Bio249 Human Physiology Syllabus

Course Syllabus:  Bio249 Spring 2019 Syllabus.pdf

Course Description: Microscopic, macroscopic, and dynamic view of the human physiological processes. The lecture portion includes a thorough consideration of both “cell and systems” physiology. Laboratory work includes the use of techniques used in basic research, an introduction to the use of standard medical equipment, and the performance of medical laboratory tests. Non-invasive experiments are performed on students enrolled in the class.

Textbook Information:

1. Human Anatomy & Physiology by Marieb and Hoehn, 10st Ed.
2. Lab Manual: All documents are found on Canvas. Students must print and bring weekly prelabs & postlabs. Students must be able to view the lab summary & protocol using a digital device (e.g. laptop, tablet, smartphone); hard copies will be available for class use only.

Additional Course Information: 

1. AS15 scantrons (need 10).
2. AS100 scantrons (need 4).
3. Lab Equipment: look at syllabus for details.
4. Internet access to use Canvas and online resources.

Student Learning Objectives: 

• Students will learn terminology that will help them understand and communicate physiological concepts.
• Students will be able to interpret feedback loops and physiological mechanisms.
• Students will be able to apply physiological concepts to real world health problems.

Meet Your Instructor: 

Jennie L. Beltran, MS

Assistant Professor of Biology

beltran_jennie@sac.edu

Office: R320

Phone: 714-564-6629

I was born and raised in Santa Ana and teaching at Santa Ana College is a dream come true  (a list of the courses that I have taught are found below). I earned a Master's degree in Comparative Physiology (Biomechanics) from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCI in 2007. As a graduate student I enjoyed researching the material properties, mechanical properties, and biochemical composition of elasmobranch (sharks, skates, and rays) cartilage and spider silk. After graduate school I was hired as a Part-Time Instructor for the Discovery Science Center (grades 3-5), took some preschool certificate courses at SAC, and participated in the SAC STEM Scholars Program. I later became an Adjunct Professor at SAC and CSUF. I am currently an Assistant Professor of Biology at SAC and teach the anatomy, physiology, and biology for future educators courses.  I also tend to teach a variety of K-12 programs during some of my summer breaks. It is fun to teach biology to people at various seasons of their life.

Viewing the world as a biologist is beautiful because I can see the "song and dance of life." My goal when teaching biological concepts to future pre-health professionals is to have future health professionals find an appreciation for biology and to have them realize that biology is an exciting and applicable subject. As a student and scientist I learned to embrace learning via the countless failures during my experiments. That means that most of the time learning looks like failure. You learn when you make a mistake and then you work towards learning why you made that mistake and then how to prevent yourself from repeating it. One thing we have learned through educational research is that learning looks like failure and perfection looks like repetition. We want to become students who are strong learners, who are unafraid to fail, who have a confidence that is unwavering, who have an unsurpassed amount of persistence to reach educational goals, and who are motivated to improve. This is for our own self improvement, but more importantly to provide the best care for our patients (humans and non-human). You can be successful, but dedicating a lot of time and work must be a priority for this course.

My lecture teaching style is a combination of chalk-talks (writing on the board) and slides (normally figures from the textbook). Students and I tend to move around and I constantly have have call-and-response activities. We also watch videos and on occasion have guests to enhance our learning. Although direct-lecturing is unavoidable, my goal is to provide a dynamic learning environment to enhance learning. During lab I try to have students view models, slides, and dissections so that students learn to to look for information using their tools (dissection tools, textbook, lab manual, lab outlines), improve spacial reasoning skills (imagining 3D objects from various view points), enhance memorization skills, and explore topics at a deeper level using hands on activities.

I am excited to teach the Bio249 course and teach students who want to make a difference in the health field.  I am here to teach you how to get in touch with your inner biologist and to learn the basic topics and skills in human physiology. For us to be successful, I need you to study daily, take detailed notes, critically read your textbook, read all supplemental documents/worksheets/practice problems, be an active learner, ask for help when you need it, form a study group, participate in discussions, attempt all problems, work well with others, be safe, be respectful, be mature, and maintain good time management. Students who are mindful of their progress, who adjust quickly to teaching and learning styles, and who maintain a strict schedule and work ethic tend to do well and are more balanced students. This course is a lot of work, however I know that if students work hard, then they will reach their educational goals.  

You don't have a life because you have a future.  Work hard, do good work, and be productive!