BIO 004 Human Anatomy.

Your instructor for this course is Dr. Sharilyn Rennie, Professor of Biology at Solano Community College.

Email

sharilyn.rennie@solano.edu

Preferred channel

Canvas Inbox. It keeps all course messages in one place.

Response time

48 to 72 hours on weekdays. Plan ahead; do not expect a same-day reply the night before a deadline.

Virtual office

Post a question to the "Virtual Office" board in Canvas. If you have a question, a classmate probably has it too.

Office hours

I arrive 30 minutes before each class session and hold in-person office hours in our classroom during that time. By appointment otherwise.

BIO 004 is a study of the structural organization of the human body, from the cellular to the organismal level. You will use several modes of investigation: microscopic examination of prepared slides of tissues and organs, gross (macroscopic) anatomical study, and examination of prosected human material.

This course is pure anatomy. The focus is structure: what a structure is, where it is, what it looks like, and how it relates to the structures around it. Clinical context is threaded throughout so the anatomy connects to real healthcare practice.

Student learning outcomes

On successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

1. Identify and distinguish tissues based on currently recognized criteria.
2. Describe the basic microscopic and gross anatomy of the major systems of the human body.
3. Identify, in the laboratory, the major microscopic and gross structures of the major systems of the human body.

Advisory: prior completion of BIO 016 (Introduction to Human Biology) and BIO 016L is recommended but not required.

This is a flipped, Team-Based Learning (TBL) course. There are no concept lectures during class time. You learn the foundational anatomy on your own through assigned videos, readings, and your weekly research workbook. Class time is for application: TBL discussion, case-based clinical reasoning, and hands-on lab work.

If you have taken courses where the professor lectures at the front while you take notes, this course will feel different. The difference is intentional. Active learning produces better mastery and retention than passive lecture, video is a better medium for content delivery because you can pause and rewind, and class time is too valuable to spend on something you could do alone. In class you have a content expert and a team of peers in the same room. We use that time for the work you cannot do by yourself.

For the full operating manual, see How This Course Works.

Every week rotates around the same four anchors: your research workbook (your weekly scaffold for foundation research), Team-Based Learning, lab work every class day, and the end-of-day lab quiz. Once you know these four, the daily rhythm is just the order in which they happen. Class meets Monday through Thursday. Friday is a required rest day.

Required software

• InteDashboard (Team-Based Learning software). Required for course participation. We set this up in class during the first week. There is a 14-day free trial period that gives you time to confirm you want to stay in the course and to give financial aid time to hit your account.
• InteDashboard proctoring software. A free download associated with InteDashboard, required for TBL and assessments. No cost to you.
• Canvas. The college's learning management system. You should already have access through your Solano account.

Textbook (recommended, not required)

No textbook is required. Pick the option that fits your budget and learning style. Any of these covers the anatomy we will study.

• OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology, 2nd Edition. Free, peer-reviewed, available online and as a free PDF at openstax.org. The most accessible option and sufficient for the course.
• Marieb, Brady, and Mallatt, Human Anatomy, 9th Edition. ISBN-13: 9780135240601. Used copies are widely available. This is the dedicated anatomy text.
• Marieb, Human Anatomy and Physiology, any recent two-semester edition. If you already own this, it works.

Mastering A&P access is optional and is not required for any graded component. Do not buy it just because it is bundled with a textbook.

Lab supplies (needed by week 3)

• Non-latex nitrile gloves. Share a box with your group to reduce cost.
• A lab coat (required). It is stored in the lab through the end of the term and cannot be shared with chemistry. You need your own.

Required technology

You must have access to a laptop, tablet, or smartphone able to run InteDashboard and the proctoring software; a reliable internet connection; and a way to convert files to PDF for any scanned or photographed work submitted through Canvas. You are responsible for ensuring your devices meet these requirements.

Full detail is on the Required Materials page.

Your course grade comes from four components: two big ones (TBL and lab exams, 45% each) and two small ones (the cumulative lecture exam and the end-of-day lab quizzes, 5% each).

