BIO 325 - Fall 2020 - MWF 1-2 - Syllabus 082420-2 PDF

Preview

Summary

syllabus for new year...

Description

GENETICS (BIO 325) - WB FALL 2020 _____________________________________________________________________ Course mode: Online (synchronous and asynchronous) with all meetings on Zoom. ______________________________________________________________________ Zoom meeting ID CLASS MEETINGS M, W, F 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM 926 5161 8481 DISCUSSION MEETINGS Unique # 48145 F 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM 48150 F 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM 48155 F 11:00 AM - 12:00 noon 48160 TH 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM 48165 TH 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM 48170 TH 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM Instructor: Office hours: Meeting ID: E-mail: Teaching Assistant: Office hours: Meeting ID: E-mail:

TA Brendan Allison Brendan Allison Brendan Allison Xuemei Wen Xuemei Wen Xuemei Wen

987 6084 7817 934 8119 8960 987 6643 2973 994 4799 3828 963 4645 0601 968 6721 3441

Dr. Inder M. Saxena M, F 3:30 - 5:00 PM 967 7837 9120 (or by appointment) [email protected] Brendan Allison W 10:00 AM - 12:00 noon 942 5277 1301 (or by appointment) [email protected]

__________________________________________________________________________

This syllabus may undergo changes; students who miss class meetings or do not check the announcements regularly in Canvas are responsible for finding out any changes to the syllabus Course requirements Text Book Genetics: From Genes to Genomes. Hartwell et al., Sixth edition. McGraw-Hill. Connect online resource https://connect.mheducation.com/class/i-saxena-fall-2020-mwf-1-2 A subscription to Connect is required for using the contents available on this site. This site contains the eBook, solutions manual (descriptive answers to all the end-of-chapter problems), and other learning tools. In addition, Connect will be used for the online assignments.

Access to course material All course material, including lecture slides, discussion sheets, Zoom recordings, etc. will be posted in Canvas Prerequisites BIO 311C (or BIO 211) AND BIO 311D (or BIO 214), WITH A GRADE OF AT LEAST CIN EACH. Overview of the course and its relevance to your curriculum Genetics is at the core of understanding all biological processes. In general, genetics refers to study of biologically inherited traits through an analysis of the mechanisms underlying, among others, transmission, mutation, expression, and regulation of the genetic material. Genes encode all the biologically inherited traits that define an organism. Study of any organism therefore requires that one not only understands the genetic basis of these biologically inherited traits at the molecular, cellular and organismal level, but also be able to view them from a population and evolutionary perspective. In fact, the study of genes from different organisms provides strong support for the common ancestry of the living world. Study of genetics is important in dissecting any biological phenomena, irrespective of whether one is looking at a trait such as crop yield in plants or a disease in humans or whether someone is interested in studying the cell biology of cholesterol metabolism or distribution of specific genotypes in the population. Course aims and objectives This course is aimed at students with a background in introductory biology and some knowledge of genetics. The course will reemphasize the basic concepts of genetics and cover a range of topics in sufficient depth such that students can smoothly transition into other upper-division biology courses. The objective of this course is to provide an overview of genetics in terms of understanding the basic principles and the tools used for studying the various genetic processes. Although a balanced approach is followed in organizing this course, emphasis will be placed on the molecular aspects. It is expected that students will obtain a deeper understanding of most of the relevant topics so that they can appreciate and hopefully enjoy the subject. Problems will be given during the semester and students will work on them with the concepts discussed in the lectures. Problem-solving skills will be emphasized throughout the course and it is expected that students will work on the end-of-chapter problems provided in the textbook, those given in the discussion sheets, and additional problems given during the discussion meetings. At the end of the semester, students should - have a deeper understanding of the classical and molecular concepts of genetics, and the genetic basis of a few human diseases. - have a broad understanding of the techniques used for analysis of genes and genomes. - be able to make relevant connections of the topics covered in this course with other topics in biology, medicine, and agriculture. - be able to formulate questions and discuss them in groups. - have developed good problem-solving skills. - be able to draw and analyze pedigrees! 2

Recommendations for learning, enjoying, and doing well in the class You will learn and enjoy the topics being discussed in this course if you stay involved with the course material by constantly asking questions and trying to find answers to these questions. For learning and doing well in the class, go through the following steps to familiarize yourself with the course material and get comfortable with it so that you are able to explain it to others. 1. Read the relevant section(s) of the text that includes topics to be discussed during the class meeting before coming to class. Do not take any notes or try to work on any problems, just read and try to build a picture of the concepts being discussed in the text. 2. Work on the Learnsmart questions (online in Connect) associated with these topics before coming to the class. 3. Attend the class meetings to see the way topics are presented and discussed in class. Since you have gone through these topics before coming to class, you should have a much better sense of this material now. The class meeting is also a good time to bring up any questions that you may have. Asking questions in a class will be helpful not only for you but for everyone else in the class. 4. Within a few hours of attending the class meeting, sit down with a sheet or sheets of paper and write down everything you know about the topic from your reading and after attending the class. Do not use the text, lecture slides, or any notes at this time. Organize your thoughts to build a picture of the topic and write your understanding of the topic in as much detail as possible. Draw figures and include any example or piece of information that has stayed with you. This is the most important step in the learning process – knowing what you know! 5. Now take a look at the text, the lecture slides, and any notes that you may have taken during the class meeting and see how this content matches with your written understanding of the topic. Add and modify your write-up to build a complete and comprehensive picture of the topic. Have a big picture and add details wherever necessary. 6. Hopefully you have a good sense of the topic by now and you may next start working on the end-of-chapter problems in the text and the problems in the discussion sheet. Class meetings (synchronous) Class meetings will be utilized for presenting a comprehensive picture of the topics listed in the syllabus and addressing specific learning objectives. It is expected that students would have gone through specific sections of the chapter in the text before coming to class so that class meeting time can be used for asking questions and working on them. These activities will allow development of problem-solving skills and critical thinking. Slides for topics from each chapter will be posted in Canvas and some of these slides will be used in the class meeting. Additionally, most class meetings will have some activities that will require individual or group participation. Recordings of classroom activities will be posted in Canvas. Discussion sessions (synchronous) Students are expected to attend and participate in the discussion sessions regularly. They should bring questions from the lecture or any relevant source to the discussion meetings and discuss these with other students. Answer to each and every question should come from a discussion within the group and where necessary the TA will help in guiding the students to the correct answer. In many cases it is more important to learn as to how to approach a problem rather than just getting an answer. These skills are 3

