Fall 2013 BIO 156 Syllabus

Lecture Section #19225 TR8:30am-9:45am Room: C205

Instructor: Amy Bell

Email: (best way to reach me!)

Phone: (602) 285-7325

Office: DB 216

Office Hours: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10:00am-11:00am

Lecture Schedule: **

Date / Lecture Topic / Due Today / On-line Lecture Quizzes (Completed in Canvas by Sunday at Midnight)
Tues. Aug. 20th / Syllabus and Class Policies
Introductory Activity
Thur. Aug. 22nd / Intro to Biology
Assign Kitchen Chemistry (20 pts)
Tues. Aug. 27th / Chemical Basis of Life
Thur. Aug. 29th / Chemical Basis of Life / Quiz #1 (9/1)
Tues. Sep. 3rd / Macromolecules
Thur. Sep. 5th / Macromolecules / Kitchen Chemistry (20 pts) / Quiz #2 (9/8)
Tues. Sep. 10th / Enzymes
Review
Thur. Sep. 12th / Unit #1 Exam (100 pts)
Tues. Sep. 17th / Cell Anatomy and Physiology
Thur. Sep. 19th / Cell Anatomy and Physiology / Quiz #3(9/22)
Tues. Sep. 24th / Membrane Structure and Transport
Thur. Sep. 26th / Membrane Structure and Transport / Quiz #4(9/29)
Tues. Oct. 1st / Cellular Energetics
Thur. Oct. 3rd / Cellular Energetics, Cell cycle / Quiz #5(10/6)
Tues. Oct. 8th / Cell cycle
Thur. Oct. 10th / Unit #2 Exam (100 pts)
Tues. Oct. 15th / Protein Synthesis
Thur. Oct. 17th / Protein Synthesis / Quiz #6(10/20)
Tues. Oct. 22nd / Gene Expression
Assign HIV Project (30 pts)
Thur. Oct. 24th / Bacterial and Viral Genetics / Quiz #7(10/27)
Tues. Oct. 29th / Patterns of Inheritance
Thur. Oct. 31st / Patterns of Inheritance / Quiz #8(11/3)
Tues. Nov. 5th / Unit #3 Exam (100 pts)
Thur. Nov. 7th / Histology
Tues. Nov. 12th / Histology, Project peer reviews / HIV Project (30 pts)
Thur. Nov. 14th / Body Systems Overview / Quiz #9(11/17)
Tues. Nov. 19th / Endocrine System
Date / Lecture Topic / Due Today / On-line Lecture Quizzes (Completed in Canvas by Sunday at Midnight)
Thur. Nov. 21st / Endocrine System, Begin Reproductive / Quiz #10(11/24)
Tues. Nov. 26th / Reproductive System
Thur. Nov. 28th / Thanksgiving holiday – Class cancelled
Tues. Dec. 3rd / Unit #4 Exam (100 pts)
Thur. Dec. 5th / Review for Final
Thur. Dec. 12th / Comprehensive Final Exam (100 pts)
from 8:00am-9:50am

**The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this schedule. Any changes will be announced in advance.

Course Description:

An introductory biology course for allied health majors with an emphasis on humans. Topics include fundamental concepts of cell biology, histology, microbiology, and genetics.

Textbooks:

Lecture

  • This is a recommendedtext
  • Biology, 10th Edition By Sylvia Mader
  • A shortened, customized version of the textbook is available in the PC Bookstore (it includes only the chapters that are relevant to the course)

Lab

  • No text needed for lab. All lab materials will be available as paper copies and/or electronic copies on Canvas

Online course materials:

Materials for lecture and lab will be available on Canvas. You are expected to log onto the course Canvas account on a regular basis to retrieve assignments and electronic copies of the lecture and laboratory materials.

Grading:

  1. The grade for the semester is determined by adding together all individual scores and dividing by total possible point to arrive at a percent score.

Percent / Letter Grade
89.5-100% / A
79.5-89.4% / B
69.5-79.4% / C
59.5-69.4% / D
59.4% or below / F
  1. Extra Credit: Extra credit assignments will not be given. Some lecture exams will have a few extra credit questions worth 1 pt. each.

Attendance Policies:

  1. Per the Phoenix College On Time Registration Policy; students who do not attend the first day of class will be dropped from the course. You must be registered for the course before the first day of class.
  2. Students must be registered for both a lecture and a lab section concurrently. Anyone who is not registered cannot attend classes.
  3. Daily attendance will be taken. An attendance sheet will be next to the door at the beginning of class. It is your responsibility to sign your initials on the attendance sheet to be counted present for that day.
  4. Tardiness is extremely disruptive to the class. When tardy please enter the room quietly and take a seat in the back of the room.
  5. According to class policy you are allowed three unexcused lecture absences and one unexcused laboratory absence. An unexcused absence is one in which you have not contacted me by phone or e-mail by the day of the absence. Absences and tardies in excess of the class policy can result in your withdrawal from the class.

