BIOL 1406 General Biology I, Section 319 Blinn College-Bryan Campus Course Syllabus Fall 2011 1. COURSE TITLE, NUBER, AND SECTION: BIOL 1406-319: Lecture (S-216) 7:05pm-8:20pm, Lab (S-215) 8:30pm-9:45pm 2. INSTRUCTOR INFORATION INSTRUCTOR: Lauren Douglas Email: Lauren.Douglas@blinn.edu or through ecampus Office Hours: 6:00pm-6:30pm or by appointment Office: S-117 3. COURSE DESCRIPTION: An in-depth introductory survey of contemporary biology for students majoring in the biological sciences. Topics emphasized include, the chemical basis of life, structure and function of cells, energy transformations, and molecular biology and genetics. Three class hours and three laboratory hours per week. Credit: Four semester hours. 4. PREREQUISITE: Exemption from or passing score on the reading section of the state test or completion of READ 0306 with a C or higher score. 5. CORE CURRICULU COURSE: This is a course in the 42-hour Core Curriculum of Blinn College. As such, students will develop proficiency in appropriate intellectual competencies, exemplary educational objectives and general perspectives. The URL of the Blinn College core curriculum web site is: http://www.blinn.edu/corecurriculum/42hourcore.htm 6. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOES: After completing this course, you will be able to: Interpret the process by which scientific knowledge is acquired and evaluated. Evaluate the characteristics of cells. Recognize the molecular basis of evolutionary change. Evaluate the composition of biological macromolecules and the role they play in the structure and function of cells. Interpret selected metabolic processes carried out by cells and their essential role in sustaining life. Compare and contrast the methods by which cells divide. Set-up and evaluate basic endelian genetics problems. Demonstrate the ability to use the compound light microscope and technological applications utilized in modern biology. 7. REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS AND ATERIALS: Textbook: Biology, 2 nd ed., Brooker, idmaier, Graham, and Stiling. 2011. cgraw-hill Co. (Available at the Blinn Bookstore either as Split Text or Hardback).
Laboratory anual: Blinn College Biology 1406 Laboratory anual, Richardson et al., Fall 2011. Copy Stop Center. (Available at the Copy Center) Notebook to keep notes in you will be taking notes every class day. Try to stay organized and keep them all together in one location for easier studying. 8. OUTLINE OF THE COURSE CONTENT AND SCHEDULE: eek eek Of 1 8/29 2 9/5 3 9/12 4 9/19 5 9/26 6 10/3 7 10/10 8 10/17 9 10/24 10 10/31 11 11/7 12 Q 11/14 13 11/21 14 11/28 15 12/5 Day Lecture Period Lab Period Syllabus Ch 1: Intro to Biology Ch 2: Atoms, olecules, ater Ch 2: Atoms, olecules, ater Ch 3: Organic olecules Ch 3: Organic olecules Exam 1 (Ch. 1-3) Ch 4: General Features of Cells Ch 4: General Features of Cells cont. Ch 5: embrane Structure, Trans. Ch 10: ulticellularity Ch 6: Energy, Enzymes, etabolism Exam 2 (Ch. 4-6, 10) Ch 7: Cellular Respiration Ch 7: Cellular Respiration Ch 8: Photosynthesis Ch 8: Photosynthesis Ch 11: Nucleic Acid Structure Ch 11: Nucleic Acid Structure Exam 3 (Ch. 7-8, 11) Ch 12: Gene Expression Ch 13: Gene Reg./Ch 14: utation Ch 15: Eukaryotic Cell Cycle Ch 15: Eukaryotic Cell Cycle Exam 4 (Ch. 12-15) Thanksgiving Holiday Ch 16: Simple Patt. of Inheritance Ch 16: Simple Patt. of Inheritance Lab 17 Genetics cont. Ch 17: Complex Patt. of Inheritance Finals Begin Friday Dec. 9 th 16 Finals Continue Through Dec. 14 th Lab 1 & 2 - Safety & Process of Science Lab 3 - Scientific ethod Lab 4 - Experimental Design Lab 5 - etric easurement Lab 5 - etric easurement cont. Organic olecules Activity Lab 6 - Testing for Organic olecules Lab 7 - icroscopy Lab 8 - Observing Cells in Action Ch 5: embrane Structure, Trans. cont. Lab 9 - Prokaryotic & Eukaryotic Cells Lab 10 - embrane Transport Lab 10 - embrane Transport cont. Cellular Respiration Concept ap Review for Lab Exam 1 Lab Exam 1 eds. Oct. 19 Lab 11 - Spectrophotometer Lab 12 - Chromatography Lab 13 - Photosynthesis Lab 13 - Photosynthesis cont. Gene Expression cont. Gene Expression Concept ap Lab 14 - itosis Lab 15 - DNA Isolation Lab 16 - Restriction Endonucleases Thanksgiving Holiday Lab 17 - endelian Genetics Review for Lab Exam Lab Exam 2 onday Dec. 5 th Review for Final Finals Begin Friday Dec. 9 th Q The last day to withdraw with a Q is Friday, November 18, 2011.
