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| Class Hours: 1.0 | Credit Hours: 2.0 | ||||||||
| Internship Hours: 1.5 (varies) | Date Revised: Fall 1999 | ||||||||
| Catalog Course Description: | |||||||||
| An exploration of prospective careers for biology-related majors. Students will be required to shadow professionals in several different career fields and give in-class presentations of their experiences. Students will also practice interviewing, writing essays for application to graduate and professional schools, and writing resumes and cover letters. | |||||||||
| Entry Level Standards: | |||||||||
| The student must be proficient in writing and must be motivated and responsible to make and keep appointments with the professionals he or she will be shadowing. | |||||||||
| Prerequisites: | |||||||||
| The student must have
previously completed or currently be enrolled in one of the following:
Advanced Placement Biology in high school, BIO 1010, BIO 1020, BIO 1510, BIO 2310, or BIO 2320. The student must have completed ENG 1010 and 1020. Exceptional high school students may be admitted upon their teachers' recommendations. |
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| Textbook(s) and Other Reference Materials Basic to the Course: | |||||||||
| None required. Readings will be on reserve in the library. | |||||||||
| I. Week/Unit/Topic Basis: | |||||||||
| Weeks 3-15 - Students will spend AT LEAST 3 days (minimum of 4 hours/day) shadowing a professional selected from the list provided for them. Students will be entirely responsible for making the contact with and following up with the professional. | |||||||||
| Week | Topic | ||||||||
| 1 | Introduction, discussion of considerations in choosing a job, students describe interests | ||||||||
| 2 | Discussion of biological careers and education required | ||||||||
| 3 | Discussion of biological careers and education required; career plans essay due | ||||||||
| 4 | Discussion of career plans essays, make shadowing plans | ||||||||
| 5 | Resume writing | ||||||||
| 6 | Applying for professional and graduate schools, speaker; resumes due | ||||||||
| 7 | Writing a cover letter and follow-up letters | ||||||||
| 8 | Student presentations on shadowing experiences, cover letter and follow-up letter due | ||||||||
| 9 | Discussion of good interviewing techniques, speaker | ||||||||
| 10 | Mock interviews | ||||||||
| 11 | Mock interviews | ||||||||
| 12 | Student presentations on shadowing experiences | ||||||||
| 13 | Student presentations on shadowing experiences | ||||||||
| 14 | Student presentations on shadowing experiences | ||||||||
| 15 | Student presentations on shadowing experiences; journals due | ||||||||
| 16 | Discussion of career plans essays part 2, essays due | ||||||||
| II. Course Objectives*: | |||||||||
| A. | Learn about the various professions in the field of biology. IV | ||||||||
| B. | Learn about their interests and abilities in the field of biology. I, II | ||||||||
| C. | Learn how to apply to graduate or professional schools I, III, IV | ||||||||
| D. | Learn how to apply for a job I, III | ||||||||
| E. | Learn certain professional skills I, II, III, IV | ||||||||
| *Roman numerals after course objectives reference goals of the Natural Sciences department. | |||||||||
| III. Instructional Processes*: | |||||||||
| Students will: | |||||||||
| 1. | Participate in classroom discussions and work in groups to facilitate cooperative learning. Active Learning Strategies | ||||||||
| 2. | Utilize outside resources to facilitate learning. Information Literacy Outcome | ||||||||
| 3. | Use shadowing experiences and other personal assessment measures to learn more about their own profession. Personal Development Outcome, Transitional Strategies | ||||||||
| 4. | Analyze information
from speakers, in-class discussions and presentations, and shadowing experiences
to make decisions concerning their career choices. Personal Development
Outcome, Problem Solving and Decision Making
Outcome, Cultural Diversity and Social Adaptation Outcome, Transitional Strategies |
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| *Strategies and outcomes listed after instructional processes reference Pellissippi State’s goals for strengthening general education knowledge and skills, connecting coursework to experiences beyond the classroom, and encouraging students to take active and responsible roles in the educational process. | |||||||||
| IV. Expectations for Student Performance*: | |||||||||
| Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to: | |||||||||
| 1. | Analyze personal career interests. A,B | ||||||||
| 2. | Discuss the various biological professions and the education and other training required for each. A | ||||||||
| 3. | Write a personal resume C,D | ||||||||
| 4. | Write a cover letter and thank you letter C,D | ||||||||
| 5. | Prepare for and participate in an interview C,D | ||||||||
| 6. | Make presentations and maintain a journal. E | ||||||||
| *Letters after performance expectations reference the course objectives listed above. | |||||||||
| V. Evaluation: | |||||||||
| A. Testing Procedures: | |||||||||
| There will be no formal tests. Each student will write a resume, a cover letter, a follow-up letter, a career interests essay, as well as participate in a mock interview. The point values for each of these is given below. | |||||||||
| B. Laboratory Expectations: | |||||||||
| None | |||||||||
| C. Field Work: | |||||||||
| Students will shadow professionals. They will be expected to keep a journal of their shadowing experiences, as well as present information about their experiences orally to the class. | |||||||||
| D. Other Evaluation Methods: | |||||||||
| Students will also be graded on their attendance and in-class participation. | |||||||||
| E. Grading Procedures: | |||||||||
| Career
essay (initial and final) 30 points
Written resume 30 Written cover letter 20 Written follow-up letter 10 Mock interview 30 Journal 80 Class participation 15 Class presentations of shadowing experiences 20 Attendance 15 Shadowing (All students must shadow 3 professionals;to earn an A, 5 must be shadowed.) ________ 250 points Letter grades will be distributed as follows:
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| VI. Policies: | |||||||||
| Attendance Policy: | |||||||||
| Pellissippi State Technical Community College expects students to attend all scheduled instructional activities. As a minimum, students in all courses must be present for at least 75 percent of their scheduled class and laboratorymeetings in order to receive credit for the course. | |||||||||