SYLLABUS
Biology 107: Principles of Biology I, Sections 01-10, 21, 23
Spring Semester, 2003


1. Instructors


Dr. Thomas Terry will lecture for the first half of the course.
Office: Biology/Physics Building, Room 402B
Telephone: 486-4255
E-mail: Thomas.Terry@Uconn.Edu (case-insensitive)
Office Hours: Mon 2-3 p.m., Tues 9:30-10:30 a.m., Wed 9-10 a.m., or by appointment

Prof. Terry earned a B.S. in physics and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics from Yale University. His research interests include cell ultrastructure (electron microscopy), and virus-membrane interactions. Prof. Terry has published and lectured extensively on the uses of internet technology to enrich education. See his web page for further information: http://www.sp.uconn.edu/~terry/Common/bio.html (case-sensitive!)

Prof. Randall Walikonis will lecture for the second half of the course.
Office: Building 4 Annex, Horsebarn Hill, Room 154
Telephone: 486-9031
E-mail: Randall.Walikonis@UConn.Edu (case-insensitive)
Office Hours: to be announced

Prof. Walikonis was trained as a neurobiologist. His research interests include structure of excitatory synapses and the changes that occur in synapses with memory formation.

2. Materials you will need for this course

(available at the UConn Coop except as noted)

(1) Textbook: Biology, 6th Ed., by Neil Campbell and Jane Reece. (2002) Benjamin Cummings. The textbook has been upgraded somewhat from the 5th Ed., and those of you who have a 5th Ed. copy may not notice major changes. However, the web-based supplementary materials have been extensively revised, and will be a valuable part of this course (see below). Read assignments before each lecture! After lectures, review the reading material to supplement the lectures. Use the study outline and self quiz in each chapter to check your understanding and command of the text. Use the CD-ROM that accompanies the text for weekly help with self-quizzes and for some good animation supplements.

(2) Two laboratory manuals:
A. "Laboratory Manual for Biology 107", by Thomas Terry and Karen Lombard, Fall 2002 version. This will be used during the first half of the course.
B. "A Dissection guide and Atlas to the Fetal Pig, 2nd Ed." by David Smith and Michael Schenk, 2003. ISBN: 0-89582-626-7. This will be used during the second half of the course.

(3) Subscription to www.campbellbiology.com, a large collection of Web-based biology support materials, including many excellent activities with animation and interactivity. Several of these actitivies are assigned with each text chapter. If you purchase a new copy of Campbell's Biology 6th ed., your purchase includes a password that will allow you to subscribe for free -- see information on the first page of the text. If you obtain a used or earlier copy of the text, you will need to purchase a 12-month subscription to the Campbell 6th ed. website for $22. This can be done via a credit card purchase online -- use the "Buy Now" link from the Campbell webpage. A free 3-day trial is available as well.

(4) Access to the World Wide Web is strongly recommended. Many computer labs are available through the Computer Center, Residential Life, University Library, and others. If you own a computer, consider obtaining an internet connection. This class uses Web materials extensively.

(5) E-mail accounts are recommended. Obtain your free account from the Computer Center, Accounts desk in Room 001, Math-Science Building. Bring your student ID. Use this to communicate with your instructor, laboratory teaching assistant, lab partner, etc.

(6) Passwords. There are two entirely different sets of userID/password combinations you will need for this course. If you wish to use the table below, you may list them all here. The first set will be announced in class, and should be copied here.

PurposeUserID   Password
Access "protected" images and grades from class web materials
instructor will provide this at opening lecture

Access Campbell website materials
see (3) above for more information 		                     

Lost userID/passwords?
  1. Your instructor can remind you only of the first of these combinations. If you have trouble accessing "protected" images, e-mail the instructor, and include your peoplesoft ID #.
  2. When you register for the Campbell site, you will be asked to set up a verification question -- answer this correctly, and a password will be immediately sent to your recorded e-mail address.

3. Lectures

  • How should I prepare for lectures? Your professors will keep you posted on reading assignments. The best possible preparation is to at least skim the assigned reading before each lecture. You may find it helpful to download materials posted by the instructor and bring them to lecture. This will allow you spend more time listening and looking, and you can add annotations in the margins as needed.
  • What's the difference between the two lecture section? Can I switch back and forth? The two lecture sections are separate courses. Students in Sections 01-10, 21 and 23 meet MWF at 8 a.m. in TLS 154 with Prof. Terry and Walikonis; students in sections 11-20 and 22 meet MWF at 2 p.m. with Prof. Giardina and Heschel. Although much of the information to be covered will be similar, different teachers emphasize different things and will be structuring and writing exams entirely separately from each other. Grading policies may be different between the two lecture sections. Instructors in the 8 a.m. lecture cannot post grades for students enrolled in the 2 p.m. lecture and vice versa. Attend the lecture section to which you are assigned.
  • Why are lectures so early? Luck of the draw!

