General Biology: Plant and Animal Systems, BI 103
LBCC, Spring 2005
Instructor: Diana Wheat
Office: ST 218
Phone: (541) 917-4772
Email:
Office Hours:
Tuesday: 10:00 am – 10:50 a.m.
Wednesday: 12:00 – 12:50 p.m.
Thursday: 10:00 am – 10:50 a.m.
Friday: 10:00 am – 10:20 a.m.
You may also contact me via email to make a special appointment outside of these office hours.
Introduction:
General Biology 103 is a course designed to help the learner discover the workings of the plant and animal systems involving their structures and their functions. This course is designed for students at Linn-Benton Community College who are non-science majors. Students typically have little to no science background, yet are enrolled in this course to fulfill requirements needed for a degree and who desire to expand their knowledge and appreciation of the biological sciences.
Credits: 4 credits
Schedule:
CRN: 40871
Lecture in ST 213B T .………..11:00 am – 1:20 pm
Lecture & Lab in ST 204 R.…. 11:00 am – 1:20 pm
Prerequisite: MTH 060
This course is taught as a discrete and separate course in biology. It is not necessary to have any other biology courses before taking this course for non-majors.
Texts:
· Explore Life by J.H. Postlethwait and J.L. Hopson, publisher: Thompson & Brooks/Cole – Required
· Study Guide for Explore Life by Mark Smith and Calvin Young, publisher: Brooks/Cole - Recommended
· Lab Book BI 103 General Biology Laboratory Handouts 4th edition By: Sharon Ketchum
Grading: Final grades for the course will be determined by each student’s cumulative point total by the end of the term. This is an approximation of points for each category, and it is subject to changed, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.
Assessments:
Lab/Class Activities and Homework = 80-100 points
3 exams @ 50 points each = 150 points
Final Comprehensive exam = 75 points
Weekly Reading Quizzes = 25 points
Total = 330-350 points (Approximation)
Grading Scheme:
90 - 100% A
80 – 89% B
70 – 79% C
60 – 69% D
59.4 % and below F
Policies
Attendance: You are required and expected to attend all lectures. No grade will be assigned for attendance but to do well in this course it is expected that you will attend ALL lectures and labs. Periodically, I will send around a sign-up roster to monitor participation. If a situation arises that makes it necessary to miss class it is the student’s responsibility to obtain notes from a peer. Please read the attendance policy in the college catalog for details. No quizzes or lab work will be accepted if you were not in attendance for the class when the work was performed.
Exams: Objective tests consisting of multiple choice, matching, short answer and binary decision.
Make up exams:
There will be NO make-up exams unless I am informed, in writing, PRIOR to the exam that you will need to miss it for a “documentable” reason. You need to talk with me directly for approval to make up an exam, exceptions are rare, but I do understand complications that can make it impossible to meet an exam date. Exams may NOT be taken early. Approved late takes must be made up before the next class session following an exam. I do not drop any exam grades. If you miss an exam, the grade is a zero. On the exam day if you have a life situation come up you must call me and leave a message on my voice mail or send me an immediate email, and only then with your instructor’s approval will you be eligible to take an exam. You will then need to come into the next scheduled office hour period to take that exam. Early exams will not be allowed for any reason (including the booking of airline or event tickets) – so please plan accordingly.
Incomplete Policy: An incomplete (IN) will only be issued when a student is unable to complete the last exam by the end of the term, and each incomplete grade will be accompanied by a signed contract specifying the conditions necessary to complete the course. This contract will be signed by the student and the instructor and placed on file in the Division office. The Y grade can only be issued if the student has attended no more than 25% of class time and less than 25% of the course work was submitted. The deadline to drop the course is the end of the 7th week.
Special Accommodations: As required by federal and state laws, I will be happy to make accommodations for students with disabilities or those with special needs. It is the student’s responsibility to make any needs known to me within the first week of the semester, in writing, so that I can give appropriate accommodation. This includes but is not limited to disabilities of visual, hearing, learning, dates needed for religious holidays, court dates etc.
