Salt Lake Community College - Biology Department
BIOL1035 (BS): Plant Biology Lab
Spring Semester 2014
Instructor: William Tanner
Office: Taylorsville/Redwood Campus - SI 329
Office Hours: MWF 1-1:50 TTh 9:30-10:20
E-mail: william.tanner@slcc.edu
Phone: 801-957-4792
Required Course Materials:
Stern and Bidlack - Laboratory Manual for Introductory Plant Biology. 13th edition
Course Description:
BIOL1035 (BS) Coreq: BIOL 1030. Important aspects of plant biology are illustrated. Lab activities include: plant
anatomy, physiology, life cycles, and a survey of the plant kingdom. One laboratory session per week.
General Education Statement:
This course fulfills the Biological Sciences requirement for the General Education Program at Salt Lake
Community College. It is designed not only to teach the information and skills required by the discipline, but also
to develop vital workplace skills and to teach strategies and skills that can be used for life-long learning. General
Education courses teach basic skills as well as broaden a student’s knowledge of a wide range of subjects.
Education is much more than the acquisition of facts; it is being able to use information in meaningful ways in
order to enrich one’s life. While the subject of each course is important and useful, we become truly educated
through making connections of such varied information with the different methods of organizing human
experience that are practiced by different disciplines. Therefore, this course, when combined with other General
Education courses, will enable you to develop broader perspectives and deeper understandings of your
community and the world, as well as challenge previously held assumptions about the world and its inhabitants.
ePortfolio Statement:
Each student in General Education courses at SLCC will maintain a General Education ePortfolio. Instructors in
every Gen Ed course will ask you to put at least one assignment from the course into your ePortfolio, and
accompany it with reflective writing. It is a requirement in this class for you to add to your ePortfolio. Your
ePortfolio will allow you to include your educational goals, describe your extracurricular activities, and post your
resume. When you finish your time at SLCC, your ePortfolio will then be a multi-media showcase of your
educational experience. For detailed information including a Student ePortfolio Handbook, video tutorials for
each ePortfolio platform, classes, locations and times of free workshops and other in-person help, visit
www.slcc.edu/gened/eportfolio.
COLLEGE-WIDE LEARNING OUTCOMES
The Core Themes of SLCC’s Mission focuses on Access and Success, Transfer Education, Workforce Education
and Community Engagement. As such, all courses and programs address one or more of the below CollegeWide Learning Outcomes. Upon successful completion of any program at SLCC, students should:





Acquire substantive knowledge in the discipline of their choice sufficient for further study, and/or
demonstrate competencies required by employers to be hired and succeed in the workplace.
Communicate effectively.
Develop quantitative literacies necessary for their chosen field of study.
Think Critically.
Develop the knowledge and skills to be civically engaged, and/or to work with others in a professional
and constructive manner.
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
In order to full-fill the goals of the College-wide Learning Outcomes, the following course learning outcomes
have been established for this course. Upon completion of this course a person educated in Plant Biology Lab
should be able to demonstrate a general understanding of the following essential learning outcomes:
Students will be introduced to and participate in hands-on activities that will assist them in understanding the
major unifying themes of biology. Specific topics will include:
 The principles and applications of the scientific method.
 Basic microscopy.
 The metric system.
 The chemical and physical nature of life and the applicability of physical laws.
 The inheritance and continuity of life (DNA, genetics and reproduction).
 The structure, function, and development at the molecular, cellular, and organismal levels.
 The patterns and processes of evolution and the resulting diversity of life.
 The interactions of organisms with each other and with their environment.
 The consequences of interactions between humans and the biosphere.
In addition to these unifying themes of biology, BIOL1035 laboratory activities will also assist in understanding
the following subject-specific themes of biology:
 Plant structure, function and the relationship between form and function
 Plant reproduction, growth and development
 Ecological interactions between plants and their environment
GENERAL POLICIES
Attendance: Attendance at the lab meeting is MANDATORY! If you do NOT attend lab the first week, YOU RISK
BEING DROPPED from the course by the end of the day on January 18. Attendance and participation in lab
activities is mandatory of all students. Read the lab exercise ahead of time so that you are prepared to use your
laboratory time efficiently. You should anticipate spending the entire lab period each week.