4. Laboratories

  • Starting Date for Labs. Laboratories begin on Monday, Jan. 27. There will be no labs in the first week of classes, Jan. 22-24.
  • Lab room. All labs meet in the same room, Torrey Life Sciences (TLS) 309.
  • Attendance Policy. Attendance in your scheduled lab section is mandatory. You must attend the lab section for which you are registered.
  • Changing Lab Sections. There is no such thing as being "enrolled in the course and therefore free to change lab sections". If you are enrolled, you are enrolled only in a particular lab section. If your schedule has changed and you cannot attend your scheduled lab, you must drop either this course or the conflicting course. If you wish to take a different lab section, you must attempt to re-enroll; your instructors have no control over the availability of seats in lab. There is occasionally some turnover in lab schedules during the first week, so check the PeopleSoft computer system frequently to see if a space has opened up. If you cannot find an available lab seat that matches your schedule, you will not be able to take the course at this time. Note that, in the spring semester, we offer two separate lecture sections, and have two laboratory rooms available, so we can schedule many more students than in the fall.
  • Laboratory Grading Policy. This will be presented in your first lab section.
  • I missed my lab - can I make it up by attending another lab? This course is currently completely full -- if you miss a lab for any reason, there are no free seats to allow you the option of attending a different section. Every Friday afternoon we remove all equipment and supplies from that week's lab and set up for the following week's lab, so a lab missed cannot be "made up".
    As the semester progresses, it is likely that a few students will drop, which will make a few lab seats available. If you must miss a lab for a valid reason, ask the instructor if there are any spaces available in other labs that week. If possible, the instructor will issue you a lab pass to attend a different lab. No student may attend a different lab without a pass from the instructor. However, this option depends on the availability of a vacant seat that fits your schedule -- don't count on this as a way of making up for a missed lab. At this point in the semester, the option does not even exist.
  • Are makeups available for labs? In certain situations where a student is absent from lab for reasons such as illness, participation in a scheduled athletic event, family emergency, or other appropriate reason, you can petition for permission to take a makeup activity. Use the Petition for Makeup Lab Activity form available online or from your TA. If permission for the makeup activity is granted, you will negotiate a firm due date with your TA, and sign the petition form. Your TA will give you a written/internet makeup activity to carry out and complete by the due date.
  • Dissection Policy. Animal dissection is required for this course. Years of experience have convinced us that there is no substitute for the exploration of an animal body in learning about animal anatomy. No animals are killed for the purpose of providing dissection materials, however. Most animals available for dissection are byproducts of the meat industry -- for example, pig farmers make sure their female sows pregnant, in order to sell them for butchering shortly before they would otherwise give birth, since this increases weight on which sale prices are paid. Fetal pigs cannot be used for meat products, so if they were not used as dissection materials, they would be ground up and sold to produce other products, such as microbiological media or animal-derived glues, or otherwise disposed of. Students will work in pairs with a single pig during the fetal pig exercise. If you are unwilling to carry out the dissection exercises, you should drop this course. Contact Dr. Walikonis if you wish to discuss this further.

