Bio 5 Spring 2020 Course Syllabus PDF

Preview

Summary

Professor Debra Conte...

Description

Ed. 1/27/2020

Course Syllabus Bio 005: Biology Today (Lecture and Discussion) Spring 2020 Lecture: Place: Time:

Biology 005 - 01 Classroom Bldg Room 102 MWF 12:30 am-1:20 pm

Textbooks:

DIGITAL ACCESS BIO 5: Digital access is required for taking this class and is available to you at a substantial discount. Your UC Merced "MyBill" will be automatically charged for this content 14 days after the start of class, unless you opt-out of the content or drop the course. You do not need to add this to your cart. This includes the digital textbook, access to the online testing and learning modules and InQuizative (the on-line homework). TopHat Responseware is required for this course.

Instructor: Debra Conte email: [email protected]

Office: AOA 180 Office Hours: T: 11:30 -12:30 AOA115, W: 11:00 -12:00 AOA166

Teaching Assistants: Edwin Graham Peter Ronnie

Office Hours: W: 1:30 – 3:30 Office Hours: R: 2:30 – 4:30 Office Hours: M: 1:30 – 3:30 Office Hours: M: 3:30 – 5:30

Names Sec Debra Conte [email protected] 01 Ronnie Hall [email protected] 02D Ronnie Hall 03D Ronnie Hall 04D Peter Thomas Karabinis [email protected] 05D Edwin Shen [email protected] 06D Edwin Shen 07D Edwin Shen 08D Graham Larue [email protected] 09D Graham Larue 10D Graham Larue 11D Final Exam

May 11

Location: Outside SE1 335 Location: SE1 258 Location: SE1 258 Location: SE1 278 Day MWF M T R W F T M F F F

Start 12:30P 1:30P 8:30A 9:30A 10:30A 03:30P 5:30P 4:30P 10:30A 8:30A 1:30P

M

3:00P

End 01:20P 03:20P 10:20A 11:20A 12:20P 05:20P 7:20P 06:20P 12:20P 10:20A 3:20P

Room CLSSRM 102 Gran 155 CLSSRM 266

4:30P

CLSSRM 102

CLSSRM 266 COB2 265 CLSSRM 264 CLSSRM 272 COB2 263 COB2 264 COB2 264 GLCR 140

Reaching us: Email should only be used for personal issues and to schedule meetings. Please put Bio 05 in the subject line of your email or it WILL NOT GET RESPONDED TO. Please place course material questions on the BIO 05 Cat Courses discussion board. If you post your questions on Cat Courses, all students can take advantage of the answer, so please reserve direct email to us for short administrative questions or to schedule appointments. Please use office hours, discussion sections, and the UCM Cat Course Discussion tab as well as study groups for specific questions on the lecture material.

Course Website: https://catcourses.ucmerced.edu/courses/16102. UC Cat course will be the main site for communication with the instructor and teaching assistants. Please be sure to check the Announcements, Assignments and Discussion Forums often. You are responsible for knowing when assignments are due. Slides and practice exams can also be found here.

Ed. 1/10/2020 COURSE SUMMARY A general biology course for non-major students. Course introduces students to the relevance of biology in daily living. Fundamental biological concepts including cell biology, chemistry, genetics, evolution, and ecology are explored in the context of current issues. Students are introduced to scientific research andlaboratory techniques relating to social issues and policy in order to make informed decisions as individuals and members of society. COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this course students are expected to be able do the following: 1. Identify and explore biological hypothesis, biological theory, social policy, basic cell and human anatomy, population health and nutritional issues; 2. Describe the “Properties of Living systems”, classification of species, steps of mitosis, meiosis, the cell cycle, DNA replication, RNA transcription, and gene formation and mutation; 3. Describe the Levels of organization of multicellular organisms. 4. Identify flaws and strength of biological research described in articles of scientific research in order to make objective opinions of the research presented; 5. Understand basic laboratory techniques used in environmental studies, microbiology, and DNA testing. POLICIES & PROCEDURES Please carefully familiarize yourself with the policies below. It shall be assumed that you have read and understood them. Course Scoring: Assignment Midterm Exams Final Exam Discussion Quizzes InQuizative Discussion Participation

