Instructor: Mary Durant Phone: 281-618-5770
Office: Winship 208F e-mail: mary.durant@nhmccd.edu
Office Hours: 3:45 - 4:45 (M, T, W, Th)
Students with disabilities who wish to request accommodations in this class, must notify the Disability Services Office as soon as possible so that the appropriate arrangements may be made. Students requesting accommodations must provide documentation of his/her disability to a Disability Services counselor. For more information, call or visit the Disability Services Office at A 104, (281)618-5481.
I. CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION
Prerequisite: Biology 1406 (Biology I) or equivalent
This course, a continuation of Biology I, includes a phylogenetic treatment of the 6 kingdoms, a comparative systems approach, behavior of living organisms and the ecology of living systems.
Credit: 4 semester hours
II.
COURSE OUTCOMES:
A. Describe characteristics of each of the major kingdoms and phyla within these kingdoms, including basis for classification, structural and physiological adaptations, evolutionary history, and ecological significance.
B. Analyze the inter-relationship between organisms from the molecular through ecosystem levels of biological organization.
C. Evaluate the strength of phylogenetic relationships among organisms, and be able to distinguish among the various kinds of supportive data (i.e., fossil, developmental, structural, physiological and biochemical).
D. Illustrate the relationship between major geologic change and evolutionary trends.
E. Analyze the different sexual and asexual life cycles noting their adaptive advantages.
F. Compare and contrast life processes from the unicellular organism through the complex systems of a multicellular organism.
III. PURPOSE
This course is the second half of a two semester sequence which will satisfy natural science requirements for majors in most fields. It will also satisfy the freshman biology requirements for biology majors, pre-professional fields and other allied health sciences.
IV. HONORS BIOLOGY II by contract
Honors Biology II is offered only during the spring semester* and is open to any Bio. II student who makes an A or B on both the exam and lab practical for Unit I. If you are interested in earning honors credit in this course, you need to fill out a NHC Honors application form and return it to the
Honors Program Director, Sandy Deabler, A-168H. Soon after completing the first unit, the Honors
Bio. II faculty will provide additional information at an orientation meeting.
*If you are a student taking Bio. II during the fall/summer semesters and complete the course with at least a “B”, you can earn honors credit by completing the contract during the NEXT spring semester that Honors Biology II is offered.

V. MATERIALS
A. TEXT: Biology, 7 th
Edition , Raven, Johnson, Losos, and Singer
B. LAB MANUAL: A Look at Life: Exploring the Diversity of Organisms , 3 rd Ed., Crowder &
Durant
C. LAB REVIEW (CD): Biology, Reviewing the Diversity of Organisms, Durant
D. Dissecting Kit
E. NCS Test Answer Sheets (must bring to class no later than the second week of class)
(1) sheet B: 4
(2) sheet E: 6
VI.
EVALUATION OF STUDENT'S PERFORMANCE
A. LECTURE PERFORMANCE ................................50%
4 lecture exams
1 quiz average
(drop lowest of 5 grades)
LAB PERFORMANCE ..........................................30%
4 lab practicals
(Optional comprehensive lab practical)
COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM ......................20%
GRADING SCHEME:
A: 90 - 100
B: 80 - 89
C: 70 - 79
D: 60 - 69
F: below 60
B. No curve is given in this course. There are opportunities to accumulate bonus points to improve low scores. The method of obtaining bonus points and their effect on your grade is discussed in
Section XII.
VII. LECTURE EXAMS/ QUIZZES
A. EXAMS consist primarily of multiple choice and matching type questions (90%). Short answer and essay questions, however, will also be included on each exam. Such questions should be answered using complete sentences with correct grammar. Points may be deducted for grammatical errors. Each exam will contain bonus questions. These extra points are included to make up for any questions which might be construed as ambiguous or "trick" questions.
B. WEEKLY QUIZZES will be given during the first 10 minutes of class. NO extra time will be given to late-comers. The quizzes will consist of 10 objective questions which will test only one week's worth of material. At the end of the semester, the lowest quiz grade will be dropped before calculating the quiz average.
C. COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM will not include lab information and is more general in nature than the other lecture exams. It is NOT optional.
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VIII. LAB PERFORMANCE
A. LAB PRACTICALS cover only lab material/information in an open-ended question format. Each lab practical will consist of 150 questions plus 10 extra bonus questions. Each lab practical and lecture exam covers the same groups of organisms and you will find that studying for one will definitely help in the study of the other.
B. A COMPREHENSIVE FINAL LAB PRACTICAL will be given at the end of the semester. It is strictly optional . It may be used to take the place of the lowest lab grade or it can be used as a make-up grade for anyone who misses a lab practical.
