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BIO 319 – ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY
COURSE INSTRUCTORS –
LECTURER –Dr. Margaret Beard, HS 161, x7089,m e-mail: beard@uwosh.edu (Note: I do not
answer e-mail in the evenings or over the weekend). I am generally in Halsey from 8:00am through 5:30pm
(excluding teaching hours and regularly scheduled meetings; See office door for schedule). Appointments can
be made.
LAB INSTRUCTOR – Ms. Katrina Olsen, HS 255, e-mail:olsenk10@uwosh.edu. Office Hours to be
announced at first lab meeting
CLASS MEETING TIMES:
LECTURE – M,W - 3:00-4:30pm - HS 270
DISCUSSIONS –A01D – R – 10:20-11:20 – HS 456; A02D – R – 1:20-2:20 – HS 457
LABORATORY - A01L – T – 9:40-12:40 – HS 167; A02L – T – 1:20-4:20 – HS 167
CLASS MATERIALS
Textbook: Hill, RW, G.A. Wyse & M. Anderson, 2008, Animal Physiology, 2nd edition, Sinauer
Associates, Sunderland, MA. (Note: I will be using this text as our class reference for figures, content, etc. You,
however, may use any text you wish or no text at all. Realize that exam questions will be derived from lecture,
discussion and the text.
Lab Manual: Cooper, S.J. & D.K. Vaughan, 2009, Biology 319/519: General Physiology Lab Manual,
UW-Oshkosh; College-ruled or 5x5 quad-ruled 80 page composition lab notebook (sold at the UWO
bookstore); a Calculator
COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR INSTRUCTORS:
E-Mail is the most efficient way to get in touch with us. The University considers uwosh.edu email an
official line of communication. Therefore, the policy of the University is that only uwosh.edu e-mail accounts
will be used for faculty to student communication and vice versa. BIO 319 students are expected to check their
uwosh.edu email accounts on every business day and abide by all messages sent by any BIO 319
Instructor. Additionally – announcements and assignments will be posted on D2L
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES OR SPECIAL NEEDS are welcome in this course. Please contact your
lecture and lab instructors the first or second week of the course to arrange accommodations
ACADEMIC HONESTY: Academic honesty policies are clearly defined at this University (See below) and
all students are expected to abide by them. Penalties for violations are severe. Cheating on an exam, quiz or
any other assignment (including looking at someone else's paper) at a MINIMUM leads to zero on that exam,
with no opportunity for a make-up. A second offense is an F in the course and a report to Dean of Students.
CHEATING POLICY: Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated. It may result in an F grade in the class and
possible expulsion from the University.
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UNIVERSITY STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:
Any evidence of any form of academic dishonesty makes you subject to the Student Academic Disciplinary
Procedures, as outlined in the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Student Discipline Code, as detailed in specific
provisions of Chapter 14 of the State of Wisconsin Administrative Code. (http://www/uwosh.edu/dean). Any
student found in violation of any aspect of the above Code will receive a sanction as detailed in UWS 14.005 &
14.06, ranging from a grade of zero on the assignment to expulsion from the university. . Academic dishonesty
is interpreted to include (but is not limited to) the following: looking at another student’s exam and/or copying
answers, talking to other students in exams; using notes or other resources e.g. electronic devices during exams,
when not permitted, using another’s work (obtained from on campus or off campus sources) as a student’s own;
not giving attribution to work either quoted or paraphrased, failure to give sources for work referenced, etc.
Students may appeal sanctions per UWS 14.06-14.08.
COMMON COURTESY – Be considerate - Please refrain from talking, texting, playing games on the
computer, having cell phones rings during class. Each of these activities disrupts the flow of the class and the
learning process of your neighboring fellow students, who are attending class because they want to listen and
learn. Likewise, please refrain from talking during lecture. It is difficult for others to listen attentively with
extraneous sounds in the room. Having said this, if you cannot keep yourself from talking during lecture, please
sit in the last rows of the hall to minimize your disturbance of your classmates and me.