Point Allocation 100 points each x 3 100 points each x 1 20 points each x 10

Total Lecture Participation Bonus

Total Points 300 100 200 300 39 939 30

% of Total Points 32 11 21 32 4 100

Letter Grades: Course Point Score 95% 90.00%

to to

100.00% 94.99%

Letter Grade A A-

Course Point Score 73.00% 70.00%

to to

76.99% 72.99%

Letter Grade C C-

87.00% to 89.99% B+ 67.00% to 69.99% D+ 83.00% to 86.99% B 63.00% to 66.99% D 80.00% to 82.99% B60.00% to 62.99% D77.00% to 79.99% C+ 0.00% to 59.99% F The final distribution of grades in BIO 005 is given below. Keep track of your own grades. Information on grade appeals, incompletes, etc. can be found in the UC Merced Grading Policy available from the Registrar. GRADING Midterm Exams: Three 50-minute mid-exams will be given during the indicated lecture periods. These shall consist of 50 multiple choice answer questions. NOTE: You may be asked specific questions on material covered by any component of the course; text, discussions, and lectures. Please bring with you a green Scantron (Form 882-E) and a #2 Pencil. o

Study guides are NOT offered – as all content is important!

Ed. 1/10/2020 Final Exam: The final shall consist of 50 multiple choice answer questions and is NOT cumulative. BEWARE: Note the time for the final and place may be different from the regular lecture times.

Lecture: To be successful in this course it is expected and required that students attend all lectures. There may be occasions where there are bonus activities or opportunities during lecture that will only be available to those in attendance. TopHat: Participation opportunities will be given in lecture that can earn you extra credit points. If you miss lecture for any reason, these opportunities cannot be made up. Full participation credit is based on 85% participation, attendance does not earn any points and occasional missing of a lecture will not effect your extra credit opportunity. For these reasons, you do not need to tell me when you miss a lecture session. Bonus Points: During the semester occasions may arise where the teaching staff may offer the entire class an opportunity to earn additional points.

Discussion Sections: NOTE: Discussion sections are MANDATORY for all students. A significant portion of the points awarded towards the final grade come from the discussion section quizzes. As noted in the timetable, discussion sections begin the second week of term. Discussion sections may include quizzes, active learning activities and reviews. Participation Points: Participation points are awarded by the Teaching Assistants for acceptable participation in classroom activities. Just being present in class does not guarantee points. These points are not for attendance but for active participation. These points will apply to your final grade in the course. Note: Students may NOT attend another discussion meeting unless previously arranged. Space and fire regulations do not permit this. You must only attend the session for which you are registered. Leaving discussion meeting before your TA officially dismisses you is equivalent to you having not attended, therefore your quiz shall not be scored and it will count as a missed discussion. Never leave without consent. BEWARE: If you must miss a discussion section with an acceptable excuse as covered in this syllabus and by University policy, try to let your TA know ahead of time. If you do have an acceptable reason for missing class (and you provide appropriate documentation within 7 days of your return), you shall not be allowed to make up the quiz, rather, you will be given a quiz score equal to the average of your other quiz scores at mid-term and at the end of the semester. If you choose, you may arrange ahead of time to attend another section (space permitting), and may also take that quiz. You must have permission to attend another section from the responsible TA. Discussion Quizzes: Nearly each week of the course, a 20 point quiz will be administered at the commencement of discussion sections. The quizzes shall consist of questions drawn from 1) any previous discussion; 2) any previous lectures; 3) homework assignments or 4) textbook. We will be using TopHat to administer these quizzes. Quizzes MUST taken inside of the classroom, during your discussion time. Any attempt to take a quiz outside of the classroom will be considered cheating and appropriate steps per the UCM Academic Honesty policy. • •

Students arriving late shall NOT be afforded additional time to complete the quiz. A score of zero shall be awarded for all quizzes that you fail to submit. Leaving a discussion section early shall negate your quiz score.

Ed. 1/10/2020 Independent Study Groups Although not mandatory, students are strongly encouraged to form large (6-15) member study groups, which should meet outside official course hours and tackle course material. Based on data from previous years, these study groups have provided an 18 point advantage on average. You are encouraged to meet with the lecturer early in the course and discuss your learning methodology. Make-up exams will not be offered for any midterm assessments, with the exception athletic events with preapproval. Team schedules must be provided at the start of the semester. Students who miss a midterm will receive a zero unless they provide appropriate documentation, within 7 days of their return, for one of the following acceptable excuses: 1. Incapacitating illness or accident -- requires a note from student’s physician or from UC Merced Health Services. 2. Death or serious illness of an immediate family member—requires proper documentation. 3. State or federally accepted religious observance or an academic activity (you will be sent to the Office of Student Life to supply proof). This also has to be acceptable to the instructor of record, and you must present your case well ahead of time. Students with a documented excuse (only as above) shall receive a provisional grade on the midterm based on the average of their other mid-term scores. Appropriate proof must be supplied in all cases to the teaching staff, either prior to the event or in any case within 7 days upon your return. Failure to do so will result in a zero score for that assignment.