Team-Based Learning (45%)

There is one TBL each week, completed on the team's TBL day with your assigned team. Each TBL has two graded parts:

• iRAT (individual readiness assessment): you take it on your own. Weighted 3x, worth 30 points.
• tRAT (team readiness assessment): the same quiz, taken again with your team. Weighted 1x, worth 10 points.

Each TBL totals 40 points, so the iRAT alone is 75% of your TBL grade. Most teams score 90% or higher on the tRAT, which means your individual preparation is what determines your TBL outcome. After the tRAT, you and your team work through clinical application questions and the case reveal. Application questions are not graded, but be ready to think out loud if called on. No make-ups for a missed TBL. No TBL scores are dropped.

Lab practical exams (45%)

There are seven lab practical exams across the term. Each covers a week's content with roughly 20% spiral review of earlier material. Format: 50 minutes, 25 stations, 2 questions per station for 50 questions total. 90 seconds per station; you rotate on a timer. You identify anatomy from microscope slides, pictures, charts, models, and prosected material. Spelling counts. Bring a pen; pencils are not permitted. Conduct: Doors lock when the exam begins. If you are late, you cannot enter. Do not look around the room or at other stations; fold your paper to cover your answers. Failure to follow instructions results in collection of your exam, graded as-is. No make-ups, and no exams are dropped.

Cumulative lecture exam (5%)

One comprehensive lecture exam at the end of the term, with equal representation of material from every module. The exact date and time are posted on the Canvas course homepage. It is also the TBL safety net: if your cumulative exam score is higher than your single lowest TBL score, that lowest TBL is raised to match the cumulative exam before your TBL average is computed.

End-of-day lab quizzes (5%)

At the end of nearly every lab session, I ask one person from one randomly selected group a single question covering that day's lab content. The whole class earns the same score based on that one answer. Students present earn the class score; absent students earn a zero. No make-ups. No lab quiz scores are dropped.

Depth of Knowledge (DOK)

Most questions are DOK 2 and DOK 3, designed to prepare you for healthcare applications rather than memorization: DOK 1 basic recall (about 10%), DOK 2 skills and concepts (40 to 50%), DOK 3 strategic thinking (40 to 50%), DOK 4 extended thinking (0 to 10%, bonus or optional).

You can estimate your standing at any point with the Grade Calculator, and the full assessment detail lives on the Grading and Assessments page.

The scale is fixed and applied to your final weighted percentage. No curves.

This is a mastery-based course. Attending class and completing assignments does not by itself guarantee success. Plan for roughly 20 or more hours of study per week outside of class to earn a passing grade in this intensive format.

Scholar Points reward proactive learning over the full term. They are not extra credit for missed work. Maximum bonus is 3.0%, applied at the end of the term. Choose one path to the 2.0% (tutoring or community hosting), then layer the 1.0% performance bonus on top.

The course runs eight weeks, June 15 to August 6, 2026, with class Monday through Thursday. Each week pairs a body system with a clinical case that your team works up live and presents at TBL. Dates and point values can change; if you miss a class, check with your team for any announced changes.

The living schedule, which highlights the current week automatically, is the Course Schedule page.

In an 8-week intensive, attendance is essential. The cumulative nature of anatomy makes it very difficult to recover after missing class, because in this format one missed day is the equivalent of a full week in a regular semester.

• You must be present for every class meeting during the first week. If you are absent during the first week, your seat may be given to the next student on the waitlist and you may be dropped.
• You may miss a maximum of 3 class sessions across the term, excused or unexcused. On the third absence, the instructor reserves the right to drop you from the course.
• You must be present for at least 90% of a session to be counted. Arriving 20 minutes late or leaving 20 minutes early counts as an absence.
• Missed in-class work cannot be made up. Missed TBLs, exams, lab quizzes, and activities earn a zero.
• Absences are treated uniformly. There is no excused versus unexcused distinction; you never need to explain an absence, and the academic consequence is the same either way.
• Doors lock once a lab exam starts. If you are late, you cannot enter.
• Log in to Canvas at least three times per week and set up notifications, at minimum for announcements.

