COURSE SYLLABUS
BIO 170 General Biology I: Organismal Biology
Lecture A; Lab A1
Spring 2014
Laurie Freeman
Office Location/Office Hours: C207J/ Mon, Wed, Fri 1-2pm; Mon, Wed 3-4pm
Phone Number: 518-736-3622 x8935; text me at: 518-768-1876 (GoogleVoice number)
Email: lfreeman@apps.fmcc.edu
Website: http://faculty.fmcc.suny.edu/freeman/
All Assignments, due dates, handouts, powerpoint slides, audio recordings of lecture,
pdfs of notes and all other course materials will be accessible through this site.
Course Hours and Locations:
Lecture: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 2-2:55pm in C205
Lab: Tuesday 2-4:55PM in C235
Materials:
Required: |
 Biological Science with MasteringBiology, 4/e, 201, Freeman, Benjamin Cummings |
Study guide| Package ISBN-10:0321734173

Register for MasteringBiology by logging onto http://www.masteringbiology.com. Your
course ID is MBFREEMANSP2014

Photo Atlas for Biology, Perry and Morton, 1996 | Brooks/Cole

Bound composition notebook

Calculator
Recommended (not required):
 dissection kit. http://wardsci.com/category.asp_Q_c_E_4705_A_Biology Medical
Student Dissection Kit; Contains Ten Basic Surgical Tools; $34.95
 Safety goggles
 Lab Coat
Copyright Statement
Some of the materials of this course may be copyrighted. They are intended for use only by
students registered in this course and only for instructional activities associated with and for
the duration of the course. They may not be retained in another medium or disseminated
further. They are provided in compliance with the provisions of existing copyright laws.
Course Description
BIO 170 General Biology I: Organismal Biology
4 s.h.
This course serves as an introduction to animals, plants, and fungi. Students will study the
major groups of organisms, focusing on type organisms in each group. An emphasis is placed
on morphology, physiology, evolution, and life history. Hours of class per week: 3. Hours of
lab per week: 3. General Education: N.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon completing this course a student will be able to
 Explain and apply understanding of the form and physiological function of multicellular
organisms (plants, fungi and animals).
 Explain and apply understanding of the principles of evolution.
 Explain and apply the understanding of the recognition of and phylogenetic relationships
among major groups of organisms (phyla).
 Demonstrate an understanding of the pieces and application of the generally-accepted
Scientific Method.
 Demonstrate the ability to do research and document information sources.
SUNY General Education Learning Outcomes – Natural Sciences
Students will demonstrate the following:
 Understanding of the methods scientists use to explore natural phenomena, including
observation, hypothesis development, measurement and data collection, experimentation,
evaluation of evidence, and employment of mathematical analysis.
 Application of scientific data, concepts, and models in one of the natural sciences.
Program Learning Outcomes – Natural Sciences
Upon completing this course a student will be able to:
 Utilize scientific methods to explore natural phenomena.
 Develop sufficient background in Science to qualify for upper division study.
Student Responsibilities
Reading Assignments :
Please read the assigned reading from your text before the class (these are listed on your
lecture and lab schedule for the course). I don't expect you to understand everything the first
time through. By doing your reading ahead, you will know what you do not understand and
will be able to pay close attention to those particular topics during the class period. In
addition, your in-class assignments will build off the reading material. If you have not done
your reading, you will not be able to effectively participate in class. Material from your
text will appear on exams.
MasteringBiology Homework:
For each chapter you will be given homework assignments to be completed on the
MasteringBiology website. These will not be accepted late.
Written Assignments:
During classes (lectures, labs and/or online) you will be given assignments. Please pay close
attention to assignment directions. These assignments are due in Google Drive one week
following the class in which they were assigned. Deadline is always midnight of the day that
the assignment is due. In other words, you will have one week (plus a few hours) to
complete an assignment unless otherwise stated in class. Often there is no "right" answer to
these questions. Rather, you will be graded on your ability to justify your answer using
details you have learned from your readings, lecture, lab and any outside research. Treat
these questions as take-home exam essays. If you do any research to complete the
assignment, be sure to cite sources using appropriate citation format (MLA format). Failure
to cite your sources is plagiarism! Unless otherwise stated in class, you will be graded using
a common rubric.
***For all written assignments it is forbidden to use direct quotes from someone else's
work. Quoted material (even if accompanied by proper citation) will not be considered part
of the work. The assignment grade will be based entirely on the words of the author of the
assignment, no other.***
Lab Notebooks:
You are required to keep a lab notebook. You must use a bound composition notebook for
this assignment. Details of what should be entered in this notebook will be given in lab.
Your notebook will be kept in the lab so that your instructor can grade it at any time. It is up
to you to keep the notebook up to date with all assignments. A rubric will be used to grade
the notebook.