Academic Misconduct: This will not be tolerated and includes any form of cheating. The student is encouraged to read the student handbook or college catalog for further details. If a student is found to have cheated on an exam, after due process the resulting grade may be a zero on the given exam or quiz. All group work should still be written in the students own handwriting and language. You must turn in your own interpretation and work even if doing team work projects.
Extra Credit: On a few occasions on the exams there may be extra credit, which will be high-challenge questions that can aid your score. Even if you do not know the answer you are encouraged to try. This credit will generally not influence a grade more than 2-4% for the overall grade, but it could make a big difference in borderline grade situations. Extra Credit will NOT be issued or allowed for missed work – there are no exceptions to this rule. My general policy for all students is that “I cannot do for one student what I cannot do for all.” Please do not ask for exceptions due to poor performance, no extra credit work will be granted.
Outcomes:
· The student will understand the relationship between structure and function of organisms at various levels of the hierarchy of organization, and will be able to explain this relationship in terms of adaptation to the environment.
· The student will be able to relate the major systems that make up the body of an animal and/or plant, describing the major parts that make up each system and how each of those systems works to carry out the life functions of the organism.
· The student will be able to extract, interpret, critically evaluate and apply biological information from various media, such as books, articles, lectures and the Internet.
· The student will be able to safely and skillfully use basic biological equipment and techniques to collect and evaluate data. This includes but is not limited to microscopes, ph meters, pipettes, computer spreadsheets and models.
· The student will be able to organize data into tables and graphs, to extract information and find patterns to draw sound conclusions.
· The learner will discover and appreciate the unity, diversity, complexity and interdependence of life.
Schedule
General Biology 103
Spring Schedule -Tentative
Week / Dates Reading Tuesday Lecture Thursday Lecture Thur. Lab
13/28 – 4/1 / Chapter 21 / Plant Anatomy & Physiology
21.1, 21.2, 21.3 / Plant Structures
21.4, 21.5 / Plant Tissues
Lab #1 in lab guidebook
2
4/4 – 4/8 / Chapter 22 / Plant Development
22.1, 22.2
Q / Plant
Reproduction 22.3 / Plant Reproduction #2 Part I & II
3
4/11 – 4/15 / Chapter 22
Cont. / Plant Hormones & Biotechnology
22.4, 22.5, 22.6 Q / Plant Hormones
(cont.) / Hormone experiment #3B
4
4/18 – 4/22 / Chapter 23 / Exam #1
Over Ch 21 & 22
Plant Nutrients 23.3 / Plant Nutrients & Defenses
23.4, 23.5 / Plant Nutrients
# 4A and 4B
5
4/25 – 4/29 / Chapter 14 / Dynamics of Plants
23.1, 23.2 / Wrap up on plants / Water Transport
Lab #5
Compile data:
#2-II, #3B, #4A
6
5/2 – 5/6 / Chapter 14
Cont. / Intro to Animal Systems and Homeostasis
14.1 – 14.4 Q / Excretory System
14.5 / Animal Tissues
Lab #6A
Finish Lab #4B
7
5/9 – 5/13 / Chapter
15 & 16 / Exam #2
Over Ch 23, 14
Animal Circulation
15.1 – 15.3 / Respiratory 15.4 / Respiratory
Lab #7
8
5/16 – 5/20 / Chapter 16 / Animal defense systems
16.1 – 16.2 Q / Immune response
16.3 - 16.4 / Immune System
& Microbe Lab
9
5/23 – 5/27 / Chapter 19
Ch 20 & 8
(partial) / Exam #3
Over Ch 15 & 16
The Nervous System 19.1-19.2 / Nervous System 19.3 / Nervous System
Lab #9
10
5/30 – 6/3 / Chapter 18 / Skeletal System
20.1
Intro to animal reproduction 8.4 Q / Hormones
18.1 - 18.3 / Bone Lab #10
Part I
Pregnancy lab
Finals Week (Tuesday 6/9/05) in ST 213B 12:30 – 2:30 pm - Tentative