COURSE SYLLABUS – APPROVED FORMAT
General Information
 Northern Arizona University- Yuma; Department of Arts and Sciences
 BSC 460L, Biochemistry Lab
 Fall or Spring
 3 - 6 hrs. Lab. 1-2 credit hours
 Dr. Francisco Villa
 Science and Research building, Office 112
 Office hours: Monday/Wednesday 8:00am to 9:00am and 4:00pm to 5:00pm
Course prerequisites
None
Course Corequisite
BSC 460
Course description:
Principles of biochemistry lab emphasizing biologically important compounds and their
functions and metabolism. Letter grade only.
Student Learning Expectations/Outcomes for this Course
Upon satisfactory completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Experimentally determine the pKa of an amino acid
2. Utilize several techniques to purify a protein from cellular extracts
3. Determine the kinetic parameters of enzymes
4. Develop a method to isolate and/or characterize a metabolite from a given organism
Course structure/approach:
The course may involve one or more of the following approaches: lecture and discussion;
application exercises; scheduled activities; case analysis; team projects; field trips, speakers with
relevant expertise, and/or other activities as appropriate to achieve learning outcomes.
Textbook and required materials: Student learning is facilitated with textbooks, readings,
audio-visual content, software, and/or other materials
Recommended optional materials/references (attach reading list): None
Revised 04/22/03
Course outline:
Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Basic techniques and safety requirements
Week 3: Water Chemistry
Week 4: pKa
Week 5: pKa
Week 6: pKa
Week 7: Protein Purification
Week 8: Protein Purification
Week 9: Protein Purification
Week 10: Protein Purification
Week 11: Enzyme Kinetics
Week 12: Enzyme Kinetics
Week 13: Enzyme Kinetics
Week 14: Isolation and chemical extraction of tissue
Week 15: Purification
Week 16: Identification of metabolite
Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes
 Methods of Assessment: In-class exams, lab reports, in-class activities, research paper,
and/or presentations.
 Timeline for Assessment: Over the course of the semester
Grading System:
Letter grades for the course will be determined based on the percentage of the total points as
follows:
90-100%
A Excellent
80-89%
B Good
70-79%
C Average
60-69%
D Lowest passing
<60%
F Failure
Course policy:
Retests/makeup tests:
No make-up exams or re-tests except for what the instructor may deem as extenuating
circumstances.
Attendance Policy:
Under NAU Policy, students are expected to attend every session of the class in which they are
enrolled.
Revised 04/22/03
Statement on plagiarism and cheating:
DON’T CHEAT!
Please refer to the NAU Student Handbook policy statement on Academic Integrity. Academic
honesty does not allow "plagiarism — knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as
one's own" (2005, Undergraduate General Academic and Graduation Policies).
If your instructor determines that you are guilty of plagiarism he deserves the right to give you a
zero on the alleged assignment up to failing the course in question. All incidents regardless will
be reported to the university.
University policies
Attach the Safe Working and Learning Environment, Students with Disabilities, Institutional
Review Board, and Academic Integrity policies or reference them on the syllabus. See the
following document for policy statements:
http://www4.nau.edu/avpaa/UCCPolicy/plcystmt.html.
Your instructor reserves the right to make any changes to the course policies, schedule, or any
other aspect of the class as he sees fit.
Revised 04/22/03