Principles of Biology:  Function and Ecology of Organisms

Bi 213, 2008

Click here for lecture schedule , including chapters in textbook.

Click here for lab schedule

Click here for lecture notes

Review questions for first midterm opportunity

Review questions for second midterm opportunity

Review questions for final opportunity

Welcome back to Principles of Biology,where we study that most fascinating of subjects - LIFE.  We will continue working toward our overall goals for this course sequence:

• Gain sufficient proficiency in the various sub-disciplines of biology to succeed in advanced courses in specialized areas of biology.
• Become sufficiently knowledgeable about biology to make informed decisions about important issues concerning biology that face society today.
• Develop an understanding of the enterprise of science, its scope and its limitations.
• Have fun!

• Learn about the structure and function of plants - how they grow, reproduce, acquire nutrients and water, transport materials, and respond to the environment.
• Learn about the structure and function of animals - how they develop, reproduce, acquire nutrients and water, transport materials, exchange gasses, and respond to their environment.
• Understand the fundmental similarties in the function of both plants and animals, as well as the critical differences.
• Understand the principles of population biology, including the different types of population growth models.
• Become acquainted with the variety of biological communities on Earth, the interactions among species in these communities, and the forces that shape them.
• Begin to understand the function of ecosystems, including energy flow and biogeochemical cycles.
• Gain direct experience in the methods of science including developing questions, gathering data, analyzing data to derive conclusions, and communicating results in the form of a scientific paper.
• Develop skills of quantitative reasoning by applying mathematics to scientific questions and by using computers to analyze and graph data.

Who should not be taking this course?  We advise students majoring in arts, humanities, business, or social sciences to take Bi 101 and 102, or Bi 101 and 103 to fulfill natural science requirements.  These courses assume less prior knowledge of biology.  If you are unsure which sequence best suits your situation, see your advisor as soon as possible.

Lectures and opportunities, etc.  Lecture material will overlap substantially with that in the textbook, but sometimes we will discuss material in lecture that is not in the text, and vice-versa.  You will have three opportunities to demonstrate how well you know the material - two midterms and a final. Be prepared to answer opportunity questions on any material from lecture or assigned reading in the textbook.

The opportunities will be multiple choice questions of various types (straight memorization, comparisons, application of concepts, drawing conclusions from data...)  The questions  will come mostly from material covered in lecture and the assigned textbook reading, but occassionally they will come from the lab.

The midterms and final will be given ONLY at the time listed in the schedule.

Lab grades will be based on several forms of evaluation. Details will be discussed by your lab instructor.  In addition to weekly laboratory exercises, groups of students will design and carry out an experiment of their choice on Euglena growth.  They will work in groups to prepare a report on this experiment in the format of a scientific paper.  Details on this assignment will be provided in lab.  Refer to the required book, Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences, for explicit instructions on how this paper should be written. In addition, the Appendix of the lab manual contains a condensed version of guidelines for the report.

The campus computer network is accessible to all students and we will make significant use of it this term.  We will post lab data, reading assignments, or other information pertinent to Bi 213.  Excel, the spreadsheet program we will use to analyze our data, is available on the network. Email is a very efficient way to contact your instructors.  If you have not already logged in, explored the campus web pages, and sent and received email from your student account, please go to the Computer Center very soon and do so.

Grading and grades.   Your grade depends on the total number of points you earn in lecture and lab combined, relative to the highest total number of points.  For example, suppose the total of the highest scores achieved on all the exams and assignments is 509.  Suppose you earned 448 points.  Based on the total possible points, your percentage would have been 85.33%, for a grade of B.  However, based on the highest point total, your percentage is 88.0%, for a grade of B+.  Note that your grade will not be hurt by others scoring very high on exams.  Your percent and the corresponding grade can not be lower than what you actually achieved on the exam.  However, your grade can get a "boost" if the highest score is less than a perfect score.  There is no "curve" in the strict sense, since there is no predetermined distribution of letter grades.  It is possible (and greatly hoped for by your instructors!) that everyone could earn As and Bs.

