MORGAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS
1. Course Title: GENERAL COLLEGE BIOLOGY II
Prefix:
BIO 112
Credits:
5
Contact hours/wk:
Lecture: 4
Lab:
2
Semester:
Spring 2008
Instructor:
Luke Smith
Office hours: 341 Spruce (9-10 MTWR, 10-12 T, 2-3 TWR, 3-5 T, 5-6 W)
Telephone:
970-542-3211 or 1-800-622-0216
E-mail:
Luke.Smith@MorganCC.edu
2. Course Description [From the catalog]: A continuation of BIO 111, this course includes ecology, evolution,
classification, structure, and function in plants and animals. This course includes laboratory experience.
3. Prerequisites for the course: BIO 111 or permission of the instructor (some biology and chemistry is
strongly encouraged).
4. Required:
 Lecture Text: Biology, 7th ed., Campbell, Reece, & Mitchell, Benjamin/Cummings Publ., 2005
Recommended:
 Student Study Guide for Biology, 7th ed., Taylor, Benjamin/Cummings Publ., 2005
5. Instructional Goals and Expected Outcomes: Students will be expected to demonstrate a mastery of the
materials as assessed through exams, quizzes, laboratory exercises, and discussion.
15%
25%
15%
25%
20%
Mechanisms of Evolution. Understand the mechanisms involved in the Hardy-Weinberg Theorem, as
well as how these mechanisms are altered for evolution to occur.
Biological Diversity. Understand the major groupings and nomenclature of the Kingdoms of living
organisms.
Plant Form and Function. Understand what structures make up different plants and how they
compare and contrast.
Animal Form and Function. Know the organ systems of the human body and how they compare to
similar organs in other animals.
Ecology. Understand the elements involved in the different levels of ecological study.
6. Integration of Critical Skills: The six critical skills areas selected for emphasis at Morgan Community
College are reading, writing, computing, speaking/listening, technology, and diversity. Students will
demonstrate these critical skills through the activities of the course.
7. Course Activities: Lecture, laboratory, discussion, reading, writing, group projects, quizzes and exams,
films, computer tutorials, and internet searches will be used to allow students to experience the concepts in a
variety of formats.
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8. Expectations and Assessments:
a. MCC Course website: There will be a website through MCC with information. To access this website:
 Go to www.Morgancc.edu
 Choose “Directory/faculty directory” from the top choices
 Scroll down to “Smith, Luke” : Click on the the name
 Choose “Web Page/Biology Page”
b. Syllabus Agreement: You will need to access and read the complete syllabus, found under the course
website. If you remain in the class you are indicating that you are in agreement with the syllabus
c. Reading: Students are expected to complete all of the assigned reading for both lecture and laboratory
BEFORE that session. This ensures the best use of everybody’s time and hopefully alleviates confusion.
If it appears that the majority of students are not adequately reading the assignments in advance, pop
quizzes may be instituted to encourage this activity.
d. Class attendance: Consistent attendance at the lecture and laboratory is strongly encouraged since a
significant part of each test will cover lecture material. The lecture will clarify and emphasize important
concepts and practical applications of those concepts. You are expected to attend all laboratory sessions,
as your lab partners are relying on you. It is during lecture or lab that possible changes to the schedule
and the course will be announced, thus it is important to attend so as to stay abreast of any changes. It is
your responsibility to obtain missed handouts or learn of changes to the schedule. During lectures and
labs, pagers, cellular phones, and personal data assistants (PDAs such as Palm Pilots) will be either
turned off or muted.
e. Quizzes: There will be quizzes given throughout the semester at announced times. Each quiz will be
worth 25 points. Both lecture and reading assignments will be tested.
f.
