Unit Plan/Outline Template

Name: Mrs. Spaan

Grade level: 300 level undergraduate (higher education)
Content Area: Description and overview for the final term project of the course, Stress Physiology.
Title of Unit: Our Term project: Stress Physiology

Essential Questions or Driving Questions:

As a result of successfully completing this unit, students will be able to:
1. Know how to effectively communicate information (science) to relevant audience.

Standards:
As a result of successfully completing this unit, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate effective (based on rubric criteria) oral communication skills by sharing their
movie review with peers through a digital tool such as voice thread. [Related to driving
question 1]

As a result of successfully completing this unit, students will be able to incorporate the
following ISTE Standards for Students as part of their learning:
ISTE Standards-S 2: Digital citizen  Students recognize the rights, responsibilities and
opportunities of living in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways that are
safe, legal and ethical.
ISTE Standards-S 3: Knowledge Constructor  Students critically curate a variety of resources
using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning
experiences for themselves and others.

Overview and Timeline

This unit (i.e., term project) will be a 10-week project, but should only have a time investment of 8.5
-15 hours. The final term project (summative assessment) will be due on Sunday 11:59pm of Week
9. There will be various check-in points (formative assessments) during week 1-10 (see timeline
below). Groups will be assigned randomly to a weekly topic (see list below). Each group will select
two learning outcomes from their assigned topic and create a study tool as well as a digital story
(content introduction and clinical correlation).
Weekly topics:
1. Introduction to the endocrine system and stress physiology.
2. Organs of the endocrine system.
3. Endocrine organization and principles.
4. Introduction to the nervous system with emphasis on the integration mechanism between
endocrine and nervous system.
5. Hormonal pathways (stress specific)
6. Hormonal pathways (others)
7. Factors driving stress.
8. Pathophysiology and the effects of stress.
9. Immunology and stress.
Timeline for unit (term project): Week 1-10

Adapted from the 2007 ISTE TEMPLATE I Lesson Plan. 1

Week 1:
- Assign groups and topics in week 1 (randomly chosen using the Canvas course site).
- Students will meet their group during class.
- Class discussion:
o Research techniques (searching primary and secondary sources)
o Effective communication (~15 minutes)
Week 4:
- Study tools submission by Friday 11:59pm if assigned week 1-4 topics.
Week 9:
- Study tools submission by Friday 11:59pm if assigned week 5-9 topics.
- Final submission of movie by Friday 11:59pm.
- Submit peer evaluation form by Friday 11:59pm.
Week 10:
- Movie review during class in order to appreciate all participants hard work on their term
projects (movie review).
- Blog reflection on movie review due by Friday 11:59pm.

Term Project Assessment

Assessment grades Points Number Graded Total Points

Term project: 50
- Study tool 5 1
- Movie: Digital story for 40 1
introduction and clinical
correlation
- Blog reflection on Movie 5 1
review.

Term Project:
This is a group assignment (i.e., groups of 3 randomly assigned). Students will find their group
members on Canvas along with their group topic (randomly assigned weekly topics). Each group
will select two learning objectives from their assigned topic and create a study tool, and a digital
story based on the introduction and clinical correlation. The audience of the digital product will be
students’ fellow peers unless students request to share their work on the weebly site (i.e., public).

Blog reflection:
Each student will write a brief (one or two paragraphs) personal reflection of their learning and
experience during the movie review day (week 10) on the weebly term project site. This should be
a positive reflection, including the most memorable moment. What students could have done
differently to improve their end product and/or any potential problems with technology for future
use (that could benefit future students). Blog reflection will be posted on the weebly site (i.e,
public) in order to give students an opportunity to voice their opinions in a public space.

Adapted from the 2007 ISTE TEMPLATE I Lesson Plan. 2

Rubrics are available for all assessments.

Resources
Educator Preparation: Create a class weebly site and provide learners with the URL.

Tools and Resources Provided to Learners:

o Supporting resources (e.g., blogs, websites, videos) made available on the course weebly
that would aid students with their movie review assignment.
o Provide rubrics for the study tool, digital story and movie review blog reflection.
o Provide information on being good digital citizens. Ensure that students are aware of
privacy aspects.
o Provide students with variable sources to create presentations (e.g., prezi, google drive,
canva, wordcloud, comic strips, etc.).
o Provide alternative solutions and sources where students can access computer labs (e.g.,
library, various computer labs across campus).
o If choose to use voicethread (recommended), one student per group needs to create an
account.

Tutorials and Templates Provided to Learners:

o Provide information on being good digital citizens (especially privacy settings when
creating a voicethread account).
o Provide screencast tutorials explaining the movie review along with the use of voicethread,
etc.
o Provide tutorial links to different presentation tools.
o Provide information of how to create an account to access the voicethread.
o Provide information on secondary and tertiary sources.

Briefly explain how the resources, tools, and tutorials may be used to differentiate content
or process for learners:
o The movie review activity will be a group summative assessment (term project).
o The use of voicethread aid in students use of creativity and therefore higher level of
learning and critical thinking. Voicethread would be recommended as the digital story tool,
but other options will be available to students.

Reason(s) for chosen technology(s):

o The driving question (e.g., know how to effectively communicate information to relevant
audience) will be mostly digital (summative movie review group assignment, creating a
voicethread).
o The formative assessments (e.g., students will create a comic strip in class (or homework)
regarding the use of primary and secondary sources as well as being good digital citizens.

Instructional Plan
Management: BI 300 Stress Physiology will be a lecture based course for undergraduates that are
interested in the fundamental concepts of stress physiology. The class will meet twice per week
(Mondays and Wednesdays) for 80 minutes each.

Adapted from the 2007 ISTE TEMPLATE I Lesson Plan. 3

Students will meet their group members and discuss their term project during class in week 1.
Students are expected to work outside of class on their term projects. Students are expected to
collaborate with each other and others.
Lecture, in-class activities (worksheets) and in-class discussions will be used to provide students
with content. The class size is aimed at a maximum of 40 students. The class will be aiming for a
student-centered learning environment by facilitating students during in-class activities and
discussions, but there will be some lecture proportions necessary in order to share content
knowledge and comprehension. During in-class activities, students will form small groups (2-
3students) depending on their seating in classroom. In-class discussion will vary, but mostly a
think, pair, share discussion. Multiple hands, multiple voices are a great way to get feedback from
multiple students (avoiding having the same students answering).
Differentiation: In order to incorporate various learning styles and abilities, I’ll alternate between
lecture, discussions and activities, with variation within each section. I will use various
technological tools (e.g., prezi presentations, screencasting, voice thread, make use of comic strips).
Activities will vary from hands on demonstrations, the use of visual aids (a picture is worth a 1000
words), readings, writing, and listening. Creating an inclusive, student centered environment where
students can learn from each other. Alternate in-class activities (individual and group) and
discussion from think-pair-share, snow-ball-fights, to jigsaw, scavenger hunts, and games such as
bingo. Have dialogue discussions where groups have to choose a side (agree or disagree), and
defend their answers. For example, when comparing and contrasting the use of various measures of
stress and when to use which method depending on the situation.

Closure and Reflection

The movie review day will be a closure event during the last class period (during week 10).
Students will write a blog reflection on their experience with the movie review day that will provide
instructor feedback for future use. It will also create an opportunity for students to voice their
experience to the public to practice being a good citizen.

Adapted from the 2007 ISTE TEMPLATE I Lesson Plan. 4