Grades will be posted in the glass cases outside the lab as soon as I receive the results from Computing Services.  Grades will be listed by the 9-digit number you used on your scantron. I do NOT post grades on BlackBoard.

Some suggestions for getting the most from this course.  Students often ask for suggestions that will help them do well in this course.  Although each person has to find the right combination of study techniques that work best for her or him, the suggestions listed at the link below have proven helpful to many students.  If it sounds like doing well requires a lot of effort, that is because it does.  Biology, and science in general, is an immense, complicated subject.  It is the nature of the natural world.  However, it is also endlessly fascinating, making learning about it fun and rewarding.

 Study Ideas

What if I miss a lab? The short answer is, DO NOT miss a lab.  You may attend another lab section later in the week, but only with permission of that lab instructor and only if there is room.  Make sure the lab instructor signs your notebook so you receive credit for the work in your notebook.  You must complete the lab exercise during the week in which it was scheduled.  All the needed materials are removed on Friday to make room for the next week's items.

What if I miss lecture? Once again, the best advice is, DO NOT miss lecture -- EVER.  If you do miss lecture, be sure to get notes from another student and find out about any announcements made in class.  You are still responsible for any and all information given out in class whether you were there or not.  If an assignment was given in class, you can not make it up.

What if I miss an opportunity? Only students who can document that they missed an opportunity due to serious extenuating circumstances beyond their control will be allowed to take a make-up exam.  This policy is in fairness to the majority of students who take the opportunities at the scheduled times, and to many students who do so in spite of difficult circumstances.  Check the schedule now to avoid making plans that will conflict with opportunities.  Contact me within 48 hours of the missed opportunity to discuss a possible make-up.  Examples of excused absences include: hospitalization, death in the family, or court subpoena.  Examples of non-excused absences include: having other exams the same day, or taking a recreational trip.  There will be ONE make-up opportunity given at ONE time (Tues, June 10, 12:00-1:00).  This is a break time in the finals schedule so no one should have a final at this time. If you need to take a make-up, be sure to keep this time slot open.  The make-up will cover material on either the first or second midterm, and may be short essay questions and/or multiple choice and/or other format.

Where can I get extra help if I want it?  The Student ACCESS Center (SU 134) provides a number of services designed to help students succeed.  In particular, Academic Resource Services offers tutoring and programs in study skills.  These services are for any student who wants to maintain or improve performance in school, regardless of whether s/he is earning an A or an F in a class.

If you are in need of academic support because of a documented disability (whether it be psychiatric, learning, mobility, health-related, or sensory) you may be eligible for academic accomodations through disability services for students. Contact Theresa Lowrie, Director, Disabled Student Services, at 552-6213, or schedule an appointment in person at the Access Center, Stevenson Union, Lower Level.

There is NO extra credit.A few students generally ask if they can do "extra credit" to make up for poor performance on exams or other aspect of the course.  Although this is often done in highschool, we do not give extra credit in this course.  Out of fairness to all, a student's grade is based solely on performance on the required elements of Bi 213, not on what s/he might do outside of Bi 213.  Any "extra" effort a student may wish to invest would be better spent on studying lecture material and completing high-quality assignments in lab.

Miscellaneous University policies.  A grade of incomplete (I) will be assigned only if the quality of a student's work is satisfactory but the course is not completed for reasons acceptable to the instructor.  Students wishing to arrange an I should contact the instructor at the earliest possible date.  An I automatically changes to an F after 12 months unless incomplete course work is made up to the satisfaction of the instructor.

A grade of E will be assigned if a student misses the final exam.  The grade of E is converted to an F at the end of the next term unless the student makes up the final exam to the satisfaction of the instructor (see missed exam policy for examples of circumstances under which a student would be allowed to take a make-up exam).

It is assumed that all students exhibit the highest levels of academic integrity. Refer to the SOU Student Handbook for the University Policy on academic integrity.
 
 

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