Heartland Community College
Math/Science Division
Student Syllabus for BIOL 114-01
Contemporary Biology
Summer 2010
Meeting Times:
BIOL 114-01: M, T, W, R, 6:00 – 08:20 pm [ICB 1405]
Catalog Description:
An introduction to biological principles including organization, function, heredity,
evolution, and ecology, with emphasis on the importance of biology to the individual and
society. The laboratory component will emphasize scientific inquiry and use of
knowledge in problem solving. This course is not intended for students planning a
science major, nor will it fulfill the prerequisite for BIOL 181 or BIOL 191. Students will
not receive science credit toward their graduation requirements for both BIOL 114 and
BIOL 161.
Instructor Information:
Kevin Bossingham
Adjunct Faculty, Department of Biology
E-mail: Kevin.Bossingham@heartland.edu
Office Hours: By Appointment
myHeartland information:
To access WebCT, IRIS, your Heartland student e-mail, the library, or class
cancellations, you will need to log into myHeartland, at https://my.heartland.edu
If you are logging in for the first time, use Password Station to create password and
change your security questions after creating password.
Important: If you choose to e-mail me, I will only read and respond to your e-mail if
your e-mail extension is my.heartland.edu. Also, I am able to e-mail the entire class
through myHeartland if I forgot to tell you something in class or if I would miss class a
certain day.
Required Materials:
Starr, C., et al. Biology: Today and Tomorrow With Physiology. Third Edition. Belmont,
CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, 2010, 20007.
Jongky, T., and E. Wallace. BIOL 114 Laboratory Manual.
Relationship to Academic Development Programs and Transfer:
This course counts as a four-credit lab science course for partial completion of the IAI
(Illinois Articulation Initiative) requirements for either the A.A. or A.S. Degree.
However, it may not count toward a biology major.
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Course Learning Goals:
By the end of this course, the student will be able to:
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determine how scientific method is used to solve everyday problems as well
as scientific research problems.
differentiate between the importance of mitosis and meiosis.
solve genetic problems.
identify DNA structure and function.
differentiate how major body systems work, including reproductive,
circulatory, digestive, nervous, and respiratory.
describe biodiversity, including bacteria, fungi, protests, animals, and plants.
differentiate between mechanisms of microevolution and macroevolution.
relate how all living things are interconnected with each other.
apply all information learned to medical, environmental, or bioethical issues.
apply research skills and data collection techniques to complete laboratory
exercises.
use a computer to access information and to analyze date gathered during lab.
criticize scientific articles and news for content and scientific validity.
formulate a hypothesis, devise a procedure, test the hypothesis, record results,
and draw conclusions in lab.
improve communication skills.
Method of Evaluation:
Final grade will be bases on the following requirements:
Classroom Components
Chapter Quizzes
Tests and cumulative final
Poster Presentations
In-class activities
News journal
80% of final grade
Total final
grade %
Final grade
Lab Components
Labs are in lab manual
20% of final grade
90+
80+
70+
60+
<60
A
B
C
D
F
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Make-up policies
1.
If you miss a chapter quiz, you should contact the instructor (me) and
schedule a time to take the quiz. The make-up quiz has to occur before the
next class session that the student attends. There is a 2 pt deduction for each
make-up quiz, with a maximum of 2 make-ups.
2.
NO make-ups for in-class activities and tests.
3.
NO make-ups for labs
4.
Students usually complete labs during class. If you need to finish lab outside
of class, it must be turned in before 06:05 pm the next class period you attend.
You must be present for lab in order to complete and turn in the lab.
5.
Biological news journals are due each Tuesday & Thursday before 06:05 pm.
6.
If a student does not take the final exam, he/she will get an F for the class.
BIOL 114 News Journal
Objectives:
1.
The student keeps updated on current biology-related news.
2.
The student notices how many different disciplines are interwoven in the news
and everyday life.
3.
The student finds connections between news items and class concepts.
4.
The instructor keeps up with the news as well!
Criteria:
1.
News must be current, written in May 2010 onward.
2.
News must have biological content.
3.
Location of news will depend on the student. The following are examples; a
news show on TV, a newspaper, a magazine, or the internet.
4.
Journal due each Tuesday & Thursday before 06:05 pm.
5.
Type two paragraphs about the news item. You must include the SOURCE
and DATE of the news.
6.
Put all news items in a folder. Items not in folder will not be accepted.
7.
Keep all news items (new and old) in your folder throughout the semester.
8.
No more than 2 news items can be accepted each Tuesday & Thursday.
9.
Each news item is worth 2 pts, for a maximum of 8 pts per week. Turn in
enough news items to total 30 pts for the semester. The journal is worth 30
total pts.
10.
If you present your news to the class, you can receive 1 extra credit point.
You can get a maximum of 3 extra credit points.
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Incomplete Grade
An Incomplete grade may be justified to a student if the student encounters extreme
circumstances (e.g., serious illness, accident, death or serious illness in the immediate
family) toward the end of the semester and is unable to complete the semester. The
student must be in a position to pass the class if the Incomplete grade is given. The
student must sign a form requiring him/her to finish the class by next semester.
