Introductory Biology I BIO 311C (Fall 2012) Unique #s 48695, 48700, 48705, 48710 Time and location: MWF 3pm; PAI 3.02 Instructor: Karin Akre, PhD 475-6164; kakre@mail.utexas.edu Office hours: xxx Teaching Assistant: xxxxxxx Office hours and location: xxxxxxxxxxxx Discussion Sections: 48695: W 11-12; CBA 4.326 48700: W 12-1; ETC 2.114 48705: F 1-2; JES A305A 48710: F 2-3; JES A305A Course Description: This course provides an introduction to biological molecules, cell structure and physiology, biological energy transformation, and gene expression. Major learning goals include understanding hierarchical biological organization, recognizing the connection between structure and function, and understanding information transfer through DNA inheritance. Assessment will include exams, discussion sections quizzes, assignments, and in class participation. Prerequisite: Credit or registration for Chemistry 301 or 301H. Class Materials: Required Textbook: Biology, 9 th edition (Campbell and Reece). Pearson. You will probably also find the online Mastering Biology to be helpful, although this is not required for the course; an access code comes with the purchase of a new textbook. This code can be used at www.masteringbio.com. The Co-op offers a special UT package of the hardcover and Mastering Biology that seems to be the best deal there. Required iclicker: We will use iclickers during lecture to assess understanding in the moment. These are required and can be purchased new or used at the University Co-op. You can register your iclicker for use in this class by going to Blackboard and then Tools. You can also register by going to www.iclicker.com and then Support and then Register your iclicker. You will receive participation credit for using iclickers in class even if you answer incorrectly. You ll get full credit for responding to 60 iclicker questions over the entire semester (a small portion of the total iclicker questions asked). Either iclicker1 or iclicker2 will work with my control box. Exams: Exam 1: 9/24 Exam 2: 10/19 Exam 3: 11/16 Final exam: Tuesday, December 18: 2-5pm
There will be no make-up exams. If you miss an exam for a medical emergency you must notify me within 24 hours with an officially documented note. NOTE: Exam dates are fixed, but topics covered in each exam are subject to change. Grading: There will be three exams and a final. The final will be comprehensive. The breakdown of how each component contributes to your grade is as follows: Exam 1 18% Exam 2 20% Exam 3 20% Final 25% Discussion Quizzes, Assignments 15% iclicker Participation 2% Total: 100% Your grades for each exam, quiz, assignment, etc will be posted on Blackboard as the semester goes, but remember that each category is weighted differently for determining your final grade. The formula to figure out your final grade looks like: (.18 x exam1score) + (.2 x exam2score) + (.2 x exam3score) + (.25 x finalscore) + (.15 x average percentage for all quizzes and assignments) + (.02 x percentage of required clicker questions answered) Final grades are assigned as follows: Grade Percent A 93.50 and above A 90.00 93.49 B+ 86.50 89.99 B 83.50 86.49 B 80.00 83.49 C+ 76.50 79.99 C 73.50 76.49 C 70.00 73.49 D+ 66.50 69.99 D 63.50 66.49 D 60.00 63.49 F 59.99 and below Students seeking a regrade must turn in a letter to the TA including the specific question and an explanation for why they believe the question was unfairly graded within one week following the return of the assignment. Upon receiving the request, the question will be re-evaluated from scratch, thus potentially resulting in the gain, loss, or no change in the number of points awarded. Course learning outcomes: Information on learning outcomes will be provided in the course website on Blackboard (http://courses.utexas.edu)
Special Accommodations: Students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities at 471-6259 or http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd as soon as possible to request an official letter outlining authorized accommodations. Notice regarding academic dishonesty Don't cheat in any way. Cheating on an exam will result in an automatic zero. All cheating will be referred to Student Judicial Services. Web site for information about plagiarism: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/services/instruction/learningmodules/plagiarism Religious Holy Days By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, I will give you an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence. Resources for Learning & Life at UT Austin The University of Texas has numerous resources for students to provide assistance and support for your learning. o Sanger Learning and Career Center: http://lifelearning.utexas.edu/ o Undergraduate Writing Center: http://uwc.utexas.edu/ o Counseling & Mental Health Center: http://cmhc.utexas.edu/ o Career Exploration Center: http://www.utexas.edu/student/careercenter/ o Student Emergency Services: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/emergency/ Use of E-Mail for Official