PHYI 202: Introduction to Physiology
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| Course Overview | Course Prerequisites | Required Textbook and Equipment |
| Course Requirements | Grading | Honor Code |
| Course Mechanics | Course Schedule | |
Course OverviewWelcome to PHYI 202! Physiology as a scientific discipline is the study of how living organisms function. Human physiology is often considered the basis of all other medical disciplines. Human physiology is extremely broad and ranges from the study of the function of individual molecules to exploration of the interactions between multiple organ systems. In this course, you will discover that modern human physiology integrates concepts from a variety of other disciplines including anatomy, biochemistry, histology, neuroscience, psychology, pharmacology, nutrition, microbiology, and cell biology. One of the goals of PHYI 202 is to help you to gain an appreciation of the beauty and elegance of human physiology. You will learn about important processes occurring at the molecular and cellular levels and many basic principles that can be applied to multiple physiological processes. In addition, PHYI 202 is a "systems physiology" course covering major physiological organ systems including neurophysiology, cardiovascular physiology, respiratory physiology, renal physiology, gastrointestinal physiology, and endocrine physiology. On completion of this course, you should
The key word above is "understanding." You will forget many of the facts that you will learn in this and other courses. However, you will remember the concepts that you really understand. "Understanding" is the key to success in this course. While you will certainly have to learn (memorize if necessary) a variety of facts, never lose sight of the concepts! PHYI 202 is a five-credit-hour course. In other words, its content is nearly twice that of a typical three-credit-hour course. It is imperative that you realize that you will probably have to devote a minimum of ten to fifteen hours each week to learning the content. Some of this time will be spent reading and studying the required outlines and textbook assignments. You will also spend time answering required textbook questions. In addition, you will be provided with practice sets designed to help you learn many of the more difficult concepts. These practice sets are typically considered the most important learning resource by the most successful students. Most of the content of PHYI 202 is not intrinsically difficult. However, there is obviously a very large amount of material to learn. Additionally, much of the material builds on previously presented content. Therefore, it is extremely important that you get off to a great start and thoroughly understand each lesson before we move on to the next. To assist you in this goal, the early lessons are shorter and have extensive practice and assessments. Most of the required content is presented in the lesson outlines and in the textbook readings. Both are essential. As you read through the lesson outlines, you will need to have your textbook open in front of you. The outlines will have references to specific figures, tables, and pages in your textbook that are essential for understanding the notes. You may wonder why both the outlines and the textbook readings are required. To really learn a subject like physiology, most of us find that seeing the material presented in at least two different ways is extremely valuable. Our textbook is in its eleventh edition, a fact that attests to its quality. The outlines organize the material in slightly different ways than does the textbook and often contain material not addressed in the textbook. The outline format also affords you an understanding of the hierarchy of facts and concepts. As we move through the course, you may find that the textbook or the outlines are most helpful for you. However, most students find that using both is the very best way to learn the material at the level expected, to develop concepts, and to begin to learn to apply the material in novel ways. Course PrerequisitesThe prerequisites for enrolling in PHYI 202 are: CHEM 101 and 102 (or BIOC 107 and 108) and BIOL 252, or equivalents. Please note that it is a violation of the Honor Code to register for a course without having completed the prerequisites unless you have received special permission from the instructor. Required Textbook and EquipmentTextbook The following textbook is required for this course. You can purchase it in person at Friday Center Books & Gifts, order it online, or mail or fax in the book order form.
Equipment I recommend that you have high-speed Internet access. You will also need a printer for printing out your practice sets. Course RequirementsReadings As indicated in the Course Overview, each lesson has notes arranged in outline form with figures and embedded questions. In addition, textbook readings are assigned in each lesson. Both are essential components of the course. Practice Sets and Textbook Questions Practice sets: Most lessons have fairly extensive practice sets associated with them. Some parts of the practice sets are just that—practice. However, many of these practice sets are designed to help you focus on and learn aspects of the content of the lesson that are especially difficult and important. It is important that you complete the practice set associated with each lesson before moving on to the next lesson. Practices sets and answers will be available in Blackboard. Textbook questions: For most lessons, several questions from the textbook will be assigned. These questions have been specifically chosen as good assessments of the lesson content. Answers and explanations are provided in the textbook. Practice sets and textbook questions are not submitted for grading, and you are encouraged to work on them with your classmates using Blackboard’s Discussion Forum. Some of the exam questions come from the content of the practice sets and textbook questions. Internet Resources Most lessons have required or supplemental Internet resources. One obstacle to understanding physiology is the ability to visualize processes where time is a major variable. Another is to visualize and understand processes that occur at the molecular level. Good animations and other visual aids are available on the Internet. I have tried to provide links to those that I feel are especially useful and accurate. Some of these resources are required for review of basic cell biology. Required activities are based on others. Most are recommended. I hope you will be able to add to our Internet resources as the semester progresses. Quizzes There will be regular quizzes, especially at the beginning of the course. Your performance on the quizzes will contribute to your course grade. While each quiz contributes only a little to your grade, the quizzes provide you with feedback about your understanding of the material and allow me to assess your progress as well. Some of the quizzes late in the semester address case studies that integrate different physiological systems. Answers to quizzes will be submitted on Blackboard. All quizzes will be "forced completion" with a time limit (typically one hour). In other words, once you open the link to the quiz, you must complete it. Therefore, be sure you set aside enough time so that you can finish the quiz without interruption. You will have to pay attention to the time yourself. If you encounter computer or Internet connection problems during the quiz, please e-mail me so that I can “reset” your quiz attempt. If this happens, you will lose the answers you already submitted. If you have waited until the last minute, I may not be able to reset it before the due date and time. If this happens, or if you simply fail to complete the quiz by the deadline, you will lose 10 points if you submit your answers after the deadline but within the next 24 hours. However, if your quiz is submitted later than 24 hours after the deadline, you will receive a zero for that quiz. With that said, if you experience a serious problem such as a medical emergency, please e-mail me to request an extension on the due date. Quizzes will be available on Blackboard at the beginning of each lesson that includes a quiz, and will be due two days after the ending date for that lesson (unless otherwise announced). Due dates and times are listed in the course schedule. You will have two types of quizzes in Blackboard.