Exams: There will be exams given throughout the semester. Each exam will be worth 100 points. The
format of the exams will include multiple choice, matching, fill in the blank, short answer, and diagram
questions.
g. Lab Assignments: Each laboratory exercise will have an assignment that is to be filled out during and
after the exercise, to test understanding of the information as well as interpretation of the experiments.
h. Late Assignments: Unexcused late assignments will not be accepted. Excused late assignments will
receive a 10% deduction of score per day. There will be no makeup quizzes or exams. If you miss an
assignment, contact the instructor as soon as possible to discuss the situation; don’t put it off. The
instructor has the authority to determine what is or is not an acceptable excused absence or tardy.
i.
Group Presentations: Student groups will create, research, and present topics based on various aspects
of biology throughout the semester. The format and requirements of each report will be discussed further
in class. Time will be provided to work on this project, but you will need to put in extra time outside of
class on this project. Each member of the student group will receive the same grade, so it’s your
responsibility to govern the participation of your group members
j.
Other Assignments: Depending on the schedule and the course, there may be other assignments
throughout the semester. These may include computer assignments, pop quizzes, or lab reports. These
will be announced in lecture as needed.
k. Spelling & Grammar: You will be learning a new language of terminology and concepts throughout
this course and will need to demonstrate a working knowledge of these terms and concepts. In most
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BIO 112 (Sp’08)
instances, partial points may be deducted by errors. In certain instances, full points may be deducted
(these will be pointed out in the course). This is an important skill that you will want to master early on
in this course.
l.
Participation & Conduct: 20 points are reserved for the end of the semester. These will reflect your
level of effort and involvement in the course. As long as you “play well with each other” and participate
in the course, most of these points are assured.
m. Field trips: There may be one or two field trips during the semester. The details of each trip will be
discussed during class time to assure that the maximum number of students can attend. It will be
extremely important that we leave and return on time. If you cannot make a trip due to personal schedule
conflicts, inquire beforehand about the possibility of a makeup assignment.
n. Plagiarism: Please read carefully. As defined in Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, 1977, plagiarism
is “to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own; to use (a created production)
without crediting the source; to commit literary theft; and/or to present as new and original an idea or
product derived from an existing source.” Consequences vary between instructors and institutions. If
you have questions, please do not hesitate to talk with the course instructor or any of the other instructors
on campus.
o. Cheating: The instructor does not tolerate cheating at all. If you are suspected of cheating, the instructor
will contact you and discuss the situation. If the instructor has evidence of your cheating, an
administrative drop will be initiated immediately and you will be removed from the course. Simply put,
don’t even try to cheat.
p. MCC Computer usage: During the first week of school, the computers on campus are available for all
students to access with a generic password. During this time, you need to register with the college to
obtain your own password (Student Services can assist you with this). This will set up a space on the
network drive for your files. You will be able to access these files from any computer on campus. When
using the MCC computers, make sure to only save documents to this space or to a portable memory
device like a diskette or USB portable drive (do not save documents to the desktop or the C: drive). Be
mature in your usage of the computers and follow the rules of conduct. Failure to use these facilities
properly will result in losing the privilege of access to these computers. You are expected to register a
computer student account with MCC during this semester.
q. Laboratory Materials: Unless specified in the “Required” section above, all laboratory materials will be
provided for you (such as dissection kits, lab coats, goggles, and gloves). At times, you may be required
to provide some materials (such as a water sample from home or leaf samples) depending on the
laboratory exercise for that week, but this will be made known to you as needed.
r. Dress Code: The most important part of a dress code (from a laboratory perspective) is footwear. You
must wear footwear at all times in the lab. It may be boots, shoes, open-toed sandals, or whatever, but
your feet must be protected from anything on the floor at all times. The rest of the dress code is
described in more detail in the Student Handbook.
s. Food, Drink, Tobacco: The use of tobacco products of any kind is prohibited in all lectures and
laboratory sessions. Food and drink are allowed in lecture, as long as you do not make a mess, do not
disturb the class, and clean up after you are finished with the class session. Food and drink are not
allowed in the laboratory, in compliance with state and federal regulations.
t.
