BISC 207-017 INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY

FALL 2008

INDEX

Seating by Rows
Course Methods & Structure
Grading
Class Schedule
Laboratory Grading
Communication
Guidelines for Success
Academic Honesty
Previewing Power Point Slides
Bluebook Assignments
Attendance
Biobowl 1
Biobowl 2
Biobowl 3
Answers to Exam 2 fill-in-the-blank question

INFORMATION
 
 

 BISC207 Laboratory Manual; any other required laboratory materials will be listed in the laboratory manual
COURSE CONTENT & CO-REQUISITES

This course includes: the biology of cells - their structure and function; heredity; and gene expression.  Laboratory focuses on experimentation and data analysis. Pre- or co-requisites include C101, C103, C105 or C111.

COURSE METHODS
Lectures:  Lectures will be given in Power Point format. Slides will usually be available for viewing or for downloading through the links on your course syllabus under Class Schedule (see the appropriate topic). However, these can only be viewed when using a campus-linked computer. See instructions below under "Previewing Power Point Slides" for how to view files from an off-campus computer.  Slides will be posted no later than the night before a lecture and may be removed about a week after the topic has been covered. (Do not download notes earlier than 1-2 days before the lecture, since they may not be finished, and may even be last year's notes). The lecture portion of this course will NOT be taught as a WebCT course. Do NOT hunt for Power Point notes among the WebCT Biology courses. Please note that even though Power Point slides may be available for you to download, I will add to these notes during lecture, so attendance in lecture is necessary to earn a good grade. You might want to print out the Power Point notes and bring them to lecture, so you can easily follow along.

Quizzes: Quizzes will be given periodically to check your understanding. They will contain 10-15 multiple choice questions spread evenly over the covered chapters.  "Scantron" forms will be used, so always bring a #2 pencil. Quizzes will be returned in the next class period.

Exams: In addition to the quizzes, there will be 4 exams. Three of the exams are typical "hourly" exams, and are scheduled during a regular class period. The fourth is the final exam, taken during finals week, and is comprehensive - i.e, it covers the whole course. Exams will be similar in format to the quizzes, i.e. multiple choice,, but with a more extensive synthesis of the material. 

Class Writing in Bluebooks: You will be occasionally asked to write answers to one or more questions in a bluebook. The questions that we will consider, listed by topic, are linked here. This will be an in-class activity - I will try to remind you about it one class ahead of time. But if I do not, the dates are listed on your class schedule; you can assume these will be the dates for bluebook writing, unless I announce a change. Before the first assignment, please obtain a bluebook to use for this (I am told that some bookstores give these away for free). Before you do your first writing, I will have assigned rows for you to sit in when you come to class. This will facilitate the distribution and collection of bluebooks, quizzes and exams on a regular basis.  I will grade each writing with a simple system (probably +++ to 0)  and convert this later to a numerical score out of 10 points. ( The grading is explained  here). I will also use these writing assignments  to check attendance in class.

Using the Brooker ARIS website: As we progress through the course, it might be helpful for you to check your understanding through the resources on Brooker's ARIS website (www.mhhe.com/brookerbiology) . (ARIS stands for Assessment Review and Instruction System). Log onto the website and click on the  "Resources" tab; no password or set-up should be required. Some of the items are tutorials, some are animations, and some are practice quizzes.

PREVIEWING POWER POINT SLIDES AND OTHER UD-RESTRICTED FILES:  To access Power Point notes before class,  you will need to use a computer linked to the campus network. Using one from off-campus will not allow access, since notes are restricted to the UD community. However, if you live off-campus you can connect through a proxy server available only to UD students by using this link:
https://proxy.nss.udel.edu/login?qurl=http://www.udel.edu/Biology/dion/section17.html). When you click on this link, you will get a log-in prompt; after logging in, you should be taken back to the syllabus page, but you are now on the proxy server, so you should now be able to access restricted files. You will find the Power Point links in the "Class Schedule" for the respective dates on the course syllabus page. If you do not have Power Point as a program on your computer, you can download a Power Point Viewer (see the Microsoft.com website). It will allow you to read PP files, but not create new ones.

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GRADING

The final grade is a reflection of performance both in the classroom (lecture) and the laboratory. Lecture will constitute 75% of the final grade, lab 25%. Information about your laboratory grade will be provided during the first meeting of the lab.

A more detailed breakdown  of the lecture grade is shown below:
 
 

The total grade for lecture will be multiplied by 75%
 

The laboratory grade will be based on the criteria shown on the table below. The weight of each toward the lab grade, and details about what is due will be explained at the first lab meeting and can also be seen here.
 