As I mentioned, quizzes will be open-book. In other words, you may use your notes and textbook. However, you may not give or receive help on quizzes. Submission of your answers on Blackboard is your Honor Code assurance that you have followed these guidelines. While quizzes are designed to help you assess and demonstrate your knowledge in a "test-like" setting, please remember that your examinations will not be open-book! There will be three closed-book exams during the semester (in addition to the final exam). Each of the three exams will consist of about 40 multiple-choice questions, and you will complete the exams via a link in the Exams section of Blackboard. These exams will be available for in Blackboard for 48 hours. It is very important that you plan enough time to take these exams. They will have a time limit of one hour and fifteen minutes. You may have a pencil or pen and a clean piece of paper with you as you work on the exams. You may not use your notes, textbook, Internet sites, or calculator. If your computer or Internet connection fails while you are taking an exam, please e-mail me and I will “reset” your exam. However, if you wait until the last minute to attempt the exam, I may not be able to reset your exam in time. Submission of your answers is your assurance that you have abided by the Honor Code. If, for any reason, you fail to complete an exam, you will receive a zero for it. If you have contacted me prior to the deadline for submission of that exam and received permission for missing it, your score on the cumulative section of the final examination (see below) will substitute for that zero. Permission for missing an exam will be given only in severe hardship situations. The final exam will be supervised and closed-book. One section will test you on the new material covered from the third exam to the end of the semester. The other section will be cumulative and will cover the material you were tested on in the first three exams. If your score on the cumulative section of the final exam is higher than your score on any of the first three exams, your score on the cumulative section will replace that lowest score. Schedule your supervised final exam for one of the days listed in the course schedule by contacting Janice Durham (919-962-2651, 800-862-5669, jdurham@email.unc.edu) at the Friday Center. Be sure to read " Scheduling Your Final Exam." If you live near Chapel Hill, you may want to take your exam at the Friday Center. If you live in another area, make arrangements to take the exam at an accredited institution of higher learning near you and send the Exam Application Form (signed by the exam supervisor) to the Friday Center so that it arrives at least two weeks before your desired exam date. You are responsible for properly registering to take the final. Failure to complete the final by the due date will result in course failure. Discussion Forum Participation in the discussion forum is a required component of our course. Most of us learn best when we are afforded the opportunity to ask questions about the material and formulate explanations for other students. You are very likely to be able to provide other students with very different approaches to the understanding of a given concept than those provided in our textbook and lesson outlines. In addition, forcing yourself to explain a concept to someone else, especially in writing, is a fantastic way to solidify your knowledge and expand your understanding. I expect that the discussion forum will be very lively and a great learning resource! The exact way that the discussion forum will be managed will depend on the number of enrolled students and your needs as the semester progresses. I will tailor the format as we move through the material and as I get to know each of you better. However, participation is required, and at least two postings each week are expected. Some weeks, I will provide questions as prompts for discussion. Other weeks, I will set up forums where you can work together on the practice sets or textbook questions. At other times, you may be asked to “surf” the Internet to find learning resources to share with other students. GradingThe values of the various graded components of the course are listed below.
Letter grades will be assigned on a 10-point scale, as follows:
Please note that the University does not record a grade of A+. In addition, I do not give C- grades. The reason for this is that some programs require a grade of C or above in the course and will not accept a C-. In addition, I do not award grades of D+ or D-. The assignment of letter grades to final numerical scores at the end of the term may involve some small adjustments (curving) to the 10-point scale. Adjustments will never be used to bring letter grades below what would be given based on a 10-point scale. Honor CodeYour work on written assignments and exams must be your own, and any help you receive must be cited. We will provide opportunities for you to receive feedback on your ideas, but your final product must be your own work. You are bound by the UNC-Chapel Hill Honor Code: The Honor Code applies to all of your work in this course. Inappropriate behavior (including electronic communications) will not be tolerated. Course MechanicsSome of your class components (such as discussion forums, announcements, grades, quizzes, and exams) are accessed through a software package called Blackboard, and you will need to log in to Blackboard using a unique identifier known as your UNC Onyen and Onyen password. There is a link to the Blackboard site in the gray navigation bar at the top of every page in this course. Click on that link, and then use your Onyen to log in to Blackboard. Click on the PHYI 202 link, and you will see navigation buttons on the left side of the screen labeled Announcements, Discussion Forum, and so on. If you experience problems accessing Blackboard, this is what you should do:
Library Services and Resources (including e-reserves) Students enrolled in Carolina Courses Online have access to the UNC Library System. Visit Distance Education Library Services to access a wide array of online services and resources including e-reserves, online databases, online journals, online books, and live help with research and library access. Using E-mailYou will receive e-mail messages regarding the course at your UNC e-mail address. Off-campus users can access their UNC e-mail account using Webmail. You can have your UNC e-mail forwarded to a different e-mail address by clicking "Forward e-mail" at the Onyen Web site. 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, the course listserv, or Friday Center staff. Hotmail users should be aware that Hotmail will block messages sent from within Blackboard because Blackboard uses "blind carbon copy" to protect privacy. We recommend that you use your UNC Onyen e-mail account rather than Hotmail for this course. 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. Other QuestionsIf you have questions regarding
Course Schedule
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