Spring 2011 Syllabus
SC 111
Microbiology Lecture
3 Credit Hours
Textbook: Microbiology: An Introduction, 10th Edition, Tortora, Funke, & Case
Division of Science and Mathematics
Instructor: Cathy Castle, MS
The learning outcomes and competencies detailed in this syllabus meet or exceed the learning outcomes and competencies specified by the Kansas Core Outcomes Project for this course as sanctioned by the Kansas Board of Reagents.
MICROBIOLOGY LECTURE
spring 2011
Course Number: SC111
Time & Day: Tuesday and Thursday 1:30-2:55 p.m.
Location: Geary County Campus Room: B2
Instructor: Cathy Castle, MS
Office: Building C
Office Hours: My schedule is posted on my door. Scheduled office hours are 9:30-11 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday or 1:30-4:00 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday. Other times are available upon request. If I am not teaching a class, advising in Student Services, or in a meeting, I am usually in my office. Feel free to stop by if you have questions or concerns.
Office Phone: (785) 238-8010 x718 Home Phone: (785) 238-8970
Cell Phone: (785) 260-1700
Email:
Website: The course syllabus, PowerPoint slides, and other information will be posted on the instructor’s website at the following address: http://www.cloud.edu/academics/faculty/ccastle/
Required materials: Textbook listed above.
Course Description: Microbiology is a study of microorganisms with emphasis on bacteria, including fundamentals of their morphology, physiology, genetics, and relationships to health and disease.
Prerequisite: General Biology or Principles of Biology with a “C” or better OR high school biology with a grade B or better within the last 5 years.
SEQUENCING: This course is offered in the fall, summer, and spring semesters.
Method of Evaluation/Grading: Assessment of student mastery of the course content will be accomplished by the following traditional methods. The points are tentative and could be more or less according to the discretion of the instructor. Students will be notified if changes occur:
5 Lecture exams @ 100 points each 500 points
10 Homework assignments @ 10 points each 100 points
10 Lecture quizzes @ 10 points each 100 points
Total = 700 points
Exams: Five exams will be given covering topics discussed in lecture and reading assignments. The final exam covers the last unit and is not cumulative.
Quizzes: Twelve quizzes will be given during the semester. The lowest two quiz scores will be dropped.
Homework: Ten homework assignments will be given. Due dates will be announced and generally will be the beginning of the next class period.
Grades: Students are encouraged to monitor their grades and keep track of their progress in the course. The instructor uses the web-based grading program found at www.mygradebook.com. The log-in ID for all students in this course is MicroSpring2011 and the password is the student’s CCCC student ID number.
Grading scale:
90% and above.... A
80-89% ...... B
70-79% ...... C
60-69% ...... D
Below 60% ….... F
Teaching Methods:
The following learning strategies will be employed:
1. A copy of the instructors PowerPoint notes will be provided to each student. The PowerPoint presentations will be used as a visual aid to student learning. These will also be available on the instructor’s CCCC webpage at http://www.cloud.edu/academics/faculty/ccastle/.
2. Students are expected to have reviewed the previous lecture material in preparation for a possible quiz at the beginning of each lecture.
3. Textbook reading assignments will be given to help the student understand lecture concepts.
4. To assist student preparation, study guides will be provided prior to all lecture examinations.
5. Videos may be presented to complement lecture and textbook material, to enhance student learning, and to present real-world situations and applications.
6. Homework assignments will be given to reinforce topics discussed in class and assist students in mastering course content.
7. Students will have access to the website “My Microbiology Place” www.microbiologyplace.com with purchase of the textbook. This site provides additional practice and assessment materials to enhance student learning and mastery of course content.
aSSIGNMENT POLICY: Due dates will be announced for any assignments that are given. Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date. All assignments must be completed as directed by the instructor in order to be eligible to receive any or all of the assigned points for a particular assignment. Points will be deducted for work not received by the due date. The instructor reserves the right to accept or not accept late assignments.
Course Policies
1. Attendance is considered imperative for the successful completion of this course. You are required contact your instructor anytime you will miss class or if you will be late for class. Attendance will be recorded daily. This course covers a large amount of material. Frequent absences will likely make it more difficult for you to succeed in this course.
2. Dates of lecture exams will be announced at least 1 week prior to the date of the exam. Exams must be taken at their scheduled time unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor in advance. A tentative schedule will be provided. The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the schedule, assignments, and point distributions as warranted. Students will be advised of any changes that are made.
3. Make up examinations will only be given if you receive permission to miss a scheduled exam. Contact the instructor prior to class or as soon as possible in the event of an emergency if you will need to miss an exam. The instructor reserves the right to grant or not to grant permission to miss an exam. Make up exams will not be the same as the original scheduled exam and may be given in the instructor’s office or in the tutoring center at the instructor’s discretion.
4. If you miss an exam without prior approval and arrangements are not made to make up the exam, you will be given a zero for that particular exam.
5. Quizzes will be given at the beginning of class. Please be punctual for class. Extra time will not be given to complete quizzes if you are late. If you come to class after the quiz has been collected, you will not be able to take the quiz. A total of 12 quizzes will be given during the semester. The lowest 2 quiz scores will be dropped. Missed quizzes cannot be made up.
6. Remember, when you return to class after an absence, you must be prepared for a possible quiz over the content covered in the previous lecture. Solution/suggestion: Keep informed regarding what is happening in class, i.e., call your instructor or ask a classmate.
7. A tentative schedule for lecture and lab exams, topics, and lab activities will be provided, however the instructor may make modifications to the schedule if needed. Students will be informed of any changes that are made.
8. Cell phones, pagers, and all other electronic devices must be turned off or placed on silent mode during lecture and lab. Please return calls outside of classrooms and class times. No texting is allowed in class.