 

The following are very rough approximations of numerical conversions to letter grades for the course:
    A = 90-100
    B = 80-89
    C = 70-79
    D = 60-69
    F = below 60
Plus and minus grades may be given for the upper and lower limits of each grade range.  I am not committed to a certain grade distribution. There will be no curve. Nor will there be any extra credit allowed to raise a grade.

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WRITING & ATTENDANCE GRADE
    Attendance is strongly suggested so that you get the most out of the material presented in lectures. Attendance will be periodically checked and will be used toward ten percent of your grade, combined with your average from Bluebook Writings. For example, let's say your average score for writings was 80% and your attendance was 85%. This grade would be 80 x  85% = 68%, or 6.8 pts. It should be possible for everyone to get all 10 points of this grade if they are conscientious about coming to class and being prepared to write in bluebooks. Please see this link Attendance Policies for a thorough explanation of my attendance policy for lecture and laboratory. Notice what constitutes an excused absence. Laboratory attendance will also be described in the lab manual and in your first lab.  .
 

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CLASS SCHEDULE (may be modified as needed - please check on-line periodically)
 
 

           * Some material from Chapter 6 may be used
          ** Use for reference only.
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COMMUNICATION

You will need access to a computer on campus. If you do not have your own,  you can use one in a campus computing site. You will also have to activate your UD email account, which you will need for email related to this course. I will use email to communicate with the whole class, and with individuals. Often, announcements will be made by email.  The web page should be checked frequently for changes or additions, and will need to be accessed weekly for Power Point notes. In laboratory, data may be shared and transmitted through WebCT, which will be explained in lab; if not by WebCT, then possibly by email. All lab reports (short ones and extended ones) must be typed and double-spaced; graphs and tables should be done in Excel unless otherwise instructed by your lab TA. Graphs done in Workbook assignments (lab manual) may be done by hand.

GUIDELINES FOR SUCCESS

• COME TO CLASS. Attendance is extremely important.
  
• In event of illness or unavoidable absence from a lecture, please send me an email to explain.
  
• Read all the assigned material before listening to lectures and before taking quizzes.
• Exams can include material from anything done in class or assigned for reading.
  
• Take advantage of office hours, or ask questions by e-mail. Stay in touch. I am happy to discuss anything about the course, or your life here at UD. HELPFUL HINT: get to know at least one of your professors each semester.
• Write up laboratory reports as soon as possible after the lab is completed. It will be easier to do it immediately, rather than several days later.
• For lab and lecture, be familiar with the university policy on Academic Dishonesty. All work submitted for grading in lab and lecture (unless I tell you otherwise) must be the original work of each individual. Although laboratory experiments will be done as groups, you must write your own reports. This includes making your own graphs. (see next section)
• Students suspected of having a learning disability must seek an accommodation from the Office of Academic Enrichment http://www.aec.udel.edu/LD_ADHD_students.html.  I am not qualified to assess whether or not a student has such a disability, and therefore will not make accomodations without instructions from this office.

Plagiarism is the inclusion of someone else’s words, ideas, or data as one’s own. When a student submits academic work that includes another’s words, ideas, or data, whether published or unpublished, the source of that information must be acknowledged with complete and accurate references and, if verbatim statements are included, with quotation marks as well. By submitting work as his or her own, a student certifies the originality of all material not otherwise acknowledged. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

1. The quotation or other use of another person’s words, ideas, opinions, thoughts, summaries, or theories (even if paraphrased into one’s own words) without acknowledgment of the source; or
2. The quotation or other use of facts, statistics, or other data or materials that are not clearly common knowledge without acknowledgment of the source.

1. Copying of all or any portion of another’s academic work and submitting it, in part or in its entirety, as one’s own;
2. Allowing another person to copy one’s own academic work—whether intentionally or recklessly;
   
3. The unauthorized collaboration with any other person on an academic exercise, including collaboration on a take-home or make-up academic exercise, or on the writing of a laboratory report, where instructions have stated that reports must be individually written;
4. The unauthorized use of electronic instruments, such as cell phones, pagers, or PDAs, to access or share information; or
5. The unauthorized completion for another person of an academic work, or permitting someone else to complete an academic work for oneself.

USEFUL LINKS
Website to accompany textbook: www.brookerbiology.com or www.mhhe.com/brookerbiology

Mitochondria:  http://www.umdf.org
Alcohol dehydrogenase:  Try the protein data base at: http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/home/home.do    Look under "Molecule of the Month" - Previous - and you will see an alphabetical list