Syllabus

Biology 1010 Section 001 Principles of Biology Fall 2011

Instructor: Ms. Tommi Lou Carosella      Office: Naraghi Hall of Science  Rm259      

Phone: 667-3596.  If you leave a message speak slowly and clearly, and repeat your phone number at the end of the message. If I can’t understand you, I can’t return your call.

Office Hours:  Mon 2-3pm, Wed and Fri 11-12, or by appointment

Email: tcarosella@csustan.edu Email is the best way to contact me. Use it for setting up an appointment, for questions with short answers, or for emergencies. Put BIOL 1010 in the subject line or it will not be acknowledged by your instructor. Please ask complex questions during the lecture or office hours. Questions regarding grades and/or those answered on the syllabus will not be acknowledged.

Lectures: MWF 1:00 - 1:50 p.m. in P-167.

Text: Basic Concepts in Biology,  8^th Edition, by Starr.    Check this website for the best deal:

http://www.cengagebrain.com/micro/csusbio1010     You want the $115.00 custom package

Announcements: Consult the announcements page on BlackBoard often for important, up to the minute information.

Course objectives: This course is intended to:

1. provide an understanding of science, and its methodologies.

2. provide an overview of the issues, principles, methodologies, and perspectives of biology.

3. develop an understanding to allow effective communication on biological issues.

4. provide a working background to critically evaluate biological issues and develop continuous inquiry and life-long learning.

5. provide the framework to understand, examine critically, and use information from various sources to answer questions relevant to biology.

6. provide an understanding of the accomplishments of selected individuals to biology.

7. demonstrate the relationships between the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, geology and the other sciences with an emphasis on how these fields are closely inter-related.

8. demonstrate the interdependence of humans on natural ecosystems and the diversity of life on earth.

9. develop more informed and responsible citizens with respect to issues concerning the living world.

Teaching philosophy: You are in control of your learning experience. You must take responsibility for your coursework. Come to class EVERY time prepared to listen and think, do the readings, do the homework. I am here to guide you, to encourage you, and to assess your progress.

iClickers: You are required to purchase an iClicker remote for in-class participation. iClicker is a response system that allows you to respond to questions posed during class, and you will be graded on those questions. In order to receive this credit, you need to register your iClicker remote online at: http://www.iclicker.com/registration. Complete the fields with your first name, last name, student ID, and remote ID. Be sure to include the preceding  zeros, E.g., 000456123 of your ID number. The remote ID is the series of numbers and letters found on the bottom of the back of your iClicker remote. The iClickers will be used every day in class, and you are responsible for bringing your remote daily.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that iClickers improve student learning. iClickers have been adopted within several departments on campus. So unless you are graduating you will probably use it again for several classes. But after the term ends you may sell your iClicker back to the bookstore or to another student. Using another student's iClicker or two remotes in class is considered cheating.

There will be 2- 3 graded iClicker questions per class.

 iClicker grading: 1 pt. for the correct answer, 0 for incorrect answer. Students will be allowed to miss four classes, before being penalized. If you have a legitimate excuse for missing more classes, be sure to contact your instructor and be prepared to provide documentation. The iClicker may also be used for anonymous polling, provoking discussions, and to gauge student comprehension of difficult topics. Information from these types of questions is not recorded, so your anonymity is guaranteed.

Aplia Online Homework: You will be assigned online homework every week. This is to get you to read the textbook, help you understand the material, discover if there is some topic you don’t understand, and to boost your grade by giving you points outside of the exams. To access the homework you must buy a textbook, either paper or an electronic version, and follow the directions at the publisher website.  All of the BIOL 1010 instructors have made the decision to do this. Although a textbook is expensive, it is cheaper than repeating the class!

How to access your Aplia course

BIOL 1010 Fall 2011

Instructor: TOMMI LOU CAROSELLA
Start Date: 08/22/2011
Course Key: ZHCY-KNCK-JCJN

 

Registration

Aplia is part of CengageBrain, which allows you to sign in to a single site to access your Cengage materials and courses.