9. CIVILITY STATEENT: embers of the Blinn College community, which includes faculty, staff and students, are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all aspects of campus life. Blinn College holds all members accountable for their actions and words. Therefore, all members should commit themselves to behave in a manner that recognizes personal respect and demonstrates concern for the personal dignity, rights, and freedoms of every member of the College community, including respect for College property and the physical and intellectual property of others. Civility applies to attire as well as language, behavior, and cell phone usage. Please dress appropriately for the academic classroom and laboratory. 10. CIVILITY NOTIFICATION STATEENT: If a student is asked to leave the classroom or have access to the online classroom denied because of uncivil behavior, the student may not return to that class until he or she arranges a conference with the instructor. It is the student s responsibility to arrange for this conference. 11. COURSE REQUIREENTS a. ecampus: Internet access is REQUIRED. All students at Blinn College have computing resources available through The Open Computer Labs, located in Room H-225, the Learning Center L-258 (above the Library), and the Library. ecampus is an online course tool where I will be posting course related materials and information, exam dates and assignment due dates, and important announcements. You can also contact me with questions or problems and you have the ability to contact your classmates. It is your responsibility to check it daily. https://ecampus.blinn.edu/default.asp b. Exams: There will be four exams each worth 100 points. Student s test totals will consist of the top three tests for a total of 300 points. Tests will consist of a combination any of the following: true/false, multiple choice, matching, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer questions. The exam dates are listed in the above schedule. c. Final Exam: The Final Exam is a common comprehensive final worth 200 points. It will consist of at least 100 multiple choice type questions, 4 short answer questions, and bonus questions. I will reschedule your final exam date only when you have a clash in final exam time and can provide a letter from your academic advisor to confirm the time conflict. Let me know ASAP so that I can plan accordingly. Section 319 Final Exam will be on Friday, Dec. 9, 2011 at 7:45-9:45pm. d. Daily Lecture Quizzes and Activities: Daily quizzes, activities, or take-home assignments will be given to help you assess your learning progress. These are worth 100 points and will cover material from previous lectures and the textbook. e. Laboratory Practical Exams: There will be two lab practical exams worth 100 points each. Lab pratical exams will tests your ability to carry out specific tasks or techniques that relate to lab activities performed and/or the overall student learning outcomes for the laboratory. Additional short answer, problem solving, or fill-in-the-blank questions may also be administered. There are NO AKE-UP EXAS FOR LAB. f. Laboratory Exercises: There are at least 15 labs, worth a total of 200 points. Each lab exercise is to be completed during the lab and turned in at the end of the period, or when instructed. In general, each exercise will be assigned a maximum grade of 12 points. Points will be deducted for incomplete work or inability to demonstrate competency in the concept. Late assignments will automatically reduce the grade to a maximum of 6 points.
