Biology 102 Lecture
Fall2011
Instructor Dr. Greg Perrier
Lecture:MW 8:00 AMRoomMC 332Email:
Office Hours:T-W 1:00 PM to 3:00 PMPhone: 703-257-6562
Second Life Th10-11 AM,
& by appt. Room MH314
Course Objectives:
The course has three broad objectives, to develop an understanding of animal organ systems and physiology, plant anatomy and physiology, and ecology. The course will cover chapters 35 to 54 in the textbook.
Course Materials:
Required Text -Biological Science, 3rdEdition by Scott Freeman
Determination of course grade:
Lecture Grade345points (200 pts - 4 lecture tests/final, 60 pts paper, 36 pts class homework, 20 pts for discussion, 25 pts Second Life Worksheets4 pts office visit)
Lab Grade115 points
A = 90-100 grade averageB = 80-89 grade average
C = 70-79 grade averageD = 60-69 grade average
F = 0-59 grade average
Testing:
There will be four non-cumulative lecture tests plus a cumulative final each worth 50 points. I will drop the lowest of the test grades. If you have to miss a test you must make arrangements prior to the time the test starts. If you fail to make arrangements and miss a test you will get a zero for that exam.
Papers:
I will hand out separate guidelines for the paper. The paper can be on any topic in biology and is worth a total of 60 points. Paper topics (6 points) are due by 12 September, paper outlines with works cited (6 points) are due 31 October, and completed papers (48 points) are due by 21 November by 4:30 PM. I will accept late papers only until 4:30 PM of the day of the 4th exam (7 December).
Homework:
The Purpose of homework is to get you to look at each chapter before the lecture on that chapter. There are five homework questions for each chapter except chapter 41. You start with 36 homework points and I subtract two points for each missed homework. You must turn in each homework before the start of the lecture on that chapter. You will have 2 points deducted for each late or missing homework. Homework questions are available under documents in the Bio 102 lecture section of blackboard. I do not hand the homework back before the end of the semester in case there is any question about the homework grade. The questions are taken from the study guides, so keep a copy of the homework for you.
Discussion:There will be two discussion topics put in the discussion section of Blackboard. These will be on current topics in biology. You will be asked to post a thread supporting one side of the topic and to post a comment on another student’s thread. You can receive up to 10 points for each discussion topic, 6 points for posting a thread and 4 points for commenting on another student’s thread. I will send you an email when the discussion is available in Blackboard.
Office Visit:
The purpose of the visit is be make sure you know where to find me if you need help and to allow me to get to know you better. You will get 4 points if you visit me in my office during the first two weeks of classes (on or before 4:30 PM on Tuesday 6 September).
Second Life Worksheets:
Second Life (SL) is a virtual world on the internet. You will find detailed instructions on how to install SL on a computer, make an avatar, and complete the class SL activities in worksheets that are available under this class on Blackboard. If you do not have a computer able to run SL, you can install it on computers in the NOVA library and complete the activities there. There are two SL worksheets for this class, the first worth 15 points (due 7 September) and the second worth 10 points (due 5 October).
Study Guides: A study guide will be available for each lecture. The lectures and study guides are closely tied to chapters in the textbook. Each study guide will consist of up to at most 20 questions from the lecture and textbook chapter. Five of these 20 questions you will have as homework questions. The study guide will be available after the lecture on Blackboard. I want you to use your lecture notes and the textbook to answer the study guide questions after lecture. In that way you will learn the material much better. In addition, I will be holding an office hour in SL and you will find instructions on Blackboard on how to get to my area in SL. I also have a classroom there and if NOVA closes due to weather or other events, lecture will be held in my SL classroom.
Extra Credit:
Extra credit assignments are available to all students after the third exam. They are worth about 5 percent of the course grade. Extra credit points will be added to your grade only when your overall final grade is below 70 percent (below a C).
