Course Description

An examination of the fundamental characteristics common among living things. Emphasis is placed upon studies of the cell, energy, metabolism, reproduction, heredity, ecology, phylogeny, and the diversity of life.

Prerequisites

Please visit Liberty University for details on this course’s prerequisites.

Rationale

An understanding of the basic characteristics of life is a significant asset to an individual. The individual lives among and relates to (with or without cognizance) myriads of life forms around, on, and within him/her.  As he/she begins to appreciate the diversity and ecological significance of life forms he/she begins to function more effectively and sensitively within the sphere of dominion God has allotted him/her.

Measurable Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Logically organize, critically analyze, and apply scientific ideas, theories, and information.
2. Apply basic biological and scientific principles to real and hypothetical circumstances in order to predict likely outcomes or behaviors.
3. Apply biological and environmental principles from the biblical worldview, to make informed decisions on moral and ethical issues and to weigh the consequences of those decisions.

General Education Foundational Skill Learning Outcomes

1. Social and Scientific Inquiry 1: Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of social and/or natural sciences on the world in which we live.
2. Social and Scientific Inquiry 3: Apply solutions for a social and/or scientific dilemma experienced in society.
3. Social and Scientific Inquiry 4: Describe how social and/or scientific inquiry equips human beings to be participants in God’s redemptive work.
4. Communication and Information Literacy 1: Discover and evaluate information to accomplish a specific purpose.
5. Communication and Information Literacy 4: Demonstrate a basic understanding of the role of research and scholarship in order to apply it in various contexts.
6. Critical Thinking 2: Structure an argument or position using credible evidence and valid reasoning.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in Module/Week 1.

Discussion Board Forums (3)

Discussion boards are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will respond to prompts provided and post a thread, containing a maximum of 100 words, to the Discussion Board Forum. In addition to the thread, the student must submit 2 replies of at least 20 words to 2 classmates’ threads. This assignment aligns with the following FSLOs: Social and Scientific Inquiry 1, 3, and 4; Critical Thinking 2.

Individual Assignments (3)

In Modules/Weeks 1, 2, and 9, the student will:

1. Compose and submit a sentence regarding the significance of life.
2. Compose 2 sentences applying the scientific method.
3. Classify 10 research projects into 3 biological categories.
4. This assignment aligns with the following FSLOs: Communication and Information Literacy 1 and 4.

Quizzes (9)

Rather than a few comprehensive exams over the material, this course utilizes many quizzes targeting smaller, specific content areas.

Quizzes will contain multiple-choice questions that come solely from the textbook and will be open-book/open-notes. The quizzes will have a time limit of 50 minutes. The student should review the learning outcomes, read the assignments, and be certain he or she has engaged in all the assignments before taking these quizzes.

One final quiz will contain a single question requiring evaluation of the validity of 12 specific statements based on conclusions reached from a student discussion entitled, “Ecological Encounters” found on the course website within module 16. The student should watch the presentation, “The Christian and His Environment” and review the student discussion before taking this quiz.