Americans with Disabilities Act: Students with medical, psychological, learning or other disabilities desiring
accommodations or services under ADA, must contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC). The DRC
determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of these accommodations and services for the college."
Please contact the DRC at the Student Center, Suite 244, Redwood Campus, 4600 So. Redwood Rd, 84123.
Phone: (801) 957-4659, TTY: 957-4646, Fax: 957- 4947 or by email: linda.bennett@slcc.edu"
Lab Safety: It is the responsibility of each student to help maintain the laboratory as a safe and high quality
learning environment. Please do your part by:






Do not bring food or drinks into the laboratory.
Keep bench tops clear of coats, backpacks, and materials that are not currently being used in lab.
Make sure that your lab workspace is clean at the beginning (before you start working) and end of the
lab period.
Wear practical clothing or a lab coat.
Care for laboratory equipment properly.
Use common sense!
Make-up Labs: The biology department generally does not have the capacity necessary to offer makeup labs
(although you should contact your lab instructor immediately to see if this is a possibility). One missed lab may
be “made up” by writing an additional lab report (by agreement with your instructor).
Incomplete Grade and Withdraw from Class: A grade of “I” (Incomplete) is the instructor’s option and is not
given except only in the most extenuating of circumstances for which there is verifiable written documentation.
In order to receive an incomplete, nearly all course work must have been completed (e.g. ~75%) with a passing
grade. Last day to withdraw from class with refund is February 3, without refund is March 24. It is the
responsibility of the student to drop/withdraw from this class, not the instructors.
Academic Dishonesty: Absolutely NOT tolerated and includes all forms of cheating and plagiarism as outlined in
the Student Code. Penalty for first offense will be a grade of “0” on the assignment or exam; second offense will
be an “E” for the course.
Electronic Devices: Cell Phones, pagers are to be turned off during class. Computers can be used for notetaking and course-related purposes ONLY but should not be used during class for working on other tasks (e.g.
answer emails, Facebook, other classes etc.). You will be asked to leave if your electronic device disrupts the
class in anyway. Cell phones MUST be turned completely OFF during quizzes and exams.
Classroom recordings: Students may not record or publish information from the class without written
authorization from the instructor. If used without authorization you have violated Privacy/Intellectual Property
Rights.
Student Code of Conduct: The student is expected to follow the SLCC Student Code of Conduct found at
http://www.slcc.edu/policies/docs/Student_Code_of_Conduct.pdf
Emergency Evacuation Procedures: we will leave the building immediately in case of an emergency. We will
follow school guidelines at: http://www.slcc.edu/emergency-prepare/emergency-procedures.aspx.
EVALUATION/GRADING
One hundred points are available in lab (as indicated below). The lab is therefore equivalent (in points) to one
lecture exam and constitutes 20% of your course grade. Information presented in lab may also be incorporated
into lecture exams and quizzes. Lab work will be evaluated on the basis of completion of:
1) Weekly lab exercises (4 Points each - 56 Points Possible)- Credit for lab work requires weekly completion of
pre-quizzes and work sheets from the laboratory manual (or other work sheets, as assigned). Please be sure to
have your lab manual with you each week! Lab work will vary from week to week according to the topic but may
include quantitative and qualitative analysis of experiments and/or observations. Be prepared to make
drawings and take notes during lab. Lab topics may be covered on lecture quizzes/exams.
2) Participation - Two points per week are available for participation (28 Points Possible).
3) Written report (16 Points Possible) - A paper on a botanical topic (to be agreed upon with your instructor).
The paper will be (a minimum of) 5 pages (typed, double spaced) and must have (at least) three current
references. Papers will be evaluated on the basis of organization, clarity/quality of writing, and content. Topics
should be selected by week 5. Reports are due week 15. You will post your lab paper to your e-portfolio as a
signature assignment for this class.
LAB SCHEDULE
Week
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Lab Exercise
1
8
2
3
-4
5
6
18
19
10
11
13, 16, 17
Title/Description
Introduction & Safety Rules and the Microscope
Cell Components and Products
The Cell
Mitosis (Topic for Writing Assignment Selected)
Cell Types and Tissues
Roots
Stems
Leaves
Service Project (weather permitting)
Flowers
Fruits
Photosynthesis
Water in Plants (& Respiration)
Plant Kingdom Survey (Lab Papers Due)