Late Assignment Policy:
The only assignments that will be accepted late are the “Demonstrate your knowledge
Assignments.” Assignments received late will be penalized 5 percentage points/day
(except for those assignments that cannot be turned in late. Those will be clearly
marked on the syllabus). The next day begins the minute after the due time for an
assignment. As an example, if an assignment is due at midnight on Tuesday, it will be
considered one day late (5 percent penalty) from 12:01AM on Wednesday until midnight on
Wednesday (it will be 2 days late at 12:01AM on Thursday). All assignments are due in
Google Docs (Google Drive) unless otherwise announced. The time of submission will be
considered the time of your last revision.
Classroom Etiquette Policy:
Please turn off the sound on all mobile devices when in class. These devices distract all of us
from our prime purpose in being here – to learn something! The first offense for violating
this rule will be a verbal warning. The second offense (and all following offenses) will
result in 5 points being subtracted from your overall grade at the end of the semester
for each offense. Use of a mobile device during an exam or quiz is strictly
prohibited. Use of such a device during an exam or quiz will result in a grade of zero
for that quiz or exam.
Exam Policy:
There are 3 exams during the semester. Each exam covers approximately 1/3 of the course
material. There are NO MAKE-UP EXAMS. If you miss an exam, you will receive a 0. Only
2 of the 3 exam grades will be counted toward your final grade (in other words…the lowest
will be dropped). You may elect not to take the last exam if you have taken the first 2 exams
and are satisfied with your grade at that time.
Quiz Policy:
There will be an orally administered vocabulary quiz at the beginning of some lectures (dates
marked with a “q” on the lecture schedule). The quiz will start at promptly at the beginning
of the class. The instructor will repeat the question 2 or 3 times initially and you can ask
questions at that time. Once we move on to the next question, I will not return to a previous
question. Therefore, if you are late, you will miss the first questions! It is to your benefit to
be on time! The quizzes will be based on vocabulary lists that you will receive each week.
You may be asked to give definitions of these words, use them in a sentence, give an
example, or some more specific thing…depending on the word. There will be 5 words on
each quiz. Each word and its answer is worth 1.5 points (0.5 pts for spelling!! and 1 pt for
the correct answer). You receive 2.5 pts just for showing up and putting your name on a
piece of paper! You provide the paper for your quiz. Your lowest quiz will be dropped
before averaging the grade.
Lab Practicals:
There will be 2 laboratory practical exams. They are indicated on your lab schedule. You
are expected to take both. There are absolutely no make-up lab practicals.
Course Content and Outline
See http://faculty.fmcc.suny.edu/freeman for detailed lecture and lab outline
Lecture outline
Week
Topic
1
Introduction; Evidence for Evolution
2
Mechanisms of Evolution and Speciation
Chapter
24
25
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Phylogenetics; Protists; Green Algae
Introduction to Animals; Protostomes
Deuterostome Animals
Animal form and function
Water Balance and Nutrition in Animals
Gas Exchange and Circulation
Animal Reproduction
Fungi
Green Algae
Introduction to Land Plants; Plant Form and
Function
Water and Sugar Transport
Plant Nutrition and Reproduction
13
14
Lab outline
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
27, 29, 32
32, 33
34
41
42, 43
44
48
31
30
30, 36
37
38, 40
Topic
Scientific Method
Evolution
Microscopy and Protists
Porifera and Cnidaria
Platyhelminthes, Annelida, Mollusca
Nematoda, Arthropoda, Echinodermata
Chordata
Lab Practical Exam 1
Fungi and Lichens; Designing Experiments
Algae; Analyzing experiments
Nonvascular and Seedless vascular plants
Field Botany; Dichotomous Keys
Gymnosperms and Angiosperms
Lab Practical Exam 2
Grading Method
Course points
Final grade determination
200 – lecture exams
93.4-100% = A
200 – lab practical
90-93.3% = A-
100 – quizzes
86.7-89.9% = B+
100 – Mastering Biology Homework
83.4-86.6%= B
100 – Lab Notebook
80-83.3% = B-
100 – Written Assignments
76.7-79.9% = C+
800 – total
70-76.6% = C
(point total may vary due to adjustment of number of
writing assignments and/or quizzes)
60-69.9% = D
Grade is determined by percentage of total points
earned.
0-59.9% = F
Grading Philosopy:
The following gives a summary of the quality of work that warrants award of each grade:
A- Along with all of the requirements for a B, the following demonstrates “A” work. A
student has superior understanding of the material. A student understands the relationship
between different topics in the course. A student connects their knowledge from other
courses (not necessarily biology) with the topics in this course. In writing assignments, a
student clearly goes above and beyond answering the question. Some examples of this are:
asking appropriate follow-up questions, speculating on how concepts used in answering of
the question may bear on other topics, or bringing in additional (beyond coursework) relevant
material to elaborate the student’s reasoning.
B- Along with all of the requirements for a C, the following demonstrates “B” work. A
student can recall the majority (80%) of the facts presented in the course. A student can
apply concepts learned in class in novel ways. A student can demonstrate their
understanding of concepts in the course both in writing and in speaking. In writing
assignments, a student has an answer that clearly follows from logic and/or justification that
stems from concepts learned in class.