g. Bonus Points: Throughout the semester there will be several opportunities for extra credit. These will be explained in greater detail as the course progresses. 12. EXA CALENDAR AT A GLANCE: EXA DATE LAB PRATICAL DATE Exam #1 9/19, onday Lab Practical #1 10/19, ednesday Exam #2 10/10, onday Lab Practical #2 12/5, onday Exam #3 11/2, ednesday Exam #4 11/21, onday Final Exam 12/9, Friday 13. CRITERIA FOR GRADING AND DETERINING FINAL GRADE: a. Point Allocation: Evaluation ethod Points Comprehensive final exam 200 Tests (Top 3 of 4) 300 Daily Lecture Quizzes/Activities 100 Lab Practical Exams (2) 200 Lab Exercises 200 Total Points 1000 b. Grading Scale: Letter Grade Percent Total* Total Points A 90-100% 900 B 80-89% 800-899 C 70-79% 700-799 D 60-69% 600-699 F Below 59% 599 *Your Percent Total= (Your Total Points + Bonus)/1000 x 100= % c. Grade Updates: I will provide periodic updates of your total points and current grade to help you gauge your progress in the class. 14. BLINN COLLEGE POLICIES: a. Attendance: The College District believes that class attendance is essential for student success; therefore, students are required to promptly and regularly attend all their classes. Each class meeting builds the foundation for subsequent class meetings. ithout full participation and regular class attendance, students shall find themselves at a severe disadvantage for achieving success in college. Class participation shall constitute at least ten percent of the final course grade. It is the responsibility of each faculty member, in consultation with the division chair, to determine how participation is achieved in his or her class. Faculty will require students to regularly attend class and will keep a record of attendance from the first day of class and/or the first day the student s name appears on the roster through final examinations. If a student has one week s worth of unexcused absences (2 classes) during the semester, he/she will be sent an e-mail by the College requiring the student to contact his/her instructor and schedule a conference immediately to discuss his/her attendance issues. Should the
student accumulate two week s worth of unexcused absences (4 classes), he/she will be administratively withdrawn from class. There are four forms of excused absence officially recognized by Blinn College: (1) observance of religious holy days: The student should notify his/her instructor(s) not later than the 15th day of the semester concerning the specific date(s) that the student will be absent for any religious holy day(s); (2) representing Blinn College at an official institutional function; (3) official involvement in a high school activity for dual credit students; and (4) military service. Other excuses will be considered and may be considered excusable at the instructor s discretion, with documentation. issing lecture or lab or both will count as one absence. b. Dropping: If a student chooses to drop the course, it is that student s responsibility to complete a drop order at the Office of Enrollment Services. Failure to do so could result in a grade of F in the course. The last day to withdraw with a Q is Friday, November 18, 2011. c. Honor System: Blinn College does not tolerate cheating, plagiarism, or other acts of dishonesty. Definitions of these acts and procedures for dealing with them are described in "Scholastic Dishonesty" in the Blinn College Student Handbook, copies of which are available at the information desk in the administration building. All tests will be closed book and notes. All students will remove hats and sunglasses before tests. In my classes, we are on a student honor system which we will talk about the first day. Plagiarized work will be automatically given a zero and may be reported for disciplinary action. d. Electronic Device Policy: All the functions of all personal electronic devices designed for communication and/or entertainment (cell phones, pagers, beepers, ipods, and similar devices) must be turned off and kept out of sight in all Blinn College classrooms and associated laboratories. Any noncompliance with this policy will be addressed in accordance with the Blinn College civility policy (Administrative Policy). e. Problem Resolution: If you have a complaint about your class, you should first request a conference with your instructor to try and resolve the problems or issues. If the problems or issues cannot be resolved at the instructor level, you should request a conference with the Division Chair, r. Dwight Bohlmeyer, Science 241, dbohlmeyer@blinn.edu. f. Health Concerns: Eating and drinking are not allowed in classrooms or laboratories. g. ADA Statement: Reasonable accommodations for students with documented learning or physical disabilities will be made upon presentation of a formal request by the student. An official request form is supplied and completed by the Office of Disability Services (ODS) located in the College Park Center Administration Building (Room A-135). The URL to the Office of Disability Services webpage is http://www.blinn.edu/disability.htm. Accommodation is not retroactive from the time of concluding agreement for accommodation. If you need individual accommodations to meet course objectives because of a documented disability, please make an appointment with me to discuss your needs as soon as possible so that we can ensure your full participation in class and fair assessment of your work. h. Blinn Handbook: The above requirements and policies are discussed more fully in the Blinn College Student Handbook which, by reference, is incorporated into this information. Blinn College Student Handbook is available online at http://www.blinn.edu/student%20handbook.pdf. Please obtain and read.
15. TIPS FOR SUCCEEDING IN THIS COURSE a. Read the required materials: To be successful in this class you should spend 3-6 hours a week reading the textbook, studying your lecture notes, or looking over assignments you ve completed. Constant refreshing of the material in your mind will help you with each exam. b. Find a study buddy(ies): It is very important to work well with your peers in and out of the class. Often, studying with additional people (when everyone is on task) will help you see where you need to study more or where you have a firm grasp of the course material. c. Be proactive: If you are confused about a topic or feel like you need additional explanation, talk to me ASAP. I can work with you and help you solve problems or answer questions you may have. I look forward to working with each and every one of you. elcome to my class!