This Course Guide has been taken from the most recent presentation of the course. It would be useful for reference purposes but please note that there may be updates for the following presentation.
BIOL S205
The Core of Life
BIOL S205 The Core of Life is a one-semester, five-credit required course for the Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and Bachelor of Science in Applied Science (Biology and Chemistry). The course assumes an elementary knowledge of biology, which can be adequately acquired from SCI S122 A Foundation Course in Biology and Earth Science. You are recommended to have studied SCI S122 before embarking on BIOL S205 The Core of Life.
The purpose of this course is to extend the biological knowledge that you have acquired previously and to help you build a stronger framework for learning biology step by step. The content of the course emphasizes biological principles and mechanisms that are essential not only for the biological meaning of life but, more importantly, the maintenance of it. After completion of BIOL S205, you will be able to venture into other more specialized areas of biological disciplines.
BIOL S205 is delivered through the blended learning mode. This means that as well as the material you will be reading in your printed study units and your textbook, there will also be a strong emphasis on online content, most of which can be found on the Mastering Biology website which accompanies your textbook. This website has a variety of interactive animations and quizzes which can enhance your understanding of the principle concepts introduced. In addition, you will be expected to attend practical laboratory sessions and complete lab reports. Thus, in this course you will learn face-to-face, online and through print materials.
The purpose of this Course Guide
This Course Guide is designed to offer a useful tool to guide you through the course in the hope that your learning journey through the course will be smooth and enjoyable. It provides information on how the course is organized and describes the structure and learning outcomes of the course.
Suggestions on the amount of time you should spend on each study unit are also given to facilitate good time-management skills. The guide includes details of the presentation schedule, the schedule of the various face-to-face sessions (such as tutorials and laboratory sessions) as well as information on the assignments, which will contribute to your overall grade at the end of the course.
Course aims
BIOL S205 The Core of Life aims to:
Course learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, you should be able to:
BIOL S205 is systematically organized into a total of five study units. Each study unit begins with an introduction that outlines the principle focus of the subject area. This is followed by a list of learning outcomes so that you are aware of what you are expected to accomplish through the completion of the study unit. The study unit is broken down into a number of topics. In each topic, key concepts will be presented through readings from the textbook, multimedia demonstrations, activities and self-tests. In order to pursue a systematic approach to learning, you are recommended to do the following:
In addition to the study units, course content will be delivered through two compulsory face-to-face day schools, which are an integral part of the course.
Course materials
A brief description of each study unit is given below.
Unit 1 The biological molecules of life
Given the rich complexity of life on Earth, we might expect organisms to have an enormous diversity of molecules. Remarkably, the critically important large molecules of all living things fall into just four main classes: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. Unit 1 focuses mainly on the architecture of these biological macromolecules and explores how such a small group of macromolecules can contribute towards a diverse array of cellular functions that occur within living organisms.
Unit 2 Composition of the cell
In the hierarchy of biological organization, the cell is the smallest collection of matter that can live and survive. Although cells differ structurally from one another according to their differential functions, they share certain common characteristics. Unit 2 inspects the subcellular details of a typical cell and examines how cooperation of these subcellular components can regulate intracellular functions. In addition, structure and function of the extracellular components such as the plant cell wall as well as intercellular junctions will be reviewed and emphasized.
Unit 3 The energy of life
Chemical elements essential to life are recycled. Photosynthesis generates oxygen and organic molecules used by mitochondria of eukaryotes as fuel for cellular respiration. Respiration breaks the fuel down to generate ATP and releases carbon dioxide and water as waste products. With the recycling process coupled between cellular respiration and photosynthesis, the focus of Unit 3 is to compare and contrast cellular respiration and photosynthesis. Moreover, other alternate pathways will be reviewed and commented.
Unit 4 Cell cycle and genetics
The ability of organisms to reproduce their own kind is the one characteristic that best distinguishes living things from non-living matter. Cell division plays critical roles in the life of organisms in terms of reproduction, growth and repair. Cell division is an integral part of the cell cycle. In Unit 4, different types of cell division will be reviewed. In addition, how sexual life cycles and the Mendelian pattern of inheritance can give rise to genetic diversity will be discussed.
Unit 5 Evolution and generation of diversity
Evolution, originally defined as descent with modification, is a concept that is supported by an overwhelming amount of scientific evidence. The concepts of natural selection, mutation and sexual reproduction have been accepted to be the underlying basis of genetic variation that makes evolution possible. Unit 5 reviews the various mechanisms by which genetic variability is derived. In the latter part of the unit, the basis of uniformity and diversity will be examined and the current phylogenic classification system will be visited.
Set textbook
You are required to purchase the following set textbook:
Website resources
Throughout the course you will often be required to access the following website:
This website is closely related to your set textbook. An access code to the online resources will be provided when you purchase the book.
In addition, you may find the following recommended online websites useful to refer to during the course, though they are not compulsory:
Face-to-face instruction
Other than the study units, you are required to attend two compulsory day schools planned for the course. The outlines and rationales of these day schools are given below.
