BIOLOGY 1202B – General Biology II – Winter 2020
1. General Course Information
Biology 1202B – General Biology II – Winter 2020
This course provides an understanding of fundamental biological concepts with emphasis on function
in and relevance to humans. Topics include molecular genetics, physiology, bioenergetics. This course
is not available to students enrolled in the Faculty of Science (students registered in the Faculty of
Science should select Biology 1002B).
Lectures:
Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:30–11:20 in Natural Sciences (NS) room 145
Skill Development:
Check the “Skill Development” tab on OWL to find out when your skill development sessions begin and
where they will be held. Some sections start on the 13th and some start on the 20th of January.
Prerequisites:
Grade 12U (SB14U) Biology or Grade 11U (SB13UA) Biology and permission of the Department.
Antirequisites:
Biology 1002B, Biology 1225.
Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to
enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision
may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped
from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
2. Instructional Team
Instructor
Name:
E-mail:
Office Location:
Office Hours*:
Dr. Jacqueline MacDonald
Use OWL messaging (“Instructor Role”)
North Campus Building, Room 301F
Wednesdays 1-2 & Fridays 11-12 in North Campus Building, Room 301L
Skill Development Coordinator / Laboratory Supervisor (for skill development questions)
Name:
E-mail:
Office Location:
Winona Gadapati
wgadapa2@uwo.ca
North Campus Building, Room 301K.
Administration (for course-related administrative questions)
Name:
E-mail:
Office Location:
Beata Malczewski
fybioadmin@uwo.ca
North Campus Building, Room 301.
Course Coordinator
Name:
Dr. Niki Sharan
3. Course Description/Syllabus
This course is designed for students outside the Faculty of Science and provides an understanding of
fundamental concepts in the field of biology. As Francis Crick said, “All aspects of life are engineered at
the molecular level, and without understanding molecules we can only have a sketchy understanding
of life itself”. Class time will include active learning exercises, which involve students in the learning
process more directly, and which has been proven to improve student outcomes. Topics include:
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Cell Structure
Light and Life
Energy and Thermodynamics
Enzymes
Membrane Biology
Photosynthesis
Cellular Respiration
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Organelle Genes
DNA Structure/Replication
Gene Regulation
Genetic Engineering
Epigenetics
Cancer Genetics
*See OWL for the Skill Development schedule
Textbook Date
Component
readings
Jan.6
Course introduction
#1: Cell structure and
2.1-2.3b,
Jan.8
Cell structure
membrane biology
2.3e,
Jan.12
Quiz 1 due (cycle 1)
4.1a,
Jan.13
Membrane biology
4.2-4.5
#2: Light, energy, and
1.1-1.3b,
Jan.15
Light and life
thermodynamics
3.1-3.4
Jan.19
Quiz 2 due (cycle 2)
Jan.20
Energy and thermodynamics
#3: Enzymes
3.5-3.6
Jan.22
Enzymes I
Jan.26
Quiz 3 due (cycle 3)
Jan.27
Enzymes II
#4: Photosynthesis
6.1-6.5c
Jan.29
Photosynthesis I
Feb.2
Quiz 4 due (cycle 4)
Feb.3
Photosynthesis II
#5: Exercises and
Feb.5
Exercises and applications of concepts I
applications of concepts I
Feb.8, Sat.
Term Test I, 2:00-4:00 pm
#6: Cellular respiration
5.1-5.5
Feb.10
Cellular respiration I
Feb.11
Quiz 5 due (cycle 6)
Feb.12
Cellular respiration II
Reading Week Feb.15-23
Feb.24
Cellular respiration III
#7: DNA
11.2-11.3 Feb.25
Quiz 6 due (cycle 7)
structure/replication and
Feb.26
DNA structure/replication, organelle genes,
organelle genes
and lateral gene transfer
#8: Transcription and
12.1b-12.4 Mar.2
Transcription and translation I
translation
Mar.3
Quiz 7 due (cycle 8)
Mar.4
Transcription and translation II
#9: Exercises and
Mar.9
Exercises and applications of concepts II
applications of concepts II
Mar.14, Sat. Term Test II, 6:00-8:00 pm
#10: Control of gene
13.1Mar.11
Control of gene expression I
expression
13.2b,
Mar.17
Quiz 8 due (cycle 10)
13.3a
Mar.16
Control of gene expression II
#11: DNA technologies
14.1
Mar.18
DNA technologies I
Mar.22
Quiz 9 due (cycle 11)
Mar.23
DNA technologies II
#12: Epigenetics
13.2c-d
Mar.25
Epigenetics
#13: Cancer biology
13.4
Mar.30
Cancer biology I
Mar.31
Quiz 10 due (cycles 12 & 13)
Apr.1
Cancer biology II
TBA in Apr. Final exam
4. Course Materials
Required:
Biology: Exploring the diversity of life. 4th Canadian Edition. This is the same textbook that was used
for Biology 1201A in Fall 2019. See the Textbook tab on OWL for further information.
