Bio. 105 BIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS: UNITY - SPRING 2010
SECTION E09C
LECTURER: Dr. Margaret Beard
OFFICE: Halsey 161
PHONE: 424-7089
OFFICE HOURS: MW (immediately after class until 10:30
E-MAIL: beard@uwosh.edu
LECTURE HOUR: MWF 8-9AM Halsey 106
LABORATORY SESSIONS MEET ONCE PER WEEK for 2 hours. You MUST attend the
laboratory section that corresponds to your lecture section. See the Lab Make-Up Policy.
LECTURE TEXT:
Campbell, Reece, Taylor and Simon (2009 edition) Biology: Concepts and Connections, 6th
edition, custom version for University of Wisconsin, Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. Note: Your book is
invaluable....USE IT! Read over the assignments before coming to class; then re-read those
assignments after lecture; make margin notes in the text; study the figures closely....THEY ARE
IMPORTANT. I will be referring to figures and concepts as presented in the 2009 edition of the
lecture text. If you have an older edition, it will be sufficient, but figure numbers may not correspond,
you will not have access to web study aids, and you will be responsible for any material not found in
this earlier edition that is found in the current edition.
LABORATORY TEXT: Bio-105 Concepts in Biology: Unity, Laboratory Manual. (as revised 2009).
Buy a three-ring binder in which to keep this manual. Bring, a 6 inch ruler and a calculator to each lab.
SUPPLEMENTARY INSTRUCTION (SI): Student led study groups meet several times a week to help
you learn the material. Your SI leader, Josh McQuillan -( mcquij97@uwosh.edu) – is a former
student in a Bio 105 session that I taught, has been the SI leader for the Bio 105 sections that I have
been teaching for 3 years and knows what I expect from you as well as I. GO TO THE SI
SESSIONS CONSISTENTLY. THEY WILL HELP YOU
ATTENDANCE POLICY.
LECTURE I do not take role in lecture; role is taken in laboratory. (In the laboratory attendance and
engagement in the exercise are part of your grade). Attending lecture and developing good note taking skills
will increase your ability to do well in this and other college courses will and does increase. . I DO NOT
repeat my lectures, nor do I publish my lecture notes or podcast my lectures. So – The only way you will
know exactly what I said is to attend lecture and take notes!!1
QUIZZES I do give quizzes in lecture that can be answered easily if you attend class, listen and learn. Some
quizzes may be announced; others will not. So you should expect a quiz on any lecture day. The scores
of the
quizzes (1-4pts, each) added to your final class average score (e.g. if you score 4pts on every
quiz and if you take every quiz then a class average of 89…an AB…will increase to 93…an A)! So come to
lecture and take quizzes for they can increase your grade. Quizzes may not be made-up.
LABORATORY – Nearly 1000 students are enrolled in Biology 105 this fall. Lab exercises are set up over
the weekend and run from 8:00 a.m. Monday to 5:00 p.m. Friday the following week after which the rooms are
cleaned out and the lab exercise for the following week is set up. Therefore, if a student misses a lab, there is no
possibility of making it up the next week. No laboratory may be made-up after the week in which it is
scheduled. (See Lab Make-up Policy)
Role is taken in each laboratory session. Your active participation in each lab exercise counts toward your grade.
So – attend your labs and be an active learner. However -----. If -- and I stress IF -- it is not possible to attend
your
regularly scheduled laboratory, you may be able to attend an alternate lab section in that same week. If
you do not do this, you will receive a score of zero for that day’s work.
Lab Make-Up Policy - To attend an alternate laboratory section you must:
1. Notify the instructor of the lab section you will miss BEFORE you miss the lab. Failure to do this will result
in a 10-point deduction in your lab grade, AND make you ineligible to earn any quiz, worksheet or lab report
points
available for that day.
2.
Choose which alternative lab section you wish to attend. The lab schedules and instructor contact
information are posted outside the laboratory room, Halsey 201
3.
Contact the instructor of the alternative lab section you wish to attend and ask permission to join that
alternative lab. While we will do everything we can to accommodate students' needs, instructors are under no
obligation to grant you permission to join his/her lab.
4.
