Houston Community College

North Houston Early College High School

BIOL 1407 – General Biology II

Spring 2013

Instructor: Timothy Cifelli, B.S., M.S.

Office: Room 17

Email:

TEXTBOOK: Biology, 9th Edition, Campbell and Reece, et al.

Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Co., 2008

LAB MANUAL: Biology: A Laboratory Experience, 6th(7th) Edition, Ooi and Wagle, et al.

Royal Publishing, 2006

CRN:

LECTURE: Monday: 4:00 PM – 6:45 PM

North Houston Early College High School – Room 17

LAB: Wednesday: 4:00 PM – 6:45 PM

North Houston Early College High School – Room 17

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This core curriculum course will focus on the topics involving evolution, classification and ecological relationships, and organ systems of animals and plants. Additional discussion topics will have a strong focus in the structure and function aspects of organisms. The primary objective of this course is to provide students the foundation and knowledge of the basic life science concepts.

Class Semester Schedule*

Week / Chapters / Lecture(s) / Lab Exercise(s)
1: Jan. 14th / 21 / Introduction/Syllabus
21: The Genetic Basis of Development / Introduction/Syllabus
2: Jan. 21th / 22, 23 / 22: Descent with Modification
23: The Evolution of Populations / 23: Gene Frequency
3: Jan 28th / 24, 25 / 24: The Origin of Species
25: The History of Life on Earth / 36: Human Evolution
4: Feb. 4th / 26, 27 / Exam 1
26: Phylogeny and the Tree of Life
27: Prokaryotes / 34: Flowering Plant Structure
5: Feb. 11th / 28, 29 / 28: Protists
29: Plant Diversity I: How Plants Colonized Land / 35: Survey of the Plant World
6: Feb. 18nd / 30, 31 / 30: Plant Diversity II: The Evolution of Seed Plants
31: Fungi / 27: Animal Tissues
7: Feb. 25th / 32, 33 / 32: An Introduction to Animal Diversity
33: Invertebrates / LAB EXAM REVIEW
8: Mar. 4th / 34, / 34: Vertebrates
Exam 2 / LAB EXAM I (23, 27, 34-36)
9: Mar. 11th / - / SPRING BREAK / -
10: Mar. 18th / 40, 41 / 40: Basic Principles of Animal Forma and Function
41: Animal Nutrition / 28: ABO Blood Typing
11: Mar. 25th / 42, 43 / 42: Circulation and Gas Exchange
43: The Immune System / 29A: Circulatory System
(Lecture) 41: Animal Nutrition
12: Apr. 1st / 44, 46 / 44: Osmoregulation and Excretion
46: Animal Reproduction / -
13: Apr. 8th / 47, 48 / 47: Animal Development
48: Nervous Systems / 29B: Respiratory System
(Lecture) 42: Circulation and Gas Exchange
14: Apr. 15th / 49 / 49: Sensory and Motor Mechanisms
Exam 3 / EXAM II REVIEW
15: Apr. 22nd / 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 / 35: Plant Structure, Growth and Development
36: Transport in Vascular Plants
37: Plant Nutrition
38: Angiosperm Reproduction and Biotechnology
39: Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals / Lab EXAM II (28-29)
16: April 29th / 50, 51, 52 / Exam 4
50: An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere
51: Behavioral Ecology
52: Population Ecology
53: Community Ecology / (open)
17: May 6th / - / FINAL EXAM (43 – 47, 51) / -

(*): The above schedule is tentative, thus the instructor holds the right to adjust it accordingly. Students will be notified in a timely manner of any such changes during lecture meeting times.

LAB STRUCTURE: Each student is expected to participate and complete the lab during the lab meeting time while also having the lab reports along with the appropriate data sheet(s) completed and ready to turn in on or before the next lab meeting. Reports turned in at the due date are to be turned in by the start of lab; otherwise reports will not be accepted. Additionally, no lab report copies will be accepted.

LECTURE STRUCTURE: 4 lecture exams will be given based on the lectures that are conducted during lecture meeting times. No information that is not covered during the lecture meeting time will be on the exam. Student groupswill present a chapter out of the required text to the class based on the provided schedule. Information regarding student presentations will be given as a separate document. At the discretion of the instructor, pop quizzes will be given within the first 10 minutes of class. Students will be given approximately 15 minutes to complete the quiz.

In the event of either lecture/lab having to be postponed or cancelled the class will be notified accordingly.

