General Description

The content of ISCI 2001 and ISCI 2002 is intended to standardize the science content studied by students who are enrolled in Area F of the Teacher Education (Early Childhood Education Option) concentration. The courses were developed to address the Georgia Performance Standards for grades K – 5. ISCI 2001 Life/Earth Science is an activity and inquiry based course that emphasizes the characteristics of life, biodiversity/heredity, energy flow, the interdependence of life, the cell, earth systems, and the lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. (see Course Objectives)

The following information is nearly identical to what instructors will be presenting the students enrolled in ISCI 2002.

ISCI 2001 and its laboratory component is content based – it is NOT a science methods (pedagogy) course. The course was specifically developed for early childhood education majors. It is designed to provide a conceptual framework for basic scientific principles and processing skills which are required for inquiry (discovery) and problem solving. Hands-on group activities and laboratory experiments will be used to reinforce the concepts presented in the lecture portion of the course.

Attendance Policy

Students are required to attend all scheduled class lectures and laboratory activities. If a lecture is missed, it is the student’s responsibility to secure lecture notes from a classmate or the class website if applicable. Students are responsible for making sure that any materials given out during a class time you have missed have been obtained. Absence does not remove the responsibility and subsequent penalties derived from failing to turn in assignments on time.

lt is expected that you are aware of and understand that you are bound by the principles of honesty and integrity as outlined in the current Armstrong University catalog. Please review this information. Be aware that it is also college policy that you may be withdrawn from a course for excessive absences. Therefore:

IF A STUDENT ACCUMULATES MORE THAN THREE (3) UNEXCUSED ABSENCES, THAT STUDENT WILL BE WITHDRAWN FROM THE COURSE. REGULAR ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED AND NECESSARY FOR SUCCESS IN THE CLASS. THIS INCLUDES LECTURE AND LABORATORY ATTENDANCE.

The last date to withdraw from class without receiving a WF is _October 6, 2010. Please note that it is the Department’s as well as the College of Science and Technology’s policy that students must withdraw from class by October 6, 2010 in order to receive a grade of W. After _October 6, 2010, if a student requests a W – that student must petition to be withdrawn from the class and fill out the necessary paperwork. The Assistant Dean of the College of Science and Technology makes the final decision on the grade of W or WF, not the instructor.

A word of caution:

Students who have a failing grade prior to October 6,2010 and who do not withdraw will receive a grade of F if they withdraw from the course after midterm. This will result in a grade of WF being placed on your transcript. The reasoning for assigning the grade of WF is: if you are failing prior to mid term and do not take the initiative to drop prior to the deadline then it appears you are trying to circumvent the College’s policy and you may also be collecting financial aid under false pretenses.

Classroom Conduct

Lecture and laboratory begin promptly at 2:35 p.m. Serial lateness will not be tolerated and may result in dismissal from the class. Try to take care of your personal needs before class or during the break. Leaving class early, without the permission of the instructor, is not allowed.

Electronic Communication devices should be deactivated or left elsewhere. We do not wish to be disturbed during lecture or laboratory times unless you can show a documentable reason. This means pagers, beepers or cell phones or any other device that goes beep in the day or night.

Electronic devices with photographic capabilities may not be used without the expressed written consent of the instructor. Text messaging during class time is rude and grounds for dismissal from the class. Instructors have the right to confiscate cell phones or other electronic devices that are being used in class when they should not be. This action has the backing and sanction of the Dean of Student Affairs. Failure to adhere to these rules is grounds for removable from class with a grade of WF.

Honor Code Policy

It is the student’s responsibility to follow the AASU Honor Code. The Code may be found in the College Catalog or on the University’s Website. Failure to abide by the code will result in a Grade of F for that assignment. Disregard of the Honor Code statutes will result in a grade of F for the course and/or disciplinary action by the University’s Honor Code Board.

Violation of the Honor Code is not only about an individual cheating but also about having knowledge of someone cheating/plagiarizing on a graded assignment and not reporting it to the instructor.

Grading Policy

Your FINAL GRADE in this course will be determined by a weighted average of your lecture grade and your laboratory grade. (see separate sheet on Grading)

To pass this course requires that you MUST PASS BOTH THE LECTURE AND LAB PORTIONS of the course.

Grade determinations for lecture and lab examinations and final grades will be based on the following alpha-numeric equivalences:

A = 89.5 - 100
B = 79.5 - 89.4
C = 69.5 – 79.4 (70 is the minimum grade required to receive credit for the course according to the Early Childhood Education guidelines)
D = 59.5 - 69.4 (60 is the minimum passing grade)
F = BELOW 59.5

Laboratory Grades will consist of the following three parts. There will be two major laboratory exams – a midterm exam and a final exam. In addition, there will be regular quizzes which will cover the previous week’s materials. Finally, there will be a minimum of ten (10) graded laboratory reports.

For the Lecture Grade there will be two parts. Three lecture exams will be given. Also there will be activity sheets to be answered and turned in. At least ten (10) of these activity sheets will be graded. You will not be told ahead of time which ones will be graded.