Syllabus and how to succeed in EEB199 Humans, Evolution & Ecology

Know the course goals and learning objectives.

Humans, Evolution and Ecology is a discussion-based course. In general, lectures and assignments will provide students opportunities to

•    Understand and discuss the terms used in evolution and ecology,

•    Apply the scientific process to questions in biology and to particular case studies,

•    Read and discuss the literature in biology: primary and secondary literature.

Attend lectures, participate and take notes.

Lecture notes will be available 12 to 24 hours prior to the lecture. Attendance and participation during lectures are expected and encouraged. Review lectures and some other synchronous lectures may be   recorded.

University of Toronto states “This course, including your participation, will be recorded on video and will be available to students in the course for viewing remotely and after each session. Course videos and materials belong to your instructor, the University, and/or other sources depending on the specific facts of each situation, and are protected by copyright. Do not download, copy, or share any course or student materials or videos without the explicit permission of the instructor.”

“Students may not create audio recordings of classes with the exception of those students requiring an  accommodation for a disability, who should speak to the instructor prior to beginning to record lectures. Students creating unauthorized audio recording of lectures violate an instructor’sintellectual property rights and the Canadian Copyright Act. Students violating this agreement will be subject to disciplinary actions under the Code of Student Conduct.”

Students wishing to record lectures are expected to obtain instructor permission in advance; to be present in-person to record the lecture;  and to use any recording for personal use only: recordings may

NOT be shared as sharing of recordings is strictly forbidden see Student rights and responsibilities:

https://fas.calendar.utoronto.ca/node/2#student-rr

Communicate: Email

Contact information for instructorkd.williams@utoronto.caand office location available on Quercus.

Please use your U of T email address for all communication emails from other addresses may not receive a response. Your U of T email must be used for Zoom sessions.

Know your assignment information.

Assessments: Assignments will help youreach the course objectives. You will work to develop and learn the following: group discussion skills; skills for solving biology problems; how to use information from secondary sources and the primary scientific literature; presentation and writing skills.

Plagiarism detection: “Normally, students will be required to submit their course essays to the University’s plagiarism detection tool for a review of textual similarity and detection of possible plagiarism. In doing so, students will allow their essays to be included as source documents in the tool’s reference database, where they will be used solely for the purpose of  detecting plagiarism. The terms that apply to the University's   use of this tool are described on the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation website (https://teaching.utoronto.ca/ed-tech/teaching-technology/pdt/pdt-faq/)".

Online Assessments: There will be 4 pop-quizzes that will appear in Quercus, you will receive an announcement and a notification or an email telling you that the OA is available. You need to save your answers and press “submit” on your completedOA, failure to do this may result in you getting a zero “0” grade for that OA. Late or missed OAs will not be made up and are given a zero grade; missing all OAs will result in a zero grade for OAs.

Participation and attendance: participation in lectures will greatly assist your understanding of the material, lowest lecture attendance & participation grade dropped. In each of weeks 6; 10 & 11 there will be student presentations. Participation in group and individual assignments is required and missing all the presentations will result in a zero grade for presentation participation.

Presentations: You will do 2 oral presentations of your assigned case study. Oral presentation slides are due before the start of the 6th  and 10th  lectures and are submitted to Quercus as a pdf.

Reports (Annotated Bibliography & Poster Assignment): The Quercus Ouriginal copy of each report must be submitted by the due date and must receive a Ouriginal submission score.

Discussion Quizzes (DQ): during most lectures. Absence from more than 50% of lectures will result in a zero grade for DQs.

Final Exam: the time-limited take home exam will likely include multiple choice and short answer questions. The cumulative final exam will be during the exam period. The final exam will test your understanding of the material we covered and your ability to apply the knowledge to new cases. More information about the final will be posted on Quercus.

Assignment submission: Assignments must be submitted to Quercus, those assignments emailed will not be accepted.

Extension requests made after the due date will usually incura 1-day late penalty.

Late penalties and absences

DQs and reports:  Late assignments will be penalized 5% per day (24 hours) of lateness to a maximum of

5 days of lateness.

Presentations: late oral presentations will be given a zero grade. It is not possible to makeup a missed oral presentation.

Missed presentation or assignment. Acceptable documentation: (ACORN declaration or Registrars documentation see links here and see below):

https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/academics/student-absences; ACORN declaration:

https://www.viceprovoststudents.utoronto.ca/covid-19/#AllStudents; Medical notes are required for missed presentations.http://www.illnessverification.utoronto.ca/index.php.

Illness:” If you become ill and it affects your ability to do your academic work, consult me right away. Normally, I will ask you for documentation in support of your specific medical circumstances. This documentation can bean Absence Declaration (via ACORN) or the University's Verification of Student Illness or Injury (VOI) form. The VOI indicates the impact and severity of the illness, while protecting your privacy about the details of the nature of the illness. If you cannot submit a VOI due to limits on  terms of use, you can submit a different form (like a letter from a doctor), as long as it is an original document, and it contains the same information as the VOI (including dates, academic impact, practitioner's signature, phone and registration number). For more information on the VOI, please see http://www.illnessverification.utoronto.ca. For information on Absence Declaration Tool for A&S students, please see https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/absence. If you get a concussion, break your hand, or suffer some other acute injury, you should register with Accessibility Servicesassoon as possible.”

Missed exam: If you missed the Final Exam, please see Arts and Science Registrar’s office:

https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/academic-advising-and-support/college-registrars-offices

Re-Evaluation requests: A written request for re-evaluation must accompany the assignment. All

requests must be addressed to the instructor (email requests permitted) and must be received by April 16th, 2024. Please be advised that the entire assignment will be evaluated, and your grade may go up, down or may not change.