CLASS WEBSITE: Students can access the course website via and by searching the instructor’s name. Resources including lecture presentations, reviews, multimedia files, and assignment instructions are made available on this site. Students are encouraged to view the site for updates periodically though any changes to the site will be discussed in class.

GRADING COMPUTATION:

4 Lecture Exams: / 400 points
Final Exam: / 100 points
2 Lab Exams: / 200 points
Lab Reports: / 100 points
Lecture Quizzes: / 100 points
TOTAL: / 800 points
Extra Credit
10 Pop Quizzes / 50 points
10 Article Summaries / 100 points

TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS: 950

The grading scale is based on a point system. The more points you accrue, the higher the grade that you receive. Below is the letter grade designation that is also synonymous for final grades:

Cumulative

A: 100 – 85 A: 950 – 850

B: 84 – 74 B: 849 – 750

C: 73 – 63 C: 749 – 600

D: 62 – 52 D: 599 – 500

F: Below 51 F: 499 - Below

Success in this course depends solely on the individual student!

The following are some strongly recommended tips for students:

  • Understand and complete all elements within the syllabus.
  • Stay ahead of the schedule. Read the chapters, and their outlines, that are to be covered that day before coming to class.
  • Do not procrastinate! You do not want to play the “catch-up” game with this course.
  • Contact your professor if you have any questions regarding any aspect of the course you do not understand.
  • Network! Establish study groups, attend tutorials and study sessions (exchange contact information). Get to know your classmates and faculty.
  • Utilize note cards.

RULES AND REGULATIONS:

  1. The listed textbook and lab manual are required for the course.
  2. ATTENDANCE:
  3. Attend class regularly, be on time, and stay until the period ends, unless dismissed.
  4. Full attendance is required for lab sessions. Students with more than four (4) unexcused absences may result in administrative withdrawal. Students are responsible for everything covered during the absence, and it is the student's responsibility to consult with the instructor for make-up exams.
  5. If you have an attendance issue, please notify me. Any student who wishes must understand it is their responsibility and officially do so on or before the drop date. Failure to withdraw officially will result in a letter grade, not a “W” in this course.
  6. Cell phones must be placed on silent or vibrate during class/lab meetings.
  7. Smoking is not allowed in the laboratory. Eating and drinking is permitted as long as it does not cause disturbances.
  8. Children or anyone not officially enrolled in this course are not allowed in the lecture/lab rooms unless given my approval.
  9. Cheating/plagiarism are not tolerated. First infraction of cheating/plagiarism will result in a warning. The second infraction of cheating/plagiarism will result in a “zero” on the exam or other work involved. The third infraction will result in a letter grade “F” in the course. Cheating/plagiarism is defined as giving or receiving, offering or soliciting information, or using prepared material without permission or proper documentation. Please refer to the Houston Community College System policies within the most current Student Handbook.
  10. Office hours are by appointment only. Please feel free to contact me and arrange an appointment.
  11. The class website can be access via learning.hccs.edu and searching the instructor’s name. It should be updated accordingly throughout the semester.

EXAMS/QUIZZES/REPORTS: Exams will consist of multiple choice questions with possible fill-in-the-blank, diagrams, completion, definitions, matching, and/or essay questions based on the material covered in the lecture session and the text. The following are guidelines that will govern all exams:

  • Students will not be allowed to leave the classroom before completing an exam.
  • Students arriving late will not be allowed to take the exam if any student has completed the exam and left the classroom.
  • The instructor holds the right to conduct timed exam.
  • Students arriving late will not be given extra time to complete the exam.
  • The lab exams and final exam are mandatory in order to pass the course.
  • All exams will utilize the standard scantron forms. Students will be notified in advance if they will have to provide their own scantrons.

Grades will not be publicly posted at any time during the semester, however feel free to contact me to inquire about your status at any time during the semester. At the end of the semester, your grade will be made available on the web via ( or telephone (1-877-341-4300).

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Any student with a documented disability (i.e. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who require reasonable accommodations of disabilities are encouraged to call (713) 718-6164 to make necessary arrangements with the appropriate HCC Disability Support Service (DSS) Counselor at the beginning of the semester. Faculty is only authorized to provide accommodations requested by the Disability Services Office via approved student accommodation letters and confirmation of an Instructional Support Specialist assigned to their instructor.

EGLS3 Online Surveys: Evaluation for Greater Learning Student Survey System will be utilized for the students to conduct a semester evaluation of the course. Students are asked to complete the survey towards the end of the semester through the PeopleSoft system. Notifications throughout the semester will be given accordingly.

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