Final Exam No make-up of the final exam is permitted. MISSING THE FINAL EXAM IS A SERIOUS ISSUE. Students who miss the final exam shall receive a grade of “F” for the course. Students with an acceptable excuse (as provided in the list above), and if the student was achieving a passing grade (C- or better) in all course work up until the final exam, can arrange with the instructor for a process to remove the incomplete (I grade) from their records within the time period stated by University policy. GENERAL Course Participation: Participation in this course is strongly encouraged. It helps students and teaching staff clarify material, and promotes scientific dialogue. Scientific data clearly shows that attendance and participation do benefit student understanding and do positively influence student grades. Typically, students who succeed attend lecture on a regular basis. Students are expected to attend all lectures. Note that students are responsible for any material discussed in their absence and for determining if any bonus assignments have been posted. For students whose final scores fall right on the border of a grade change (ex. A-/B+), active engagement and participation in the course may increase your chances of receiving the higher score. Course Materials and Handouts: In addition to the textbook and class handouts, computer, internet access and TopHat application technology shall be required for this class. For students who do not otherwise have access to a computer or the internet, computers may be available at several campus locations including the main reading room in the library. Copies of the lecture Power Point’s will also be available in Acrobat format (.pdf files) on the BIO 005 CatCourses site. This is not a replacement of attending the lecture. Homework and Revision: Plan to devote approximately 2 hours per lecture hour, on average. This would equal 6 hours per week. This does not include classroom time.

Ed. 1/10/2020 Important: Students are responsible for knowing all information contained in the required text whether or not it is contained in the lecture. It is recommended that you read the chapters prior to the lecture to increase understanding and participation. Re-grade policy: Re-grade requests will only be accepted within one week (7 days) from the date a scored assessment is returned. For each question requiring attention, you must submit a written explanation describing why you believe your response should be reevaluated. Please know we reserve the right to re-grade your entire assessment. As a result, your score could either increase or decrease. Electronic Media: Students are responsible for ensuring they have a working registered responseware (TopHat). If the software is malfunctioning you must bring it to the instructor’s attention at the end of that class and then if necessary follow-up with TopHat. If there are issues with the online homework, you must contact the provided helpline, not the instructor. If either of these requirements are not met, points will be forfeited. Student Services: If any student with any form of learning disability wishes or has registered for this course they should contact the instructor as soon as possible so rapid arrangements can be made to address those needs. UC Merced and this instructor are committed to making our courses accessible to all students, including students with limited mobility, impaired hearing or vision, and learning disabilities. Students who may need academic accommodation(s) services should visit the Disability Services web site at http://disability.ucmerced.edu/default.asp and also contact the Disability Services Coordinator at the UCM Disability Services office (228-6996) located at the Kolligan Library, Suite 107 or email [email protected] as early as possible in the semester so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Tutors are regularly available to assist all students of this course with one-on-one tutoring. Students may contact tutoring services by contacting the Student Advising and Learning Center (http://learning.ucmerced.edu), They are located in Kolligian 172, on the first floor of the Gold Wing, email: [email protected], 209-228-7252 (CAT-SALC). Electronic Aids: The use of electronic devices is prohibited during exams and assessments. The only exception shall be simple calculators, which must be declared and checked by the staff prior to use. No cell phones (or cell phone calculators), no iPads, or any other electronic devices are permitted. Leave all cell phones in your bags during examinations and tests (best not to bring them for security reasons). Turn the ringers off! The use of electronic aids to circumvent the spirit of any assessment is a very serious violation of policy, and is not permitted. During other periods, please prevent your electronic devices from interfering with instruction. If you must take a phone call, please have the courtesy to step out. Academic integrity: Academic integrity is the foundation of an academic community and without it none of the educational or research goals of the university can be achieved. All members of the university community are responsible for its academic integrity. Existing policies forbid cheating on examinations, plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty. Familiarize yourself with this document. Know the rules -- ignorance is no defense! Those who violate campus rules regarding academic misconduct are subject to disciplinary sanctions, including suspension and dismissal. The following general guidelines are adapted from UC Merced Academic Honesty Policy (http://studentlife.ucmerced.edu/what-we-do/student-judicial- affairs/academicy-honestypolicy

Ed. 1/10/2020 Flexibility Clause: Circumstances may arise during the course which may prevent the staff from fulfilling each and every component of this syllabus; therefore, the syllabus may be subject to small adjustments. Students will be notified prior to any changes, if possible....