Environmental Systems (ENVIRSYS) 1A

Syllabus

Course Name
ENVIRSYS 1A

Environmental Systems – Semester A

Course Information
ENVIRSYS 1A is the first semester of this two-semester course.

In this course, you'll work through the first three units of your science textbook:
Introduction to Environmental Science; Ecology; and Populations.

Course Delivery Method

Online

Contacting Your Instructor

You may contact your instructor through the Blackboard messaging system. Technical
support is available 24/7 at www.k12.ttu.edu.

Course Objectives
After completing this course, you should be able to:

1. conduct hands-on laboratory and field investigations using safe, environmentally

appropriate, and ethical practices;
2. use scientific methods during laboratory and field investigations;
3. use critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and problem solving to make informed
decisions within and outside the classroom;
4. understand the relationships of biotic and abiotic factors within habitats,
ecosystems, and biomes;
5. recognize the interrelationships among the resources within the local
environmental system;

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6. summarize methods of land use and management and describe its effects on
land fertility;
7. identify source, use, quality, management, and conservation of water;
8. identify renewable and non-renewable resources that must come from outside an
ecosystem such as food, water, lumber, and energy;
9. analyze and evaluate the economic significance and interdependence of
resources within the environmental system;
10. explain the sources and flow of energy through an environmental system;
11. define and identify the components of the geosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere,
atmosphere, and biosphere and the interactions among them;
12. explain the flow of energy in an ecosystem, including conduction, convection,
and radiation;
13. investigate and explain the effects of energy transformations in terms of the laws
of thermodynamics within an ecosystem;
14. investigate and identify energy interactions in an ecosystem;
15. describe the relationship between carrying capacity and changes in populations
and ecosystems;
16. recognize that environments change naturally;
17. analyze and describe the effects on areas impacted by natural events such as
tectonic movement, volcanic events, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding,
tsunamis, and population growth;
18. explain how regional changes in the environment may have a global effect;
19. examine how natural processes such as succession and feedback loops restore
habitats and ecosystems;
20. explain the impact of human activities on the environment;
21. identify causes of air, soil, and water pollution, including point and nonpoint
sources;
22. investigate the types of air, soil, and water pollution such as chlorofluorocarbons,
carbon dioxide, pH, pesticide runoff, thermal variations, metallic ions, heavy
metals, and nuclear waste;
23. describe the effect of pollution on global warming, glacial and ice cap melting,
greenhouse effect, ozone layer, and aquatic viability;
24. evaluate the effect of human activities, including habitat restoration projects,
species preservation efforts, nature conservancy groups, hunting, fishing,
ecotourism, all terrain vehicles, and small personal watercraft, on the
environment;
25. evaluate cost-benefit trade-offs of commercial activities such as municipal
development, farming, deforestation, over-harvesting, and mining;
26. research the advantages and disadvantages of "going green" such as organic
gardening and farming, natural methods of pest control, hydroponics,
xeriscaping, energy-efficient homes and appliances, and hybrid cars; and
27. analyze past and present local, state, and national legislation, including Texas
automobile emissions regulations, the National Park Service Act, the Clean Air

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 Act, the Clean Water Act, the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act, and
the Endangered Species Act.

ENVIRSYS addresses the required Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
These can be found at the Texas Education Agency website.

Textbook and Materials

Textbook(s)
The required digital textbook for this course is:

• Heithaus, Michael R., and Karen Arms. (2013). Environmental Science. Orlando,
FL: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. ISBN-13: 978-0-547-90401-6

Additionally, students will need an online account at Holt McDougal Online in order to
access some of the virtual lab materials and other online resources. Students will
obtain this account through their access to the digital textbook, which can only
be purchased through the TTU K-12 partner bookstore.

Once you have purchased the digital textbook, you will receive a username and
password via email from MBS Direct after they have set up your account.

Technical Requirements
• Internet access – preferably high speed (for accessing Blackboard)
• Email
• Word processing software such as Microsoft Word
• Adobe Reader (download from Adobe.com)
• Audio and video capabilities (for watching/listening to course content)
• PDF app (free options available)

Technical Skill Requirements

Be comfortable with the following:

• using a word processor

• Internet search engines and browsers
• creating PDFs (see Requirements for Creating PDFs in the Syllabus section of
your course)

Course Organization
This course consists of 10 lessons and a final examination. The course follows the
structure of the textbook. Each chapter is a lesson, and each lesson is subdivided into
two or three parts. For each part, you'll watch and take notes on a video lecture, as well

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as complete readings and take notes from your textbook. As you complete each part,
you'll take a short multiple-choice quiz (usually ten or less questions). Most lessons will
also have a science journal entry or a discussion to participate in.

