IB 203 COURSE SYLLABUS AND POLICIES

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1 IB 203 COURSE SYLLABUS AND POLICIES INSTRUCTOR Dr. Andrew D. B. Leakey Dept. of Plant Biology 1402 Inst. for Genomic Biology - Dr. Mark J. Lara Dept. of Plant Biology 167 Morrill Hall - Dr. Leakey: leakey@illinois.edu; Dr. Lara: mjlara@illinois.edu (preferred method of contact; always start subject as IB 203 ) Office hr: 2-3pm on Tuesday & Thursday (after class in 167 Morrill) or by appointment. Contact Dr. Lara or Dr. Leakey about all logistics of the lecture portion of the course and for approval of excused absences from lecture and exams. Contact Tyler Refsland refslan2@illinois.edu about ICA grades and grade issues within moodle. LAB COORDINATOR Mr. Nicholas Morphew School of Integrative Biology 482A Burrill Hall morphew2@illinois.edu always start subject as IB 203 Contact Mr. Morphew about all issues dealing with the lab portion of the course. COURSE INFORMATION Course website: Class: Tuesday & Thursday 12:30-1:50; 116 Roger Adams Lab Lab: one 3-hr block during week; 277 Morrill (except 164 Burrill for computer labs) Credit: 4 hours and Advanced Composition credit Prerequisites: IB 150 and MCB 150 REQUIRED TEXT (at Illini Union Bookstore) Cain, M.L., W.D. Bowman, and S.D. Hacker Ecology 4 th ed. Sinauer Associates, Inc. No lab manual to purchase; available electronically in Moodle. INTRODUCTION TO IB 203 Welcome! We look forward to getting to know you and to facilitate your learning about ecology. We know that you may or may not be planning to have a career in ecology. However, we feel strongly that you should become ecologically literate, both in terms

2 of understanding concepts, and in learning how those concepts are generated, i.e. by doing science yourself. Furthermore, you should understand how to apply the concepts to the real world. COURSE/INSTRUCTOR PHILOSOPHY/OBJECTIVES We believe that you should learn the products of science, i.e. the major ecological concepts, but also be able to see their contribution to solving today s environment problems. We feel equally strong that you should have major practice with all aspects of the scientific process. Products of science change over time, while the process doesn t. As a science major, you should be fully capable of contributing to scientific ecological knowledge by means of using the scientific process. As a science major, you should become able to communicate effectively about science. Therefore, practice with written and oral communications is a key part of the class. As a result, you will satisfy your Advanced Composition requirement by completing assignments in this course. We believe strongly that you must assume responsibility for your own learning, while I provide opportunities to enable you to learn. Some preparation is necessary prior to class so that class time can be spent on more difficulty concepts and in actively engaging you in developing critical thinking skills and in applying concepts to new situations. Your Lecture (Class) time should maximize your intellectual involvement by engaging your mind actively. Therefore, we use active learning activities in every class. The goal of these activities is to learn critical thinking skills and to understand concepts, rather than focus on details that you will quickly forget. TEACHING STRATEGIES FOR CLASS Equal weight is given to lecture and lab. Please see LAB EMPHASIS ON SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY to read about the format and philosophy of the laboratory portion of the course. We expect that you prepare for each class by reading the textbook and usually taking a quiz prior to or during class. We provide for each class a list of learning objectives i.e. What you should be able to do to demonstrate you have met the learning goals. I emphasize key concepts and use several case studies that demonstrate how the concept was developed, while emphasizing the scientific process that led to the development of the concept. Much practice is given in interpreting figures and tables. Attention is placed on developing critical thinking as it applies to solving ecological questions. At many intervals during class, we stop and have you complete an active learning activity. Some are done individually, others with a partner or small group. It is important that you participate fully in these activities. They include answering a series of questions throughout the class, summarizing the active learning activity, taking a practice

