BI230:
Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
Contact Information
1. Urry, Lisa A., Jane B. Reece, Michael L. Cain, Steven A. Wasserman, Peter V. Minorsky, and Robert B. Jackson. 2011. Campbell Biology 12 th Edition. Pearson. NY, NY. 1464 Pages. ISBN-13: 9780135188743. o You should read the relevant textbook chapter prior to coming to lecture and therefore come to lecture already having a good understanding of the lecture topic for the day.
2. The textbook webpage, Mastering Biology, contains information from each chapter, as well as supplementary study tools. This is a very good resource when trying to understand the reading of each chapter, as well as a helpful resource when studying for exams. You will also use it 2 for BI231 Biological Sciences II, instead of having homework on Blackboard. This means that you only have to purchase it one time. It comes with an electronic copy of the textbook. If you are waiting for financial aid, you can try it for free for 14 days so that you do not fall behind. To join our class, go to this website https://mlm.pearson.com/enrollment/rollins23246 and use the course ID code: rollins23246
3. Knisely, Karin. 2017. A student handbook for writing in biology, 5th edition. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland, MA. ISBN:9781319121815
4. Blackboard Ultra will be used extensively for this course. Be sure to check it frequently for information about assignments.
By the end of this course:
1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of science as a way of knowing about the physical world and recognize the types of questions that science, by its very nature, can and cannot answer.
2. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the scientific method by generating hypotheses, analyzing raw data after conducting an experiment, drawing appropriate conclusions, and through oral and written communication of the experimental process.
3. Students will demonstrate knowledge of basic concepts in cell and molecular biology through student performance on examinations. Students will also demonstrate a working vocabulary in cell and molecular biology by recognizing definitions and applying them on exams and by using terms appropriately in lab assignments.
| Week | Date | Topic | Reading Assignment |
| 1 | M, 1/13 W, 1/15 F, 1/17 | Introduction How to “science” More science; chemistry: holding it all together | Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Chapter 2 |
| 2 | M, 1/20 W, 1/22 F, 1/24 | Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, no class More chemistry; Water Water | Chapter 3 Chapter 3 |
| 3 | M, 1/27 W, 1/29 F, 1/31 | Carbon Functional groups and energy, review EXAM 1 (Ch1-4) | Chapter 4 Chapter 4 |
| 4 | M, 2/3 W, 2/5 F, 2/7 | Macromolecules More macromolecules Nucleic acids and the cell | Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 |
| 5 | M, 2/10 W, 2/12 F, 2/14 | More about the cell Even more about the cell; Membrane structure Membrane function | Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 7 |
| 6 | M, 2/17 W, 2/19 F, 2/21 | Energy and metabolism More energy and metabolism Enzymes, review | Chapter 8 Chapter 8 |
| 7 | M, 2/24 W, 2/26 F, 2/28 | EXAM 2 (Ch5-8) Cellular respiration More cellular respiration; fermentation | Chapter 9 Chapter 9 |
| 8 | M, 3/3 W, 3/5 F, 3/7 | Photosynthesis More Photosynthesis Alternative energy acquisition | Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Chapter 10, 11 |
| March 10-14 Spring Break, No Class | |||
| 9 | M, 3/17 W, 3/19 F, 3/21 | Cellular messaging More about messaging Mitosis and Meiosis | Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Chapter 12, 13 |
| 10 | M, 3/24 W, 3/26 F, 3/29 | Variation, evolution, review EXAM 3 (Ch9-13) Mendel and Alleles | Chapter 13 Chapter 14 |
| 11 | M, 3/31 W, 4/2 F, 4/4 | Probability, linkage, complex phenotypes Genetic conditions, Chromosomes Sex chromosomes, mutations | Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 15 |
| 12 | M, 4/7 W, 4/9 F, 4/11 | More complex inheritance; DNA DNA replication More Transcription | Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 17 |
| 13 | M, 4/14 W, 4/16 F, 4/18 | Translation, Review Good Friday Holiday, No Class | Chapter 17 |
| 14 | M, 4/21 W, 4/23 F, 4/25 | Regulation of gene expression Developmental control, cancer Viruses | Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 |
| 15 | M, 4/28 W, 4/30 F, 5/2 | Biotech Genomics Review | Chapter 20 Chapter 21 |
Evaluation:
The final grade for the course is broken down by weight below:
Mastering Biology Homework 10%
Exam 1 10%
Exam 2 10%
Exam 3 10%
Exam 4 10%
Final Exam 15%
Lab Points 35%
Total 100%
Homework details will be listed on the Mastering Biology webpage. It is your responsibility to keep track of assignment due dates and assure that your homework submitted on time. Be certain to leave yourself extra time in case of computer or other unavoidable problems; try not to wait until a few hours before the due date to complete computer assignments. No late assignments will be accepted except under documented extraordinary circumstances. Exam format may include multiple choice, matching, true/false, short answer, and essay questions. Since learning science is a cumulative endeavor, exams may test on cumulative information. However, exams will mostly focus on material learned in lecture and lab since the last exam. If you miss an exam, you will receive a zero; there will be no make-ups. Information about lab assignments will be provided on Blackboard. The laboratory section of this course is worth a significant portion of your grade. You cannot miss lab sessions without a legitimate excuse. You must be prepared to attend the entire lab period. Attendance at laboratory sessions will be recorded, and 3 students who fail to fully participate in the laboratory portion of the course risk a deduction from their final grade. Promptness is very important because announcements about each lab assignment will be given at the start of the lab period. Even if you know you are going to be very late, you should still show up to receive data necessary to do your lab assignments.