Your Role in the Class:
The instructor’s role is to facilitate a learning environment where everyone can succeed. As such, I will do what I can to help you, both in and outside the classroom, to understand biology. But, you are a partner in this process and will be expected to do the WORK of learning. You will be expected to spend a significant amount of time (about 9 hours per week) studying outside of the lecture period. Thus, all students must actively participate in their own learning experience and be held responsible for their performance. I will treat you with respect and facilitate your success in this course but in the end, you ultimately bear responsibility for your grade. Please review the handout on “How to get a good grade” and seek assistance from me or others if you need help.
Class Attendance:
Classroom participation is vital to the learning process: therefore, you will do much better in this class if you attend every lecture. Irregular attendance may result in a student being dropped with an F. More than 5 weeks of unexcused absences requires assignment of an automatic F. I will be taken attendancefor the first lecture or two andlater an attendance sheet will be available for you to sign each lecture period. Note: if you miss four or more labs, you get an F for the course.
Classroom Conduct:
There is an honor code at NVCC for all students. Students are encouraged to work together on course material buteach student must do their own work on graded material unless otherwise advised. Failure to adhere to this honor policy will result in an automatic zero for any graded work.
While in this course, your behavior should be consistent with professional etiquette and accepted common practices of courtesy and respect. Disruptions and rudeness to me and other students are inappropriate. Remember that students have paid to attend these lectures and talking in the class can keep other from getting a good grade. Eating and smoking within the classroom are against college and/or state policy and will not be permitted. Cell phones, pagers, etc. should be off during the lecture and must be off during exams. Do not send text messages during the lecture. If I see you texting, I will ask you to stop first and on the second time ask you to leave the classroom. Ask me before using lab tops or recorders. Students who consistently are rude and disrespectful to me or other students will be asked to leave the classroom. If you spill a drink or make a mess, please clean it up so the next class finds a clean classroom. If you find yourself becoming increasingly frustrated with the class or students in the class, please come talk to me, let’s work things out.
Special Accommodations:
NorthernVirginiaCommunity College strives to provide every student a worthwhile learning opportunity and environment. The college complies with the American with Disabilities Act, so any student needing special accommodations in order to perform well should let me know during the first week of class and contact the campus ADA representative in the Counseling Office (MH 110).
Test Schedule:
Test 1 Sept 19Chapters 41, 42, 43, 44, and 47 – Animals 1
Test 2 Oct 17Chapters 45, 46, 48, 49, and 22 – Animals 2
Test 3 Nov 9Chapters 36, 37, 38, 39 and 40 - Plants
Test 4 Dec 7Chapters 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, and 55 - Ecology
Final Dec 19 8:00 AM All Chapters
Bio 102 8:00 AM Lecture Fall 2011 Schedule
MONDAY / TUESDAY / WEDNESDAY / THURSDAY / FRIDAYAug 22
Course Overview / 23 / 24 Chapter 41 / 25
. / 26
29 Chapter 42 / 30 / 31 Chapter 43 / Sep 1 / 2
5
Holiday / 6 / 7 Chapter 44
SL Worksheet 1
Due / 8 / 9
12 Chapter 44
Paper Topics Due / 13 / 14 Chapter 47 / 15 / 16
19 Exam 1 / 20 / 21 Chapter 45 / 23
26 Chapter 46 / 27 / 28 Chapter 49 / 29 / 30
3 Oct Chapter 48 / 4 / 5 Chapter 22
SL Worksheet 2
Due / 6 / 7
10
No Classes / 11
No Classes / 12 Chapter 22 / 14
17 Exam 2 / 18 / 19 Chapter 36 / 20 / 21
24 Chapter 37 / 25 / 26 Chapter 38 / 27 / 28
31 Chapter 39
Paper Outline Due / 1 Nov / 2 Chapter 40 / 3 / 4
7 Review / 8 / 9 Exam 3 / 10 / 11
14 Chapter 50 / 15 / 16 Chapter 51 / 17 / 18
21 Chapter 52
Papers Due / 22 / 23
Thanksgiving / 24
Holiday / 25
No Classes
28 Chapter 53 / 29 / 30 Chapter 54 / Dec 1 / 2
5 Review / 6 / 7 Exam 4 / 8 / 9
19Final Exam
8:00 – 10:30 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23