5. Exams and Grades

  • Course grades are based on the following:
    Average of three exams (lowest grade of four hour exams will be dropped) 52.5%
    Cumulative exam (required) 17.5%
    Laboratory grade 30%
  • Exam times: During the semester, exams are held at regular class time, 8-8:50 a.m. Another class uses the same room after our class, so it is not possible to have extra time at the end of the exam.
  • Exam dates: There will be four 50-minute exams, each covering 1/4 of the course material. In addition, there will be a cumulative exam covering the entire course -- this exam will be similar in length to the other exams.
    Exam 1: Friday, Feb. 14
    Exam 2: Monday, March 10
    Exam 3: Friday, Apr. 11
    Exam 4: Sat. May 10, 3:30-5:30 (scheduled by Registrar)
    Cumulative Exam: Sat. May 10, 3:30-5:30 (scheduled by Registrar)
  • Exam format: Exams will be 45-50 questions in multiple-choice format. Students must bring two #2 pencils to each exam. Exams are based on lecture material and assigned readings.
  • Exam location: all exams during the semester will be held in two rooms, TLS 154 and CLAS 108, unless otherwise noted. Final exam location may differ, but will be announced towards the end of the semester. Students in lab sections 01-06 will take exams in CLAS 108. Students in lab sections 07-10 and 21 will take exams in TLS 154.
  • Can I have my familiar seat during an exam? No, at each exam you will be given an exam with a seat number to facilitate seating and guarantee empty seats beside each student. You must proceed to the assigned seat and take the exam there. Left handers should ask for a left seat desk when entering the exam room -- all others will be assigned right-handed seat desks.
  • Can I take the exam in the other exam room? No. We only print the number of exams we need, and we prepare exactly enough seat-numbered exams for each room. If more than a couple of students show up in the wrong room, there may not be enough exams to go around. The rooms are only 5 minutes apart -- go to the room you're assigned.
  • Are grades curved? Final course grades will be scaled if necessary, but not until the final course grade is calculated. After each exam, your instructors will post a "How am I doing so far?" scale that will show you what your letter grade for the course would be if they were to turn in a grade based only on that exam. These scales are only advisory in nature -- we repeat, the only scaling that counts towards your actual course grade is the final scaling carried out after the final exam.
  • Final Exam timing: Your instructors are not allowed to make alternative arrangements for final exams unless we receive written permission from the Dean of students, by university rules. Requests for exceptions must be made to the Dean of Students, not to your instructors.
  • Exams for students with special needs: If you have a documented learning disability, please see the instructor at least a week before the first exam, and bring any paperwork you were given by CSD. Also, if English is not your native language and you wish to discuss the possibility of extra time for exams, please see us before the first exam.

6. Makeup Exams

  • Makeup Exam Policy: Makeup exams are available only to students who have a legitimate excuse for missing an exam, such as illness, scheduled job interview out of town, athletic team event out of town, death in the immediate family, etc. If you know in advance that you must miss an exam, see the instructor in advance and bring documentation to support your anticipated absence. If you miss an exam unexpectedly because of last minute illness or accident, contact the instructor when you return to campus (or by phone or e-mail if you will be away for some time) with documentation of your situation.
  • Petition for Makeup Exam: If you are eligible for a makeup exam, please print a copy of the Makeup Exam Petition, fill this out, and return it to your instructor as soon as possible. If you know in advance that you must miss an exam, you can turn this form in as early as convenient.
  • Makeup Exam Dates and Location: Makeup exams will be given on the following days for those students who missed the scheduled exam and who have received permission to make up the exam. Makeups will include a mix of short-answer, drawing or identifying figures, short essay, and/or multiple-choice questions.
    Makeup for Exam #1 Monday Feb. 24, 4:30 p.m., TLS 153
    Makeup for Exam #2 Monday, Mar. 24, 4:30 p.m., TLS 153
    Makeup for Exam #3 Monday, Apr. 21, 4:30 p.m., TLS 153

7. Academic Misconduct Policy

  • UConn's Policy: A fundamental tenet of all educational institutions is academic honesty; academic work depends upon respect for and acknowledgement of the research and ideas of others. Misrepresenting someone else’s work as one’s own is a serious offense in any academic setting and it will not be condoned.
  • Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to, providing or receiving assistance in a manner not authorized by the instructor in the creation of work to be submitted for academic evaluation (e.g. papers, projects, and examinations); any attempt to influence improperly (e.g. bribery, threats) any member of the faculty, staff, or administration of the University in any matter pertaining to academics or research; presenting, as one's own, the ideas or words of another for academic evaluation; doing unauthorized academic work for which another person will receive credit or be evaluated; and presenting the same or substantially the same papers or projects in two or more courses without the explicit permission of the instructors involved.
  • A student who knowingly assists another student in committing an act of academic misconduct shall be equally accountable for the violation, and shall be subject to the sanctions and other remedies described in The Student Code (URL: http://vm.uconn.edu/~dosa8/code2.html)

8. Lecture Schedule

  1. Part I. Cells and their Molecules. (1st half of course) Dr. Terry
  2. Part II. Animal Structure and Function. (2nd half of course) Dr. Walikonis
    (Schedule to be announced and handed out separately)

