DETAILED SYLLABUS
SPRING 2013
BIOL 1107 PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY I LABORATORY
CRN: 30608
Lab Time: T 12:00-1:50pm; Britt 202
Instructor: Phil Hightower
Email: phightower@abac.edu
Phone: 229.391.5111
Division Office: 229.391.5100
Office: Conger 209
Office Hours: Listed below and by appointment as needed. If you need anything,
see your instructor and ask for help.
The AAC is a free tutoring center in the bottom floor of the library. Ask the
student at the front desk when tutors are available to help with biology.
If you are struggling and not using all the resources available then you are
choosing to not succeed.
M
T
W
R
F
11:00am-12:00
11:00am-12:00
11:00am-12:00
11:00am-12:00
1:00-3:00pm
2:00-4:00pm
AAC 1:00-2:00pm
2:00-3:00pm
Note: This is the detailed syllabus for this course. It is expected that the student also be
familiar with the ABAC generic syllabus for this course located at
http://www.abac.edu/syllabi/BIOL2107L/ (Note that you may need to change the old
2107 number to 1107.)
LABORATORY MANUAL: BIOL 1107 Laboratory Manual by ABAC Faculty
ACADAMIC RESPONSIBILITY: Cheating and Academic Dishonesty in any way,
shape, or form is grounds for an assigned grade of an F, possible dismissal from the
course, and perhaps other punitive action depending upon the circumstances. Refer
to the college catalog (www.abac.edu/ses/handbook/CodeofConduct.pdf) for a more
complete explanation. Be aware that informing any student of questions to be on a
lab quiz, midterm or final is also considered to be academic dishonesty.
Electronic checking for plagiarism may be used in this course.
WITHDRAWAL: A student may withdraw from the lab course up to the midpoint of the
semester and receive a grade of W. After midterm, students may withdraw only with the
permission of the Academic Dean and may receive a W or WF according to their
properly documented averages at the time of withdrawal. Students abandoning lab classes
will still receive a grade at the end of the semester (probably an F due to missed point
opportunities). See the college catalog for the college policy on withdrawal.
ATTENDANCE: Roll will be taken each day of lab. Plan to be on time and stay for
the full lab time. Students leaving lab without being dismissed by the instructor should
expect to lose participation and/or lab manual points. Students absent from lab due to any
non-institutional reason may miss all the point opportunities for that day (quizzes, exams,
assignments, completed lab write-ups, etc.). Students should not assume they can
make these points up. It is each student’s responsibility to keep up with all lab activities;
lab notes (spoken aloud, written on the board, or on slides); and dates of exams,
assignments, quizzes, etc. A student missing the lab midterm or lab final will normally
receive a ZERO for the missed exam.
Students missing laboratory due to official ABAC business are required to notify
the instructor ahead of time and make arrangements in a manner acceptable to the
instructor. Be aware that due to physical arrangements and time conflicts, it is generally
not possible to make arrangements to take the lab midterm or lab final outside the
scheduled time.
Students missing lab for any reason should contact the instructor AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE, and preferably ahead of time. Depending upon the day and the lab exercise
missed, it may or may not be possible to make arrangements at the instructor’s discretion.
Be aware that some labs use perishable materials and may take hours to set up. It is
unreasonable to expect the science faculty and staff to reset a lab exercise or exam after
the scheduled time has elapsed.
GRADING: Lab Grades will be determined on the percentages listed below of all the
possible points that you earn. Percentages will be rounded to the nearest whole number
when assigning letter grades. It is estimated that there will be approximately 240 lab
points. Any late lab notebooks will receive a 15% penalty for each ABAC work-day or
any part thereof that it is late. Lab notebooks more than 3 days late will receive a zero.
A 90-100%
B 80-89%
C 70-79%
D 60-69%
F zero-59%
TESTING: Cell phones, pagers, music players, and any electronic communication device
must be turned off during any testing periods. All such items must be on mute/silent at
other times. Students may not use calculators on in-class/lab exams or quizzes. The
wearing of earbuds is prohibited at any time. Students may be asked to remove caps or
turn them around during testing periods.
LAB PRACTICAL EXAMS: There will be a comprehensive lab midterm practical (30
pts) given the week before midterm and a comprehensive lab final practical given at the
end of the semester (60pts) based on the ideas, concepts, and materials covered in lab.
WEEKLY LAB POINTS: There are 15 total points that can normally be earned for each
lab week. They are detailed in the three sections below.
1. LAB QUIZZES: There will be a 10 point quiz given during the first ten
minutes of each lab period unless otherwise specified by the instructor. Students arriving
late or that are absent will not normally be allowed to take the lab quiz. The majority
(about 80%) of each quiz will be based on the lab done the previous week but part of the
quiz may be from that day’s scheduled lab. Students are expected to have read the lab
exercise before the lab period starts and be familiar with the day’s lab procedures and
contents.
2. COMPLETED LABS: Each student will complete the specified sections in the
lab manual. There will be 3 points awarded for each lab completed appropriately. Lab
notebooks will be taken up and checked twice by the instructor, once at the lab midterm
exam and once at the lab final exam. Students must satisfactorily complete the laboratory
exercise in order to receive points described in this section.
3. LAB TECHNIQUE: Each student will receive a maximum of 2 points for
each lab for lab participation and technique. Students arriving late or that are absent will
normally not receive that day’s lab technique points. Additional points will be deducted
for infractions including or not limited to: failure to return lab materials to their proper
place and in good condition, failure to clean the countertops, failure to throw away trash,
failure to leave assigned microscopes in the proper place and in good condition, or failure
of a lab group to check the room before leaving. These deductions are intended to
encourage good lab etiquette and to leave the lab in proper shape.
Each lab group will be responsible for their table each week. In addition, each lab
group will be assigned one lab during the semester to do a general check of the lab room
before leaving for the day. Assignments are as follows:
Table 1A
Table 1B
Table 1C
Living Cells
Org.Molecules
Passive Transport
Table 2A
Table 2B
Table 2C
Photosynthesis I
Photosynthesis II
Mitosis
LAB POINTS
Lab quizzes
10 x 10pts
Completed Labs
10 x 3pts
Lab Technique
10 x 2pts
Lab Midterm Practical
Lab Final Practical
Total Lab Points
=
=
=
100 pts
30 pts
20 pts
30 pts
60 pts_
240 pts
If there is a student in this class who has properly documented specific needs because of learning
disabilities or any other disability, please feel free to contact the instructor.