BIOL 1021 – Principles of Biology Laboratory – Summer 2012

 

WEB PAGE: http://www.auburn.edu/biol1021

Coordinator:  Dr. Scott Bowling

Office: 347 Funchess Hall

Email: bowlisa@auburn.edu
Office Hours: by appointment (email to set up)

Lab Room: SCL 205

LABS START MAY 24th!!! - see the Schedule

 

 

Required Materials:          Principles of Biology 1021(Majors) Laboratory Manual, 4th Edition

Biology 1021 Lab CD v4.0 (will be given out in lab)

Campbell Biology 9th Edition with MasteringBiology (custom bundle, only found at area bookstores)

iClicker2

Safety Apron (purchase for ~$2 at Scientific Supply Store, 211 SCL)

Safety Goggles or Safety Glasses (also purchase at Scientific Supply Store, 211 SCL)

Failure to have your lab manual or your clicker in lab will result in a score of zero for activities that require those items (entrance and exit activities).  Failure to register for MasteringBiology will also result in a zero for required activities.

Biology 1021 Laboratory is part of the Biology 1020 Course.  You must be enrolled in both a 1021 lab section and a 1020 lecture section during the same semester to get credit for either class.  The laboratory grade will count as 25% of your total grade in the 1020 course.

Student Remotes (“Clickers”) for quizzes:  You will be required to purchase an iClicker2 to use for quizzes.  These are available at the bookstores.  Rules for use of the clickers will be posted on the lab website.  The information there is considered an extension of this syllabus and should be read by all students.

Laboratory attendance is MANDATORY. Be prepared for entrance and exit quizzes. There will be a lab final exam, given the week before the Thanksgiving break; see the lab and exam schedule.  You must be on the roll for the lab that you attend to get credit for the lab; changes in your lab section time must be done on Banner to be official.

Missed laboratories: Missed classes will only be excused following the guidelines in the Auburn University Student Policy eHandbook.  Note that you will be responsible for all material on the lab final, even if you miss a laboratory with a valid excuse.  Policies for missed labs are found at http://www.auburn.edu/genbio/MissedLabPolicies.htm.  The information there is considered an extension of this syllabus and should be read by all students.

Communication:  Important information will be conveyed throughout the semester via class email.  Policies and announcements made or linked via class email are considered extensions of this syllabus.  You are reminded that class emails are official communication at Auburn University.  Should circumstances warrant a revision to this syllabus that revision will be posted online and you will receive notification via class email.

Cheating: All forms of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Academic Honesty Committee.  The Academic Honesty Code found in the Auburn University Student Policy eHandbook should be considered an extension of this syllabus and should be read by all students.  You can be given an F or even expelled from Auburn University for cheating.

Students with Disabilities: Students who need accommodations need to work with the Office of Accessibility (1228 Haley Center; 844-2096) to have their accommodations entered online.  However, the TAs do not have access to the online system, so students with accommodations will also need to print out a copy and give it to their lead TA at the first lab meeting, or as soon as possible thereafter.  If there is something that needs to be discussed before the first lab meeting, alert Dr. Bowling of this directly by email (above); the email sent when accommodations are posted online contains no details, and is not sufficient notice that there are issues that must be dealt with before your first lab.  IMPORTANT: if your accommodation covers missing labs, you still must submit a missed lab form each time that you miss lab for your lab to be excused; no excuse documentation is required in such cases, just write "see accommodation memo" on the missed lab form (see the “missed laboratories” policy above; note that the one week deadline applies).

