BIOL-485-georgina.cox-2025-09-25-11-12-37
Below is a syllabus template that includes WSU's required syllabus elements. Please complete all items highlighted in yellow.
Title of Course [Biology of the Oceans]
Prefix and Number [BIOL 485]
Semester and Year [tbd]
Number of Credit Hours [3]
Prerequisites [Junior Standing; Biology 372]
Course Details
Day and Time: [tbd]
Meeting Location: [tbd]
Instructor Contact Information
Instructor Name: [tbd]
Instructor Contact Information: [office location, phone, email] [tbd]
Instructor Office Hours: [click here for best practices] [tbd]
TA Name: [tbd]
TA Contact Information: [office location, phone, email]: [tbd]
TA Office Hours: [click here for best practices] [tbd]
Course Description
[Interdisciplinary capstone course that explores the ocean world from molecules to ecosystems in the context of scientific discovery and society. ]
Course Materials
Books: [Biological Oceanography: An Introduction. 3rd Edition, Elsevier Science, Author Susanne Menden-Deuer. ISBN: 9780081025741: $53.52]
Other Materials: [NA]
Fees: [NA]
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) [add more lines if necessary]
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WSU Learning Goal of Undergraduate Education |
UCORE’S [CAPS] Designator Learning Outcomes. Students who successfully complete a [CAPS] course should be able to: |
Course Learning Outcomes. Students who successfully complete this course should be able to: |
Descriptions of Course Learning Activities, Assignments, and Assessments that support achievement of outcomes: |
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Critical and Creative Thinking |
Conceptualize a substantial, culminating project that requires the application of key concepts, methods, and skills to address authentic situations, in line with expectations at the graduating undergraduate level. |
• Conceptualize and execute a semester-long capstone project that addresses an authentic marine problem (e.g., climate impacts, biodiversity, fisheries, pollution). |
Practice: Capstone project problem framing |
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Integrative Learning |
Apply concepts, skills, and/or methods of inquiry within and/or across disciplines to address authentic situations in line with expectations at the graduating undergraduate level. |
• Integrate organismal biology, ecology, physiology, evolution, and biogeochemistry to analyze marine systems from molecules→ecosystems→human dimensions.
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Practice: integrative case discussions |
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Information Literacy |
Identify and synthesize multiple relevant bodies of knowledge and sources of information to support findings or results within the context of an authentic situation in line with expectations at the graduating undergraduate level. |
• Identify, evaluate, and synthesize peer-reviewed literature and authoritative datasets (e.g., NOAA, OBIS, IPCC) to support claims. |
Practice: Annotated bibliography for Capstone project Performance/Assessment: literature review & final report |
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Written Communication |
Communicate findings in written forms appropriate to the discipline and in line with expectations at the graduating undergraduate level. |
• Produce discipline-appropriate scientific writing (proposal, journal-style final report, policy brief) that is organized, evidence-driven, and audience-aware. |
Practice: staged drafting capstone project with, peer, AI, and instructor feedback comparisons. Performance/Assessment: revised final capstone report |
Course Schedule
[Please note that a WSU semester is 15 weeks + Thanksgiving/Spring Break. The schedule below does not include the break.]
| Week | Lecture Topics | Assigned Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to The course: Intro to course and capstone project | None |
| 2 | Introduction to Marine Science | Assorted chapters |
| 4 | Marine Producers | Assorted chapters |
| 5 | Marine Consumers: | Assorted chapters |
| 6 | Biological Processes | Assorted chapters |
| 7 | Marine Consumers: Fish | Assorted chapters |
| 8 | Marine Consumers: Marine Mammals | Assorted chapters |
| 9 | Review and Feedback of Project | — |
| 10 | The Open Ocean: Epipelagic Zone | Assorted chapters |
| 11 | The Costal Ocean | Assorted chapters |
| 12 | Marine Fisheries | Assorted chapters |
| 13 | Climate Change | Peer review papers |
| 14 | Toxic algal blooms | Peer review papers |
| 15 | Final group presentations of chapters | — |
Expectations for Student Effort
[Describe how much time students should expect to invest in the course each week. Graduate courses should state: "For each hour of lecture equivalent, students should expect to have a minimum of two hours of work outside of class." Note that Global campus courses will automatically include credit hour equivalents in the syllabus.]
The total time investment in this course will depend on a number of factors, including the student’s background, level of discipline, and focus. Regardless, it is recommended that some time be set aside in each day to study materials to remain up-to-date and fresh. A minimum of eight (8) hours of study outside of class time is considered appropriate for this course level. Lecture PDF’s can be found on Canvas, however, these PDF’s may not be exact replicas of the slides given in lecture. Students are expected to make notes in class/when watching videos to complete slides. You are responsible for reading the FAQ document.
