Courses Info and Policies

Credit hours and workload

This course is worth four credits. It meets 6 hours per week (3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory). You should be aware of the challenge that this course will place upon your time and effort and should choose a semester schedule of classes that allows for the demands of the course. If your previous educational background does not include coursework in the sciences (more specifically in the biological sciences), you should arrange your schedule so that you have at least 12 hours a week to devote to this course.

Registration and prerequisites

It is expected that students will meet minimum prerequisites (ENG02, RDL02 and MTH 05) as described in the schedule of classes distributed by the Office of the Registrar. If you have little or no previous background in biology or chemistry, it is highly recommended that you first enroll in Medical Terminology (BIO 22), The Human Body (BIO 21), or Chemistry (02) to strengthen your background. Note: your financial aid may not cover courses that are not listed on your curriculum pattern sheet. If you are enrolled in a program that does not require BIO 21, or 22 or CHM 02, please check with your financial aid officer before registering for the course.

Check your computer printout carefully to be certain that you are registered for this section of BIO 23. Since the college maintains a class size limit, you must be officially registered to continue attending this section. If your printout indicates a different section, consult the registration guidebook or seek help from a department secretary in ME 415. Do not anticipate any student withdrawing from this section. The demand for this course may be greater than the number of places in the various sections. Instructors are not authorized to issue notes to permit your enrollment.

Important! If you are seeking admission to the Nursing (RN) program, you have a maximum of two attempts to achieve a C+ or greater in BIO 23. Please pay attention to the deadline for withdrawing from classes. If you are not making the grade that you need, you may withdraw so that you don’t lose one of your “attempts.”

Switching sections

Students are not allowed to switch sections. This is not a decision up to your instructor, but a Biology Department policy.

Overtallying

The Biology department does not overtally. This is not a decision up to your instructor, but a Biology Department policy. A section is closed once it reaches the maximum numbers of students allowed.

Textbook, Course Material, and Other Resources

1. Anatomy and Physiology: The Unity of Form and Function; Kenneth Saladin; McGraw-Hill Publishers, 5th Edition.

Textbook format options: 1. Hardcover text version, 2. Three-hole punch version, and 3. E-version (Half the price, but note that the license is only good for one year) at http://www.coursesmart.com/0077281667 (The Biology Department does not recommend any particular option. This info is provided for students to select their preferred option).

Companion Site at http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073525693/student_view0/index.html. Most of the chapters contain: Links Library, Crossword Puzzle, Flashcards, Concentration, Study Outline, Labeling Exercises, Learning Objectives, A&P Revealed Correlations, Think About It, Quizzes, and Animations.

2. Human Anatomy & Physiology I (BIO 23) Course Guide and Lab Manual; 12th edition

This guide is distributed to students the first day of classes. All course material can be downloaded for the course website (Ask the address to your instructor). All lecture topic outlines and laboratory worksheets exercises will be available for you to download from Electronic Reserves (http://bcc-libweb.bcc.cuny.edu/reserves.html). You are required to bring the laboratory worksheet printouts to each laboratory session. We also recommend that you bring your Saladin textbook with you to laboratory sessions to help you work through the exercises. Your lecture instructor will tell you if you are required to bring your textbook to lecture sessions.

Grading

Your overall course grade will be an average of your lecture and laboratory grades. Lecture is worth 60% of the grade and lab is worth 40% of the grade. Both instructors will meet to discuss the final assignment of grades. See the Grade Record (on page 1) for formulas to calculate your average.

Lecture: There will be four lecture exams during the semester and a final exam (during finals week). The topics covered by each are indicated on the syllabus. Each exam (including the final exam) is worth 20% of your lecture grade. The lecture final exam is cumulative (meaning that it covers material from the entire semester).

Lab: You will have a quiz every week covering the previous week’s topic. You will also have a midterm and final practical exam (“practical” means that you will be answering questions based on real specimens and models; your instructor will describe the format in more detail). In general, lab quizzes will be worth 40% of your lab grade, and each practical is worth 30% of your lab grade. If you’re late for a quiz, your instructor will not allow you extra time to complete the quiz. Thus, it is essential to be on time.

Note: Your lecture and/or lab instructor may make changes to the number and content of assignments and exams, thus the percent distribution of grades may be different from those described above. If so, he or she will describe the grading policy to the class at the beginning of the semester.

Make-up policy/dropped exams

Lecture: If any one of your in-class exam scores is lower than your final exam score, then the score for the in-class exam will be dropped and the final exam will be counted twice. If your final exam score is lower than all of your other exam scores, then nothing will be dropped and the final will be worth the same as your other exams. Under no circumstances will more than one exam grade be dropped. Make-up exams WILL NOT be given under any circumstances. However, if you know in advance that you must miss an exam, the instructor may allow you to take the exam early.

Lab: The instructor may drop the two lowest quiz grades. Under no circumstances will the midterm or final practical exam grades be dropped.

Extra Credit

Extra credit is generally discouraged, but under no circumstances is extra credit to exceed 3% of the grade. Absolutely no extra credit assignments will be given to individual students.

Attendance

Bronx Community College currently requires your instructor to take and file attendance records for every class. It is your responsibility to arrive at class on time and to be aware of the calendar of class meetings for your section.

The Department defines an excessive absence record as unexcused absences of more than 20% of scheduled class time. Students with an excessive absence record will receive an automatic grade of F in the course. Total scheduled class time includes lab, lecture, and online attendance, as required by the particular course.

Instructors also have the right to mark students absent if they arrive late or leave early from class.

Instructors are not required to grade tests and other forms of assessment of students with an excessive absence record. Instructors are also not required to offer makeup exams for students absent from scheduled exams.

Children

College regulations and common courtesy for your classmates prohibit the presence of children in either lecture or laboratory classrooms. Furthermore, children may NOT be left unattended in the common areas outside of classrooms for their own safety.

Even if you already have childcare arrangements, you might consider using the referral service offered by the BCC Child Development Center (CDC). They will refer you to licensed daycare providers that you can use full time or in an emergency if your regular childcare services fall through. If your child is between 2 years, 9 months and 4 years old, you may enroll him/her in the CDC preschool. Fees are adjusted according to income, but there is usually a waiting list. Lastly, for evening students with school-age children, there is an after-school program in which you can enroll your child (also for a fee). Whatever your choice, please make arrangements (and back-up arrangements) for appropriate childcare prior to class attendance.

Cell phones and other electronic devices

Common courtesy and appropriate classroom behavior dictate that the use of cell phones (incoming and outgoing) is both rude and inappropriate at any time during class. Your cell phones should be off or on silent mode when you enter the classroom. During exams, these devices MUST be turned off. No exceptions.

Cheating

It should go without saying that cheating will not be tolerated. Anyone caught using “cheat sheets,” cell phones, or other clever cheating devices or accepting or offering assistance to another student before, during, or after a quiz, exam, or lab practical will automatically fail that exam—no questions asked, no excuses accepted. A second incident will result in a failing grade for the course and possible disciplinary action from the college, which may include expulsion. In any case, you’ll be much better off if you study to understand the concepts than if you rely on your classmates or other aids during exams.