COURSE GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTATIONS
Physiology is a subject that builds upon itself. What is learned one day is used again and again. It
also builds upon Biology 105 as taught here at UWOSH. So you really can’t forget anything. You will need to
know it tomorrow and thereafter. The saving grace is that there are themes in physiology that repeat over and
over – such as feedback regulation; receptor-ligand interaction, homeostasis, signal response. I will try to alert
you to these repeating themes when they occur; but you be alert to them too.
This course is designed so that a student will achieve a general understanding of animal
physiology. To achieve this goal requires a synthesis of several areas within physiology (respiration,
circulation, digestion, energy metabolism, etc) as these apply to an animal’s ability to maintain homeostasis. To
this end some specific objectives for the semester are listed below.
To understand the central physiological principle of HOMEOSTASIS
To understand physiological SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
To understand physiology from MOLECULAR to ORGAN SYSTEM levels
To build physiology VOCABULARY & QUANTITATIVE SKILLS
To prepare you for ADVANCED STUDY
In order to achieve these goals, it is specifically expected that the students will attend lecture and laboratory as
an active learner who uses all senses in their integration of information presented by the instructor
The topics discussed in lecture will be examined from a comparative perspective, rather than solely from a study
of mammalian systems. However, common functional pathways will be emphasized, thus integrating the animal
kingdom. In this way students will be preparing for diverse careers (veterinary medicine, human medicine,
biological research) in a wide variety of fields. The laboratory portion of this course will illustrate the lecture
topics, and emphasize experimental techniques, data gathering of physiological variables, data analysis and
critical thinking about data.
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SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT LECTURES: (Note: The lecture and laboratory schedule as published are not
set in stone and can be subject to change as the semester progresses. You will know of changes well in advance,
if any such are made).
Regular lecture attendance does correlate with success in the course. I do not take attendance in
lecture. Attendance in the laboratory is required, however. In both venues, it is your responsibility to learn
the material presented in lecture, from your text readings, by the lab exercises, etc. If you must miss lecture,
I would like you to let me know. You will need to ask a classmate for notes. I do not publish or hand out my
lecture notes. Please feel free to stop me during a lecture to ask questions
Lectures will be presented using images/figures, most often taken from the textbook, AND notes that I
will write on the blackboard or on overheads as I lecture. I do not present notes as power point
presentations. I have found that students simply copy what is on a power point slides and do not listen (see
below for the usefulness of bringing all senses to bear on learning). Since the images are from the text, I do
not publish these. For this reason, I strongly suggest that you bring your text, to class so that you can refer
to figures as the lecture progresses and even make notes on the images. Do ask questions during lecture. If
you are uncertain or insecure, you can be quite sure that others are too. I welcome in-class discussion.
I do not publish the notes that I use for lectures. Part of learning is also learning how to take notes.
Taking notes is not copying or writing down every word a speaker says. Instead it is listening and distilling
what is said (or what is written) so that a more complete set of notes can be transcribed later (see below in
study hints). When an instructor hands out lecture notes, students come to depend solely upon this printed
source as his/her only source for learning. Combining the senses (eyes, ears, tactile of hand) by taking
notes during an oral presentation or from a printed page and then fleshing out the topic by using another
source (the text book for instance) reinforces the learning process. LEARNING IS A PROCESS
REQUIRING REPETITION AND REHEARSAL!!!
SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT DISCUSSION: Discussion serves several roles in this course. It is a time
when announcements can be made, when student questions about lecture or lab material can be answered, when
laboratory prep can be accomplished. There will be 5-7 Pop Quizzes, covering lecture and/or laboratory
concepts administered during discussion periods. These quizzes will be multiple choice and/or one-sentence
short answer. I admit that these quizzes are to prod and prompt you to keep studying throughout the semester.
SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT LAB. You should plan on lab taking the full 3 hours each week!!. Do not
register for Bio 319 if you have a class or work conflict with the lecture time, the discussion time or the lab time.