Correspondence to Students E-mail is recognized as an official mode of university correspondence; therefore, you are responsible for reading your e-mail for university and course-related information and announcements. You are responsible to keep the university informed about changes to your e-mail address. You should check your e-mail daily to stay current with universityrelated communications, some of which may be time-critical. Blackboard In this class I use Blackboard a Web-based course management system with passwordprotected access at http://courses.utexas.edu to distribute course materials, to communicate and collaborate online, to post grades, to submit assignments, and to give you online quizzes and surveys. You can find support in using Blackboard at the ITS Help Desk at 475-9400, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., so plan accordingly. You should check blackboard daily. Feedback
During this course I will be asking you to give me feedback on your learning in informal as well as formal ways, including through anonymous surveys about how my teaching strategies are helping or hindering your learning. It s very important for me to know your reaction to what we re doing in class, so I encourage you to respond to these surveys, ensuring that together we can create an environment effective for teaching and learning. Emergency Evacuation Policy Occupants of buildings on the UT Austin campus are required to evacuate and assemble outside when a fire alarm is activated or an announcement is made. Please be aware of the following policies regarding evacuation: Familiarize yourself with all exit doors of the classroom and the building. Remember that the nearest exit door may not be the one you used when you entered the building. If you require assistance to evacuate, inform me in writing during the first week of class. In the event of an evacuation, follow my instructions or those of class instructors. Do not re-enter a building unless you re given instructions by the Austin Fire Department, the UT Austin Police Department, or the Fire Prevention Services office. Class Rules: Don t talk, text, or surf the internet in class. Turn off cell phones. Attendance: I will not take attendance at lecture, but discussion sections and office hours are provided to clarify specific points or difficulties with the material and will not be used to re-teach a missed lecture. Attendance is required at discussion sections. Discussion Section Your attendance will be noted by means of a quiz given at the beginning of the period. You can miss two quizzes in the semester with no penalty (final quiz grade will composed of the 12 highest scores; there are 14 section meetings in the semester). Do not come to a different discussion section without writing the TA first in advance. Students wishing to permanently switch discussion sections must do so during the add/drop period as specified by the registrar. Quizzes will be given in Discussion Section. You can miss two quizzes with no penalty for your final grade, there are no make-up quizzes. Assignments You will have a few homework assignments for this class throughout the semester. They will be announced in discussion or lecture and posted as an announcement on Blackboard along with clear due dates/times. Please check blackboard frequently. Late assignments will not be accepted. Tentative Lecture Schedule: Day Topic Chapter (pages) 8/29 Introduction 1 (entire ch) 8/31 Chemistry Basics for Biology 2 (entire ch) 9/5 Water and Life 3 (entire ch)
9/7 Organic Compounds 4 (entire ch) 9/10 Carbohydrates 5 (68-74) 9/12 Lipids 5 (74-77) 9/14 Proteins 5 (77-81) 9/17 Proteins 5 (81-86) 9/19 Nucleic Acids 5 (86-88) 9/21 Diversity of Life 6 (98-101); 25 (507-510); 27 (556-560, 564-567) 9/24 Exam 1 9/26 Eukaryotic Cells 6 (94-101) 9/28 Cellular Structures 6 (102-111) 10/1 Cellular Structures 6 (112-122) 10/3 Membranes 7 (125-135) 10/5 Membranes 7(135-139); 48(1048-1051) 10/8 Cellular Communication 11 (206-210); 48 (1055-1056) 10/10 Signal Transduction Pathways 11 (210-223) 10/12 Energy and Material Flow 8 (142-145), 55 (1218-1220, 1227-1231) 10/15 Chemical Reactions, Energy Flow 8 (146-151) 10/17 Enzymes and Catalysts 8 (152-160) 10/19 Exam 2 10/22 Cellular Respiration 9 (163-181) 10/24 Cellular Respiration 9 (163-181 continued) 10/26 Cellular Respiration 9 (163-181 continued) 10/29 Photosynthesis 10 (184-203) 10/31 Photosynthesis 10 (184-203 continued) 11/2 DNA structure and function 16 (305-310) 11/5 DNA replication 16 (311-316) 11/7 Genetic code 17 (325-331) 11/9 RNA transcription 17 (331-336) 11/12 Protein synthesis 17 (337-343) 11/14 Catch-up/Review 11/16 Exam 3 11/19 Genetic mutations 17 (343-346); 16 (316-319) 11/21 Gene regulation in bacteria 18 (351-355) 11/26 Gene regulation in eukaryotes 18 (356-363); 16 (320-322) 11/28 DNA cloning 20 (396-402) 11/30 Mitosis 12 (228-237) 12/3 Cell cycle regulation, Cancer 12 (238-242); 18 (373-377) 12/5 Meiosis 13 (248-258) 12/7 Catch-up/Review
