COURSE SYLLABUS BIOL 485 SENIOR SEMINAR IN BIOLOGY. Semester/Year: Spring 2017 Units: 1.0

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1 SCHOOL OF NATURAL SCIENCES 1717 S. Chestnut Ave. Fresno, CA FAX BIOL 485 SENIOR SEMINAR IN BIOLOGY COURSE SYLLABUS Semester/Year: Spring 2017 Units: 1.0 Instructor: Michael Kunz Office Hours: MW 10:00-12:00; Tu 11:00-12:30; Th 3:30-5:00 Office Location: AIMS Hall 207 Phone number: Length: 16 weeks (January 11 May 6) Schedule: Thursdays 2:00pm 3:15pm Room: AIMS 114 COURSE DESCRIPTION A capstone experience for majors in the biological sciences. Seminar presentations by students and faculty on advanced topics of interest and experience. Students develop and refine a presentation on a topic previously investigated in a research project, review paper or internship experience. Other summative activities such as a portfolio, major field test or reflective essay may be required. STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES LEARNING OUTCOME Read and interpret disciplinary literature at a level appropriate for upper-division undergraduates Synthesize material learned in previous courses with additional research from primary scientific literature Effectively communicate scientific information to an audience of peers in an oral presentation format (signature assignment) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of major concepts of disciplines within biology Evaluate personal and academic growth since the beginning of studies at FPU, including reflection on the relationship between faith and science Design, conduct and interpret the scientific method. ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT Seminar presentation Seminar presentation Seminar presentation Major field test Reflection essay Research paper 1

2 REQUIRED RESOURCES No required texts. Internet access to Campus Cruiser and course information at COURSE OVERVIEW Congratulations! You are nearing a significant milestone: you are preparing to graduate with a baccalaureate degree in a biological science. The mission of Fresno Pacific University is to train servant leaders for faithful and wise service. The purpose of this capstone course for Biology, Pre-health and Environmental majors is to allow you to demonstrate your ability to fulfill the FPU mission. Your future success requires academic competence, ability to grow professionally, and a commitment to enter into vocations of service. There are four significant tasks we will undertake in this course. The most significant assignment of this seminar is a presentation to your peers and faculty (and invited friends, if you choose) of a topic of familiarity and interest to you. It is your opportunity to demonstrate your ability to investigate a topic in greater depth and to demonstrate your ability to communicate what you have learned. This constitutes one half of the course evaluation. Education does not occur in a vacuum. The Fresno Pacific Idea statement commits us to be a community of learners. Interaction with colleagues is important to your professional growth and to that of your peers. A second significant task of the seminar is your presence and active interaction with your student colleagues, so you will receive credit for attendance and discussion. A third component of the course is summative demonstration of knowledge in your subject area. You will take a national standardized test of biological knowledge. This provides the Biology Department faculty with insight into how effective our instruction has been. It also provides you with a perspective on how you compare to your peers across the country. A fourth component is to demonstrate your ability to participate in the process of science. You will submit from your portfolio of work an example of previous (or current) research in the form of a research paper. Most of the world barrels headlong into the future without pausing to consider where it is going or why it is going there. Wisdom, however comes from a deeper understanding of where we have come from, who we are now, and who God calls us to be. A written reflection upon your past growth and your future vocational calling constitutes the fourth component of the course. We will conclude the course with a celebratory meal on the final day of final exams. ASSIGNMENTS, TESTS & GRADING POLICIES Course grades are based upon performance on the following items: Item Point Value 2

3 Seminar Presentation 300 Attendance and participation 100 Major Field Test 100 Professional Growth Reflection Paper 100 Research Paper 100 Total 700 The final course grade will NORMALLY be assigned according to the following scale: Letter Grade Percent Points A A B B B C C C D D D F UW Attended little or not at all In addition to the normal point assignments, a passing grade of C for the course requires ALL of the following course evaluation components with the grade of D or better: Seminar presentation Reflection paper Participation Major Field Test in Biology. Submission of a research paper REGARDLESS OF TOTAL POINTS RECEIVED, FAILURE IN ANY OF THESE FIVE COURSE REQUIREMENTS WILL RESULT IN A D OR F GRADE AND A FAILURE TO MEET THE MAJOR GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS. Seminar Presentation (Signature Assignment): The seminar presentation constitutes the signature assignment for this course. Your seminar presentation builds on work done in a previous course, research experience, or internship experience. You must further develop and refine your presentation to the level of a professional presentation in your field of study. This requires additional literature research, including an expanded literature review that includes peer-reviewed references. The seminar presentation requires a minute PowerPoint presentation to the seminar class, faculty and invited guests followed by 5 10 minutes of question and answer discussion. Proposed topics must be submitted by to mkunz@fresno.edu by the end of Friday of the first week of class. Include in your proposal a rationale for the topic choice that describes your previous experience with the topic (review paper, research project, internship experience, etc.). Your instructor will respond with approval or suggested topic revisions by the second week of class. 3

