L100 – Humans & the Biological World
Fall Semester, 2009
http://www.indiana.edu/~biosh/L100
Instructor / Lab Coordinator:
Dr. Susan Hengeveld
office: Morrison Hall 203
office phone: 855-5239
email: shengeve@indiana.edu
office hours: M 11:00-12:00, or by appointment
on-line office hours once/week – depending on demand
Course description: L100 is a non-major’s introductory biology 5-credit hour lecture/lab course. The course is a general survey course introducing general topics in biology. The course covers topics ranging from the chemical foundation of cells, genetics, natural selection/evolution, human physiology, ecology & environmental issues. Emphasis is placed on the interrelationships of organisms in the biological world. Credit is given for only one of the following: L100, L104, E112, L112, S115, or Q201.
Class Time: T&TH 9:30-10:45 Jordan Hall A106
Lab Times:(each student MUST be enrolled in one lab section):
Mondays: 1:25-4:25
Tuesdays: 1:25-4:25
Morrison Hall 103* (lab location will likely switch during the semester)
Associate Instructors:
Emily Chester Jessica Duchicela
emcheste@indiana.edu jduchice@indiana.edu
Required Texts:
Textbook: Johnson & Losos (2009) The Living World, McGraw-Hill publishing.
Lab Manual: There is NO published lab manual for this course – you will be receiving lab exercises each week for the following week’s lab. You may want to buy a 3-ringed notebook (1 1/2”) for keeping your labs in.
Electronic clickers: You are required to purchase an electronic clicker from the bookstore. More information will be available in class and on the website.
LABS:
Make-ups: There will be NO MAKE-UP LABS or QUIZZES!
I realize circumstances (illness or family emergency) arise during the semester that may make it difficult for you to attend a lab or some of the lectures. However, attendance in the lab is required and regular attendance in lecture is STRONGLY encourage!
In order to be fair to all students, I have built in a buffer that allows you to miss one lab, and do poorly on one lab quiz, and still not have it hurt your grade. If you have potential conflicts with the lab schedule please contact me immediately.
If you miss a lab for an excused (documented) absence, please contact your AI or me immediately. If you have excused absences for two labs, you may make up the 2nd lab – or an alternative version of it (all the materials may not be available).
Changing labs: You may switch labs ONLY with my permission in advance. You must contact me no later than noon on Monday. Repeated switching of labs will not be permitted.
In-lab work: Each lab is worth 15points. You must complete the lab, doing the experiments/exercises, as well as answering questions associated with each lab. You will work with a partner during lab exercises. Everyone is expected to help with the assignment in a cooperative manner. If you do not pull your own weight, depending too heavily on your lab partner to do your work, you will lose points based on the lack of participation. You must have your lab notebook checked by one of the AIs throughout the lab, as well as, prior to leaving the lab. At the end of each lab you will be required to answer some thought questions based on the overall concepts of the lab. You may take the questions home with you to complete and turn in the following week, or complete them and turn them in before leaving the lab.
Pre-lab quizzes: Being prepared for the lab will not only make the lab go more smoothly and quickly, you will learn and retain more of the information. In order to encourage students to be prepared, there will be periodic pre-lab quizzes throughout the semester. There will be a total of four pre-lab quizzes. Your lowest pre-lab quiz will be dropped at the end of the semester. If you miss a lab, valid excuse or otherwise, with a pre-lab quiz, you will use that pre-lab quiz as your low score that is dropped.
Lab Quizzes: Quizzes will be given approximately every 4 weeks covering the last three or four labs (see lecture/lab schedule). Quizzes will be short answer format. Students will be expected to be able to explain the concepts covered in each lab and know the basic material. Remembering details on experimental outcomes will not be expected, unless explicitly stated.
Lectures:
Lecture Quizzes/Attendance: Attendance is not required per se, but it is highly recommended and expected. If you miss class, for whatever reason, you are responsible for getting the notes from another classmate.
There will be six pop lecture quizzes throughout the semester (approximately once every two weeks), worth 10 points each. The lecture quizzes will be based on previous lecture material and/or the assigned reading. The quizzes will be short answer questions, typically only one or two questions. The lowest quiz will be dropped. If you miss a quiz for ANY reason (valid or otherwise), it will count as your dropped quiz. The dropping of quizzes is designed to eliminate the need for make-up quizzes – and not as a mechanism to condone your missing class. These are not simply attendance quizzes, but instead they provide me with an additional means of testing your comprehension of the material in a written format.
Electronic clickers: We will be using the classroom response clickers during the lectures. We will be using these primarily as a way to review concepts in discussed during lecture, but we may also occasionally use them for a pop quiz. More information regarding the remotes will be given during the first week of classes.
Lecture Exams: Lecture exams will be given during normal class times, except the final exam (see lecture/lab schedule). The exams will be 70-80% multiple choice and 20-30% short answers (one word to several sentences). The final exam will be cumulative with ~90 points associated with review material and ~60 points on new material. Make-up lecture exams will only be given with valid, documented excuses. All make-up exams will be in essay/short-answer format. If you miss an exam, please contact me ASAP, preferably with a phone call or showing up in my office. Always make sure you have given me information about how to contact you OTHER than just email!
Grading Summary
LECTURE:
Lecture Quizzes (6 - 10pts each) 50 points possible
lowest score dropped
First three exams (100 points each) 200 points possible
lowest score dropped
Cumulative Final Exam 150 points possible
Lecture Total: 400 points
LABS:
In-lab work: 14 labs
15 points each (lowest score dropped) 195 points possible
Pre-lab quizzes: 4 quizzes
5 points each (lowest score dropped) 15 points possible
Lab Quizzes: 4 quizzes
30 points each (lowest score dropped) 90 points possible
Lab Total: 300 points
TOTAL possible for course: 700 points
YOU MUST EARN AT LEAST HALF OF THE POINTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE LABORATORY PORTION OF THE COURSE (EARNING AT LEAST 150 POINTS OUT OF 300 POINTS) IN ORDER TO PASS THE COURSE, REGARDLESS OF YOUR LECTURE GRADE!!
Course letter grades will be based on the following scale:
A+: 98 - 100% |
C+: 77 - 79.9% |
A: 93 – 97.9% |
C: 73 - 76.9% |
A-: 90 – 92.9% |
C-: 70 – 72.9% |
B+: 87 – 89.9% |
D+: 67 – 69.9% |
B: 83 – 86.9% |
D: 63 – 66.9% |
B-: 80 – 82.9% |
D-: 60 – 62.9% |