Engagement is part of your grade. You will be placed on a TBL team for the term and are expected to come prepared, contribute, and respond to team communication within 24 hours.

It is your responsibility to formally drop the course if you decide not to continue. Do not assume the instructor will do it for you. Failing to drop can result in an avoidable F.

Academic dishonesty, cheating, and plagiarism will not be tolerated. A violation results in at least a zero on the work in question and may result in an F for the course, and all violations are reported for disciplinary action. Complete your own work and cite your sources in MLA or APA format. If you need help with citation, ask.

Use of AI

You will be taught effective, ethical ways to use AI as a learning tool in this course, and I encourage you to use it for tutoring yourself and building study materials. For graded work, the rules are strict:

• You may use generative AI only on assignments specifically designated as AI assignments (the title will include "AI" or the instructions will say so).
• You may not use AI on exams or on any graded portion of a TBL activity.
• AI detection tools may be used to screen submitted work. An AI or plagiarism rating above 25% on a graded assignment earns an automatic zero.
• If you are unsure whether a tool counts as generative AI or is permitted on a given assignment, ask before you submit.

See the AI Honor Contract in Canvas for full requirements.

There are three layers of peer learning in this course, and you should use all three. Your TBL team is your assigned home base: 5 to 7 students, balanced by a brief week 1 survey, kept the same for all 8 weeks. Your team is graded together on the tRAT and works application questions together. Study groups are voluntary groups you form to drill structures and run cases outside class. Community Rounds are peer-led, class-wide review sessions that you organize for each other and that earn Scholar Points (Path B).

By the end of class on the first day, your team must exchange contact information and agree on one communication platform. The standing expectation is a 24-hour response time. If your team is genuinely not working, contact me early, through Canvas or email, before the situation festers.

Full guidance is on the Your TBL Team and Study Groups page.

Your success in this class is important to me. This course is designed to be welcoming to, accessible to, and usable by everyone, including students who are English-language learners, have a variety of learning styles, have disabilities, or are new to hybrid learning. If any aspect of the course prevents you from learning or excludes you, please let me know as soon as possible and we will develop strategies together.

Solano Community College's Accessibility Services Center (ASC) provides accommodations such as extra time on tests and specialized technology. ASC is on the Fairfield campus in Building 400, Room 407. Phone (707) 864-7136, email ASC@solano.edu, accommodations portal at clockwork.solano.edu.

You have a responsibility to inform your instructor of your approved accommodations during the first week you attend classes, and to provide the appropriate forms to arrange necessary services (such as testing accommodations) throughout the semester.

More detail is on the Accessibility and Accommodation page.

• Your instructor. Canvas Inbox or sharilyn.rennie@solano.edu, with a 48 to 72 hour response on weekdays.
• Your TBL team. Your first line of support. Use your team chat.
• On-campus tutoring (ASTC). Free academic support, in-person at the Fairfield, Vacaville, and Vallejo Centers and online via Zoom. Enroll in the ASTC Canvas shell at solano.instructure.com/enroll/EKEA7Y or visit welcome.solano.edu/astc-homepage.
• Office hours. 30 minutes before each class in our classroom. By appointment otherwise.
• Community Rounds. Peer-led review sessions, self-organized and posted in the Canvas thread.
• Canvas Support. For technical issues with login, assignments, or video playback.

If you are ever disoriented in the term, return to How This Course Works. The rhythm is the cure for the disorientation of an intensive course.

Every page built for this course is linked below. Bookmark the ones you will use most: this syllabus, the schedule, How This Course Works, and the grade calculator.

Add, drop, refund, and withdrawal ("W") deadlines are set by the college. Check the Solano CC academic calendar and your Self-Service portal at welcome.solano.edu, and remember that formally dropping the course, if you choose to leave it, is your responsibility.