SYLLABUS
SCIENCE SEMINAR: CASE STUDIES IN SCIENCE
BIOLOGY/ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 489
Spring
2009: Thursdays, 3:30 PM TO 6:15 PM
South
211 Conference Room
Dr.
Bonnie Wood
HOW TO FIND ME
ÂOffice hours, 316 South Hall: Tuesdays
& Thursdays, 1:45 PM – 3:30 PM
( 768-9446 (you may leave a voice mail
message)
: Use Blackboard (www.courses.maine.edu), my email address
(bonnie.s.wood@umpi.edu) or my webpage (www.umpi.maine.edu/~wood)
If you need to see
me but cannot come during regular office hours, you may make an appointment to
meet at a more convenient time. If you do
not understand some of the course material, please ask questions before it is
too late!
THE RHYTHM OF THE
SEMESTER
·
For a seminar class, attendance and participation in
each week’s class meeting is critical.
·
The semester is designed to provide weekly opportunities
to both give and receive feedback on your ideas and your writing. Oral and
written critiques you receive will steadily prepare you for your final
project---an Original Case Study. You will learn as much from critiquing your
classmates as you will from receiving responses to your own presentations.
·
Preparation by completing the assigned reading before
each class meeting is vital to your success. You must take responsibility for
your own learning.
·
During the first seven weeks of the semester, Dr. Wood
will model various styles of case studies and you will write about and present
to your classmates your own ideas for case studies in these different styles.
·
During the Week 8 of the semester you will attend a
reception, dinner, and presentation by NASA Astronaut and Space Shuttle
Commander Pam Melroy. You will present to your classmates an idea for a case
study inspired by this experience.
·
During Weeks 9 through 12, you will read about
presenting and writing case studies and will practice presenting case studies
published in the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science Case
Collection.
·
During the final weeks of the semester, you will present
in a public forum and complete the final written version of your Original Case
Study.
COURSE DESCRIPTION In this writing intensive course
·
You
will experience during class a variety of formats used in the case study method
of learning science;
·
You will
practice choosing topics and outlining your ideas for case studies in the style
of whole class discussion, small group method, and interrupted case method.
·
You
will present an idea for a case study based on presentation by NASA Astronaut
Pamela Melroy.
·
You will
write and present an original dialogue.
·
You
will lead the rest of the class through a case study selected from the National
Center for Case Study Teaching in Science Case Collection.
·
For
your final project, you will research, write, and present an Original Case
Study and Teaching Notes on a topic of your choice.
·
During
the summer you will have the opportunity to submit your manuscript for possible
publication in the peer-reviewed National Center for Case Study Teaching in
Science Case Collection.
LEARNING GOALS
·
You will learn about the structure of professional science
writing by reading examples of primary research papers, scientific dialogues,
and case studies.
·
Using written guidelines, you
will choose topics appropriate for an Original Case Study in each of several
case study styles.
·
By
participating in weekly homework assignments, class discussions and oral
presentations you will gradually how to use the case study method to
demonstrate the process of scientific inquiry.
·
You will locate, read and
interpret scientific data during an in-depth investigation of a current
scientific topic.
·
You will logically defend or
counter a position proposed by your chosen topic.
·
You will follow a rubric to
write a comprehensive and original case study that includes factual information
from primary scientific literature; thought-provoking discussion questions; and
teaching notes that describe how the case should be presented to a participating
audience.
·
In an oral presentation, you will
familiarize the audience with background information, present your case study
story, divide the class into discussion groups to answer case questions, and
facilitate a whole class discussion of the research questions.
IATTENDANCE Attendance and active participation at weekly seminar
meetings is very important. Each class will include activities that you do
alone or with the rest of the class. You are responsible for all material
covered during class whether you were present or not. If written work was due
on the day of the class, one point will be deducted for each day that it is
late (including weekends). During the last two minutes of each class meeting
you will describe in writing “The Murkiest Point" --something from that
class that you found confusing. If you understood everything perfectly, instead
describe "The Most Interesting Point". You will sign this paper and
hand it in as you leave. You must write something other than your name! A
record of "The Murkiest Point" papers will assess your attendance and
provide me with important feedback.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY In cases of violation of academic
honesty, I will discuss the matter with you and will assign you a grade of F
(zero points) for the violated work or require that you withdraw from the
course with a grade of F according to the gravity of the offense.
