BIOLOGY 11A General Biology SPRING 2016
Instructor:
Office:
Office phone:
E-mail :
Office hours:
Meets:
WEB site:
Dr. Carol Hoffman
Room 619
477-5622
carol.hoffman at Cabrillo dot edu (Best way to get me a message)
Check on my web site
Room 806 for lecture, room 618 for lab.
www.cabrillo.edu/~choffman
TEXT:
Required for Lecture: Biology, The Essentials by Marielle
Hoefnagels. Any edition, One or two. There are many options when it
comes to acquiring this book. The Cabrillo bookstore has ONE of those
options. Another option is to look for the text online for purchase or rent,
new or used. Any edition is fine. A third option is using the e-book. That
is probably the cheapest option.
REEF Polling
I use polling in class to see if you have understood the concepts presented.
You will need to purchase the app REEF polling by iClicker for your
phone or an iClicker plus device. This will allow you to answer questions
asked in class, every class. You are expected to click your answers in to
me with your device or phone. The bookstore has them for sale, or you can buy them on line,
new or used. You will need it every lecture. Once you buy it, you need to register it online.
https://app.reef-education.com/#/account/create BE SURE TO PUT IN YOUR CABRILLO ID
NUMBER even if it says (optional). Clickers are used to respond to questions in class. Every
time you do not have your clicker or REEF application, then you lose points in class. I
STRONGLY suggest you get one quickly. I will activate the points by week two of the
semester.
or
REEF POLLING
ICLICKER DEVICE
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Required for Lab: Lab handouts must be downloaded and printed from the website. I do not
want you to read the lab off your phone or iPad. Those devices do not belong in the lab.
Materials fee of $30 for whale watching. This will have to be paid in advance, at the Cabrillo
College Bank in the 100 building.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
BIO11A: General Biology for non-majors. This course is an introductory course for nonmajors that will provide a foundation in ecosystems, evolutionary, organismal, and cellular
biology. If you are an Allied Health major and taking this class as a prerequisite, be aware
that some topics may be repetitive. If you have taken an AP Biology in high school, this
course will be too easy.
NOTES
Lecture notes are available on my web site. (They are password protected and you should use
the user id of student and password of connect . ) You may choose to print them and use
them for studying. Please understand that I am always updating my notes, so a lecture may
include a slide or two that you haven’t printed. Do not panic. You have the bulk of the
slides, taking notes on some of the material is a task you can easily handle.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Evaluate how living things function on the molecular, cellular, genetic, and organismal
level and how they interact with each other and the environment.
2. Assess how methods of scientific inquiry are used to address fundamental questions in
biology.
OFFICE HOURS: Office hours are a time set aside by faculty to receive students. I am
waiting for students to walk in at that time. They are a great time to discuss class content,
grades or problems you are having with the course. Please do not attempt to do this in the
hallway after class. I am often running to another class or appointment. Do not “See me after
class!” See me in office hours.
EXAMS: Closed-book lecture exams consist of approximately 70 multiple-choice questions.
Please purchase four orange Parscore Sheets from the Cabrillo bookstore. You will need four
of them for the full semester (4 exams).
If you miss an exam due to a very good reason, you MUST call or e-mail me to let me know
before or by the day after the exam. Justified absences allow for a make-up that will be
rescheduled for the end of the semester. In the Spring it will be May 9th at 5:30. If you need
a make-up, then make arrangements ahead of time so that you are free at that time. You can
make up only ONE exam during the semester. If you miss more than one scheduled exam,
no make-up will be available. I cannot provide early finals so please plan your vacations
accordingly. Check the Final exam schedule. IT IS DIFFERENT FROM CLASS TIME.
Students automatically consent to re-take an exam if the instructor has any question about the
integrity of the results.
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LAB WRITE-UPS Every lab will have a pre-lab typed homework worth 5 points to be
done before lab. I do not take those late.
A post-lab write-up is required after most labs. This needs to be typed and stapled. Let me
repeat: stapled. The report is worth 10 points. You can miss one lab with no penalty. You
may write a separate report to replace a second missed lab. The third missed lab has no
make-up and the missed assignment gets a zero. Please do not e-mail these to me. They are
due in class, printed. You may hand them in late and lose one point per weekday. Place late
work in my box on the door of room 619. After 5 days of losing one point, the assignment
does not lose any more points. If you it really late, you will get a maximum of ½ credit on
your assignment.
CONCEPT CHECKS These are the two-point clicker questions. I use them almost every
class. That is another good reason to be in class. Buy your clicker SOON. If you answer
correctly, you get 2 points. If you answer incorrectly, you get 1 point. If you do not answer,
you get zero points. At the end of the semester clickers will add to a total of 60 points
(almost the value of an exam).
FIELD TRIPS We go on at least three field trips that are mandatory. You will need to find
transportation there on your own. Carpooling amongst us is the best way to go and we will
get cars to offer spaces for rides. Please e-mail me if you find yourself without a ride.
GRADING: The final grade will be based on performance in both lecture and lab. Lecture
will be worth 70 percent of the course grade and laboratory will be worth 30 percent.
Lecture scores will consist of 4 exams, worth +70 points each. Final grades will be based on
a modified curve for exams. That means that the top number of points achieved by any one
individual in the class will become 100%.