best acquired by watching how other students approach and solve problems. Discussion sheets containing questions related to the topics being covered in class will be posted on Canvas. It is expected that students will work on these questions before coming to the discussion meeting, and where required they may discuss these questions during the discussion period. Additionally, the TA will provide a few more questions, and students will be expected to work on these questions during the discussion meeting. A maximum of 10 extra credit points will be awarded for attending and participating in the discussion sessions. The extra credit points will be added to your total points at the end of the semester. Keys to the discussion sheet questions will be posted on Canvas. Class activities (synchronous) There will be some class activity during most class meetings where students will be able to work individually or in groups. Work from these activities will be collected and used for calculating ‘Class activities’ points. There are 75 points for these activities and they will contribute a maximum of 18.75% towards your final grade. These activities will take place during class meeting time and will include UT Instapoll, Zoom poll, Breakout rooms and chat responses in Zoom, use of google.doc, etc. Since these activities will be done during class meeting time (synchronous), please make sure that you attend classes regularly. To accommodate students who are unable to join a class, I will drop points for some of the activities and count points from 30 participations for a total of 75 points (2.5 points/class meeting activities). Examinations (synchronous) There will be 2 exams and 12 quizzes given during the semester. NO FINAL EXAM WILL BE GIVEN DURING THE FINAL EXAM PERIOD. All exams (2 semester exams) and 10 of the 12 quizzes will be used for determining the final grade. Points from two low-scoring quizzes will be dropped. The 2 semester exams and 10 quizzes will contribute towards a maximum of 75% of your final grade. Exams will be made available in Canvas on the days listed in the schedule. They will open at 1:00 PM and close at 1:50 PM with a time limit of 50 minutes. There will be no class meeting on the day of the exam. Each exam will have 20 multiple-choice questions (5 points each for a maximum of 100 points). Exam 1 will include topics discussed before the exam date. Exam 2 will include only topics discussed after exam 1 and before the date of exam 2. All quizzes will be given in Canvas and they will include questions from topics discussed in the previous 2-3 class meetings. Quizzes will be made available in Canvas on the days listed in the schedule. They will open at 1:40 PM and close at 1:50 PM with a time limit of 10 minutes. Class meeting will start at 1:00 PM on the day of the quiz and stop at 1:35 PM. Each quiz will have 2 multiple-choice questions (5 points each for a maximum of 10 points). Since 10 top-scoring of the 12 quizzes given during the semester will be used for calculation of quiz points and 2 quizzes will be dropped, there will be no make-up given for a missed quiz. Assignments Questions related to topics covered in the course are posted in Connect as ‘Graded assignments for points’ and these assignments will account for 25 points (6.25% of your final grade). Of the 13 assignments, 3 will be dropped and the top 10 assignments will be used for calculating the assignment points (2.5 points/assignment). 4

Tentative start and due dates for each assignment are posted in Connect, so enter these dates in your calendar. Additional assignments (for no assignment points) include the online LearnSmart assignments posted in Connect and suggested end-of-chapter problems from the text given in the list of topics for each chapter. Both these assignments will help you in studying and learning, and they are highly recommended. The solutions to all the endof-chapter problems from the text are given in the ‘Solutions Manual’ in Connect. Accommodations Where possible, accommodation is provided in the form of dropping a few quizzes or assignments or class activities. Because of these accommodations, no make-up will be provided for these activities. Since there is no dropped exam, a make-up exam will be provided if a student misses either exam 1 or exam 2, but not both the exams. The make-up exam will be a comprehensive exam that will include content from both exams 1 and 2, and it will be given during the final exam period after discussing a suitable date with the student. Breakdown of points: Total points 400 (100%) Exam 1 100 points (25%) Exam 2 100 points (25%) 10 top scoring quizzes (10 points each) 100 points (25%) Class activities 75 points (18.75%) Assignments 25 points (6.25%) ____________________________________________________________________ Total 400 points (100%) Extra credit (Discussion attendance and participation) 10 points Grading system: The Plus/Minus grading system will be followed based on the number of points scored out of 400 points. Grade A A-

Percent 94% and above 90% to...