Grading [add more lines if necessary]
Assignment Breakdown
| Assessment Category | Component | % of Final Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Participation | — | 10% |
| In-class assignments | — | 10% |
| Course Project (Total 40%) | Proposal of Topics | 5% |
| Literature Synthesis Notes | 5% | |
| Data Set Synthesis | 5% | |
| Draft of Report | 5% | |
| Feedback of Reports/Presentations | 5% | |
| Final Report | 5% | |
| Final Presentation | 10% | |
| Midterm Exam | — | 20% |
| Final Exam | — | 20% |
| Total | — | 100% |
Grading Schema
| Grade | Percentage Range |
|---|---|
| A | 93.0 – 100 |
| A- | 90.0 – 92.9 |
| B+ | 87.0 – 89.9 |
| B | 83.0 – 86.9 |
| B- | 80.0 – 82.9 |
| C+ | 77.0 – 79.9 |
| C | 73.0 – 76.9 |
| C- | 70.0 – 72.9 |
| D+ | 67.0 – 69.9 |
| D | 64.0 – 66.9 |
| F | < 63.9 |
[Provide information about how grades will be rounded (eg, if 89% earns a B+ and 90% earns an A-, what grade is given to a student with an 89.5?]
Attendance and Make-Up Policy
[Provide details on how attendance affects final course grades. Indicate whether and how missed exams, laboratory sessions, etc. can be made up. Sample attendance statement: “Students should make all reasonable efforts to attend all class meetings. However, in the event a student is unable to attend a class, it is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor as soon as possible, explain the reason for the absence (and provide documentation, if appropriate), and make up class work missed within a reasonable amount of time, if allowed. Missing class meetings may result in reducing the overall grade in the class.” ] [
Students are expected to attend all lecture classes, and to participate in the course in a meaningful way. Your participation will be measured by engaging in and handing in work related to either a class exercise, small group activity or a brief individual assignment (such as a one-minute paper, or answer to a specific question) related to the topics discussed that day or up to that point in the class. The work handed in related to these activities will not be graded, however I will use it as a guide for formative evaluation of class progress, as well as evidence of attendance. Students may miss a maximum of three lecture assignments without penalty. If more than two lecture assignments are missed, the student will receive zero (0) points for this part of their overall score. No exceptions or make-ups allowed.
Academic Integrity Statement
You are responsible for reading WSU's Academic Integrity Policy, which is based on Washington State law. If you cheat in your work in this class you will:
-[
Academic integrity is the cornerstone of higher education. As such, all members of the university community share responsibility for maintaining and promoting the principles of integrity in all activities, including academic integrity and honest scholarship. Academic integrity will be strongly enforced in this course. Students who violate WSU’s Academic Integrity Policy (identified in Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 504-26-010(3) and -404) and Academic Integrity and Artificial Intelligence Policy for this class will receive a zero for that assignment and up to a 25% deduction from the final grade, will not have the option to withdraw from the course pending an appeal, and will be reported to the Center for Community Standards.
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration as defined in the Standards of Conduct for Students, WAC 504-26-010(3), and violation of the course specific AI policy (listed below). Read and understand all of the definitions of cheating
Links to an external site. If you have any questions about what is and is not allowed, ask your course professor. If you wish to appeal a instructor’s decision relating to academic integrity, please use the form available at communitystandards.wsu.edu
Links to an external site.. Make sure you submit your appeal within 21 calendar days of the instructor’s decision.
Writing Assignment Policy
All written assignments in this course must be created and stored on the students WSU OneDrive using Microsoft word (or another platform that automatically saves version history and can be shared with your professor). This is a requirement to ensure that assignments are the result of your own thought process.
During the course students may be asked to share documents and version history with the professor. This serves to demonstrate the students writing process and confirm original text generation. Draft work will not be graded; it will only be used to verify authorship. Failure to provide a complete version history for assignments when requested may result in an academic integrity review.
Academic Integrity and Artificial Intelligence Policy for Biol 485
Policy
Students will be informed if AI use is allowed for specific assignments.
In this class you must fully disclose your use of AI in all work submitted for grading. Please fill in and use the below disclosure statement and attach it to the end of your assignment.
I, *name*, used the AI *name (eg. ChatGPT)* to generate part(s) of this assignment. The following is the complete AI generated text that I either used or modified and the prompt I used.
- My prompt is as follows:
- *Your prompt goes here*
- Pasted response directly copied from AI
- *AI text gets copied here*
Detection procedure: Detector and an Eye
For assignments where AI use is prohibited (all except those where it is indicated to be part of the assignment), assignments will be automatically screened by an AI detection software for AI generated text. If a positive identification of AI generated text is reported the professor will request a meeting with you to discuss your work.
Due process
During the instructor meeting the student will be asked to provide evidence of their own writing (e.g. digital drafts, digital drafts containing track changes, version history of documents). Students are expected to show the date of creation/revisions of their work.
If the student cannot provide evidence of their own work in this manner the student will be reported to the Center for Community Standards (see above), receive a zero on their assignment, and up to a 25% reduction in their final grade.
-Be reported to the Center for Community Standards
-Have the right to appeal my decision
-Not be able to drop the course of withdraw from the course until the appeals process is finished
If you have any questions about what you can and cannot do in this course, ask me.
If you want to ask for a change in my decision about academic integrity, use the form at the Center for Community Standards website. You must submit this request within 21 calendar days of the decision.