C- Along with all the requirements for a D, the following demonstrates “C” work. A student
can recall at least 70% of the facts presented in the course. A student can demonstrate their
understanding of concepts in the course clearly in writing. In writing assignments, whether a
student has a correct answer or not, it is clear they have attempted to show the logic and/or
justification for their answer.
D- A student can recall at least 60% of the facts presented in the course. A student
demonstrates making an effort to learn the material by completing assignments in a
thoughtful manner.
F- A student fails to demonstrate the ability to learn the facts presented in the course. A
student does not demonstrate making an effort to learn the material.
A final note on grades: A student earns their grade through completing material as laid out
in the course outline. There is no extra credit. There is no bargaining for grades.
Attendance Policy
Attendance is expected all classes (lecture, lab and/or online). Attendance will be recorded
in class. If you miss roll call you will be recorded as absent. There are no exceptions. If you
are late to class, you run the risk of missing the recording of attendance. It is up to you to
have your attendance documented. Get to class on time!
More than 2 lab absences or more than 6 lecture absences will result in a failing grade
in this course.
Assignments due on a day that you are absent are still due on that day (see the Late
Assignment Policy). If you miss class due to a scheduled event (eg: athletic, club, doctor's
appt, court date, etc.) you must tell your instructor at least one week before the event
otherwise no accommodations to make-up work will be made. Be aware that often make-ups
will not be allowed as the nature of the class is such that a single student will be unable to
participate in group work, lab materials are no longer available, or other circumstances. No
accommodations will be made for unannounced absences.
If you have extenuating circumstances that impact your attendance and/or tardiness, please
discuss it with me. We can attempt to come to a mutually agreeable solution.
Students with Disabilities Policy:
Fulton-Montgomery Community College is committed to providing reasonable
accommodations, including core services, to qualified students with disabilities.
For additional information, go to:
http://www.fmcc.edu/admissions/students-with-disabilities/
Academic Integrity Policy:
Academic integrity refers to a code of values that support and direct the education process.
This code is based on legal, ethical, and educational concerns. Education in large part
consists of the acquisition and demonstration of knowledge according to acceptable
standards. Students must be familiar with these standards and will be held accountable for
their use. Not being familiar with these standards is not an excuse for their breach.
http://www.fmcc.edu/academics/files/2011/01/Academic_Integrity_Policy_2007-0108_2.pdf
I expect you to follow the Fulton-Montgomery Community College Academic Integrity
Policy. All work that you submit must be your own. You will often work in groups during
class time and your collaboration on projects is encouraged. This does NOT mean that you
can turn in joint assignments. Every assignment (unless otherwise stated by your instructor)
must be submitted by individual students and no 2 assignments should be identical (or even
significantly similar) to each other. Likewise, all work on exams and quizzes must be your
own. There are no "open-book" or "open-note" exams or quizzes (unless otherwise stated by
your instructor). If you violate this policy, I will penalize you as specified in the policy. The
academic integrity policy will be distributed to you during the first day of class.
Consequences for not following this Course Outline regarding academic integrity:
·
Student will receive a 0% on the test, quiz, or practical as well as the entire course.
·
Student will be reported to the Dean of Liberal Arts and Science
Definition of Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s ideas or words and passing them off as one’s own.
The word comes from the Latin plagiarius, meaning kidnapping. In an academic context,
plagiarism is intellectual thievery. It is unethical and intolerable. It also means that if the
source is paraphrased, i.e. the ideas are rewritten, the original source must be given credit.
Using another student’s paper is plagiarism. Allowing another student to hand in a paper you
wrote is condoning plagiarism and will be dealt with in the same manner as plagiarism and
cheating.
FMCC Writing Center
The Writing Center is an academic center, located in FM’s Learning Commons (Evans Library,
first floor), where students can develop their college writing skills. Students may work with peer
and professional tutors on any phase of the writing process: brainstorming a topic, preparing an
outline, drafting and revising, and using specific documentation styles, like MLA, APA, and
Chicago. Tutors will not edit students’ writing, but they will help students to identify their
surface errors and/or consistent patterns in their own writing. Tutors are available to review
grammar and citation rules and to guide students in their own writing processes.
The Writing Center is a drop-in tutoring center, staffed Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m.6:00 p.m. and Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Online tutoring is also available through www.etutoring.org
Students have online access to tutorial support in Writing, Math, Statistics, Accounting,
Information Literacy, Chemistry, Biology, and Anatomy and Physiology:
 Echat: virtually interact with an etutor in real time
 Equestions: submit a question and get a response within 48 hours
 Ewriting lab: submit a draft and receive in-text comments and a written response (within
48 hours) about your writing
Student can access eTutoring directly from any web browser or through their Angel courses,
which have an embedded link (under the “Resource” tab) and a brief video on how to login and
navigate eTutoring. Technical assistant is available online through the Helpdesk
(support@cdlc.org) and on-campus through Colleen Sanders, The Writing Center Coordinator.