Lab exercises have been designed to supplement and/or reinforce concepts taught in lecture and reviewed in
discussion. We do use a small number of animals in this course. All government directly humane procedures
will be followed. If you seriously object to the use of animals in experiments, you may not enjoy the work
required to pass this class. Students will also have the opportunity to orally present (i.e. teach the class about)
information from a published research paper in physiology. Information about this presentation will be given in
class.
ABOUT LAB NOTEBOOKS. A portion of your grade in the course depends upon a laboratory
notebook. Keeping good lab notebooks is not just another platform for grading students. Lab notebooks are a
legal necessity in the world of research. The Freedom of Information Act (FICA) allows others scientists to
“borrow” you lab data. Recently, lack of lab notebook support for published research data has led to career
ending charges of data fraud for several scientists. The notebook is a running record of all of your work in the
laboratory. The notebook does not need to repeat any procedures fully documented in the lab directions, but
does need to spell out any changes to these procedures. The notebook does need to contain enough information
about procedure so that it is easy to identify to which procedure the data sets pertain. When appropriate
computer generated data graphs or data worksheets can be pasted directly into the notebook. Likewise, the
notebook need not reiterate the goals of the exercise, but should introduce each exercise with a short description
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of background and rationale for the exercise. The data should be simply included as such and then at the end
discussed, i.e. what did you learn from the data. More specific instructions will be given in lab.
JOURNAL ARTICLE SUMMARIES Each student will summarize two peer-reviewed journal articles
published within the last two years on a topic of the student’s choice. Summaries must not exceed on typed page
(12 point font size), double spaced or space and a half, and must include:
A full citation as follows: First author’s last name, Authors first initial(s) followed by other author’s
Initial(s) and Last Name. Year published. Title of article. Title of Journal. Journal volume: page numbers.
A copy of the article must be attached. Do NOT turn in anything printed out in HTML format. If you
use BioOne or some other search program, print out the PDF version of the article.
Summaries will be evaluated on the basis (1) relevance to animal physiology; (2) inclusion of all required
elements (type face, line spacing, citation format, article itself) and (3) accuracy and thoroughness of the
summary (Can the reader understand the article from the summary).
SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT EXAMS ETC (Note – Lecture Exams and Lab Exams will ONLY by given
on the scheduled days in either the lecture period or the laboratory period
There will be FOUR LECTURE EXAMS, which after the first can be comprehensive, meaning that 5-10%
of the questions can specifically relate to material presented earlier in the course. 50% of the course grade comes
from the lecture exams. The remaining 50% of the course grade comes from the laboratory experience
(participation)=5%, lab quizzes=20% and lab notebook=10%, lecture quizzes= 5%, journal article
summaries=5%, and paper presentation=5%.
Exams will consist entirely of multiple-choice questions, yet will be thought provoking nevertheless.
Anything discussed in lecture, any text material relating to lecture topics and content from the laboratory
experience may appear on an exam. (Likewise principles discussed in lecture that relate to the laboratory
experience may appear on a lab quiz).
Exam questions come from various sources, including from your textbook and accompanying CD, as well as
questions that I and other instructors have written and questions from other texts and teachers.
MAKING UP EXAMS: Only individuals who miss a regularly scheduled lecture exam or lab quiz for an
approved reason (see below) can make-up that exam. This makeup exam will be given the day immediately
before, the same day as or the day immediately following the missed exam. In order to take a make-up exam, a
student MUST contact the instructor BEFORE the date/time of the scheduled exam.
Approved reasons for missing an exam are: (1) a documented university sponsored event that conflicts with
the exam date; (2) a documented family crisis (e.g. your illness documented by health service notice or doctor’s
note; a serious illness of a parent documented; a death in your immediate family – parents or siblings or
grandparents, but not cousins, etc that is documented by an obituary notice). I do not allow your taking the
make-up exam for reasons such as – I have purchased airline tickets already or I am participating in a wedding.
Read the class schedule carefully and make your plans accordingly.
