Biology 100L: General Biology Laboratory
Course Syllabus Spring 2012
Instructors Name is Her/his email is:
Office room# & Phone .
The Bio Dept. Office is in the North Life Sciences Bld., room 102.
If necessary, leave materials/messages with the department secretaries. Department phone: (619) 594-6767
Web site:
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/classes/biology/bio100l/index.html
Course Description:
Biology 100L: General Biology Laboratory is a 1-unit course stressing processes common to living organisms. Not open to bio majors. Credit or concurrent registration in Biology 100 required.
Required Text & Biology 100L General Biology Laboratory Manual by Newsome and Weidner
Available at Aztec Bookstores.
Equipment: Write your name and contact info in the manual.
You are required to buy the Student course packet.
Bring the manual and student packet every day.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course the successful student will be able to: recognize independent and dependent variables in an experiment, distinguish organisms of different kingdoms, outline the basics of photosynthesis and respiration, point out local habitats, understand natural and sexual selection, read a cladogram, distinguish mitosis from meiosis, understand inheritance patterns in humans, understand DNA structure and replication, and understand protein synthesis.
Attendance:
Four absences, or two unexcused absences in a row, will result in an ÒFÓ for the course.
You will also be ÒabsentÓ for arriving over 20 minutes late or leaving more than 30 minutes early. Participation points will be deducted for absences or for repeated tardiness.
The Drop deadline is Tue, Jan. 31st. The Add deadline is Thur., Feb. 2nd.
Points & Grading
Exams (5) 120 pts A = 92.6 – 100%
Weekly Lab data sheets 130 pts A- = 89 – 92.59%
Experiment 100 pts B+ = 85.5 – 88.9%
Presentation 80 pt B = 83.5 – 85.49%
Nature center assignment 30 pt B- = 80.5 – 83.49%
Participation 60 pt C+ = 77 – 80.49%
total points: 520 C = 73 – 76.9%
C- = 70.5 – 72.9%
D = 61 – 70.49%
F = ² 60.9%
Exams:
Exams are worth 30 points each. Your lowest score will be dropped.
Lab response data sheets:
Weekly lab data sheets, worth 8-10 points each, are due at the end of lab meeting. You will turn in the Response/Data worksheet found in the lab manual. Answer ALL questions and completely fill in tables and graphs. You may work with your lab group to complete the lab pages but they must be submitted individually. Do not copy answers. Weekly answers are posted on our website Fridays.
Presentation:
You will make a 5-minute presentation on a current issue that is related to a biological principle introduced in lab. Presentations on one topic will be given the week after that topic was covered in class, in to show the relationship between previous material and the presentation. They will draw upon your personal experiences, where possible, and be accompanied by at least 2 visual aids.
See the ÒPresentation pageÓ for details.
Special note: Do not copy from the internet or from other sources. Do not copy. DonÕt ever copy.
Experiment Report:
The experiment consists of a Topic selection, proposal, a draft, and a final report (total, 100 points). Working alone or with a partner, you will do a simple experiment outside of class and write a brief report in scientific journal format (i.e., Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion). See your ÒExperiment pageÓ for details. Remember, you must write your own report even if you worked with someone. Beware of writing your report ÒwithÓ your partner on separate papers.
Copying will earn you a 0.
Your writing must be your own thoughts in all respects.
Schedule:
Topics and their associated assignments, along with due dates, are listed in the Schedule. The Schedule is considered binding and an extension of the syllabus. However, some instructors may extend one or two deadlines after consulting with the coordinator. Such extensions will never be more than a week and will be for the entire section (ÒclassÓ).
Class participation:
Points will be earned for attendance, being on time, being prepared, having your lab manual and student packet; showing interest, appropriate communication with the instructor via email, making appropriate use of office hours, and by participating in discussions. Conversely, points will be lost for absences, tardiness, unsafe behavior, late work, lack of preparation, failure to participate in discussions, inappropriate talking in class, misuse of the computers, forgetting the lab manual, carelessness with reagents, failure to clean after yourself, copying the work of others, etc.
Extra Credit:
There is no Òextra creditÓ. There is a lot of work assigned in this class so in a way, everyone already has Òextra creditÓ. Exams have extra points in the form of bonus questions. Because of these bonus questions on very rare occasions someone completes Bio 100 L with over 100%.
Plagiarism/Cheating:
Academic dishonesty, including plagiarism on reports, or cheating on exams will result, at the minimum, in a 0 for the assignment and will be reported to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities and may result in probation, suspension or expulsion. Unless properly quoted and cited, all work you turn in must be yours alone. Take care when ÒsharingÓ your results with others – All assignments that show evidence of copying result in discipline, even if we know who originally wrote the text. We give a 0 score to the person who thought of the answer as well as the person who copied it. DonÕt allow anyone to copy your work. You will get a 0.
If, in the opinion of the coordinator, your work matches work we find on the internet, you will receive a score of 0 and campus discipline.
Safety:
You may not eat, drink (even water), open chewing gum, apply eyedrops or makeup, remove or put in your contact lenses while inside the lab rooms. These restrictions apply inside the rooms AT ALL TIMES. Why? Because there are many sections meeting in each room and the people who sat at the lab bench before you may have spilled bacteria. You could come in, touch the computer (now bacterially-contaminated), open a bottle of water with your contaminated fingers transferring bacteria to the mouth of the bottle, take a drink, and give yourself a few million bacteria. For this reason, from the moment you first enter the room any beverages or food you have must be in your backpacks. If your containers are no longer factory-sealed we will make you dump out the contents. If you want the container you will have to wash it and put it away empty. You must wear closed-toe shoes. No Sandals, flip-flops, ballet-slipper-like shoes, or any open-toed shoes.
If you are believed to have violated these safety rules the coordinator, and/or instructor, shall ask you to leave for the day and you shall receive 0 points for that dayÕs work.
Courtesy:
The lab door will be locked until nearly time for class to begin. We appreciate your patience.
This is the time to clean and re-supply and time for your instructor to prepare. As a result, the beginning of class is a bad time to answer individual questions. Please save these for after class or during office hours. Once the next class is trying to enter the lab you need to leave the room. You are expected to keep your phone either off or set to Òsilent modeÓ.
Once class starts, no texting!
Please keep your non-biology conversations to a minimum while others are talking.
If you have difficulties/problems and canÕt reach your TA, contact the Biology 100 Lab coordinator, Joe Newsome.
Office PSFA 373, ph. 594-2730, email jnewsome@sunstroke.sdsu.edu.
Sorry, like most instructors, I donÕt return calls from long-distance phone numbers. We are charged for long-distance phone calls. Also, our phones donÕt retain your number so you have to tell us your number when you leave a message! This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor/coordinator following reasonable notification to students.