Notice of Cancelled Class Sessions:
Cancelled class sessions, for all HCC classes, will be listed under Cancelled Class
Meetings on the opening page of the My Heartland portal. Log into My Heartland using
your Heartland username and ID number to learn what classes have been cancelled for
that day and the upcoming week. Be sure to check the last column, which might contain
message from the instructor.
Required Writing and Reading
Students must read the assignments before class to prepare for the classroom activities
that will be taking place. The students will write about biological news and answer
questions on labs/tests.
Academic Integrity
Plagiarism is the presenting of others’ ideas as if they were your own. When you write a
paper, create a project, do a presentation or create anything original, it is assumed that all
the work, except for that which is attributed to another author or creator, is your own.
Plagiarism is considered a serious academic offense and may take the following forms:
Copying word-for-word from another source and not giving that source credit.
Paraphrasing the work of another and not giving that source credit.
Adopting a particularly apt phrase as your own.
Using an image or a copy of an image without crediting its source.
Paraphrasing someone else’s line of thinking in the development of a topic as if it
were your own.
Receiving excessive help from a friend or elsewhere, or using another project as
if it were your own.
[Adapted from the Modern Language Association’s MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers. New York: MLA, 1995: 26]
Note that word-for-word copying is not the only form of plagiarism. The penalties for
plagiarism may be severe, ranging from failure on the particular piece of work, failure in
the course or expulsion from school in extreme cases.
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Academic Support Center Services
http://www.heartland.edu/asc/
1.
Library
The Library, located in the Student Commons Building at the Raab Road campus,
provides Heartland students with a full range of resources including books, online
journal databases, videos, newspapers, periodicals, reserves, and interlibrary loan.
Librarians are available to assist in locating information.
For more information please call the Library (309) 268-8200 or (309) 268-8292.
http://www.heartland.edu/library/
2.
Tutoring Services
Heartland Community College offers tutoring in various forms at no cost to
Heartland students at the Tutoring and Testing Center in Normal and at the
Pontiac and Lincoln Centers. Tutors are available at convenient times
throughout the week. Study groups are also available by request. For more
information about services available at each location, please call the Tutoring
and Testing Center in Normal at (309) 268-8231, the Pontiac Center at (815)
842-6777, or the Lincoln Center (217) 735-1731.
http://www.heartland.edu/tutoring/
3.
Testing Services
The Tutoring and Testing Center provides a secure testing environment for students
who are enrolled in online, hybrid, and other distance learning courses; have a
documented disability; or need to take a make-up exam. Testing accommodations for
students having documented disabilities must be arranged by the student through the
Office of Disability Services, and Testing Services will only administer make-up
exams at the request of the instructor. Contact Testing Services at (309) 268-8231 for
more information.
http://www.heartland.edu/testing/
4.
Open Computing Lab
The Open Computing Lab provides free computing for HCC students at convenient
times throughout the week. The computer lab is staffed by trained Lab Assistants and
offers the use of approximately 70 computers, a scanner, a laser printer, and an
electric typewriter.
http://www.heartland.edu/computerLab/
Documented disability
If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss academic accommodations,
please contact Anita Moore at 268-8249 or anita.moore@heartland.edu
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Date
Assignment
Points
6
Total
Tentative Class Schedule, Summer 2010, Biology 114-01
T 6/1 Introduction/Syllabus/Overview of Course
W 6/2 Scientific Method (1.5-1.7)/Lab 1
R 6/3 Finish Topic from chapter 1 (1.1-1.4)/Simpson’s Handout
M 6/7 Molecules of Life (2.7-2.10)/Lab 2
T 6/8 Quiz 1/The Cell – types, differences (3.1-3.5, 3.7)/Lab 3
W 6/9 Cell Structure/organelles (3.6)/Lab 4
R 6/10 Cell division/cell cycle/mitosis (8.1-8.5)
M 6/14 Test 1
T 6/15 Meiosis (8.6-8.9)/Lab 5
W 6/16Quiz 2/Reproductive system (chapter 26)
R 6/17 Video: Life’s Greatest Miracle/Lab 6
M 6/21 DNA and RNA structure (chapter 6)/Lab 8
T 6/22 Quiz 3/Protein Synthesis (chapter 7)/Lab9
W 6/23Mendelian Genetics (chapter 9)
R 6/24 Sex-linked/sex-influenced traits/Lab 7
M 6/28 Test 2
T 6/29 Skeletal System (chapter 20)/Lab 10
W 6/30Poster Presentations on Genetic Disorders
R 7/1 Circulatory System (chapter 21)/Lab 11
M 7/5 Quiz 4/Respiratory System (chapter 21)
T 7/6 Nutrition and Digestive System (chapter 23)/Lab 13
W 7/7 Test 3
R 7/8 Nervous System (chapter 24
M 7/12 Immune System (chapter 22)/Lab 14
T 7/13 Video: Voyage to the Galapagos
W 7/14Natural Selection/Evolution (chapter 11)/Lab 15
R 7/15 Quiz 5/Protists/Bacteria/Fungi (13.4,13.5,14.8-14.9)/Lab 18
M 7/19 Community Structure and Biodiversity (chapter 17)/Start lab 17
T 7/20 Population Ecology (chapter 16)
W 7/21 Test 4/Finish lab 17
R 7/22 Go over Test 4/Review
M 7/26 Final Exam
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