Letter Grades:
Points earned will be added and grades will be assigned based on the scale below. Do not expect any "curving" of grades in this course. From the Wilmington College Faculty Handbook: “It is the policy of Wilmington College to strive for fairness in grading and avoid grade inflation. Faculty are encouraged to regard "C-" as a satisfactory grade, which means the student is meeting College standards, and will treat it as such in talking with students, unless otherwise noted in the College Catalog. The grade "A", on the other hand, should mean outstanding achievement, with a grade of "B" in between. The grade "D" represents minimally acceptable achievement, and the grade "F" indicates failure.” Grades in most American institutions of higher learning have been cheapened over the past three decades. When one looks at nationally normalized tests students' scores have not increased. GPAs of college students have increased by 50% compared to 1967 with private colleges like Wilmington College rising 25% higher than public colleges (http://gradeinflation.com/). This has cheapened the meaning of a grade. Wilmington College and the Biology Department at Wilmington College are committed to assigning grades that reflect accomplishment. This means that we consider a C a good grade because it reflects work expected of a successful college student. An A is only assigned to a student for outstanding performance. It is a disservice to you when a professor assigns an inflated grade for work performed by a student. It is a form of dishonesty.
Letter grade and % points: Meaning of grade (from WC Handbook):
A = 100-93.5, A- = 93.4-90 Range of outstanding achievement
B+ = 89.9-86.6, B = 86.5-83.5, B- = 83.4-80 Range of good achievement
C+ = 79.9-76.6, C = 76.5-73.5, C- = 73.4-70 Range of average achievement
D+ = 69.9-66.6, D = 66.5-63.5, D- = 63.4-60 Range of below average achievement
F = < 60 Inadequate achievement Final grade cutoffs will be at the discretion of the instructor.
Instructor Course Policies
Attendance:
See the current Student Handbook for the college Attendance Policy especially as it pertains to excused absences. Unannounced in-class quizzes or writing assignments may be given as an incentive to attend class. Absence from class will result in a "0" for any in-class or in-lab assignment done during that session. All excused absences must be documented. The College accepts these four categories of excused absences:
1) Activities in which the student serves as an official representative of the College (e.g., musical performances, athletic contests, field trips). You must tell your instructor in advance, as soon as possible, if you will be absent due to a Wilmington College event. 2) Personal illness, with documentation by the College nurse or a physician. If you are unable to attend class due to illness or quarantine, then your instructor will work with you by phone, email, or online to help you stay on track. It is your responsibility to contact your instructor to discuss your absence and make up missing assignments.
3) Family or personal emergencies
4) When severe weather makes travel to campus dangerous
Students are responsible for getting information from other students or from the professor on what material they have missed from a lecture or laboratory, whether the absence is excused or unexcused. Late assignments will not be accepted, so be sure to turn them in beforehand if you know you must miss a session.
