BIO 304 . COURSE ORIENTATION
Welcome to BIO 304
A note from Dr. Rennie before you start.
This is an 8-week intensive in human anatomy and physiology, fully online. The course is built on one principle: given, not Googled. You will learn anatomy and physiology by drawing, labeling, and explaining structures and mechanisms in your own hand. The work is integrated. Anatomy and physiology belong together because structure tells you what function is possible, and function tells you why the structure exists.
Hand-drawing is the integrity mechanism for this course. It is how I know the learning is yours. The pace is real, the science is real, and so is the support. Read this page once, then come back to it any time you feel lost.
How your week works
The rhythm is the same every week. Once you internalize it, the course runs itself.
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: content days. Each day has pre-work (reading plus spaced-recall flashcards) and a lab workbook to print, hand-draw, and submit.
- Wednesday: daily review plus discussion. Daily review surfaces the cards the algorithm thinks you are about to forget. The discussion prompt opens Wednesday morning.
- Weekend: the weekly quiz window opens Friday and closes Sunday night. Two discussion replies are also due Sunday.
If you complete each day's pre-work and workbook the day it is assigned, you will not fall behind. The course is designed to be steady, not heroic.
The Schedule page is your home base
Open schedule.html first thing every morning. At the top you will see an auto-detected status banner that tells you what is due today and whether anything is overdue. The banner reads from the current date, so it is always accurate.
Below the banner, each day is a row with pills that show what work belongs to that day:
Pre-work SR Lab workbook DR Discussion Quiz
SR is spaced recall flashcards. DR is daily review, the algorithm's resurface of any past card you are about to forget. Clicking a pill takes you to that activity.
How spaced recall works
Pre-work is a short reading followed by flashcards. Each card has a multiple-choice answer that verifies you got the concept right before the difficulty rating shows up. After you answer, you rate how hard it felt (Again, Hard, Good, Easy). The app uses your rating to schedule the next time you see that card, right around the point you would otherwise start to forget it.
Daily review is the same algorithm working across every topic you have already studied. Open daily review every day, even on Wednesday when there is no new pre-work. Five to fifteen minutes a day is the difference between remembering everything by the final and cramming for it.
Do not lie to the algorithm. If a card felt hard, mark it hard. The app's only job is to bring cards back at the right moment. If you fake the rating, you will re-encounter the same cards anyway, just at the worst possible time.
How lab workbooks work
Every content day has a lab workbook. Each workbook is a printable HTML page with numbered drawing directions, blank labeling space, a physiology activity, and synthesis questions.
- Open the day's workbook from the schedule and print it.
- Hand-draw each diagram directly on the printed page, following the numbered directions in order.
- Hand-label every structure. Use clean lines and printed labels, not cursive scribbles.
- Complete the physiology activity. This is the function half. It connects what you drew to how it works.
- Answer the synthesis questions in full sentences, in your own handwriting.
- Photograph or scan every page and upload as a single PDF or image set to the Canvas assignment.
Hand-drawing is the integrity mechanism. Typed diagrams, traced images, copy-pasted figures, and AI-generated diagrams are not accepted and will receive a zero.
The lab rubric (5 points each)
Every workbook is graded on the same 4-tier rubric. The tiers are designed to be unambiguous.
| Score | Tier | What earns it |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | No submission | Nothing turned in, or the submission is unreadable or clearly not your own hand. |
| 2 | Anatomy only or incomplete | Some drawings present, labeling missing or partial, no physiology section, or only one or two questions attempted. |
| 3 | Anatomy complete, physiology incomplete | All drawings present and labeled, but the physiology activity or synthesis questions are missing or skimpy. |
| 5 | Both parts substantive | All drawings present, fully labeled, physiology activity and synthesis questions answered in full sentences with evidence of thought. |
Discussion expectations
- The week's discussion prompt opens Wednesday morning.
- Your initial post is due Friday by 11:59 pm.
- Two replies to classmates are due Sunday by 11:59 pm.
- Grading is a 10-point tiered ceiling rubric. A complete substantive set earns the full 10.
"Substantive" means at least 75 words, on topic, and either builds on what the other student said or respectfully challenges it with reasoning. "I agree, great post" is not a reply.
Quizzes
- Window: Friday 8 am through Sunday 11:59 pm.
- Time limit: 20 minutes once you start.
- Attempts: 1. The quiz does not unlock for a retake.
- Proctoring: Honorlock. Set up your webcam and ID before the window opens.
Quizzes cover the week's topics and a small percentage of cumulative material from prior weeks, the same material your daily review is already keeping fresh.
Academic integrity
This course runs on the given, not Googled principle. Every graded submission must be produced by you, in your own hand or your own words, without copying from another source.
- Lab workbooks must be hand-drawn and hand-labeled. Typed, traced, or AI-generated diagrams are not accepted.
- Discussion posts must be in your own voice. Generative AI text is not permitted in discussion threads.
- Quizzes are proctored. Closed notes, closed book, closed browser, closed phone.
- You will sign an AI honor contract in Week 1. It is short, plain, and binding for the term.
If you fall behind
It happens. It does not have to end the course for you. Read the recovery page: If you fall behind. Triage forward, do not try to redo everything you missed in one weekend.
Where to get help
- Office hours: posted in Canvas. Times TBD until the term calendar is finalized.
- Email: Contact Dr. Rennie through the Canvas Inbox so messages route correctly.
- Tutoring: ARC offers free tutoring. Links are in the Canvas Start Here module.
Contact information for office hours and direct email will be posted in Canvas before Week 1 begins.