Each student is allowed ONE lab swap a semester. Any more than that and you need to talk to your lecture
instructor.
5. If possible the alternative lab section you choose should be one taught by your regular lab section
instructor.
6. LET YOUR REGULAR INSTRUCTOR KNOW OF THE SWAP
EXAMS:
There will be three lecture exams, two laboratory exams and one comprehensive final exam (covering both
lecture and laboratory concepts).
All lecture exams will cover material from lecture and the text readings. Because material introduced
later in the course builds upon the topics presented before, up to 10% of the later exams may refer to
earlier material.
All laboratory exams will cover material presented in the laboratory. Since the laboratory exercises
illustrate the principles and concepts presented in lecture, lab exams may include material from the
portions of the text indicated on the Laboratory Schedule.
All exams will be given in the lecture hall on the day indicated in the schedule below.
All exams will be multiple choice.
you
If you miss an exam for a medical, personal or simply accidental reason, you will receive a score of zero unless
take the comprehensive make-up exam at the end
of the semester
SPECIAL NOTE TO ATHLETES OR OTHERS WHO WILL MISS AN EXAM FOR ACADEMIC
REASONS.
Students who must miss an exam due to a conflicting out of town athletic university sponsored
event must supply me with an official statement of the event or a letter from the coach or advisor. You MUST
notify me at least one week before the exam in order to make special arrangements.
MAKE-UP EXAM: This will be a comprehensive exam and is only for student who have missed a regular
lab
or lecture exam!!! Only ONE exam will be given.. Because this exam will test material from all parts,
lecture and
laboratory, of the semester, it will cover a great deal of information , The make-up exam can
not be used to substitute for a low score on another exam.
EXAM REGRADE POLICY:
have
test
Grading errors on exams do occur. These may be as simple as an addition
error; or more encompassing, such as my misinterpretation of your understanding of the question or your use of a
source different from the text or other assigned reading with information different from the expected answer to a
question. In either case I will ONLY accept requests for re-grades when submitted in writing after you
compared your exam to the key posted outside my office and within 48 hours of your having received the
back. In your written request you MUST JUSTIFY WHY you believe that your answer is correct – i.e. provide
the outside source, explain your logic, etc. Note: if the request is for a simply addition error, this needs no
justification. I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REGRADE THE ENTIRE EXAM, NOT ONLY THE
QUESTION(S) AT ISSUE.
HINTS for STUDYING FOR EXAMS –
Discuss the bold face words and the topic headings of your text by asking yourself questions such as – What does
the word or topic mean in biology; When is the word or topic important or how is it used or does it function.
Use the chapter reviews at the end of each chapter in your text – discuss and answer all parts.
Study and be able to discuss the study/thought questions interspersed through each chapter
Use the CD and the web site (former students say that these are especially helpful)
Study with a study partner or a study group. Talk about the topics and about what is presented in lecture. If you
can teach a concept, teach the meaning of a phrase or word to someone else then you understand the topic. .
Study the key word list and study question concept guide posted on D2L prior to all exams.
Look at the sample exam questions that are posted on D2L to acquaint you with the style of questions asked on
exams. Yes, you can use the questions on this exam as additional study questions. However, there is no assurance that
these questions will appear verbatim on any exam.
GRADES: Exam Scores will be posted on D2L sometime within a week after the exam date.
Your quiz and laboratory
grades will not be posted.
FINAL GRADES:
65% of your grade will be based on performance in lecture, 35% will be based on performance
in the laboratory.
Lecture grade: Your lecture grade will be based on scores from the three unit lecture exams (45% of overall
course grade) and the comprehensive final exam (25% of the overall course grade). Quiz scores will be treated as
extra credit and added to your overall course grade. .
Laboratory grade: Your laboratory grade will be based on scores from the two in-class laboratory exams. (25% of
your overall course grade) and on the grade assigned by your laboratory instructor (10% your overall course grade)
based on assignments (work sheets, lab reports, lab quizzes) given by your laboratory instructor.
COURSE GRADING SCALE:
93-100% = A; 90-92% = A-; 87-89% = B+; 83-86% = B; 80-82% = B-; 77-79%
= C+; 73-76% = C; 70-72% = C-; 67-69% = D+; 63-66% = D; 60-62% = D-; below 60% = F. I reserve the right to
lower the scale slightly if class performance warrants such a change.