12/18 FINAL EXAM Tuesday, Dec 18: 2-5pm Prior knowledge and skills required for BIO 311C To be academically competitive in this course, a student should be able to do the following prior to the start of the course: 1. Be able to explain a simple biological process clearly. 2. Read a descriptive paragraph in a science textbook, and identify the major points. 3. Be able to identify what a question is asking and to answer a question clearly and to the point. 4. Read a college course syllabus and identify and locate the course resources that are provided by instructors, textbook, and online resources, and be able to plan what activities you need to add in order to be successful in the course. 5. Utilize basic math and algebra functions to solve calculations, including calculations involving fractions, exponents, and scientific notation. Add, subtract, multiply, and divide simple numbers without using a calculator. 6. Without using a calculator, determine the log 10 of 100 and the log 10 of 0.001. 7. Determine information from a graph, and construct a graph from given data. 8. Be familiar with measurement scales. Tell the process by which numbers are converted from one unit of measurement to another; for example, how to convert meters to inches or cm 3 to liters. Be able to estimate. 9. From linear dimensions, calculate the volume of a sphere or the volume of a cube. Calculate density from a given mass and volume. 10. Distinguish between elements, compounds, homogeneous mixtures, and heterogeneous mixtures. Describe the differences between solid, liquid, and gas samples of a pure substance. 11. Understand the basic organization of the periodic table. Use the table to determine atomic mass and atomic number, find elements with similar properties based on location within the table. 12. Identify the parts of an atom and the number of protons and electrons in atoms and ions. Determine the number of valence electrons in the elements H, C, N and O, which are important in biological molecules. 13. Define isotope. 14. On the basis of relative electronegativities of elements, predict whether a compound is covalent or ionic. Predict polarity of covalent bonds within molecules. 15. Calculate the molar mass of a compound from information in the periodic table. Calculate molarity given moles (or mass) and volume. 16. Define ph and explain the difference between two solutions, one with ph 2 and the other with ph 5. 17. Define kinetic energy and potential energy, and give examples of both. 18. State the first and second law of thermodynamics. 19. Describe the cell theory, and distinguish between the two major types of cells. Helpful hints to do well in this course
1) Attend class and discussion sections, participate and be involved Class and discussion sections will be a place for interactive exercises and to clarify and discuss concepts. Pay attention in class and participate in discussions. We expect students to not just understand information but be able to think and apply concepts. There will be less lecturing by the instructor and more interactive exercises and discussions. 2) Know how you learn Figure out your learning style by doing a questionnaire at www.vark-learn.com. This website also provides information on study strategies for each learning style. 3) Use a study system to master the material and prepare for the exam. Don t try to cram the material into your head the weekend before the exam. Instead, develop a system that helps you to interact with and practice the information on MULTIPLE occasions before the exam. The UT learning center (Sanger center) provides tutoring services along with several workshops and classes to assist students with study skills development. 4) Ask questions. Feel free to ask questions during the lecture and discussion. Take advantage of office hours. Office hours are times we set aside to help you and this is why we are here. If you have a conflict, please make arrangements to meet with us at another time. 5) Attend Residence Hall Study Groups This program will give you the space, time, and support so that you can meet, study, and collaborate with your classmates in Jester City Limits and/or in Kinsolving. More information is available at http://cns.utexas.edu/community/resident-hall-study-groups. 6) Form study groups Once you have understood the material, get together with at least one other student and explain it to them. The best way to make sure you have understood something is to teach it to someone else. Make sure to employ your learning style to understand concepts. Just memorizing information will not help you do well in this course. So make sure you understand the information and learn how to apply it to new situations. PROVE to yourself that you can both explain and USE the information. 7) Get help early! Please do not wait till the last minute to get help! After the FIRST exam if you did not do well, analyze your answers and try to understand what you need to do to improve your success in the next exam. Talk to me or your TA so we can further help you understand concepts you missed. Continue to do so after each exam.