Week one orientation. Slides only, no audio.

1. Bi311 Genetics
Course Orientation
Oregon State University Extended Campus

2. How to get started
1.Review this document.
2.Read the course welcome
announcement & note important dates
on your personal calendar.
3.Read the syllabus.
4.Log on to the course discussion board,
introduce yourself, and read “Read Me
First” under the General forum.

3. Mitosis and Meiosis
• This course assumes that you’ve had the biology series
as a pre-requisite. However, many students have
forgotten (or perhaps never knew) most of the details
about mitosis and meiosis. Reading Chapter 2:
Chromosomes and Cellular Reproduction in your text to
refresh your knowledge.
• Log on to the LaunchPad site and navigate to Learning
Curve in the list of items under Chapter Two. The
Learning Curve will help you identify areas where you
need more review. You are strongly encouraged to use
the Learning Curve throughout the course to test your
knowledge and get advice on areas where you need to
improve.
• There is a discussion forum on Blackboard dedicated to
mitosis and meiosis review--if you need it, use it!
• Do not skip your review of this material--you will see
questions on the exams about mitosis and meiosis.

4. Assignments
• Each week’s assignments are found in the corresponding folder.
Assignment folders are available in batches which correspond to exams.
This allows you to work ahead if you prefer.
• For the purposes of this course, weeks begin and end on Fridays. Thus,
you have seven days, including a full weekend, to spend on each
module of content. This means that course materials (excluding exams)
become available on Fridays.
• Each weekly assignment includes readings and suggested practice
problems. The phrase “pay special attention to” is your study guide that
emphasizes the most important areas of each topic that you should
know and understand.
• Each week includes an assigned Learning Curve on the LaunchPad site.
These assignments do not contribute to your grade but are meant to
help you identify areas where you need more study.
• The LaunchPad site has many resources including problem solving
videos and other materials. If you identify additional resources, please
share those on the class discussion board.

5. Exams
• There are three exams in this course: two Midterms
and the comprehensive Final.
• The exams become available in the assignments
folders on Friday mornings before they are due.
✦ Midterm I in Week 4 folder
✦ Midterm II in Week 8 folder
✦ Final in Assignments (the main folder)
• The exams are timed. You have one hour to
complete the midterms and two hours for the final.
• The exams are due on Mondays at 5 pm PT. (See
Important Dates in the course announcement for
exceptions).

6. Resistance Has
Meaning
When you hit material that makes your mental wheels grind to a halt that is a
signal that you are learning. Make notes about your confusion and carefully
assess where your understanding reaches its limit--then post your
question(s) to the discussion board. (And don’t forget to breathe.)
If you find that you don’t have questions, post comments about what you’ve
learned and what you think it means, how the information relates to
something you already know or something you’re interested in. This allows
others to benefit from your perspective as well as giving your instructor the
chance to help you to learn more effectively by spotting misconceptions or
misunderstandings before those trip you up at exam time.