CHEATING POLICY:
Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated. It will result in an F grade in the class and
possible expulsion from the University.
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.
OVERALL COURSE DESCRIPTION
Biology 105 is the introductory course for all Biology courses on this campus. It serves as a general education course
for many students, the start of a biology major for others, or the first step towards the nursing or other health
professions program for some. It is assumed you are entering this course with no in depth background in, although a
general familiarity of, Biology gleaned by simply living in the natural world that surrounds us (ecosystems) to
reading the newspapers and listening to television report.
In this introductory course we will examine characteristics, both structural and functional, that are shared by all living
organisms. Thus the bulk of the course is an introductory cell biology course. We begin by studying basic chemistry,
then move on to biological molecules and how they interact, then onto cells and cell structure, how cells make and
use energy, how they reproduce, and finally how cells and organisms evolve.
Throughout the course abstract ideas and concepts will be tied into real life examples about how Biology relates to
your everyday life (and it really, really does). I hope you leave the course with a better understanding of basic
biology that enables you to make informed decisions about your life, about current political and social issues such as
genetically modified organisms and stem cell research, drug interactions, effects of pesticides and other
environmental pollutants (e.g.heavy metals), among others.
TENTATIVE LECTURE SCHEDULE: The topics and readings outlined below will all be discussed during the
course; however the exact timing may vary from that given in this schedule.
Week of Sept 8th
Sept 13th
Sept 20th
Sept 27th
Lecture Topics/Questions we are asking
Text Ref.
What is science? What is the scientific method? Are scientists the only people who
follow the scientific method...or do we all use it?
How and why life exists and functions and how all life forms are similar, means one
must understand a bit of chemistry....What molecules are used in living systems;
What are their properties; How is each molecule crucial to the existence of life?
How are the simplest forms of life different from and/or similar to each other?
What are the common components of individual cells? How have some of these
components been specialized for certain functions/roles - some cells sending
messages (neurons), some storing energy (liver and fat cells) and some lifting
weights (muscles)? What caused multi-cellular organisms to evolve? Is there
competition and/or cooperation between cells in multicellular cellular
organisms?
Chapter 1
2-3
4
Oct 7th
How are molecules and their forces harnessed to allow life to exist? How do cells
control what enters and leaves? What molecules control the metabolism and
behavior of cells?
Continued discussion of Chapter 5 - PLUS - How do cells generate electricity;
What signals muscles to contract....practical aspects of diffusion.
Review/Study Session for First Lecture Exam, Halsey 106
Oct 8th
FIRST LECTURE EXAM
Oct 11th
How do cells get energy (Part 1) –How is energy obtained from other molecules, i.e.
“food”, including food we eat? What makes oxygen such an important
molecule....from a molecular perspective? What is meant by RESPIRATION?
How do cells get energy (part 2) - How is energy from the sun harnessed? . What
is PHOTOSYNTHESIS Without this we would not exist !!!!!
6
Oct 25th
Nov 1st
Nov. 4th
The difference between replication (mitosis) and sex (meiosis
8
9
Nov. 5th
Second Lecture Exam
Nov. 8th
Nov 11th
What do genes actually encode? How is the DNA code of a gene converted to
something useful by the cell?
Review/Study Session for First Lab Exam, Halsey 106
Nov 12th
First Lab Exam
Oct 4th
Oct 18th
Nov. 15th
How are traits inherited? How can we calculate and predict patterns of inheritance
Review for Second Lecture Exam - Halsey 106
How do genes control cell behavior? How do they control development? How
scientists manipulate the process to genetically engineer animals and plants?
nd
Nov 22
"Natural Selection; survival of the fittest; how populations change. Why are
Thru Dec 8th.
animals like cheetahs almost identical...even at the genetic level? What makes
us think that evolution took place? Why are toads and frogs different?
5
5
Chaps 1-5
7
Chaps 6-9
10-11
Chaps 6-9
11-12
13-14 and
parts of
15-16
Dec 9th
Dec 10th
Dec 13th
Review/Study Session for Third Lecture Exam, in Halsey 106
THIRD LECTURE EXAM.
