* Prospective NCAA Division I and II student-athletes should visit the NCAA Eligibility Center website (www.eligibilitycenter.org) and seek the NCAA's acceptance of a particular Education Provider's virtual course prior to registration.
Description:
Evolution is the cornerstone of modern biology. It unites all the fields of biology under one theoretical umbrella. Evolution and the Nature of Science" is a course where you will travel - back in time, forward in time and to the far corners of the scientific realm. In this course you will explore the concept of Evolution - the core theme of all biology and you will investigate the impact that science has on our lives and on our thinking. Most importantly, you will venture into the very "Nature of the Scientific Process!" Biological evolution accounts for three of the most fundamental features of the world around us: the similarities among living things, the diversity of life, and many features of the physical world we inhabit. Explanations of these phenomena in terms of evolution draw on results from physics, chemistry, geology, many areas of biology, and other sciences. Thus, evolution is the central organizing principle that biologists use to understand the world.
Much of the work you do will take you exploring on the World Wide Web, but you will also investigate the processes of evolution in "your own backyard" and look at the Nature of Science all around you. Evolution and the Nature Of Science provides an extremely active and rich source of new insights into the world. By exploring the history of life on earth and shedding light on how evolution works, evolutionary biology is linking fundamental scientific research to knowledge needed to meet important societal needs, including the preservation of our environment. Few other ideas in science have had such a far-reaching impact on our thinking about ourselves and how we relate to the world.
Learning Objectives:
1. demonstrate a knowledge and comprehension of the facts, principles, and the processes of biology in the areas of ecological, and evolutionary biology;
2. demonstrate an understanding of the means by which scientific information is collected, how it is integrated and how one formulates hypotheses from available data and makes further predictions;
3. demonstrate an understanding that science is a human endeavor with social consequence;
4. transfer and use scientific information in application, analysis, or evaluative settings such as essay assignments or the advanced placement examination; and
5. understand the complex interactions within living and non-living environments and their role in these interactions.
6. evaluate or design scientific investigations to formulate and/or revise scientific explanations and models.
7. given a particular scientific theory or protocol, explain how and/or why the theory or protocol may have changed over time.
8. explain biological diversity in terms of the transmission of genetic characteristics.
9. explain how living things interact with the living and non-living components of the environment.
10. describe how a given environmental change affects an ecosystem.
Academic Content:
Biology, Earth Science, Ecology, Evolutionary Science, the Nature of Science.
Kinds of Assignments:
Hands-on science labs, Web-based labs, Reading Assignments, Real-Life Simulations, Web-based research simulations, Journaling.
Projects Required:
A proposal to do science research.