3 exam question, or turning in a take-home assignment. The goal of all hands-on activities is to engage you in actively thinking abut concepts and understanding them better because of your active participation. We also provide multiple examples of exam questions to give you practice prior to taking each exam. Ultimately, our goal is to have you learn knowledge and skills that you can apply to new situations, i.e. you reach a point where you can use your ecological understanding, as well as logic and critical thinking skills, well after the course is over. SUGGESTED LEARNING STRATEGIES FOR CLASS 1. Complete Prepare-Before-Class Activities (PBCs) prior to each class so you are prepared to engage actively during class. 2. Read textbook (see PBCs for pages) once prior to and once after each class. 3. Review power point slides after each class and add comments to embellish or complete each slide. 4. Participate fully in all In-Class Activities (ICAs); answers to ICAs are posted immediately after class. Use them to review for exams. Practice exam questions are often included in ICAs. 5. Complete practice exam questions in Solidify-After-Class Activities (SACs); answers to SACs are posted with them. Learn from your mistakes. 6. Focus on the learning objectives outlined in PBCs. Memorizing details or vocabulary is not the focus. 7. Review figures in text and on PPT slides to practice generating and interpreting figures. Pay particular attention to understanding how to interpret figures and tables. Relevant figures are assigned in PBCs. 8. Focus on those parts of the text that embellish class material. 9. Master all components of the scientific process and be able to apply those skills when confronting a new ecological question. COURSE POLICIES General: This course will follow all policies in the Student Code. Accommodations: If you require special accommodations, please tell us at once. All accommodations will follow the procedures as stated in Article of the Student Code ( Academic Integrity/Plagiarism: This course will follow Article 1 Part 4 (1-401 through 1-406) of the Student Code ( This rule defines infractions of academic integrity, which include but are not limited to cheating, fabrication, and plagiarism. To learn about possible penalties for such a violation, see You are responsible for being knowledgeable about what the infractions are for not following these guidelines.

4 Cheating during Prepare-Before-Class and In-Class Activities and on exams will result in serious penalties. Plagiarism while writing the scientific manuscripts will be monitored closely. NOTE: ALL of your written work must have been written by you. You MUST: provide credit for borrowed ideas that you use in your manuscripts; paraphrase (put into your own words) sentences in articles that you use; write every sentence that you put into your manuscript; you cannot use any writing of another student (past or present). If you don t feel that you fully understand what constitutes cheating or plagiarism, please consult with your TA or Dr. Leakey or Dr. Lara. PLAGIARISM OR OTHER INFRACTIONS OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY WILL HAVE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. Ignorance is not a valid reason for any infraction. GRADING: POLICIES AND ASSIGNMENTS Grading (or How to Keep Score): Grades are assigned based on the % of points accumulated: % = A, 80-89% = B, 70-79% = C, 60-69% = D, <60% = F. Minus (- = 90-92, 80-82, etc.) and plus (+ = 88-89, 78-79, etc.) grades will be given within each grade range. Points can be earned as follows: Class (50%) Points % Exam Prepare-Before-Class + In-Class Activities Exam Prepare-Before-Class + In-Class Activities Exam Prepare-Before-Class + In-Class Activities Subtotal Labs (50%) 1) Homework + quizzes 8 total (10 points each) ) Student-Driven Project ) Student-Driven Project Subtotal Total Penalty for each Unexcused Absence from Lab 30 3 Penalty for each Tardy to Lab or unprepared for lab 5 0.5

5 Examinations: (35% of grade) Each exam will be non-cumulative. All material covered in lectures, text readings that apply to lecture, homework, and In-Class Activities will be eligible for inclusion. I assume you can memorize information, so in exams I try to evaluate how well you understand that information by problem solving and applying it to new situations. You may bring basic scientific calculators (no palm pilots, cell phones or other computers) in exams. Any requests to re-grade questions must be typed and submitted electronically to Dr. Augspurger by 12 noon one week after hourly exams are returned; turn in the graded paper exam to her directly at 12:30 lecture on the same day. Make a note of the exam and lab dates now. The only excuse for missing labs, lecture, or exams is personal illness or tragedy in your immediate family. Notify your TA or Mr. Morphew before a lab or notify Dr. Augspurger before an exam or lecture if you have a problem. Travel, weddings, jobs, other courses, etc., must be planned around the lecture, laboratory, and final exam schedule. If you have any questions regarding these policies, please see Dr. Augspurger. Prepare-Before-Class: (7% of grade) You are expected to assume responsibility for some learning of new material on our own. Preparation for each class will include reading portions of the textbook or a scientific article, examining some figures, and often taking a quiz at home or at the beginning of class. This preparation is critical to be ready for In-Class Activities that challenge you to think critically and apply your knowledge to new situations. In-Class Activities: (8% of grade) Class attendance is highly recommended. Students with regular attendance, on average, receive one full grade higher than those who do not attend regularly. Point-earning activities (called ICAs) occur in each class. Laboratory: (50% of grade) The laboratory experience is an essential part of this course (50% of grade). You must come to all labs to do well in this course. Skipping labs and being tardy is unacceptable and is penalized. You will not be allowed to complete or turn in assignments for unexcused absences. Many labs are interconnected and some homework is completed in lab. Your work on group projects and your presence is essential for your group to function well. Laboratories can be made up only if you can attend another section that week. Arrangements must be made well in advance with your TA and can be done only for a good reason. Excuses are given only for medical reasons, tragedy in your immediate family, or religious observances and practices, and will be given for a maximum of two laboratories. If your health causes you to miss multiple labs, you should drop the course.