After you've completed all the parts of each chapter, you'll work through a lab and take
a chapter test.

Each lesson includes several activities that present content knowledge. Each lesson
also includes multiple graded assignments to ensure that you learn the content that has
been presented in the activities. Some of the assignments are automatically-graded
quizzes, and some are written assignments or activities that your instructor will grade.
Be sure you read all instructions carefully and ask your instructor for help if something is
not clear.

Course Outline
Please note that some assignments will be hidden from you when you start the course.
As you move through the lessons and complete assignments, more will unlock for you.

Approximate Time for

Lesson Topic
Completion
UNIT 1:
Chapter 1 Science and the Environment 1.5 weeks
Chapter 2 Tools of Environmental Science 1.5 weeks
Chapter 3 The Dynamic Earth 1.5 weeks
Unit 1 Science Journal Entries
UNIT 2:
Chapter 4 The Organization of Life 1.5 weeks
Chapter 5 How Ecosystems Work 1.5 weeks
Chapter 6 Biomes 1.5 weeks
Chapter 7 Aquatic Ecosystems 1.5 weeks
Unit 2 Science Journal Entries
UNIT 3:
Chapter 8 Understanding Populations 1.5 weeks
Chapter 9 The Human Population Two weeks
Chapter 10 Biodiversity Two weeks
Unit 3 Science Journal Entries
Final Exam

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Assignment Schedule
Each of the following must be completed to complete the course. Items with an asterisk
(*) indicate that these are summative assessments for the course.

Lesson Weeks Assignments

1 1-2 Checkpoint 1 (Non-graded)
Chapter 1.1 Quiz
Chapter 1.2 Quiz
Chapter 1 Lab
*Chapter 1 Test
2 2-3 Chapter 2.1 Quiz
Chapter 2.2 Quiz
Chapter 2.3 Quiz
*Chapter 2 Test
3 4-5 Chapter 3.1 Quiz
Chapter 3.2 Quiz
Chapter 3.2 Discussion
Chapter 3.3 Quiz
Chapter 3 Lab
*Chapter 3 Test
Checkpoint 2 (Non-graded)
Unit 1 Entries for Lessons 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, and 3.3
Journal (7 entries total)

4 5-6 Chapter 4.1 Quiz

Chapter 4.2 Discussion
Chapter 4.2 Quiz
Chapter 4.3 Quiz
Chapter 4 Lab
*Chapter 4 Test
5 7-8 Chapter 5.1 Quiz
Chapter 5.2 Quiz
Chapter 5.3 Quiz
Chapter 5 Lab
*Chapter 5 Test
6 8-9 Chapter 6.1 Quiz
Chapter 6.2 Quiz
Chapter 6.3 Quiz
Chapter 6 Lab
*Chapter 6 Test

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 Lesson Weeks Assignments
7 10-11 Chapter 7.1 Quiz
Chapter 7.2 Quiz
Chapter 7 Lab
*Chapter 7 Test
Unit 2 Entries for Lessons 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 7.1, and 7.2
Journal (10 entries total)

8 11-12 Chapter 8.1 Quiz

Chapter 8.2 Quiz
Chapter 8.2 Discussion
Chapter 8 Lab
*Chapter 8 Test
9 13-14 Chapter 9.1 Quiz
Chapter 9.2 Quiz
Chapter 9 Lab
*Chapter 9 Test
10 15-16 Chapter 10.1 Quiz
Chapter 10.2 Quiz
Chapter 10.3 Quiz
Chapter 10 Lab
*Chapter 10 Test
Checkpoint 3 (Non-graded)
Unit 3 Entries for Lessons 8.1, 9.1, 9.2, 10.1, 10.2, and 10.3
Journal (6 entries total)

Final Exam

Course Credit
The course grade will be calculated as follows:

• 50% coursework average;

• 50% summative assessment average, including the final exam;
• A passing course grade is 70 or higher.