EXAM REGRADE POLICY
Grading errors on exams do occur. These may be as simple as an addition error; or more encompassing,
such as my misinterpretation of how you understood a question, or your having learned information from a
source other than class notes or the assigned text and thereby giving an answer different from the expected
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answer to a question. No matter the reason for your requesting a re-grade of the exam, such requests must be
submitted in writing within one week of when the exams are returned. The request for reconsideration must be
in writing and must justify with documentation why you believe that your answer is correct – i.e. provide the
outside source, explain your logic, etc. Simply saying I think my answer is correct is not acceptable.
WHENEVER A REGRADE IS REQUESTED, I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REGRADE THE ENTIRE
EXAM, NOT ONLY THE QUESTION(S) AT ISSUE.
GRADING POLICY
LECTURE EXAM SCORES, POP QUIZ SCORES AND JOURNAL ARTICLE SCORES WILL BE POSTED ON D2L AS
A PERCENT SCORE. YOUR LAB QUIZ SCORES WILL NOT BE POSTED ON D2L. YOU CAN KEEP TRACK OF HOW
YOU ARE DOING IN THE LAB BY CALCULATING THE PERCENT SCORE FOR EACH QUIZ.
COURSE GRADE: I will calculate your final grade by dividing the total number of points you earn over the
semester by the total number of points possible on the exams and from lab which will yield an overall
percentage. This percentage will be converted into a letter grade using the scale below:
GRADING SCALE: (Note: I reserve the right to lower the scale slightly if class performance warrants such
a change. I will never raise the scale.)
92-100 % = A
90-91% = A88-89% = B+
82-87% = B80-81% = B78-79% = C+
72-77% =C
70-71% =C68-69%=D+
62-67%=D
60-61%=D<60% = F
SOME THOUGHTS ON HOW HUMANS LEARN
Human learning comes by using all senses. Classroom learning occurs by harnessing the senses of
vision, hearing and touch (hand movements).
Human learning is improved by hand movements, so take notes throughout lecture. Develop a personal
"shorthand" so that you can write faster (somewhat like the special language of text messaging). Examples:
fxn (instead of function), rxn (instead of reaction), fdbk (instead of feedback). I too use such abbreviations
as you will see when I lecture. I will tell you what my abbreviations means the first time I use one, or ask if
you do not understand an abbreviation. .
To tap into the natural human visual learning style, copy over your notes and then convert these notes
from words and phrases to flow charts and sketches whenever possible. Integrate and flesh out the material
in your notes with details from the text.
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To tap into the natural human auditory learning style, read your notes aloud to yourself or – best of all –
work with a study partner or two, to give yourselves rehearsal verbalizing and explaining these concepts.
Ask and answer each other questions. You may record my lectures if you like.
SOME STUDY TIPS
Expect to spend 2-3 hours of focused study for each hour in lecture (as you would be any college level
course). However do not study in a long block of time. 20-30 minutes is about maximum for efficient studying
before you need a “7th inning stretch”.
Bring you text book to lecture so that you can follow figures that are projected on the screen and even
make notes on the figures or in the page margins.
Bring your text book to lab. Figures from the text are often shown in lab.
USE WRITTEN REHEARSAL TO STUDY. To do this – within 24 hours of each lecture re-write your
lecture notes because they used shorthand that you might easily forget. Then, later look over these notes, cover
them up and write out what you remember. Also, look over the relevant sections in the text and write out what
you remember. Then go back and see what you did not remember and fill that into your outline or flow chart.
Make a list of questions that you have and mark parts of your lecture notes or the text that you find
confusing. Come to office hours and get these clarified and/or ask questions in class.
STUDY WITH A STUDY PARTNER OR IN GROUPS. Ask each other questions. If you can discuss
something verbally you most likely truly know the topic
TAKING EXAMS - Take your time. Read questions carefully. On Multiple Choice questions, cover
up the answers and come up with the answer your self. Then look for this answer, from among those given,
that matches your idea. If you do not know the answer, skip the question, move on, and return to that
question(s) at the end of the test.
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