 

Behavior in Lab and Lab Safety:  Do not eat or drink in the lab, and do not have any open containers of food or drink in the lab; if you do so you will be kicked out of lab for that week.  Use of cell phones and laptop computers is BANNED in the lab - if you use such a device in lab, you will be kicked out of the lab for that week.  Policies concerning lab aprons and shoes are found at http://www.auburn.edu/genbio/aprons.htm and are considered to be an extension of this syllabus; all students should read the policies and adhere to them.  Students are expected to behave appropriately in the laboratory – during most weeks there will be at least some item in use that can be dangerous if not treated with proper respect.  Teaching assistants will give directions about how to use materials and what to take extra precautions with (for example, when you need to wear gloves).  The golden rules of lab are:  if you have a question or concern, ask a TA; if a TA tells you something, listen and do as he or she says.  Failure to follow lab safety and behavior policies will result in being kicked out of lab and a loss of lab points.

 

If any spill or emergency (cut, burn, etc.) occurs, immediately get the attention of the nearest TA for assistance and advice.  Do not attempt to clean up a spill without guidance from a teaching assistant.  If a situation occurs where quick action on your part could avoid or reduce a hazard or injury, act first and get a TA’s attention as soon as possible.  If you or another student has an injury or problem (faints or is about to faint, etc.), get the attention of a TA immediately.

 

GRADING

Grading System: 

Lab Quizzes/Assignments

230 pts

(plus 24 bonus)

 

MasteringBiology Assignments

  80

 

 

Lab Final

190

(plus 5 bonus)

 

Lab Subtotal

500 pts

divide by 2 for adjustment

 

Adjusted Lab Total

250 pts

25% of course grade

Your lab points subtotal (out of 500 points) will be divided by 2 to adjust the lab total to 250 points before reporting to your lecture instructor (the “adjusted lab total”).  Points for the adjusted lab total will be rounded to the nearest whole number (0.5 and above will round up, below 0.5 will round down).  If your adjusted lab total is more than 250 points you get to keep those extra points for determining the overall course grade.

 

Lab Quizzes/Assignments:

There are entrance quizzes and hand-ins or exit quizzes.  You can earn up to 254 points for these activities.  Note that this allows for up to 24 bonus points to be earned (two per lab week, not counting the recitation lab), since that is 24 more than the 230 points allotted to these activities.

                Entrance quiz:

At the start of each of the labs 1-12 (including the combined lab 9+10), you will take an entrance quiz at the beginning of class.  Each quiz will have 5 multiple-choice questions based on what you should know about the lab from reading about it before class.  Each question is worth two points, so 10 points can be earned on each entrance quiz, and a total of 110 points can be earned on all entrance quizzes combined.  [NOTE: this is not 12 labs because of the combined lab (9+10); also, the combined lab will have ten questions on the entrance quiz worth 1 point each (10 questions, 10 points possible)].  The recitation lab and lab 13 will not have an entrance quiz.

                Hand-in or Exit Quiz:

Each of the labs (except for the recitation/review lab) will either have a hand-in exercise or you will take an exit quiz.  These will be worth 12 points each.  This means that you can earn a total of up to 12x12= 144 points on exit activities.  You are not free to leave lab unless a TA has dismissed you – even if you complete and turn in a hand-in, a TA must approve that your work area has been cleaned enough and also may ask you to wait for some summary announcements or discussion.  Always put your name and Auburn email address on your handin.

                MasteringBiology Assignments:

Every student in Biol 1021 must enroll on the MasteringBiology website.  Details about MasteringBiology registration will be posted on Blackboard.  The information there is considered an extension of this syllabus and should be read by all students.  At various times during the semester there will be materials assigned on the textbook MasteringBiology course website.  Those assignments will be completed and scored on the website.  THESE ARE REQUIRED ACTIVITIES, and do count for part of your lab grade.  Details about such assignments will be given in emails or posted on the MasteringBiology course website during the semester.  These are worth 80 points total, but there will be some bonus points possible with these.

 

Lab Final:

The lab final is a multiple-choice test that will be given in lab at your normal lab time and location during the last week of labs; a study guide will be posted on the lab website later in the semester.  Part of the test will be projected and for that section each question will be timed (45 seconds per question).  The rest will be given on paper.  Calculators and scantrons will be provided.  The test will be worth 190 points, but will allow for up to 5 bonus points to be earned as well (195 points possible).