Grading:
Course grades will be based on the following criteria:
A+ = 97+ B+ = 87 - 89 C+ = 77 - 79 D+ = 67 - 69 F = < 60
A = 93 - 96 B = 83 - 86 C = 73 - 76 D = 63 - 66
A- = 90 - 92 B- = 80 - 82 C- = 70 - 72 D- = 60 - 62
At the discretion of the instructor, grade criteria may be relaxed slightly, based on natural gaps in the class grade distribution. However, you should not expect large deviations from the cutoffs above. Do not wait until the third exam to decide you are not doing as well as you expected. There is no extra credit in this course.
Course documents will be posted on the web using the university’s Moodle course management system. To access this information go to http://courses.furman.edu/. Click “login,” then enter your username and password Finally, click on BIO-102 to enter the course site.
You are also expected to maintain an e-mail address. It is a good idea to check your e-mail daily for course announcements. You are responsible for all material, assignments, and announcements sent to you by e-mail. Ignorance of an announcement sent to you by e-mail is not an acceptable excuse for failure to meet a course requirement.
Grade discrepancies: You are responsible for checking your grades throughout the semester. If you feel that an assignment was not graded properly, you must: Submit a copy of the assignment with written justification as to why the grade is inaccurate in person to me no more than 7 days after the grade has been posted on Moodle.
Lecture Periods: Active Learning Approach
Ideally, listening to lectures is interesting and informative, but it’s a passive way to learn. In this course, we will use a combination of lecture and collaborative group learning to encourage you to be proactive in taking responsibility for learning course material. Here’s how our time will be spent during a typical lecture period. We’ll start with about 15 minutes of lecture to provide an overview of the day’s topic. Then I’ll pose a short question to the class, such as a multiple choice or short free-response question. Each student will then have about 1-2 minutes to answer the question on their own. Then, students will work in groups of 3-4 to discuss their answers and come to a group consensus. I will then call on groups to explain their answer. We’ll discuss the answer to the question as a whole class and then cover some additional material. Groups may be asked to turn in written answers to the daily question from time to time.
Attendance
Experience has shown that attendance in class correlates positively with grades earned in the course. Also, the group-learning aspect of this course requires that all members of each group be present each day and that they participate fully in the exchange of ideas. If written materials are collected from discussion groups during lecture and you are absent for an unexcused reason that day, you will not receive credit for participation in your group’s work. Failure to attend class and to participate in class discussion will reduce one’s class participation grade.
Social engagements will not count as excused absences! It is your responsibility to present evidence of illness or any other extenuating circumstances for missing class. If you have a special situation that will require you to miss several classes, let me know beforehand. Also, if you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed. Ignorance of an announcement made in class is not an acceptable excuse for failure to meet a course requirement. Make-up exams will only be offered for documented, excused absences. My attendance policy reflects that of Furman University as stated in the catalogue. “Freshman will be withdrawn from a course if absent, for any reason, 15 percent of the class meetings. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors will be withdrawn from a course if absent 25 percent of the class meetings. In both cases, a failing (F) grade will be recorded unless the absences were due to providential reasons, in which cases a withdrawal (W) grade may be assigned after consultation with the Associate Academic Dean.”
Class Preparation
Effective participation in group learning and class discussion requires that you are prepared each day for class. Preparation for learning will require reading of the text and/or supplemental materials. If you don’t understand the material, you need to come prepared with specific questions.
Both lectures and reading assignments are fundamental parts of this course. While the lectures and reading assignments will overlap, they will not be identical. Some of the information covered in lecture will not be in the readings. Likewise, very important information may be presented only in the assigned readings.
The group learning strategy of this class is intended to have students help each other learn and understand the course material. Nonetheless, you will still have to study and prepare outside of class. It is recommended that you spend about two hours studying and reviewing material for every one hour attending lecture. Don’t put off studying to the last minute!!
Exams
The exams will cover material from your assigned reading and both the lectures and labs. The exams will consist primarily of short answer (free-response) questions. Success in this course is not based solely on memorizing the material. Many questions will require you to make novel use of the material that you have learned. Thus, exam questions may ask you to relate one concept to another, to explain why something happens in a given situation, or to predict what would happen in a given situation. The final exam will include a cumulative component in which you will draw on concepts you have learned throughout the course.
At the end of the semester, if your final exam score is higher than your lowest semester exam score (from exams 1-3), I will replace that lowest semester exam score with the average of your final exam score and your lowest exam.
You are expected to take the exams when scheduled. The availability and scheduling of make-up exams is solely at the instructor’s discretion. Note that make-up exams may consist primarily of short essay questions which are more difficult than questions on the original exam. NOTE: Any changes in the scheduling of the final exam must have the prior approval of the Associate Academic Dean.
Laboratories
The lab sessions in this course both complement and supplement the lecture material. Attendance is required at all labs. Do NOT schedule events, meetings, or any other activities during the scheduled lab period. The ONLY acceptable excuse (at the discretion of the instructor) for missing a lab or field trip is serious illness or family emergency that must be documented in detail by a doctor or by the Associate Academic Dean. Unless otherwise noted, students will work in pairs or groups on lab assignments. Due dates for lab assignments will be indicated on handouts or in class. Typically, you will have one week to turn in a lab assignment once you have received the data collected in the lab. There is a 30% penalty for each day a lab assignment is late.
Use of Electronic Devices
Cell phone use during class is prohibited. This includes texting! Using a cell phone in class or allowing it to ring in class is distracting to both the instructor and your classmates. If your phone rings during lecture or lab, I reserve the right to ask you to leave class for the remainder of the day. Also, repeat offenses can result in a lowering of your class participation grade. In case of emergency, your friends or family can reach you by contacting Sherry Craze in the biology office (294-2084).
Disability Accommodations
Students with disabilities who need academic accommodations should contact the Office of Disability Services (Gina Parris, Coordinator, Admin Bldg 207, phone: 294-2322). After meeting with the Disability Services, contact me right away. Don't procrastinate - do this early in the term.
Academic Integrity
Integrity gives the educational enterprise its legitimacy. Honesty, respect, and personal responsibility are principles that guide academic life at Furman, in and out of the classroom. Academic misconduct in any form (plagiarism, cheating, inappropriate collaboration, and other efforts to gain an unfair academic advantage) threatens the values of the campus community and will have severe consequences. In this course, I will assume that when you put your name on an exam that this is your bond to say that you have done your own work. At a minimum, a grade of 0 will be given to an assignment containing plagiarized material or to an exam involving cheating. Furthermore, plagiarism could lead to failing the entire course.
If you have any question about what constitutes plagiarism or any other form of academic misconduct, it is your responsibility to consult with me so that you will fully understand what I expect of you. If you have any doubts, ask! Furman’s policy on academic integrity and academic misconduct can be found at the website “Academic Integrity Information” (http://www.furman.edu/integrity/index.htm).