6 Homework/Quizzes: (8% of grade) Homework is meant to help you with the quantitative aspects of the course and to prepare you for doing the data analyses and writing for your Student-Driven Projects. The due dates for the homework are in the Laboratory and Homework Schedule. Most homework is submitted electronically prior to your laboratory session and will be corrected and returned by your TA the following week. Points are deducted if homework is not turned in prior to the assigned lab. Quizzes make you be prepared for participating fully in the lab and contributing well to your group planning and discussions. Student-Driven Projects: (42% of grade) In small groups, you will complete two major field projects, each lasting multiple weeks. These are designed to increase your experience with all the steps in completing scientific research from generating a research question to completing a scientific manuscript and giving an oral presentation. Each student will write and submit his/her own paper. That is, there is to be no copied sections or material between students in a group; each paper must be independently written. They constitute a substantial part of your total grade. It is important that you stay on top of these projects by completing the weekly homework and by being a responsible contributor to the group effort. The due dates and details for SDP assignments are in the Lab and Homework Schedule. These are the most time-consuming parts of the course. It is important to keep up with each assignment and to consult frequently with your TA about the assignments and your progress in completing the writing. Completion of these two projects is necessary for you to receive credit for Advanced Composition in LAS.

7 Unit Date Topics Chapter in Text Lab & Quiz Homework (done in lab) Homework/Quiz/Ms (before lab) 29 Aug Introduction & The Biosphere 3 I, HW1 I. Organisms & Their Environment 31 Aug Climate 2 5 Sep Humans & Climate Change 25 II, Quiz 1, HW 2 7 Sep The Web of Life: Scientific Process 1 12 Sep Evolution and Ecology 6 III, HW 3,4 Quiz 2 II. Evolutionary Ecology 14 Sep Life Histories 7 19 Sep Behavioral Ecology 8 IV 21 Sep Population Distribution & Abundance 9 26 Sep Population Dynamics 11 V SDP1 Ms: Part 1 Draft 1 28 Sep Conservation Ecology: Single Species 23 III. Populations 3 Oct Exam 1 VI 5 Oct Population Growth & Regulation: Life Tables Oct Population Growth & Regulation: Equations 10 VII SDP1 Ms: Part 2 Draft 2 12 Oct Human Populations & Ecological Footprint 17 Oct Competition 12 VIII IV. Interactions Among Organisms 19 Oct Predation & Herbivory 13 Quiz 3 24 Oct Parasitism 14 IX SDP1: Final Draft 26 Oct Mutualism & Commensalism Oct Nature of Community 16 X 2 Nov Exam 2 V. Communities 7 Nov Change in Communities 17 XI 9 Nov Biogeography 18 SDP2 Ms: Part 1 14 Nov Species Diversity 19 XII 16 Nov Production 20 November THANKSGIVING BREAK VI. Ecosystems & Large Scale Ecology 28 Nov Energy Flow & Food Webs 21 XIII SDP2 Ms: part 2 30 Nov Nutrient Supply 22 5 Dec Nutrient Cycles A XIV 13th Annual Symposium 7 Dec Nutrient Cycles B Dec Humans + Earth's Future 25 No lab except Monday Final Exam Final Exam 19 Dec Dec. 8 11am 116 RAL

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