Anatomy and Physiology I Course Syllabus and Expectations

This course, Anatomy and Physiology I (A&P 1), is the first segment of a two-semester, two-part series designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the human body.
The course does not cover all body systems; rather, it focuses on specific foundational areas, and the remaining systems are addressed in Anatomy and Physiology II (A&P 2) the following semester.
Dr. Vermillion is the professor for all three sections of this course. Students are organized into three specific sections:
- Section 3 (the current section).
- The other two sections contain $150$ and $170$ students respectively.
- Section 3 contains $152$ students.
Students must attend their registered section during lecture days and especially on exam days. Exams must be taken in the designated room at the time corresponding to the specific section for which the student is registered.

The course utilizes the UNM Inclusive Access Complete program, which allows students to pay a lower set fee to receive all necessary electronic materials.
Pearson Electronic Textbook and Mastering A&P Courseware:
- Mastering A&P is the primary platform for electronic assignments.
- The textbook and courseware are accessed through Canvas via the "Access Pearson" link.
Top Hat:
- A separate Top Hat classroom is used for interactive components.
- Students receive an email invitation to join the classroom and must sign up via a web browser.
- Access is granted through an access code, which should be obtained from the UNM bookstore via the MyChef system.

This category accounts for $40\%$ of the final course grade.
Assignments in this bucket are accessed through Canvas.
Due dates are consistently set for Fridays at $11:59\text{ PM}$ Mountain Time.
Students traveling or residing in different regions must manage their time according to the local time zone of the university to ensure assignments are submitted before the Friday deadline.

Late work is strictly not accepted in this course. There are no exceptions for individual documentation or extensions due to the high volume of students (over $470$ combined across three sections).
To accommodate emergencies or unforeseen circumstances, the lowest four ( $4$ ) scores in the formative assignments bucket are automatically dropped.
This policy allows a student to miss up to four assignments entirely without negatively impacting their grade.

This category accounts for the remaining $60\%$ of the final course grade.
There are four exams scheduled throughout the semester.
The course does not have a final cumulative exam during finals week. Students are finished with the course after the fourth exam.

Exam 1: Covers the introductory biology review and histology (the study of tissues).
Exam 2: Covers the material from the two modules following the first exam.
Exam 3: Covers the material from the subsequent two modules.
Exam 4: Held on Friday, December 4th. This is the final day of classes and the final meeting time for the course.
Early and Late Exams: Students who cannot attend a scheduled exam may arrange to take it early (a day or more before the scheduled date). Late exams are not permitted.
Mandatory Completion: Students are generally required to complete all four exams. It is not acceptable for future health professionals to skip a portion of the material simply because they are satisfied with their grade on previous exams. Mastery of all course content is expected for professional preparation.

Participation in extra credit can add between $6\%$ and $8\%$ to each individual exam grade.
Peer Learning Facilitators (PLF):
- Every time a student attends a PLF session and contributes, they earn one extra credit point.
- Students may earn a maximum of one point per week for the duration of the course.
PeerWise:
- Students can earn extra credit by writing their own practice questions and answering questions written by their peers through the PeerWise platform.

Study Guides: A study guide is provided for each exam. These guides include sentence-based prompts identifying what needs to be mastered.
Active Retrieval: Students should answer study guide prompts in as much detail as possible without using notes or resources. This method forces the brain to retrieve information from memory.
Teaching Method: A recommended study technique is for students to act as if they are teaching the material to someone else to solidify their understanding.
The Canvas Modules View: The "Modules" view in Canvas is the recommended way to navigate the course, as the "To-Do List" may be cluttered or risky to rely on for comprehensive planning.

A solid grade of C is required for UNM Nursing and most other health-related departments at UNM. A grade of C- is generally insufficient for progression in these programs.
A solid C corresponds to a final grade of $72.5\%$ or higher.
Rounding Policy: Final grades are rounded to the nearest whole number based on standard mathematical principles.
- A grade of $72.5\%$ rounds up to a $73\%$ (a solid C).
- A grade of $92.4\%$ does not round up to a $93\%$ .

Introductory Biology Review: The course begins with a review of essential biological concepts necessary for understanding human systems.
Histology: Following the review, the course moves into histology, which is the study of the microscopic structure of tissues.
Systems Focus: After histology, the study of individual organ systems begins.
Neuroscience Application: In the study of neurons, various cognitive tasks are employed to determine the specific functions of different neuron populations within the brain.