Assignment" button (there is one at the bottom of each lesson page). Clicking this button opens a pre-addressed e-mail to me and the Self-paced Courses office. Send your assignments as attachments. The subject line is automatically generated in each e-mail message with the format, "SPC BIOL 251 lesson #." Please add your last name to the subject line (example: SPC BIOL 251 lesson 3 Jane Smith). By providing the assignment number and your name, you make it easier for me and Student Services to track your progress and keep your work separate from that of other students.

If you use a filter on your e-mail account, you are responsible for ensuring that it does not prevent you from receiving messages from me or the Friday Center staff.

It is extremely important for you to save copies of any work you send to me via e-mail. If I don't receive your work, you must have a duplicate copy, indicating the date sent, to prove that you submitted the assignment on time. It is your responsibility to maintain copies of your sent e-mails, as there is no way to guarantee that any e-mail message will be delivered.

Please check your e-mail software to see how it manages sent and saved messages. Some software automatically deletes messages one month after they have been sent; others only save messages if they are filed in folders; others save messages received but not those sent. You may need to send yourself a copy of your e-mailed assignment at the same time you send it to me, or you may need to print a copy of the e-mail message and any attachments to keep in your paper files. No matter how your system works, make sure you know how to save a copy of all work that you submit to me and that you save the copy for several months beyond the end of the course.

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Lesson 1