Plagiarism
is the representation of another's words or ideas as one's own and is described
in detail in the
Not all examples
of plagiarism in student work are intentional. Students often have difficulty
learning to work well with source materials (especially materials on the
Internet), so please consult me any time you have a question. We can work
together on how to properly use quotations, to paraphrase and summarize ideas
and arguments, and to cite sources in your work. You may also work from writing you have done
prior to this course, if you first show me the original piece and then develop
new work.
RESOURCES
& TEXTBOOK: Herreid,
The chapters of this book that correspond to assigned
readings and in-class activities are indicated on the “Topic Schedule”.
Assignments must be completed before each week’s class.
This book is available for purchase at the UMPI
Bookstore.
:BLACKBOARD is an online course management system that you will use
in BIOLOGY/ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 489.
·
Through Blackboard you will receive important announcements
from me, communicate with me, access course materials, and participate in other
activities that I will explain during the semester. Blackboard can be accessed
in any UMPI Computer Lab and with most home and public computers.
·
To login to Blackboard go to www.courses.maine.edu; click the [Login] button; and enter your
username and password. All of your UMS courses that use Blackboard will be
listed under “My Courses” and you can access each one by clicking on the link.
·
I will send you email via Blackboard by using your
“@maine.edu” account. If you check a different account more frequently, use the
UMS Mail Server (http://mail.maine.edu) to forward your @mail.edu email to your
preferred account.
:COMPUTER LABS are located on both Houlton
and Presque Isle campuses. You may learn about locations and hours of Houlton and
Presque Isle computer labs by going to www.umpi.edu/it-services/student-computing.
THE
WRITING CENTER, located
on the first floor of South Hall, offers one-on-one consultations for writers
at all levels of course work and at all stages of the writing process. Call
768-9615 or stop by the main desk to set up an appointment.
Make your appointments well in advance so that you do not
lose points because of a late
TUTORING AND
OTHER ASSISTANCE:
If you are at all concerned about your ability to
succeed in this course, you should register for tutoring immediately. To sign
up, see Helen Findlen, Tutor Coordinator, 120 South Hall, 768-9614. If you have
a disability and need accommodation or assistance in this course, contact the
Mary Kate Barbosa , Director of Student Support Services, 123 South Hall,
768-9613 or email: mary.barbosa@umpi.edu.
ASSIGNMENTS
GFIRST WEEK ASSIGNMENTS:
·
Read this syllabus
carefully!! Note especially all of your responsibilities
in the course.
·
If you have not activated your University “@maine.edu”
email account, contact Computer Services in the Library (768-9626) for help.
·
If you forgot your password, you can reset your password
using the following Website: http://mail.maine.edu.
·
I will send you email via Blackboard by using your
“@maine.edu” account. If you check a different email account more frequently,
use the UMS Mail Server (http://mail.maine.edu) to forward your @mail.edu email
to your preferred account.
These are listed on your topic
schedule in the column to the right of the Week # and class date. Complete
these assignments before the class for that week. All homework, other than reading, must be submitted
as a typed hard copy with correct grammar, spelling, and sentence structure and
should follow all the guidelines for the specific assignment.
&
2 WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS AND
ORAL PRESENTATIONS
·
On the Topic Schedule these are designated in bold font
with a check off square to the left of the assignment description.
· One point is deducted for each day that any
part of written assignment is late, including the consultation at the
· You should make an
appointment at the
DESCRIPTIONS
OF ASSIGNMENTS:
Topic
Idea and Outline for Possible Case Study:
·
You will submit four of these between Weeks 3 and 8 of
the semester.
· Using the handout “How to Choose a Topic for Your Original
Case Study,” think of a topic for a possible case study that could be presented
in the style about which you learned in the previous class.
· Write an outline of how you would present
this topic in the specified case study style.
· Your written submission should be one to
two pages in length, typed, double-spaced with correct spelling, grammar and
sentence structure.
Due Week #3, Thursday, February
5: Write topic idea and
outline for a possible case study using the Whole Class Discussion format.
Due Week #4, Thursday,
February 12: Write topic idea and outline for a possible
case study using a Small Group Method format.