Assignments and Exams:

  1. Lecture Exams:There are 4 lecture exams through the course of the semester, each worth 100 points. These exams include multiple choice (80 pts) and short answer (20 points). You will receive a review sheet (unit guide) prior to each exam. Each exam will have approximately 40scan-tron multiple choice questions and 2-5 essay/short answer questions. On final exam day there will be a mandatory final exam that will replace your lowest test score (including missing test scores).
  2. On-line Quizzes: Weekly 10 point on-line quizzes will be administered through Canvas. You must complete the weekly quiz by midnight on Sunday. You will have 30 minutes to complete the quiz and you will only be allowed one attempt per quiz. The purpose of the quizzes is to encourage you to keep up with studying for the course rather than cramming at the last minute prior to exams.
  3. Lab Practicals: You will have 2 exams in lab. These lab exams will focus exclusively on the material covered in lab.
  4. Lab Work:Face-to-face labs are once a week and many will build upon previous labs. Therefore, it is essential that you attend every lab session.
  5. All Other Assignments: Assignments for both lab and lecture are due at the beginning of class on the date indicated. Assignments will be considered late after the first 10 minutes of class. Late assignments will NOT be accepted.
  6. Final Exam: One mandatory comprehensive final examination will be given. The final exam will count as a grade. The final exam score will also be used to replace your lowest exam score (including missing scores). The grade replacement will only be done if it will help to bring up your grade. The final exam will be 50 multiple choice scan-tron questions (no essay or short answer). The final exam will include material from units 1-4 (with emphasis on units 1-3).
  7. Grade corrections: If you feel that an assignment has been miss-graded in some way, you must discuss the assignment with me within one week after receiving the grade!
  8. Late work: Credit will NOT be given for late assignments.

Makeup Exams:

  1. Lecture: There are no make-ups on missed exams. The Comprehensive Final Exam can be used to replace your lowest lecture exam grade or as a substitute for a missed lecture exam. In limited situations you will be permitted to take an exam ahead of time. You must give the instructor at least one week notice for exam pre-takes.
  2. Laboratory: Because of the heavy utilization of DB102, it is not possible to re-set lab exams for make-ups. If you need to miss your lab practical for a very important reason, you can take the lab exam with another lab group. Be sure to email the instructor for the lab you plan to attend. He/she reserves the right to request proof for why you missed your regularly scheduled lab time (ie. funeral notice, wedding invite, airline ticket etc.)

Withdrawals

Students who enroll but do not participate in the class may withdraw themselves by calling Admissions and Records, or their instructor may withdraw them. Either case will result in a grade of "W." Note that participation means the completion of a single homework assignment or an exam. Students who complete assignments or participate and then cease to participate must contact their instructor to initiate a withdrawal. It is your responsibility to initiate a withdrawal from the class. Failure to do so may result in a failing grade for the semester, a "Y" or a "W.”

Please note that if you participate all semester and end up earning a failing grade in the course, the instructor cannot do a last minute “W” for you. Make your withdrawal decisions prior to the official withdrawal deadlines for the course.

Student Services:

  1. It is a college policy to provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities. If you would like to request accommodations due to a physical, mental, or learning disability, please contact the Disability Resources & Services (DRS) office, Hannelly Center (HC) Building, 602-285-7477.
  2. Phoenix College’s Success Center provides free tutoring, educational materials, computer-assisted instruction and student development workshops. Some lab models are also available for additional study outside your regularly scheduled laboratory.

Academic Dishonesty and Disruptive Behavior:

  1. You are responsible for following College and District policies included in theCollege Catalogand theMaricopa Community Colleges Student Guide: Policies, Procedures and Resources. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in the classroom and will be dealt with according to the Phoenix College Student handbook. Academic dishonesty includes cheating and plagiarism, and could be reported to the appropriate administrator. Academic dishonesty will result in a score of 0 (F) for the given assignment. Repeat academic dishonesty will result in an “F” for the course. For your protection, please avoid even the appearance of academic dishonesty.
  2. Disruptive behavior includes harassment, inappropriate behavior, or unsafe behavior toward the instructor, other students, the classroom, or classroom materials and will be dealt with according to the Phoenix College Student handbook.

Financial Policy

Students may be withdrawn from the class for non-participation. If you are receiving financial aid of any kind, it is your responsibility to protect your eligibility to receive financial aid by meeting the requirements of this class.

Communication

It is best to contact me by email () or course messaging in Canvas. I prefer that you email me directly rather than going through Canvas. Please note there is up to a 24 hour turn-around policy on these messages (longer on Saturday, Sunday and Holidays).

It is highly recommended that you:

1. Save all of your email correspondence for the semester.

2. Keep a back-up copy of ALL the work you submit to your instructor.

3. Save all returned assignments

Lab Schedule BIO 156 Fall 2013

Lab week / Lab Topic / Due This week in Lab
1
(week of Aug 19th) /
  1. Microscopy

2
(week of Aug 26th) /
  1. Chemical Basis of Life
/ Microscopy Lab
3
(week of Sept 2nd) / No Labs this week
4
(week of Sept 9th) /
  1. Passive Transport
/ Chemistry Lab
5
(week of Sept 16th) /
  1. Enzymes
/ Passive Transport Lab
6
(week of Sept 23rd) /
  1. Cellular Respiration
/ Enzyme Lab
7
(week of Sept 30th) / Lab Practical #1
8
(Week of Oct 7th) /
  1. Microbiology Week 1
/ Respiration Lab
9
(week of Oct 14th) /
  1. Microbiology Week 2

10
(week of Oct 21st) /
  1. Mitosis and Genetic Diseases
/ Microbiology Lab
11
(week of Oct 28th) /
  1. DNA Extraction and Modeling Protein Synthesis
/ Genetic Disease Assignment
12
(week of Nov 4th) /
  1. Histology
/ Protein Synthesis Lab
13
(week of Nov 11th) / No Labs this week
14
(week of Nov 18th) /
  1. Urinalysis
/ Histology Lab
15
(week of Nov 25th) / No Labs this week
16
(Week of Dec 2nd) / Lab Practical 2 / Urinalysis Lab