4 Presentation dates will be assigned by lottery the second week of class. Students may request an earlier presentation date or state a preference of scheduling date with rationale. Your instructor will attempt to accommodate scheduling preferences, but presentation dates are the decision of the instructor. By the Friday of the second week of class you must submit by a brief outline of the seminar presentation. The presentation will normally include a brief introduction, discussion of relevant literature regarding the topic, your involvement with the topic, and concluding discussion. Your outline must be followed by a preliminary list of references, including a minimum five relevant primary scientific sources, each accompanied by a sentence explaining the relevance of the topic to your presentation. Each slide of the presentation must include source citations in APA style (e.g. Brown & Smith, 2005 ) and attribution of any images used (e.g. image courtesy of Mary Lopez, National Park Service ). The final slide must include literature cited in APA style. Presentations must be uploaded to Moodle Task Stream no later than the day before the scheduled presentation. Presentations will be evaluated using the following rubric: Evaluation Criteria: Depth of analysis Progression beyond earlier work Clarity of presentation 4 (excellent) 3 (good) 2 (fair) 1 (poor) Depth of scientific analysis appropriate for advanced, upperdivision undergraduate literature research. Includes discussion of primary scientific literature from peerreviewed journals and review articles. Works correctly cited in APA style Clearly demonstrates significant literature research beyond earlier work (such as a previous research project, review paper or internship experience). Focused on a specific topic that can be discussed in an hour of presentation and discussion. Clear introduction that outlines the topic, coherent presentation of material, and a conclusion that analyzes and discusses the significance of the information Incorporates a modest amount of primary literature and review articles, but the majority of references are of lesser quality, or lacking reference to important sources, or too much reliance on popular literature and websites. Works mostly cited correctly. Level of work is consistent with advanced undergraduate work, but provides evidence of only modest research beyond earlier work. Exhibits most characteristics listed as excellent with respect to clarity of presentation, but may contain minor gaps in focus, organization, analysis or discussion of the topic. Information primarily from popular literature and/or websites rather than primary scientific literature or scientific review articles. References cited incompletely or improperly (not in APA format). Material is appropriate for upper-division work, but it does not provide evidence that it builds upon earlier work. Choice of topic that is too broad to give an in-depth analysis in an hour of presentation and discussion. Presentation lacks a clear sense of organization, but tends toward presentation of a set of poorly connected subtopics. Little evidence given of literature review into the topic. Presentation does not advance beyond what would be expected in a lower-division or non-majors presentation. Choice of topic is either so broad that it cannot reasonably be discussed in depth in an hour of presentation and discussion, or so narrow that not enough literature review can be presented. Contains gaps in organization of topics. 4

5 Visual presentation Oral presentation presented. Graphics are appropriate for the topic and clearly presented. Pictures and figures are large enough to see. Text provides enough information to summarize points, but does not overwhelm the slides. Good oral presentation skills including coherent and organized presentation, clear articulation, proper volume and eye contact. Presentation either 1) lacks clear and interesting graphics, with too much text for good audience comprehension, or 2) does not provide enough text to summarize main points. Generally good presentation skills, but sometimes may be difficult to hear or understand; limited eye contact with audience. Graphics and text are unclear or confusing in places, though generally coherent. Clear understanding of the topic is somewhat limited by speaker s volume and/or ability to articulate. Graphics and text are unclear or confusing to an extent that comprehension is significantly compromised. Communication of the topic is severely limited by speaker s volume and/or ability to articulate Familiarity with topic Obvious familiarity with the material as demonstrated by ability to discuss (not just read) visual material, and responses to questions. Includes independent conclusions and summaries of material. Familiarity with the subject matter is not as deep, as suggested by reading several presentation slides rather than discussing their significance. Responses to questions may demonstrate some lack of clear understanding. Superficial familiarity with the topic, demonstrated by frequent reliance on reading presentation slides. Independent conclusions and summaries of material lacking. Able to respond accurately to general questions only. Lack of familiarity with the topic, demonstrated by complete reliance on reading, presentation slides. Independent conclusions and summaries of material lacking. Unable to respond accurately to questions regarding the topic. Presentation grades are assigned with the following minimum expectations: An A presentation is excellent in at least four categories of evaluation, and good or excellent in all categories. ( points) A B presentation is good in all categories or, if fair in one or two, compensates with excellence in another. ( points) A C presentation is fair in all categories or, if poor in one, compensates with excellence in another. ( points) A D presentation is fair in at least four categories. ( points) An F presentation is poor in more than two categories. (0 179 points) Grades will be reduced up to one letter grade for late submission of work. You must present on the scheduled date since no class time exists for make-up presentations. Failure to present on the scheduled date will result in a D or F grade in the class, unless a means of rescheduling acceptable to the class is found. Participation: 5