1.                Connect to http://login.cengagebrain.com/

2.                If you already have an account, sign in. From your Dashboard, enter your course key (ZHCY-KNCK-JCJN) in the box provided, and click the Register button.
If you don't have an account, click the Create a New Account button, and enter your course key when prompted: ZHCY-KNCK-JCJN. Continue to follow the on-screen instructions.

Payment

Online: Purchase access to your course (including the digital textbook) from the CengageBrain website.

Bookstore: Purchase access to Aplia from your bookstore. Check with the bookstore to find out what they offer for your course.

After paying, you will have the option to purchase a physical book at a discounted price. If you choose to pay later, you can use Aplia without paying until 11:59 PM on 09/11/2011.

Class Participation/Seating: This is college. Be on time, sit toward the front of the room, and fully participate in classroom discussions. Failure to do so will adversely affect your grade.

Student Conduct: In such a large and crowded class it is essential that students respect the rights of others. Turn off your cell phones. Bring your textbook to class, so you can mark the diagrams that I talk about. DO NOT sit there fooling around on your laptop, answering e-mail or checking Facebook. It distracts other students, does nothing to help your grade, and will result in my asking you to leave. Those who disrupt the class by talking or any other means will be asked to leave. Repeat offenders may have points deducted from their final grade and/or be turned over to the appropriate student disciplinary committee.

Cheating: There is a zero tolerance policy. Any cheating whatsoever will result in an automatic F in the class and the matter will be turned over to the appropriate student disciplinary committee. Submitting a quiz for another student and/or using another student's iClicker or using two remotes, are also considered cheating. Taking out a cell phone during an exam is considered cheating, your exam will be confiscated, and you will receive a grade of F.

Order of Topics: We will attempt to do all the chapters in your text except for 19, with a slight change in order:

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,   11,12,13,14,   8,9,10,   15,16,17,18,   20,21,22,23,24.

We may not get to all of them, but we will try. Note: your text is a customized version of a larger, more comprehensive book, and is missing a bunch of chapters. (We tried to save you money by not having you purchase chapters we weren’t going to cover.)    So- on the Aplia website- Chapter 20 Population Ecology may show up as Chapter 40, Chapter 21 Community Ecology may be Chapter 41, etc. Apparently it is not possible for them to redo the website for each class with a customized book.  I hope that is not too confusing.

Exams: There will be three midterm exams, each worth 80-100 points, and a final exam worth 120-150 points. If you are late you will have less time to complete the exam. Traffic and/or car problems are not acceptable excuses for being late. Leave early on exam days to ensure you will be on time. Always bring a #2 pencil and Scantron form 883-E (or ES) to the exams. Purchase the proper scantron form well in advance of exams. No excuses, including the bookstore runs out of them, will be accepted for not having the proper form.

You must not leave the room during an exam without the instructor’s permission. You must turn off cell phones and remove baseball caps during exams. If your cell phone rings during an exam five (5) points will be deducted from your score. Failing to follow instructions written on your exam will result in two (2) points being deducted for each violation. No food or drinks are permitted during exams. Cell phones must be put away during exams. Taking out a cell phone during an exam is considered cheating, your exam will be confiscated, and you will receive a grade of F for that exam.

Note: the Scantron machine sometime makes mistakes, particularly when you change an answer and do not completely erase the other choice. In order to verify these mistakes you must also circle the correct answer on the question sheet. Challenges to the machine's accuracy will not be accepted if you did not do so. You have until the next class period, after the exam is returned, to challenge its accuracy.

It is your responsibility to notify the instructor prior to missing an exam and to supply her with a valid, written excuse. There will be no extra credit nor makeup exams. All requests to take exams at other than scheduled times must be in writing to the instructor at least one week prior to the scheduled exam. If you miss an exam for a legitimate emergency it is still your responsibility to notify the instructor immediately. Under no circumstances will you be allowed to take an exam once it has been handed back.

Exams may consist of multiple choice, matching, short answers, diagrams, and short or long essays. The instructor reserves the right to give unannounced quizzes or in class exercises if it becomes apparent that students are not keeping up with the material and/or there are an unacceptable number of absences. If you happen to be absent that day or you fail to follow instructions, you will receive a grade of 0 for that quiz/exercise.

Please print this syllabus so you have it and can refer to it when you have a question.

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