90-100% = A
80-89% = B
70-79% = C
60-69% = D
below 59% = F
EXTRA CREDIT:
There will be an option to do up to three extra credit assignments for 7 points each, adding up
to a total of 21 extra points. These points are added onto your lecture grade. Check the
website for acceptable extra credit assignments. Assignments are due May 9th in my box on
the door of my office room 619 by 5:00 pm. NO LATE SUBMITTALS.
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Approximate Lecture Point Breakdown:
4
Exams
280 points total
30
Clicker Qs
60 points total
10
Other Homework
20 points total
Approximate Lab Point Breakdown:
Weekly pre-labs
Lab write-ups
60 points
110 points
ACADEMIC HONESTY: Cheating will not be tolerated in this class. Students found
cheating will automatically receive an F grade for the class. This goes for lab work too. All
work should be individual. Lab reports are individual unless specified. Ignorance of this
guideline excuses no one. Ignorantia juris non excusat!
LATE POLICY: All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date. Late
assignments get one point off per day. If an assignment is late more than five days it gets a
maximum of 50% of the possible grade. No late extra credit papers. No late pre-labs.
ABSENCES: After four absences in lecture and two absences in lab you may be
automatically dropped from the class.
ACCOMMODATIONS:
All students needing accommodations should inform me ASAP. Please set up a time
during my office hours, not in the hall or after class. We need to talk about the
accommodations that I may or may not be able to help you with and also plan the scheduling
of your exams through the ASC (Accessibility Support Center). Veterans may qualify for
accommodations. Wounded Warriors may have acquired injuries which through the
American with Disabilities Act (ADA) entitles the use of accommodations to
ensure equal opportunity for students with verified disabilities. To determine if you qualify or
need assistance with an accommodation, please contact Accessibility Support Center, Room
1073 479-6379, or the Learning Skills Program, 479-6220.
HOW TO SUCCEED IN THIS CLASS
I hope that each of you will finish this class with an enthusiasm for biology. If everyone fully
invests in this class we will have a lot fun in discussions, laboratory activities and field trips
and you will learn a great deal. To do well you will need to be on time at all lectures,
laboratory and field trips. You need to take notes during lecture and be sure to check the
website regularly. Reserve time to do work outside class including some weekends. Keep up
with all activities and reading assignments and be sure to talk to me if you have questions or
concerns. We have a lot of great biological information to get through. There is no way to
accomplish this except to move along at a fast pace. Please don’t get left behind. Stay up to
date with the readings and lectures.
ETIQUETTE: Please be on time. It is rude to your fellow students and to me when you are
late. If you need to be absent, I expect you to make-up the work on your own. This is a large
class. Please be respectful of others. Texting in lecture is an annoyance to other students. If
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you text in lab, I will ask you to step out. Please step out and return when you are finished
texting. Computers in class that are open to anything but lecture are also distracting to othersI don’t notice so you are annoying to your colleagues. Harmony among students is a great
thing! Collaborate with each other, you’ll be amazed at the results.
FOR THOSE NEEDING MORE STUDYING TECHNIQUE IDEAS
If you are a seasoned student and know how to study, you should disregard this following section. If
you need help with HOW to study my material, I have some ideas. First, a good book to consult
regarding studying tools is:
Study Smarter, Not Harder by Kevin Paul, MA 3rd edition It is a wonderful manual with many
recommendations on how to turn into a better learner. I recommend it.
Now for my own recommendations. It is very often that I get the same question: “How do I study for
this course when there is so much information?” First, remember that I ONLY TEST ON MATERIAL
THAT I HAVE COVERED IN CLASS. Knowing this, you need to look at my posted lectures. All that
information on the slides can be on an exam. The text has more information than that. Do you need to
know all the text information? No. It helps to read it as “background” and to understand concepts that
are written in complete sentences and always encompass a full thought. Often my slides are
abbreviated, short, blunt sentences (or not even sentences) that serve as a reminder of what we covered,
but are NOT a good study tool. They are essentially bulleted points only and when you need to
understand the big picture, the text is invaluable. It is time well invested when you read the Saladin
book. HOWEVER, if you get to a part of the text that I completely skipped (there are plenty of those
parts), then skip it too. Stick to the sections that I have covered. Between reading the book (and taking
notes on it), reading my notes (and listing terminology you need to know), and attending lecture and
participating in clickers, you should do very well. IT TAKES TIME. By the time it is the day before an
exam, you should be studying only from your vocab lists and notes taken from the text. It is too late to,
at that stage, be referring to the text.
A typical week, completing successful study habits would look like this:
Monday: Come to class. Respond to clickers.
Tuesday: Read the notes again, make vocab lists with definitions. Take notes from the book on the
section covered in lecture.
Wednesday: Come to class. Respond to clickers.
Thursday: Read your Wednesday notes. Take notes from the book on your Wednesday lecture.
Review your Monday notes.
Friday: Review again and see whether you have questions that need to be answered in an office hour.
Plan on attending an office hour during the following week if need be.
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CALCULATING YOUR GRADE:
a. % Grade for lecture:
_________
X
0.7 = ____________
b. % Grade for lab:
_________
X
0.3 = ____________
TOTAL FOR COURSE:
Add lines a and b
____________
Example for Frodo Baggins:
a. % Grade for lecture:
____77%_
b. % Grade for lab:
_____89%___ X
TOTAL FOR COURSE:
X
0.7 = ___53.9_____
Add lines a and b
0.3 = _ 26.7_____
___80.6__= B 6