6 Credit (100 points) is awarded for consistent attendance, punctuality, respectful behavior, and contribution to classroom discussion. While assignment of participation credit is somewhat subjective, I will use the following criteria: A = regular and punctual attendance AND regular, thoughtful, voluntary contributions to seminar discussion (100 points) B = one of the following: more than one unexcused absence OR occasional tardiness OR less thoughtful or regular contribution to seminar discussion (85 points) C = two of the following: more than one unexcused absence OR occasional tardiness OR irregular contribution to class discussion (75 points) D = little contribution to seminar discussion (65 points) F = more than three unexcused absences. (55 points or less). An F in participation results in an automatic D or F grade in the course. If you lack the opportunity to enter into significant discussion following a seminar presentation (i.e. you had no opportunity after the presentation to ask significant questions or provide thoughtful verbal comments), you may substitute a peer evaluation of a seminar presentation. Within 24 hours, you must me how you would score the presentation, using the presentation rubric provided above, and a sentence explanation justifying each score. Substitution of a peer evaluation for verbal contribution should not be done weekly. Failure over the semester to contribute verbally on a consistent basis will result in a lower participation score. Biology Major Field Test The major field test is a standardized, comprehensive exam developed by the Educational Testing Service. (This is the same organization that publishes the GRE exams used for entrance evaluation to many graduate programs). It will be administered on the third week of class. The scores provide us with an objective measure of individual student mastery of content material and departmental assessment of program strengths and weaknesses. The test consists of 150 multiple-choice questions that are given raw scores and ranked percentile scores relative to all students taking the exam from different universities. Sub-scores are also determined for the following areas: Section 1- Cell Biology; Section 2- Molecular Biology and Genetics; Section 3- Organismal Biology; Section 4 Population Biology, Evolution & Ecology. Biology majors will be evaluated on all four sections. Environmental Science and Environmental Studies majors will be evaluated on sections 3 & 4 only. Pre-health majors will be evaluated on sections 1, 2 & 3. National percentile rankings on the exam are as follows: General Exam ( ) Sub-scores (20-100) 75 th %tile th %tile th %tile th %tile Additional information about the test is available at The test will be graded according to the following rubric: 6

7 Biology Majors Pre-health Majors Environmental Science and Environmental Studies Majors 4 (excellent) A = 100 points 75 th percentile score or any 2 sub-scores 75 th percentile sections 1, 2 or 3 75 th percentile sections 3 or 4 3 (good) B = 85 points 50 th percentile score or any 2 sub-scores 50 th percentile sections 1, 2 or 3 50 th percentile sections 3 or 4 2 (fair) C = 75 points 25 th percentile score or any 2 sub-scores 25 th percentile sections 1, 2 or 3 25 th percentile sections 3 or 4 1 (poor) D = 65 points 10 th percentile on score or any sub-score 10 th percentile the general score or on any subscore 10 th percentile on ny sub-score Failure to achieve at least the 10 th percentile on score or a single sub-score results in an F for this assignment and a failure to pass the course. Students who fail to pass the Major Field Test on week 3 of the class may arrange to retake the exam during the second half of the semester at their own expense (currently $25). The second exam scores will be accepted in lieu of the failed first exam. Students who pass the exam on the first attempt may voluntarily elect to retake the exam at their own expense to raise their score. Reflective Essay This essay is an opportunity to reflect upon your past academic growth at FPU and your future calling. Describe your personal growth as a science student at Fresno Pacific. Discuss the most significant things you have learned and the experiences that were most instrumental in the learning process. Include the most significant things you have learned with respect to science, faith, and ethics. (Environmental Science & Studies majors must incorporate program themes of shalom, stewardship and sustainability in their essay.) The reflection should give evidence of understanding of significant FPU values articulated in the FPU Idea and/or mission. The essay should describe what you have learned about your personal strengths, weaknesses & interests, and explain what specifically has led you to these understandings. The essay should also reflect upon your sense of future vocation, and what leads you to believe this is your calling. The essay should be approximately 6 pages double spaced, in point font. The following rubric will be used to grade the reflection essay: 7