Special needs: If you have special needs to allow you to participate fully in class (i.e. vision or language
difficulties), please notify the course instructor or Kent Bauer (542-3157)
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BIO 112 (Sp’08)
u. Animals and guests: No animals are allowed in lecture or lab, unless it is a registered aid-animal.
Guests may be allowed to visit during certain lectures or lab exercises, with prior approval by the
instructor.
v. Learning Resource Center: At times you will need to obtain outside information on subject matter in
the class. Make sure that you know where the Learning Resource Center (LRC) is and what resources
are available there (materials will be placed on reserve for this course from time to time). A
webliography (list of selected websites compiled by the LRC staff) is available either in print form from
the LRC or online through the MCC website (search through the Library heading).
w. College Rules: This syllabus is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all rules and regulations at
MCC. Rather, it highlights those details that are especially pertinent towards this course. Refer to the
MCC Student Handbook (available through Student Services or found online in the MCC website) for a
full listing of MCC rules and regulations.
x. Semester Calendar Dates: Check the course outline below and the calendar in the MCC student
Handbook for a full calendar of the semester. However, these are a few of the more important dates as
pertaining to this course:




April 21 ??
March 20-21
March 24-28
May 9
= last day to drop this class
= Inservice (college is closed for these days)
= Spring Break
= last day of class
y. Grading: Each student will be assigned a randomly-generated code word. Grades will be posted outside
the lab door (Spruce 342) and on the course website by these code words. The grading scale is:
90-100%
80-89
70-79
60-69
< 60%
Morgan Community College
=
=
=
=
=
A
B
C
D
F
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BIO 112 (Sp’08)
9. Semester Course Outline: This schedule is tentative and may change (see the website).
Monday
1/21
Tuesday
Ch 22. Descent with
Introduction to course
Modification
and lab activities
Wednesday
Continue 22
Thursday
23. Evolution of
Populations
Friday
Continue 23
Population Genetics
24. The Origin of
Species
Continue 24
25. Phylogeny and
Systematics
Continue 25
2/4
Lab: Personal
Genetics
26. The Tree of Life:
Biological Diversity
Continue 26
27. Prokaryotes
Quiz #3 (26-27)
2/11
Bacterial Cultures
28. Protists
Continue 28
Lab: Microscopic Life
Daphnia/ Hydra
Continue 29
2/18
EXAM #1
(22-27)
29. Plant Diversity I:
Colonization of Land
Continue 30
Plant Microscopy
Quiz #4 (28-30)
31. Fungi
Continue 31
2/25
30. Plant Diversity II:
Evolution of Seed
Plants
32. Introduction to
Animal Diversity
Lab: Plants and
Fungi
Continue 32
Quiz #5 (31-32)
33. Invertebrates
Continue 33
Continue 33
3/3
34. Vertebrate
Lab: Animal Diversity
Evolution
Dissection
Continue 34
Continue 34
Continue 34
3/10
3/17
Continue Animal
Diversity Dissection
1/28
Continue 28
Quiz #6 (33-34)
Review for Exam
3/24
3/31
4/7
EXAM #2
(28-34)
No Classes
(Inservice)
No Classes
(Inservice)
Spring Break
Lab: Flowers, Fruits,
& Seeds
Lab: Soil Test
414
Lab: Cricket
Respiration
4/21
Lab: Pig dissection
4/28
Lab Final
5/5
Final Exam
Morgan Community College
40. Animal Form and
Function
Continue 40
41. Animal Nutrition
Continue 41
Field Trip Report
Due
(Denver Museum of
Nature and Science)
43. The Immune
System
Quiz #7 (40-41)
42. Circulation and
Gas Exchange
Continue 42
Continue 42
Continue 43
Quiz #8 (42-43)
Review for Exam
46. Animal
Reproduction
Continue 46
47. Animal
Development
Review
Continue 47
Continue 47
Quiz #9 (46-47)
48. Nervous Systems
Review
5
EXAM #4
(40-43)
BIO 112 (Sp’08)