9. No eating or drinking is allowed in the classrooms.
10. Students will be assessed during the course by traditional methods including evaluation of homework assignments, lecture quizzes, and lecture exams. Exams will include multiple choice, matching, diagram labeling, short answer, and essay questions. Rubrics will be developed for grading exams and assignments.
Academic Integrity
It is imperative that each student does his/her own work. The following policy will apply to all students in class.
Infractions of academic integrity (honesty) shall include:
· Using another student’s work without giving the student credit for the work. In other words, taking someone else’s file and placing your name on it and claiming it is yours, using another student’s quiz, or help on a quiz/exam.
· Giving another student your file(s) knowing that he/she intends to turn it in as his/her own creation, giving another student your quiz, or help on a quiz/exam.
It is not an infraction of the policy to help another student understand how to do an assignment if he/she does the work himself/herself with your assistance.
Cheating:
“Cheating means getting unauthorized help on an assignment, quiz or examination.”
- You must not receive from any other students or give to any other students any information, answers, or help during an exam.
- You must not use unauthorized sources for answers during an exam. You must not take notes or books to the exam when such aids are forbidden, and you must not refer to any book or notes while you are taking the exam unless the instructor indicates it is an “open book” exam.
- You must not obtain exam questions illegally before an exam or tamper with an exam after it has been corrected.
Materials taken from “Academic Dishonesty in Our Classrooms.” Instructional Exchange, 1990, 2 (2), 1-4 (Newsletter available from the Office of University Assessment and Intellectual Skills Program, Western Michigan University)
Plagiarism:
“Plagiarism” means submitting work as your own that is someone else’s. For example, copying material from a book, the Internet, or another source without acknowledging that the words or ideas are someone else’s and not your own is plagiarism. If you copy an author’s words exactly, treat the passage as a direct quotation and supply the appropriate citation. If you use someone else’s ideas, even if you paraphrase the wording, appropriate credit should be given. You have committed plagiarism if you purchase a term paper or submit a paper as your own that you did not write.
Attendance Policy: See course policies.
Conduct: Students are expected to respect the rights of other classmates. No cell phone use or the use of other electronic devices (pagers, iPods, MP3 players, phones, calculators, electronic dictionaries, etc.) is allowed in the classroom. No eating or drinking is allowed in the classroom. Active participation in class discussions is expected and encouraged. Be respectful of other students and your instructor. If you must leave during class, do so with as little disruption as possible to those around you.
Examination Policy: Each examination must be taken as directed by the instructor and according to the information in the “course policies” and “academic integrity” sections above.
Instructor Assistance: Office hours are posted on the office door in building B. I welcome interaction with students and am available at other times as well. Please contact me at the numbers above or by e-mail to arrange to meet at a time other than the posted office hours if these times are not convenient for you. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions, problems, or concerns. I am here to help you succeed in the course.
Tutor Assistance: Tutors are available in the tutoring center located in Building A.
Incomplete Policy: Students will not be given an incomplete grade in the course without sound reason and documented as described in the Student Handbook. The incomplete must be made up with the instructor assigning the incomplete and must be completed the semester immediately following the semester in which the class was taken. Refer to the Student Handbook for a complete explanation.
ACADEMIC COMPLAINTS: Cloud County Community College has an Academic Due Process Policy to address any student academic complaints. For any unresolved complaints, the policy can be obtained from the Academic Affairs Office.
PROGRAM GOALS: The following are the goals students should be able to achieve in CCCC Science Courses.
· Demonstrate understanding of the process of science.
· Demonstrate an understanding of the levels of organization in the living world.
· Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between structure and function in living organisms.
· Describe the basic processes and outcomes of evolution, both biological and physical world outcomes.
· Demonstrate an understanding of the levels of organization in the physical world.
· Demonstrate an understanding of the principles and models that describe the physical world.
ASSESSMENT OF PROGRAM OUTCOMES: Student learning is also assessed each semester based on program outcomes. Program outcomes accomplishment is measured through performance on course outcomes. Each program uses a matrix to match course outcomes of individual courses to overarching program outcomes. The program outcomes are calculated as an average of all of the relevant course outcomes. This information is processed after each semester and then immediately reviewed by the Assessment Coordinator and the Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Team.
COURSE GOALS (Student Learning Outcomes):
These student learning outcomes listed below are those established by the Kansas Core Competencies Committee (representing the 19 Kansas Communities Colleges):
Upon completion of this course, students will demonstrate an understanding of the following:
· Microbial cell biology: Structure and function of prokaryotic and eucaryotic organisms, structure and function of acellular infectious agents, growth and division, energy metabolism, and regulation of cellular activities.
· Microbial genetics: Inheritance and flow of information; causes, consequences, and significance of mutations; exchange and acquisition of genetic information; genetic engineering; biotechnology.
· Interactions of microorganisms and humans: Host defense mechanisms and immune systems, pathogenicity mechanisms of cellular and acellular infectious agents, disease transmission, control of microorganisms, antimicrobial agents, epidemiology and public health, adaptation and natural selection, and symbiosis.
· Interactions and impact of microorganisms in the environment: Microbial recycling of resources, microbes transforming the environment.
ASSESSMENT OF COURSE OUTCOMES: Student learning is assessed every semester based on course outcomes. Each instructor measures student performance on all course outcomes for each course section every semester. The instructor fills out an electronic form, which populates a database. This information is reviewed by the Assessment Coordinator and the Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Team. It is due to be completed by February 15th for the fall semester and June 15th for the spring.
LABORATORY SKILLS: Laboratory skills pertaining to microbiology are taught in the separate course, Microbiology Lab, SC112. Laboratory topics, goals, and assessment are described in the syllabus for that course.