8 Evaluation Criteria: Written expression & mechanics Selfreflection Understan ding of faith, ethics and service 4 (excellent) 3 (good) 2 (fair) 1 (poor) The organization of the paper is logical and apparent. Paragraphs have a clear focus. Sentence structure is varied and interesting. Grammatical errors are minimal or not present. The assignment was carefully written, revised and edited. Gives clear evidence of thoughtful reflection on personal strengths, weaknesses and interests. Clearly connects a sense of vocation to personal characteristics. Includes specific examples that support conclusions. Gives clear evidence of understanding of science, ethics & faith that incorporates perspectives from program courses. Demonstrates understanding and commitment to values of service articulated in the FPU Idea and mission. There is a clear organization to the paper, but there may be slight deficiencies in paragraph focus, logical progression, sentence structure, grammar or other errors. Editing and revisions were undertaken, but not carefully enough to catch all deficiencies. Gives evidence of reflection on personal strengths, weaknesses and interests. Articulates a sense of vocation, but connection to personal characteristics or supporting examples may be less clear or specific. Gives evidence of comprehension regarding science, faith, ethics, service and vocation presented in program curriculum, but with less depth or commitment. There are modest gaps in organization, paragraph focus, sentence structure, grammar, etc. The paper shows evidence of superficial revision and editing. Describes personal strengths, weaknesses, interests and vocational goals, but does not clearly describe or explain how these have been discerned. Provides simplistic discussion of science, faith, ethics, service and vocation. The paper appears unorganized, quickly written, or not revised. Serious errors remain in the work. Fails to identify personal strengths, weaknesses, interests and vocational goals. Fails to discuss issues of science, faith, ethics, service and vocation. Reflection paper grades are assigned with the following minimum expectations: An A paper is excellent in all three categories of evaluation. ( points) A B presentation is good in all categories or, if fair in one, compensates with excellence in another. (85 points) A C presentation is fair or better in all categories. (75 points) A D presentation is fair in at least two categories. ( 65 points) An F presentation is poor in two or three categories. (0 59 points) Research Paper This is your opportunity to demonstrate your ability to engage in the scientific process. Submit your best example of a research paper written as part of a current or previous course or project. The paper must be uploaded to Moodle s Task Stream by class on the week following mid-semester break. Your paper must report on a research project in which you actively collected and analyzed data. The paper must be in APA style. You may improve your previous paper based upon your academic growth since the paper was initially submitted. Examples of types of improvements include (but are not limited to) writing style, literature review, description of methodology, statistical analysis, graphical presentation, and/or conclusions. The research paper may be the basis of your seminar presentation, but this is not necessary. 8

9 The rubric for assessing the research paper will be posted to the fpubio.com web page. Appeals to Grade Decisions If you believe any grade to be in error, please discuss it with me. If you are not satisfied with our discussion, you make take your concern to the dean of this school. Contact me, your program director or your advisor if you feel like you need help with this course. TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE AND OUTLINE OF TOPICS DATE Jan. 12 Jan. 19 Jan. 26 Feb. 2 Feb. 9 Feb. 16 Feb. 23 Mar. 2 Mar. 9 Mar. 16 Mar. 23 Mar. 230 Apr. 6 Apr. 13 Apr. 20 Apr. 27 May 4 TOPIC Orientation, Organization, Planning Finalize presentation topics & schedules; presentation advice & discussion BIOLOGY MAJOR FIELD TEST (CLASS EXTENDS 3HRS) MID-SEMESTER BREAK ; SUBMIT RESEARCH PAPER ; SUBMIT REFLECTIVE ESSAY SENIOR RECOGNITION & END-OF-YEAR DINNER PARTY SUGGESTIONS FOR SUCCESS IN THIS COURSE Success in a course requires a realistic allocation of time for readings, assignments, and study. The accepted standard is 3 hours of time per unit per week of instruction. This is a one unit course offered over 15 weeks, so the expected minimum amount of time devoted to the class should be 3 x 15 = 45 hours. This is the amount of time expected for an average student desiring an average grade. Students with less aptitude or background or who desire a superior grade may need to devote more time. Students with exceptional aptitude or strong background may in some cases succeed with less time devoted to the course. The following table offers a summary overview of the typical time expected for this class: Assignment Est. Time to complete (hours) 16 class sessions 25 Seminar research and preparation 25 Major field test (including review & study) 10 9

10 Assignment Est. Time to complete (hours) Reflection paper 10 Research Paper 5 TOTAL 75 UNIVERSITY POLICY SUMMARIES Students are responsible for becoming familiar with the information presented in the Academic Catalog and for knowing and observing all policies and procedures related to their participation in the university community. A University Policy Summary may be found on the university website at 10