Students must attempt all assignments in the course. The final exam will not be
available until all assignments have been accepted and graded by the teacher.

Students who score below 70% on the final exam will be eligible for one re-exam
opportunity.

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Coursework
The graded assignments within each lesson are formative in nature. This means that
they are designed to assist you in applying and demonstrating the lesson concepts, as
well as identifying areas in which you need additional review. You may use all the
lesson’s learning activities to assist you as you complete the graded assignments.

Summative Assessments
Summative assessments are those that allow you to demonstrate mastery of the course
objectives. For summative assessments, you will NOT be allowed to use the learning
materials. These are opportunities for you to show what you have learned by that point
in the course. Summative assessments may be proctored using the online proctoring
system Proctorio. Information about Proctorio is provided in Remote Proctoring in the
Syllabus section of your course. The summative assessments for this course are as
follows:

• Summative Assessments (20% of Course Grade)

o Chapter 1 Test (40 points)
o Chapter 2 Test (30 points)
o Chapter 3 Test (30 points)
o Chapter 4 Test (35 points)
o Chapter 5 Test (34 points)
o Chapter 6 Test (30 points)
o Chapter 7 Test (30 points)
o Chapter 8 Test (30 points)
o Chapter 9 Test (30 points)
o Chapter 10 Test (30 points)
• Summative Final Exam (30% of Course Grade)

Course Completion
• Students may not complete the course in less than 30 days.
• All courses expire six months after the enrollment date.

Academic Integrity
It is the aim of the faculty of Texas Tech University to foster a spirit of complete honesty
and high standard of integrity. The attempt of students to present as their own any work
not honestly performed is regarded by the faculty and administration as a most serious
offense and renders the offenders liable to serious consequences, possibly suspension.

“Scholastic dishonesty” includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion,
falsifying academic records, misrepresenting facts, and any act designed to give unfair
academic advantage to the student (such as, but not limited to, submission of

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essentially the same written assignment for two courses without the prior permission
of the instructor) or the attempt to commit such an act.

Student Expectations
You will be expected to log into the Blackboard course regularly to be aware of possible
announcements/reminders and to pace your progress in the course.

Students are expected to maintain an online environment conducive to learning, which

includes “netiquette” (Internet etiquette). Please review the basic rules for Online
Discussion Netiquette. Ensure that your email messages, discussion board postings,
and other electronic communications are thoughtful and respectful. Diverse opinions are
welcome in this course, and you are expected to demonstrate an open mind and
courtesy when responding to the thoughts and ideas of others.

The following are prohibited:

• making offensive remarks in email or the discussion board;

• using inappropriate language or discussing inappropriate topics online;
• spamming;
• hacking;
• using TTU or Blackboard email or discussion boards for commercial purposes;
• using all caps (considered shouting in online communications); and
• cyber-bullying or online harassment of any type.

Inappropriate behavior shall result in consequences ranging from a request to correct

the problem, to removal from the course or even the university, depending on the
severity of the behavior. Disciplinary actions will be taken according to the TTU K-12
Student Handbook.

Communication
• You can expect a reply from your instructor within 2 business days.
• Use the Blackboard Course Messages tool for sending messages to your
instructor.

Submitting Assignments
You will submit all assignments through the Blackboard Assignment Tool, rather than by
mail or email.

Technical Difficulties
Getting Help
For student assistance with Blackboard, visit TTU K-12 Support.

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Computer Problems
A working computer is necessary for online coursework. Computer problems will not be
accepted as a valid reason for failure to complete course activities within the allotted
time frame. Identify a second computer, before the course begins, that you can use if
you experience computer problems.

Server Problems
When the Blackboard server needs to be taken down for maintenance, the Blackboard
administrator will post an announcement in your course informing you of the time and
date. If the server experiences unforeseen problems, your course instructor will
notify you.

Lost or Corrupted Files

You must keep/save a copy of every project/assignment on an external disk or personal
computer. In the event of any kind of technology failure (e.g., Blackboard server crash
or virus infection, students’ own computer problems, loss of files in cyberspace, etc.) or
any disputes, the instructor may request or require you to resubmit the files. In some
instances, the instructor may need to open another attempt within Blackboard, so
communication with your instructor is critical in these circumstances.