2.2: Pacing

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The Biology for Majors II textbook contains twenty-six chapters. As mentioned in Teaching this Course, we do not recommend teaching all twenty-six chapters in a single semester. There are two primary approaches we recommend:

Broad Approach

This first method has a broad coverage, discussing the the scope and diversity of life. Below are recommended modules to include in this approach.

Module 1: Introduction to Biology
Module 2: Viruses
Module 3: History of Life
Module 4: Prokaryotes
Module 5: Protists
Module 6: Fungi
Module 7: Plant Diversity
Module 8: Plant Structure and Function
Module 9: Plant Reproduction
Module 10: Animal Diversity
Module 11: Invertebrates
Module 12: Vertebrates
Module 13: Overview of Body Systems
Module 25: Ecology of Living Things
Module 26: Ecology and the Environment

Optional: You can also include a deeper focus on one or two body systems of your choosing, from modules 14–24. This approach has 15 modules (with an optional 16th module)—roughly one chapter per week for a sixteen-week semester. If you need to modify the pace and cover the material more quickly, the following chapters work well together:

Module 1: Introduction to Biology and Module 2: Viruses
Module 3: History of Life and Module 4: Prokaryotes
Module 5: Protists and Module 6: Fungi
Module 7: Plant Diversity and Module 9: Plant Reproduction
Module 25: Ecology of Living Things and Module 26: Ecology and the Environment

We recommend NOT doubling up the following modules, because they are long and especially challenging. Students will need more time for mastery and completion of assignments.

Module 11: Invertebrates
Module 13: Vertebrates

Human-Centric Approach

This second method has a light discussion of the diversity of life, but is largely focused on the human body. In this method, we focus in on the human body systems. Below are recommended modules to include in this approach.

Module 1: Introduction to Biology
Module 3: History of Life
Module 7: Plant Diversity
Module 10: Animal Diversity
Module 14: Nervous System
Module 15: Endocrine System
Module 16: Reproductive System
Module 17: Sensory Systems
Module 18: Circulatory System
Module 19: Respiratory System
Module 20: Immune System
Module 21: Digestive System
Module 22: Excretory System
Module 23: Musculoskeletal System
Module 24: Integumentary System
Module 25: Ecology of Living Things
Module 26: Ecology and the Environment

This approach has 17 modules—roughly one chapter per week for a sixteen-week semester. If you need to modify the pace and cover the material more quickly, the following chapters work particularly well together:

Module 1: Introduction to Biology and Module 3: History of Life
Module 7: Plant Diversity and Module 10: Animal Diversity
Module 18: Circulatory System and Module 19: Respiratory System
Module 21: Digestive System and Module 22: Excretory System
Module 23: Musculoskeletal System and Module 24: Integumentary System
Module 25: Ecology of Living Things and Module 26: Ecology and the Environment

Contributors and Attributions

Pacing. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution

Stopwatch. Authored by: Adrien Coquet, FR. Provided by: Noun Project. Located at: https://thenounproject.com/term/stopwatch/1094680/. License: CC BY: Attribution