Day school 1: Study of membrane permeability in beet root cells
The objective of this day school is to study the functions of phospholipids and proteins in the regulation of movement of molecules across the lipid bilayer of the plasma membrane. Concepts covered in the day school offer an appropriate reinforcement of knowledge to be covered in Unit 2.
Day school 2: Extraction and analysis of chlorophyll pigments by thin-layer chromatography
The objective of this day school is to extract, identify and characterize the various forms of chlorophyll and other accessory photosynthetic pigments that are essential for the process of photosynthesis. Concepts covered in the day school offer an appropriate reinforcement of knowledge to be covered in Unit 3.
Course overview
The following outline gives a summary of the course structure.
| Units | Unittitles | Study time (weeks) | Day schools | Assessment activities (after units) |
| 1 | The biological molecules of life | 3 | Assignment 1 | |
| 2 | Composition of the cell | 3 | Day school 1 | Assignment 2 |
| 3 | The energy of life | 3 | Day school 2 | Assignment 3 |
| 4 | Cell cycle and genetics | 3 | ||
| 5 | Evolution and generation of diversity | 3 | Assignment 4 | |
| Revision | 1 | |||
| Total | 16 | |||
Equipment requirements
You are required to have at least the following equipment for the course:
Hardware
Minimum configuration:
Software
The course uses assignments and a final examination as the means of formal assessment of your performance. Assignments serve as the continuous assessment component during the study period and account for 50% of the total course assessment. A final examination to be conducted at the end of the course accounts for the other 50%. To pass the course, you are required to obtain at least 40% or above on the average of assignment scores and 40% or above in the final examination.
Assignments
There are four assignments for the course, of which you are required to submit at least three. Assignment 1 and Assignment 4 are compulsory. Two compulsory day schools will be conducted during the course. Assignments 2 and 3 comprise lab reports based on the laboratory sessions conducted at the two day schools. You are required to submit one lab report (either Assignment 2 or Assignment 3). Upon receiving the assignments from you, your tutor will mark the submitted assignments and return them to you with constructive comments and feedback.
Examination
At the end of the course, you are required to attend a final examination. The examination aims to test your overall understanding of the topic areas covered in the course. The examination will be of three hours' duration. It will consist of a mixture of essay questions and data interpretation. The total score of the examination paper contributes 50% of the total course mark.
Assessment summary
| Assignments | Assessment areas | Marks |
| Assignment 1 | Unit 1 | 15% |
| Assignment 2 (lab report) (optional) or Assignment 3 (lab report) (optional) | Unit 2 Unit 3 | 20% |
| Assignment 4 | Units 4–5 | 15% |
| Final examination | 50% | |
| Total | 100% |
There are two different ways by which you can obtain learning support in the course, including direct personal contact and support through electronic means.
Support through direct personal contact
Support through direct personal contact includes telephone tutoring, day schools, tutorials and surgeries.
Telephone tutoring
Each tutor will allocate four to six hours per week for answering telephone calls from students.
Tutorials
There are five tutorial sessions in the course, totalling ten hours. They will involve a number of interactive learning activities and group discussions.
Surgeries
As a supplement to the telephone tutoring, the course also includes two surgery sessions that will be held during the learning period.
An on-duty tutor leads each surgery. Each surgery aims to provide an environment for face-to-face consultation concerning areas that individual students are having problems with in their studies. You may bring along questions on the study units and assignments to the surgery for tutor consultation.
Day schools
Two compulsory day schools will be provided. These will take the form of laboratory sessions as mentioned earlier. Two of the course assignments will be based on the work done at these day schools.
Support through electronic means
You may submit your study problems to your tutor through email. This channel provides flexibility to both tutors and students in overcoming the limitations of telephone tutoring in solving more technical issues.
The Online Learning Environment
This course is supported by HKMU's Online Learning Environment (OLE). You can find course materials and the latest course information from the OLE and use the discussion board to communicate with your tutor, the Course Coordinator and fellow students.
BIOL S205 The Core of Life is a one-semester, Middle Level course which takes you through important biological principles and mechanisms essential to life. The course is presented in a blended learning mode through three different mediums: print, online materials and face-to-face teaching. These three mediums are designed to complement each other to facilitate and enhance your understanding of the biological concepts introduced.
The course is presented in five units, and in addition you are required to attend two day schools. Assessment takes the form of three assignments and an examination. You will receive support throughout the course both online and face-to face.
Good luck with your study of BIOL S205 The Core of Life!
Dr Helen Cheung received her BSc (Hon.) Degree in Applied Biology from the University of East London, UK, and a PhD Degree from Brookes University, Oxford, UK. She has worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at Fisons Pharmaceuticals, Rochester, USA. Her teaching career began in 1996 when she was employed as a lecturer at the International Medical University (IMU), Malaysia. She is currently teaching at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). She has been a part-time tutor at HKMU since October 2004 and has been involved in the tutoring of BIOL S204 Biology: Uniformity and Diversity.