Lab safety glasses and a lab coat for Skills Development sessions. These are available at the bookstore.
Internet connection and access to OWL. All course information will be on the course OWL site:
https://owl.uwo.ca/portal . Students are responsible for checking OWL on a regular basis. Make sure to
check the ‘announcements’ tab and ‘messages’ tab regularly so that you don’t miss important
messages that can affect your grade. You will take your quizzes using OWL so please make sure you
have a good internet connection.
iClicker Cloud. Free for Western students. Download to your laptop or phone. See
https://presswestern.uwo.ca/students_and_audience/index.html
Optional:
Mindtap. The current e-book version of the course textbook is available through MindTap, which also
has resources that may help you with your studies. A MindTap Access code is available for purchase
from the campus bookstore. If you have already purchased a code, the 2 year subscription is usable for
both 1201A and 1202B terms. It is NOT mandatory to have access to MindTap in this course if you have
a hard copy of the textbook.
5. Methods of Evaluation
All components are mandatory.
Skill Development – 25%
See OWL to find out which week you start. Information about room numbers will also be on OWL.
Students who are repeating Biology 1202B but who passed the skill development portion of the course
can transfer their previous Skill Development mark to this course and are not required to take the Skill
Development portion of the course. If you are repeating the course please see Beata in NCB 301 and
sign an exemption form (you may also receive some freebies after signing the exempt form).
Independent Study Quizzes – 10%
10 quizzes, each worth 1% of the overall grade. Each quiz consists of 5 equally-weighed multiple choice
questions. Each quiz will cover material from only one or two cycles and will open prior to the start of
the relevant cycle(s). Quizzes are based on mandatory assigned textbook readings that you will do prior
to the beginning of a cycle in order to come to class prepared. Go to “Class Cycles and Lectures”, read
the “In Advance Preparation” section to view the mandatory textbook readings for each cycle, and see
the “Tests & Quizzes” tab on OWL. You are responsible for submitting the quizzes on OWL before the
deadlines. The computer system will not accept your quiz after the deadline. You will have a fixed
amount of time to complete the quiz. Make sure you are ready to begin the quiz before you hit the
“Begin Assessment” (ie, make sure you have a good internet connection and confident to take the
quiz). Once you start, you will not be able to stop and restart the quiz. For every student, 1 mark (1 out
of 10) will be added to your quiz mark in order to accommodate for missed quizzes (due to illness,
travel etc), technical difficulties, misunderstandings, wrong answers to questions etc. Although 1 mark
is given to all students, a student can only receive a maximum of 10/10 on the quizzes component of
the course. Due to the generosity of the 1 mark on the quizzes, late submissions will be not be
accepted. Make-up quizzes will not be provided.
Tests & Exam – 65%
All Term Tests and the Final Exam are cumulative and feature both an individual and a collaborative
group component. Alternative weighting will transfer some weight from the Term Tests to the final
exam if this results in a higher course grade. See “Alternative Marking Scheme” below.
The ‘two-stage’ tests involve an individual stage in which the student independently completes an
exam composed of only multiple-choice questions. Then, immediately following the individual stage,
students collaboratively redo a subset of the individual exam questions with a small group of peers.
The groups will be assigned (the same groups as for the Skill Development sessions), you cannot
choose your group. Each student’s total grade (/100%) on the test will be calculated as 90% individual
score and 10% group score. However, if an individual scores higher on the individual stage of the test
than the group stage, then their total test grade will be kept at 100% of their individual score (the
reverse, however, will not occur; i.e. no individual student’s final test grade will reflect 100% of the
group mark). Details and practice questions will be posted on “Term Test I” and “Term Test II” tabs on
OWL. Make sure to do these questions so that you are better prepared for the Tests. The level of
difficulty of the questions on the Term Tests will be similar to that of the practice questions.
The Final Exam is a cumulative 3-hour two-stage exam. The Final Exam will consist of multiple choice
questions plus several short answer questions, and will follow the same two-stage format as described
above for the two- stage Tests. The exam will be held during the April exam period and will be
scheduled by the Registrar’s Office. DO NOT go to the room number assigned by the registrar. Go to
the Final Exam Tab on OWL to view your room number for the final exam. Do not book travel during
this time period until the exam schedule is finalized in late March. More details on the coverage,
structure, and location of the Final Exam will be posted on the “Final Exam” tab on OWL prior to the
Final Exam.
