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Your final
grade will be calculated from what you earn on the following assignments.
Refer to the Schedule
for dates that each assignment is due.
Tests
(60%)
There will be five (5) tests in this class. Test questions will include
multiple choice, true and false, fill in the blank, short answer, and
essay.
Lab
Reports(10%)
The formal lab reports worth 40 points will be on the labs: Enzymes,
Diffusion, Respiration, and Photosynthesis.
60 points will be given for all other labs and these labs. Your lab
notebook must contain a table of contents, date exercise was done, exercise
name, lab reports, completed questions, and any appropriate summations
of the lab. This book is due on the date specified on the schedule.
It must be neat, concise, and complete.
Poster/PowerPoint
Presentation (10%)
The poster presentation helps introduce you to the vast body of knowledge
making up the biological sciences. It also provides an alternative (to
testing) to demonstrate the knowledge gained during this term of General
Biology I.
You are responsible
for picking a topic of your choice in the Biological Sciences and preparing
a poster or PowerPoint to educate your peers, family and friends about
Biology.
Each poster must
show an explicit connection to molecular and cellular biology.
The more it incorporates
the concepts we focus on in class, the better it serves as a way to
integrate Biology into your life.
Take special care
in choosing your topic. If the topic is too broad, it is difficult to
cover it adequately. If the topic is too narrow it may be difficult
to find adequate information.
Each poster must include a 100 word (maximum) abstract that summarizes
the content of the presentation. Your name (the author) must be prominently
displayed on the poster. (Be proud of your work!)
You can review the
class presentation regarding posters by selecting one of the formats
below:
PDF
(requires Arcrobat reader)
Powerpoint (download - requires MS
Powerpoint)
Class
Participation and Group Projects (10%)
Class Participation
It is expected that you will pay attention and actively participate
in class discussions and laboratory activities. My philosophy of teaching
is to fully engage the students in the learning process. The nature
of this class requires sincere effort from all participants. The participation
grade will include quizzes given during the first 15 minutes of class.
These quizzes will be over class material from the previous class, and
from the assigned readings for the day.
If there is any reason you cannot attend class, it is your responsibility
to make arrangements with the instructor for missing or late assignments.
General Etiquette:
• Please turn off volume on cell phones while in class.
• Please enter quietly and unobtrusively if you arrive late.
• Please participate only in the primary discussion (don't converse
with your neighbor - it is distracting).
Group Projects
It has been shown that the most effective way to help you learn the
content and demonstrate the knowledge you are acquiring is through active
participation. Often, you will be working in small groups on problems
and presentations. These projects have their own evaluation mechanisms
and explicit expectations for active participation.
Scale
| Points |
Percent |
| A
: 1000-900 Points |
A+=97-100% |
A=94-96% |
A-=90-93%
|
| B
: 899-800 Points |
B+=97-89% |
B=84-86% |
B-=80-83%
|
| C:
799-700 Points |
C+=77-79% |
C=74-76% |
C-=70-73%
|
| D:
699-600 Points |
D+=67-69% |
D=64-66% |
D-=60-63$
|
| F
: Below 599 Points |
less
than 60%
|
Note:
+ / –
Grades may be used to more accurately report the grade.
Cheating, dishonesty, and plagiarism will not be tolerated and may result
in failure of the assignment and/or course.
Make-up labs are NOT possible due to space and time constraints.
If you miss a lab you may obtain the data from another member of the
group and use it to complete the lab assignment. Missing more than one
lab results in a letter grade deduction for the lab in question
Late work and Make-up exams must be approved in advance
by the instructor.
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