Student-instructor communication is vital; therefore, it is important to know how to work with the campus technology.  Throughout the duration of the term, you should use your MyCampus student email account for all email communication with your instructor.  You will access your student email using the Office 365 widget on the course home page.  Additionally, you will set your Notifications to ensure you receive announcements, reminders, grade updates, etc.

Part 2: Communication – Using the Office 365 Widget and Setting Notifications

Student-instructor communication is vital; therefore, it is important to know how to work with the campus technology.  Throughout the duration of the term, you should use your MyCampus student email account for all email communication with your instructor.  You will access your student email using the Office 365 widget on the course home page.  Additionally, you will set your Notifications to ensure you receive announcements, reminders, grade updates, etc.

• Using the Office 365 Widget to access your student email
  • Go to the Office 365 widget on the course home page (Click Accessing your Student Email for instructions)
  • Acknowledge you have successfully accessed your student email (e.g., “I was able to successfully access my student email”.)
• Setting Notifications
  • Click Setting Your Notifications for instructions
  • Acknowledge you have successfully set your notifications (e.g., “I was able to successfully set my notifications”.)

Part 3: Course Project Topic

Throughout the term, you will complete a multi-step Course Project (see guide) that focuses on one species of organism. For this week, think about one or two topics you may consider, share them, and tell us why they piqued your interest or how they are relevant to you.  

Keep the following in mind:

The topic of the course project will be any species native to your area. The organism should come from one of the four major kingdoms (Protist, Fungus, Plant, or Animal) and be indigenous to the area in which you reside. The organism should not be a domesticated pet, farm animal, houseplant, human, etc., but rather a wild species that is native to the local area where you live or one that you find interesting but may not be able to directly observe (e.g., great white shark). If possible, try to select a different species than your classmates. However, it is okay if more than one classmate selects the same organism; I want you to be interested and excited about what you will be researching!

NOTE:  For the Mini-Presentation Assignment due in Week 2, you will only choose ONE species of organism, so be specific! (e.g., the common house gecko whose scientific name is Hemidactylus frenatus) 

For responses to classmates this week:

• Substantively reply to your classmates’ initial posts.  These will count toward your ‘Reply Posts‘ grade points.
• Monitor your initial post thread, and respond to follow-up questions and comments made by your classmates and instructor during the scheduled week. These will count toward your ‘Creates Conversation‘ grade points.

Evaluation:  Follow the Weekly Discussion Grading Criteria for expectations for posting and replying to peers.  Note: Keep your reply posts focused on the week’s topic and anatomy & physiology. They should be substantive and demonstrate understanding to be eligible for maximum credit.