Chaps 10-16
MAKE-UP EXAM (comprehensive, covering both lecture and laboratory
topics. Try to avoid it.) NO REVIEW STUDY SESSION
Dec13th
Review/Study Session for Second Lab Exam – Halsey 106
Dec15th
Dec17th
SECOND LAB EXAM
COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM (Covers both lecture and lab;
Labs 8-11
No review/Study Session
HINTS FOR STUDYING BIO 105 – OR - THE ROAD TO AN “A”.
1. BE AN ACTIVE LEARNER.
ATTEND LECTURE and BRING YOUR TEXT WITH YOU. Use all of your senses(ears, eyes, tactile) to input
information into your brain - i.e. listen and distill information into notes (shorthand or text-message style); make margin
notes in your text and one the figures in your text as they are discussed via overheads and power-point. ASK AND
ANSWER QUESTIONS DURING LECTURE.
2. READ THE TEXT ASSIGNMENT BEFORE COMING TO CLASS TO FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH
THE TOPIC OF THE DAY. You will not learn the material with this first reading; you will however, recognize words
and ideas that I present in lecture.
3. FORM A STUDY GROUP – If you can explain a topic to someone else you truly know it.
4. DO NOT CRAM FOR AN EXAM THE NIGHT BEFORE THE EXAM.
LEARNING HAPPENS IN SMALL BITES. It is expected that for each hour in class (lecture) you will
spend 3 hours outside of class each week. So for Bio 105 that is 9 hours each week, rewriting your notes, making flash
cards, re-reading the text, using the interactive website that comes with a new text, quizzing members of a study group
about the bold face words and chapter topic headings.
(Note: In my experience as a teacher I find that most frequently students after an exam come and say – “but I know the
material”. And I am sure that this is true. However, the process of learning has two phases – the first being putting the
material into long term memory which requires repetition and rehearsal using all of our senses (hands, eyes, ears), i.e.
studying; and the second being getting the material back out – i.e. practicing answering questions, talking about the
material, making flow charts, flash cards from memory. So – form study groups, get into good study habits at the start!!).
5. COME TO OFFICE HOURS WITH QUESTIONS. As you re-write notes etc, flag topics that you do not
understand and ask me about them well in advance of an exam.
6. ATTEND THE SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION (SI) SESSIONS.
(NOTE: DATA SHOW THAT STUDENTS WHO REGULARLY ATTEND SI RAISE THEIR SCORES BY ½
GRADE)
What is SI?
Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a series of weekly review sessions for students taking historically
difficult courses. SI is provided for all students who want to improve their understanding of course material and
improve their grades.
Attendance at SI sessions is voluntary. For you the student, it’s a chance to get together with people in
your class to compare notes, to discuss important concepts, to develop strategies for studying the subject, and to
test yourselves before your professor does. At each session you will be guided through this material by your SI
leader, a competent student who has previously taken the course.
ADDENDA TO SYLLABUS – BIO 105 – SECTION E – Fall 2010
1. Polilcies Re: Phones/laptops:
Phones should be silenced and stowed upon entering the classroom. When they ring they are disruptive.
If you do need to be in phone contact (you have an ill child or something similar), your phone can be on vibrate;
you MUST sit where you can leave the room easily without disturbing other students.
Texting during class is prohibited.
Laptops are permitted at this time for note-taking, but if even one person uses a laptop for a purpose
other than directly related to class (playing a game, surfing the web, etc), laptops for ALL students will be
banned for the rest of the term.
2. All Exam Reviews will be held in Halsey 106 from 6-7pm. Come prepared with questions; You may
arrive at any time; and likewise leave at any time. These review/study sessions are entirely free-floating in
response to your questions. I do not come to regurgitate lecture material.
3. During all classes and especially during exams, backpacks should be placed under your seat. No backpacks
should be on the stairs (so that Josh and I can move up/down the stairs without the threat of tripping).
4. During exams all hats, and earbuds/ headphones, even if only playing whitenoise, MUST be removed.
Students have been known to whisper to a neighbor using a hat as a shield, and have definitions playing on
electronic devices. Either of these is cheating and might earn an “F” in the course.