PSB 4002: Introductory Bio-Psychology

Florida International University Fall 2018

Professor Eliza Nelson

elnelson@fiu.edu

Course Description and Purpose

PSB 4002 is a course introducing students to the biological basis of behavior. The course is organized into three units: (1) neural foundations, (2) sensory systems and homeostasis, and (3) complex behavior. Topics include neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, sleep, stress, memory, and brain asymmetry.  

Course Objectives

Upon completing this course, students will be able to:

• Describe and explain how the nervous system works
• Critically discuss the reciprocal relationship between biology and psychology
• Understand typical and atypical brain-behavior relationships
  
  

Important Information

Before starting this course, please review important information regarding online coursework at FIU. You must be logged into Canvas with your FIU credentials to access the following pages:

• Policies
• Technical Requirements and Skills
• Accessibility and Accommodation
• Academic Misconduct Statement

Course Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Proctored Exam Policy

This course requires a proctored final exam. Please visit our Student Proctored Exam Instructions webpage and the Honorlock Instructions webpage for important information.

Textbook and Course Materials

This is a fully online course in which all of the instructional materials and activities are delivered through Canvas. Please maintain a courteous and professional manner even though you might never meet your professor or your classmates in person. Time spent on this online course is no different from time you would expect to spend in a typical face-to-face course. Beginning Week 2, assignments are due on Wednesdays by 5 pm, and quizzes are due on Fridays by 5 pm. Thanksgiving week is an exception; no work is due during the holiday.

Students are expected to:

• Be responsible for their own learning
• Log in to the course at least three times per week
• Follow the course calendar
• Interact online with instructor/s and peers
• Respond to emails within two business days
• Read assigned chapters in the textbook and take notes
• Review instructor-provided course material including lectures and videos
• Submit assignments and quizzes by the due date

The professor will:

• Log in to the course at least three times per week
• Respond to emails within one business day
• Grade assignments within three days of the due date
• Be available in office hours and by appointment for course questions and concerns

Office Hours Policy

Dr. Nelson has scheduled office hours Mondays 11:00 am - 1:00 pm in DM 201A during the Fall 2018 semester. You can also make an in-person meeting for another time, or schedule a phone meeting. If you are struggling with the material, please contact Dr. Nelson ASAP (elnelson@fiu.edu). If a significant personal or medical problem arises, do not wait to contact Dr. Nelson to make appropriate arrangements. Do not wait until it’s too late to get help!

Email Policy

Please address your email “Dear Professor Nelson” and sign your name at the bottom. Include your PID in all correspondence. Dr. Nelson and any teaching assistant staff reserve the right not to respond to unprofessional emails. In this course, the response time for an email is 1 business day.

Assignments

For detailed instructions, please review the Important Information About Assignments page. Assignments are a mix of exercises. Grading criteria are provided with each assignment.  Assignments use discussion forums. Keep in mind that your discussion forum postings will be seen by other members of the course. Care should be taken when determining what to post.

Quizzes

In order to mitigate any issues with your computer and online assessments, it is very important that you take the Practice Quiz from each computer you will be using to take your graded quizzes. Please review the Important Information About Quizzes page. Quizzes in this course are designed to be a mix of lower order questions testing knowledge and comprehension as well as higher order questions testing application and analysis.

Cumulative Final

There is a cumulative proctored final in this course. Please review the Important Information About Quizzes page. There are also separate pages with Honorlock Instructions and Honorlock FAQs. It is your responsibility to ensure you are compliant with the proctored exam policies. Do not wait until the last minute to arrange to take your final.

Grading

This course uses the FIU Early Alert System. Alerts are sent to students and their advisors after the first exam. Dr. Nelson may also send you a personal email if you are struggling in the course. It is your best interest to respond to these efforts to help you through the course. FIU does not allow an A+. Psychology majors are required to earn a C or higher (i.e., at least 695 points in this course). Standard rounding to the nearest percentage is used to determine final letter grades. Requests for exceptions to the grading policy will not be honored. Extra credit is available in this course. All extra credit is due by 5 pm on November 30th. 

Please note that the Total column in Canvas may not accurately reflect your performance until the course is complete. You can contact Dr. Nelson anytime for your standing. 

What happens if I miss an assessment?