Students are expected to actively participate in laboratory and lecture activities and may be graded on their level of participation and preparation for each class. Students are expected to exhibit appropriate classroom etiquette, including, but not limited to, listening attentively when the professor or another student is speaking, raising your hand before speaking, arriving to class on time, only using laptops for class-related activities, and turning off cell phones. In addition, students are expected to clean their laboratory area and return laboratory materials to the appropriate location prior to leaving lab. Points may be deducted from participation points for inadequate participation or improper classroom etiquette at the discretion of the instructor.
Class Work Expectations:
In alignment with United States Department of Education regulations regarding workload in courses, the Higher Learning Commission requires that Wilmington College use the definition of a credit hour as “one hour of classroom instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week.” Therefore, you should plan on spending at least 8 hours per week on average outside of lecture and laboratory on material related to this class. (and that is the expectation for getting a C as your final grade!) Reference: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2009/credit.html
You absolutely must take an active role in your learning to be successful in this course. The professor will be available via email and by appointment to answer any questions you have concerning course content and your progress.
Institutional and Program-Level Policies
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.
Out-of-class Work Expectation A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week. |
Instructional Course Delivery |
Academic Integrity Policy The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions. |
Academic Misconduct - Examples [10/24]
ACADEMIC CODE OF CONDUCT
This policy is directly related to the first Testimony, which is part of the Student Code of Conduct. “I will practice personal and academic integrity.” The initial responsibility for dealing with academic misconduct lies with the individual faculty member in whose classroom or course of study the offense occurs. The responsibility includes determination of the consequences for the offense. The goal is for faculty to confront cheating and plagiarism, to teach ethical behavior, and to provide an appropriate consequence based on the nature of the incident. Faculty are encouraged to explicitly address academic misconduct and its consequences in the course syllabus.
EXAMPLES OF ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
A. Examination offenses include, but are not limited to, the following:
1.Taking unauthorized materials into or out of the examination room.
2.Leaving the examination room without authorization before completing an examination.
3.Talking in the examination room without authorization.
4.Discussing the examination outside the examination room during the course of the examination.
5.Attempting to observe the work of another student.
6.Taking an examination for another person or permitting someone else to do so.
7.Collaborating improperly by discussion, joint research, or joint effort in any way expressly prohibited by the instructor. This includes using a cell phone or other device to access information from another source or another student.
8.Improper knowledge of contents of an examination - No student shall knowingly acquire unauthorized knowledge of an examination or any part of an examination, or solicit, offer, or give information about any part of an examination.
B. Student work offenses include, but are not limited to, the following, which are expressly prohibited in the absence of prior written approval of the instructor or instructors involved:
1.Resubmission of work - Submitting work which has been previously submitted for credit.
2. Plagiarism - Submitting work done wholly or partly by another, including the unattributed copying of all or parts of a published work or internet document. Using generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) sources to produce work (when not expressly permitted) is also a form of plagiarism. Some instances of plagiarism are the result of ignorance rather than dishonesty. When plagiarism is encountered, the instructor should be sure that the student knows proper procedures for attributing content.
3.Prohibited sources - Consulting material or persons contrary to the directions of the instructor.
4.Improper collaboration - Engaging in any discussion, joint research, or joint effort of any kind expressly prohibited by the instructor.
5.Deception - Misrepresenting the authenticity of sources, citations, or principles in any written work.
6. Sharing work – Students who share their work with others are responsible for how that work is used. For example, if a student shares a paper with another student to help him or her understand an assignment, and that student submits the work as their own, the author of the paper shares responsibility for the plagiarism committed by the other student.
D. Other misconduct - Engaging in any other improper conduct as specified by the instructor.
E. Lying – deliberately providing false information relevant to academic matters, such as misrepresenting the inability to take an examination because of illness.
F. Disruptive or disrespectful classroom behavior – causing a disturbance in the classroom, interrupting instruction, speaking rudely or threatening students or faculty.
Class Attendance Policy |
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
Students with Disabilities
In accordance with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973), Wilmington College provides access through reasonable accommodations to students with documented physical and psychological disabilities.
Students who wish to access Services need to meet with the Director of Accessibility and Disability Services and provide verification of their disability. To register with Accessibility and Disability Services, students submit an Application for Services. In addition, the student must provide the Disability Verification form accompanied by current disability documentation from a licensed professional. For more information, contact the Director of Accessibility and Disability Services at accessibility@wilmington.edu or 937.481.2444, 114 Robinson Communcation Center.