Biology 1 “Out-of-Class Experience”

Adapted from Devon Bradley

In order to help you apply the general biology concepts we are covering in class in to something more tangible, you are required to complete one “out-of-class” experience. This experience, and your written summary of this experience can be submitted through Canvas.

Refer to the remainder of this document for details, but in summary, what you need to do is:

Complete an “out-of-class experience”

Write a reflective/analytic paper based on your experience

Upload your final paper to Canvas (here) by the due date.

 Step 1: Complete an “out -of-class experience”

You have a few options for engaging in an out-of-class experience, but remember that your experience must be clearly related to a topic or topics covered in Biology 1. Choose one of the following suggested out-of- class experiences:

Attend a field trip: refer to the links of Canvas for suggestions of museums, “wild places” to visit in Orange County (OC Parks, nature centers, botanical gardens, etc), and other appropriate If you choose this option, you will have to submit proof of your attendance (i.e. a picture next to a park sign, a scanned ticket stub from a zoo or botanical garden, etc) and provide a detailed summary of the locale. You should plan on spending 3-4 hours at your chosen site.

Volunteer with a local environmental organization: this option requires that you spend a minimum of 3-4 hours volunteering with a local environmental organization and documenting your See Canvas for a list of suggested organizations.

Outside film/lecture/discussion: community or campus events sometimes provide opportunities to learn about biological Attendance at such an event may be used as an out-of-class experience. This should be an organized film viewing, lecture or discussion. Suggestions are posted on Canvas.

Step 2: Write a reflective/analytic paper on your experience

You will write and submit a reflective/analytic paper on your out-of-class experience, which will include:

a brief description of the experience, including the name of the organization and the person who directed the experience if it was a service project or lecture/discussion;

insightful discussion of how the course theme can be used to analyze and understand issues related to the experience, and/or how the experience deepens your understanding of the course theme (this should be the most involved section of your paper);

I will repeat for emphasis – make sure that you relate your experience to specific course themes or topics!

your conclusion on the experience as a whole.

This paper should be no less than 750 and no more than 1250 words. Suggested format: double‐ spaced, 1” margins, 12 pt Times New Roman.

Step 3: Submit your paper

You will need to submit your paper on Canvas:

Upload your paper using the link provided on Canvas by the due date.

Papers will be scanned for plagiarism. Refer to the syllabus for policies on academic dishonesty. Be sure to submit an original paper written for this class.