Lecture Syllabus

Download Syllabus with lecture schedule.

Grade Sheet

Office Hours: Monday-Wednesday 6:30am - 7:30am

room MS 313

Text: Haefnagels- Biology The Essentials

This is an older version of the text. It is still valid. I would suggest that you rent the book, rather than purchasing it. Amazon rents it for a semester for $13.26

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Ancinec: Notes for Biology 107

Description

There are three (50 min) lecture hours per week, divided into two one hour and fifteen minute periods. You are also enrolled in a three hour laboratory. Lecture reading assignments are given in advance. Please refer to attached lecture schedule. The final grade in this class will be affected by active participation, as follows:

Participation.

Your participation is required. Participation will be taken at the beginning of the lecture hour. If you come in late, it is your responsibility to check yourself in at the end of that period (the next meeting is too late). Three lates will be recorded as a single 1.5 hour absence. Students absent from lecture more than five lecture meetings (greater than six hours) may be dropped. An absence is an absence whether it is due to illness or sleeping in. Enter the lecture hall by the back door it you must come in late to avoid disturbing the class or the instructor. If you are unable to attend, please notify the instructor in advance by directly or email.

• It is the student's responsibility to drop all classes in which he/she is no longer attending.
• It is the instructor's discretion to withdraw a student after the add/drop deadline due to excessive absences.
• Students who remain enrolled in a class beyond the published withdrawal deadline, as stated in the class schedule, will receive an evaluative letter grade in this class.

Lecture participation points are determined by your records of absences and tardies, to be equal to 10 percent of the total achieved points. If absences exceed the maximum and the drop period has passed then the points are subtracted from the total. If it is necessary for you to leave class early, please notify the instructor before the period starts. Leaving early counts towards your accumulated absences.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

Apply the process of science to problem solving situations and formulate procedural steps necessary for a scientific investigation.
Explain, employ, and evaluate basic ecological concepts.
Describe the process of evolution and speciation by employing the concepts upon which modern evolutionary theory is based and recognize examples of each.
Define and distinguish atoms, molecules, compounds, chemical bonds, mechanisms of chemical bond formation, and name and recognize the components of biological molecules.
State the cell theory and describe the structure and function of prokaryotes and the organelles in a eukaryotic cell.
Interpret and compare processes of cellular metabolism including enzymes, cellular respiration and photosynthesis.
Compare and contrast mechanisms of reproduction, growth, and development in the natural world.
Describe, apply, and distinguish Mendel's principles of genetics and their exceptions.
Describe the process of DNA replication, protein synthesis, mutation, and methods used in DNA technology, and demonstrate an ability to predict outcomes when given a particular nucleotide or amino acid sequence.

Behavior
You are expected to behave in an adult manner in accordance with Policy 3100 (see College Catalog for full text). These behaviors include but are not limited to: cheating or plagiarism, physical or verbal disruption of class, disorderly, lewd, indecent or obscene conduct either written or verbal against another student or the instructor, sexual harassment, assault or threat of assault against other students or instructor will result in the Policy 3100 procedure disciplinary process. For your rights and responsibilities see section 1-3 of Policy 3100.

Disabilities

Students with disabilities who may need academic accommodations should discuss options available to them with the instructor during the first two weeks of class.

Grades and Exams

Lecture exams are given several times during the semester. See the lecture schedule for dates. Each exam covers just the untested material, no exam is comprehensive; including the final. The exams are multiple choice, matching, true and false. Each exam is approximately 100 questions worth one point a piece.

The following is the grading scale used to convert your percentage of the total points into a letter grade.
A = 88.6 % - 100 %
B = 77.6 % - 88.5 %
C = 62.6 % - 77.5 %
D = 50.0 % - 62.5 %
F = 49.9 % or less

Exams MAY NOT be made up without prior arrangement with the instructor. If you can not make contact directly with the instructor, then email the instructor at dancinec@sdccd.edu stating leave your name, reason for your absence and if when you are expected to return. You will be expected to make up the exam at the next class meeting unless other arrangements with the instructor have been made. You may make up no more than one exam during the semester. Your final grade will be determined by the total number of points you have accumulated during the semester. If you miss an exam, you have missed those points (a zero 0, is recorded). The lecture accounts for 75% of your total course grade.

Lecture Extra Credt

Outside lectures may be attended for extra credit. These lectures and times will be announced by the instructor or check the course website for suggestions.

You would be expected to type a minimum of a two page abstract of the lecture. These will be double spaced and printed (not hand written), with your name of each page. The pages are to stapled together. This is to be turned in within two weeks of the lecture date (the closest Wedneday). The final acceptance is the beginning of lecture class on a Wednesday 8:00AM. Each submitted paper is worth a total of fifteen points. You may do two extra credit lectures for a total of 20 (10 points each) points. Original work is expected, two identical exercises or reports (you and someone else) are both valued at worth "0" points. Emailed reports are accepted of attended lectures, do not submit lab reports by email, they will not be accepted. Do not email copies of the extra credit after the Wednesday meeting of the class. No extra credit is accepted the last meeting week of classes.

Your progress on each test plus an estimated position in the class will be identified by the four randomly generated numbers, not your student I. D. number.
Mesa web address: www.sdmesa.edu
Class web address: http://homework.sdmesa.edu/dancinec/

You can find the following on the website.

1. Lecture Reviews / sample exams
2. Lab Reviews / sample quizzes.
3. Extra Credit, Lecture and laboratory
4. The posted grade estimate (your name or student id will not be used, I will generate a series of four digit random numbers and give each student one).

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