Due Week #5, Thursday,
February 26: Write topic idea and outline for a possible
case study using Interrupted Case format
Due Week #8, Thursday, March 12: Write topic idea and outline for a possible
case study inspired by NASA Astronaut Pam Melroy’s March 9 presentation (choose
the most appropriate case study style).
Original Dialogue:
After completing the reading for Week #5 (Winter Break
week), you will write an Original Dialogue on a topic of your choice.
Week #4:
Before Winter Break, make an appointment at The Writing Center for a
consultation on the draft of your original dialogue. The consultation must be
completed by Wednesday, February 25.
Week #5:
During Winter Break, read the assigned chapters and using this guidance ,
write an Original Dialogue.
Week #6:
By Wednesday, February 25, complete your Writing Center consultation on the draft
of your original dialogue.
Due
Week #6: Thursday, February 26: Present to the class your original dialogue (have class
members play roles, so bring enough copies for each classmate and Dr. Wood). Submit
the final copy of the dialogue to Dr. Wood by the end of class.
Oral
presentation of a Case Study from the National Center for Case Study Teaching
in Science Case Collection: http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/
Due Week #7, Thursday March 6:
· Follow the guidelines in the handout
“Evaluation Criteria for Oral Presentation of Case Study chosen from
· Using the URL above, click on the UB Case
Study Collection link. Choose from among the hundreds of cases on many topics
one that interests you, would be appropriate for the students in Science
Seminar, and can be presented within one hour.
· As a student, you may not apply for a
password to the Answer Key, but once you tell me your chose of Case Study, I
will supply you with a printed key.
· Each student must choose a different case
and it must be one in which you or your classmates have never participated. Have
a second or third choice ready in the event two of you choose the same case.
· During class we will determine the dates on
each student will present his or her case.
Due Week #9 or #11: Each student will present one case study
from the Case Collection. Each presentation will last no more than one hour. Classmates
and Dr. Wood will use the “Evaluation Criteria for Oral Presentation of Case
Study” to provide feedback.
Original
Case Study (including Written Story, Oral Presentation, and Written Teaching
Notes):
Due
Week #4, Thursday, February 12: Submit a tentative topic for your Original Case Study
along with written answers to the four bulleted questions at the top of the
handout “How to Choose a Topic for your Case Study.”
During Week #10
(Spring Break Week): After carefully reviewing the handout “Original Case Study Grading Criteria”,
write a narrative along with detailed outline of your Original Case Study,
including a description of the appropriate audience and the case study style
you plan to use.
During Week #11: Make a Writing Center appointment to occur before Friday, April 17 for consultation on the draft of your original case study.
Due Week #11, Thursday April 2:Submit written narrative and detailed
outline of your Original Case Study.
Due Week #13, by
Friday April 17: Writing Center consultation on draft of your original case study,
including Written Story and detailed Teaching Notes.
Due Weeks #14, #15, and
#16:
Formal presentations of original case studies to classmates and invited
audience. Written critiques by classmates.
Due Week #17,
Tuesday, May 12, 5:00 PM: Final copy of your Original Case Study and Teaching
Notes.
If you have just read this entire syllabus, email me
before 7:00 AM of the day of the first seminar meeting (January 29, 2009) with
a statement of the most important thing you learned from the Syllabus and you
will receive 3 extra credit points!
GRADING PROCEDURES:
The total possible points
for the course are 210 distributed as follows:
How to Choose a Topic (four
questions + topic) = 10
Four Topic Ideas with Outlines for
Possible Case Study @10pts. =
40
Original Dialogue =
30
Oral Presentation of Case Study from
NCCST Case Collection = 40
University Day Presentation = 10
Original Case Study, Teaching Notes
and Oral Presentation = 100
Participation in Weekly Seminars = 10 TOTAL COURSE POINTS = 240
To determine your
letter grade:
1. Calculate your
percentage based on the total possible points using this ratio: Points
obtained/total possible points X 100 = %
2. Convert the
percentage to a letter grade using the scale below:
|
A = 93-100% |
B- =
80-82.9% |
D+ =
67-69.9% |
|
A- =
90-92.9% |
C+ =
77-79.9% |
D = 63-66.9% |
|
B+ =
87-89.9% |
C = 73-76.9% |
D- =
60-62.9% |
|
B = 83-86.9% |
C- = 70-72.9% |
F = 00-59.9% |