Students should expect the tests and final exam to include questions derived from content discussed or
taught during lectures, skill development sessions, assigned readings/ independent study tasks, and
any assigned material posted by the Instructor to the course website.
Electronic devices including calculators, phones, and other similar technology are not permitted during
tests and exams. Tests and exams are subject to submission for similarity review by software that will
check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating. It is Faculty of Science
policy that a student who chooses to write a test or exam deems themselves fit enough to do so, and
the student must accept the mark obtained. Claims of medical, physical, or emotional distress after the
fact will not be considered.
Term Test I – 5 to 15%
Multiple choice questions. Date in February, TBA. Time and location will be posted to the
“Term Test I” tab on OWL.
Term Test II – 10 to 25%
Multiple choice questions. Date in March, TBA. Time and location will be posted to the “Term
Test I” tab on OWL.
Final Exam – 30 to 50%
Multiple choice and short answer questions. To be held during the final exam period, between
April 6 and April 26, 2020. Do not book travel during the exam period.
Alternative Marking Schemes
Standard (%): Initial distribution of weight across the components.
Feb Low (FL): 10% of the Feb Term Test is distributed evenly towards March Term Test and Final Exam.
Mar Low (ML): 10% of the March Term Test is moved to the Final Exam weight.
Both Low (BL): 10% of Feb Test and 10% of March Test is moved to the Final Exam weight.
Feb Miss (FM): 15% of the Feb Test is moved to the Final Exam weight.
Mar Miss (MM): 20% of the March Test is moved to the Final Exam weight.
IMPORTANT: Missing the Tests and Final Exam are NOT optional. Accommodations (ie, redistribution of
marks) will only be granted if you have proper documentation from the Dean’s office. In the event that
you miss the Term Test entirely, your final course grade calculation will begin with the appropriate
distribution in the Miss columns and then take into account the appropriate consideration for low
performance as described above.
6. Accommodation and Accessibility
If you are unable to meet a course requirement due to illness or other serious circumstances, you must
seek approval for the absence as soon as possible. Approval can be granted either through a selfreporting of absence or via the Dean’s Office/Academic Counselling unit of your Home Faculty.
It is Faculty of Science policy that a student who chooses to write a test or exam deems themselves fit
enough to do so, and the student must accept the mark obtained. Claims of medical, physical, or
emotional distress after the fact will not be considered.
For further information, please consult the university’s policy on academic consideration for student
absences:
https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.
pdf.
If you miss the Final Exam, please contact your faculty’s Academic Counselling Office as soon as you are
able to do so. They will assess your eligibility to write the Special Exam (the name given by the
university to a makeup Final Exam).
You may also be eligible to write the Special Exam if you are in a “Multiple Exam Situation” (see
http://www.registrar.uwo.ca/examinations/exam_schedule.html).
7. Academic Policies
The website for Registrarial Services is http://www.registrar.uwo.ca.
In accordance with policy, http://www.uwo.ca/its/identity/activatenonstudent.html,
the centrally administered e-mail account provided to students will be considered the individual’s
official university e-mail address. It is the responsibility of the account holder to ensure that e-mail
received from the University at his/her official university address is attended to in a timely manner.
Electronic devices including calculators, phones, and other similar technology are not permitted during
tests and exams. This means that phones, iPods, and other similar technology cannot be used as a
timekeeper/ clock, or for any other purpose.
Scholastic offences are taken seriously and students are directed to read the appropriate policy,
specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following Web site:
http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf.
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and exams may be subject to submission for similarity review
by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
8. Support Services
Learning-skills counsellors at the Student Development Centre (http://www.sdc.uwo.ca) are ready to
help you improve your learning skills. They offer presentations on strategies for improving time
management, multiple-choice exam preparation/writing, textbook reading, and more. Individual
support is offered throughout the Fall/Winter terms in the drop-in Learning Help Centre, and yearround through individual counselling.
Please contact the course instructor if you require lecture or printed material in an alternate format or
if any other arrangements can make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact
Student Accessibility Services (SAS) at 661-2147 if you have any questions regarding accommodations.
The policy on Accommodation for Students with Disabilities can be found here:
https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic%20Accommodation_disabiliti
es.pdf
The policy on Accommodation for Religious Holidays can be found here:
http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/accommodation_religious.pdf
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western
(http://www.health.uwo.ca/mental_health) for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
Additional student-run support services are offered by the USC, http://westernusc.ca/services.