IX. REVIEWS
A. A FINAL EXAM REVIEW SHEET is given the first day of class. It is divided into the 4 units of the course with important topics listed under each. Obviously, if something is important enough to be on the final exam, it will also be on the lecture exams! Although the lecture exams are much more detailed than the final exam, this review sheet could be used as a general guide when studying for the lecture exams.
B. REVIEW SHEETS will be given for each of the 4 lab practicals. One good way to learn the information on these sheets is by jotting down the classification from memory.
C. ( http://science.nhmccd.edu/biol/ )
The biology department web site offers some tutorials and helpful links to other web sites.
Computers are available for student use in the Learning Center (A200).
D. WebCT. Additional study materials will be made available through WebCT, including flashcards, crossword puzzles, study quizzes, etc. To access these materials, go to the NHC webpage: northharriscollege.com
. and click on distance learning under resources. Then select Classes (upper left-hand corner) so that you can login to WebCT.
X. ATTENDANCE POLICY
A. The student is expected to be on time and to attend each class/lab (and is therefore the responsible for all material covered/announcements, etc.). Good class attendance is absolutely essential to do well in this course! It is a good idea to get a few names and phone numbers of others in the class so that you might reach them if you miss a class so that you can get the information you missed as quickly a possible. In case of a prolonged absence (2 or more class meetings), the Instructor should be notified. If you decide to drop the course, you must go to the registrar's office to fill out the appropriate paperwork! NONATTENDANCE DOES NOT
DROP ANYONE FROM THIS COURSE.
B. A seating chart will be used to check roll on a daily basis. If you come in late after the roll has been taken, it is your responsibility to tell the instructor so that the roll can be corrected.
C. Handouts are given during almost every class period. If you are absent, check with your instructor BEFORE the next class meeting so that you may pick up the handouts you missed.
D. No make-up exams, quizzes, or lab practicals are given.
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E. Beepers and Cellular Phones are a distraction in class when they ring. If you carry one of these devices into the classroom, be sure that they are out of sight and either turned off or on a silent mode . On the first offense, the device will be picked up and held by the instructor until the end of the period. If the student does not abide by this rule, he/she will be asked to leave the room.
XI.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
NHMCCD is committed to a high standard of academic integrity in the academic community. In becoming a part of the academic community, students are responsible for honesty and independent effort. Failure to uphold these standards includes, but is not limited to, the following: plagiarizing written work or projects, cheating on exams or assignments, collusion on an exam or project, and misrepresentation of credentials or prerequisites when registering for a course. Cheating includes looking at or copying from another student’s exam, orally communicating or receiving answers during an exam, having another person take an exam or complete a project or assignment, using unauthorized notes, texts, or other materials for an exam, and obtaining or distributing an unauthorized copy of an exam or any part of an exam. Plagiarism means passing off as one's own the ideas or writings of another (that is, without giving proper credit by documenting sources).
Plagiarism includes submitting a paper, report or project that someone else has prepared, in whole or in part. Collusion is inappropriately collaborating on assignments designed to be completed independently. These definitions are not exhaustive. When there is clear evidence of cheating, plagiarism, collusion or misrepresentation, a faculty member will take disciplinary action including but not limited to: requiring the student to retake or resubmit an exam or assignment, assigning a grade of zero or “F” for an exam or assignment, or assigning a grade of “F” for the course.
Additional sanctions including being withdrawn from the course/program or being expelled from school may be imposed on a student who violates the standards of academic integrity.
XII. EXTRA CREDIT POINTS (Optional)
A Scavenger Hunt, as described on a separate handout, provides the chance to improve your final grade by 3% points. It is suggested that if you plan to do this extra credit, you begin ASAP!!!
Collections are due at the end of the next-to last week of classes, at the BEGINNING of the period.
You must follow all directions carefully and the project must be extremely neat or point deductions may occur.
Extra credit is rather like insurance.......you will not be able to do it after the course is completed.
It's always better to have too many points than not enough!
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R
G
ECTURE
RADES
I. Weekly Quizzes
Quiz 1 _____
Quiz 2 _____
Quiz 4 _____
Quiz 5 _____
Quiz 7 _____
Quiz 8 _____
Quiz 3 _____ Quiz 6 _____ Quiz 9 _____
Quiz Average: ______ (drop lowest quiz grade before calculating average)
II.
Lecture Exams
Quiz 10 _____
Quiz 11 _____
Quiz 12 _____
Exam I _________ Exam II ________ Exam III ________ Exam IV ________
III.
Lecture Average
If quiz average is higher than lowest exam grade (before extra points are added), replace exam grade with quiz average. Take the average of your top 4 lecture grades (quiz average and 4 unit exams).
B
RADE
Practical I _________ Practical II ________ Practical III ________ Practical IV ________
Optional Scavenger Hunt ______
Lab Average: Add together the scores from your four lab practicals and any points from the scavenger hunt. Divide that number by four.
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