9. Laboratory Schedule

10. How to succeed in this course

Studying any science is an art, and like all arts requires discipline and focus. If you read a biology text the way you read a novel, you will miss 90% of what you should be getting.
  • Learn to read effectively. The key to successful science text reading involves “Active Reading”, as follows:
    1. When you first acquire the text, skim the whole book to find out what resources it contains. Read “About the authors” and the Preface on pp. iv-viii. Look at the Brief Contents on page xvi to see what the book covers. Read one of the interviews with famous scientists (listed on page xv). Look at the end of any chapter and note the organization of the summary, self-quiz, and supplementary materials. Note that there are three appendices: what do they cover? Look up the term “apoptosis” in the Glossary and index as a sample exercise. What does the index to a reference with an “f” tell you (e.g., 407f)?
    2. Before class, skim the assigned chapter. Read the section titles, not the text. Look at the figures and read a few figure captions. Now, close the book and ask yourself: “What is this chapter about? What topics are covered? What do I already know about this?” Don’t just assume that, because you read the chapter, you will remember. Active reading requires that you stop, frequently, ask yourself questions, and answer as best you can without looking back at the book.
    3. As soon as possible, either before or within a day of a lecture, take an hour or two to read the assigned chapter carefully. Again, use the “Active reading” technique: read one section, then look away from the book and ask yourself questions. “What is this section about? What do the figures illustrate? Do I understand this?” Have blank paper handy, and draw your own version from memory of some of the important figures. Go to the self-quiz and find a question on that section’s material to test yourself with. Then continue with the next section. Time yourself, and once you begin to feel you’ve saturated your brain, STOP! Take a break, do something different, continue with the text later on. Use the end-of-chapter questions and the instructor’s review questions to evaluate yourself as frequently as possible. Keep a list of terms from the reading, and use these terms in your self-quizzing. Make flashcards of terms, and keep reviewing the ones you get wrong.
    4. Don’t wait until the night before the exam to study. If you practice active learning regularly, you should be comfortable preparing for an exam with minimal time investment. The best single thing you can do to prepare for an exam is get a good night’s sleep, so your brain is alert and rested. Exams are in some ways like athletic events; they put pressure on you to excel, and are best prepared for by steady, regular preparation and good rest. Exams will often occur during busy times of the semester, when you have other exams, papers due, etc. Waiting to study material until just before an exam is like waiting to work out at the gym until just before an athletic event. You'll often find yourself facing 2 or more exams on the same day -- instructors are not going to change exam dates because you are incovenienced. If you are studying and reviewing material regularly, you will not need to "pull and all-nighter", and your grades will probably be better.
  • Some of you may find that attending lectures and reading the text is all the support you need. Others will have problems with some of the material. We offer several forms of support to help you with difficulties you may experience. Different students have different optimum learning stratagems; we urge you to experiment with the options listed, and find what best helps you.

  • Web Class Site. We will be posting many materials for your use. Type the following URL: (uniform resource locator) into the “open location” box of your web browser:
    http://www.sp.uconn.edu/~bi107vc/sp03/home107.html
    This address is case sensitive; don’t use upper case letters! These materials include class announcements and updates, interactive practice exams and review questions to help you prepare for exams, web activities for specific topics in lecture, an electronic bulletin board where you can send messages to your instructor and read answers to questions and comments, links to important biology sites on the Web, lecture notes, and more. Using the web is easy; you just “point and click” to access different screens with different topics. This will be demonstrated in class. If you have difficulties using the Web, feel free to ask your instructor for some personal instruction. Be aware of the "Refresh" button on your browser -- all computers store material in a cache file, and will reuse that old material in preference to new material. When you "Refresh", you replace cache contents with the newest version of a web page.
  • Handouts. Handouts will be given from time to time in lecture. Prof. Terry will provide a weekly study guide every Wednesday, including assignments at the Campbell online biology site, instructions for the WebCT quiz the following week, practice questions, and more. Spend some time with these materials as soon as you can review them — don’t just put them aside and wait till the night before an exam to look at them. Most handouts will be available online when the instructor has time to post them.
  • Supplemental Instruction (SI). An undergraduate student, Melanie Ktorides, who took this course previously and demonstrated excellent student skills, will lead two SI sessions each week covering current material. These sessions will make use of cooperative learning techniques to help students improve mastery of troublesome concepts and ideas. Melanie was our SI instructor last semester as well, so she has experience and excellent ratings from students.
    SI Schedule
    DayTimePlace
    Tues 6-7 p.m. Koons Hall 311
    Thurs 6-7 p.m. Koons Hall 311
    We strongly urge you to attend an SI session early in the course if you are experiencing difficulty or uncertainty with any of the course material — don’t wait until after the first exam! Based on national statistics, students who attend SI sessions regularly can expect to improve their grade between one-half to a full letter grade.
  • Interactive Study Partner CD-ROM. Your text comes with a free CD-ROM that includes quiz questions for each chapter, as well as interactive exercises, animations, and more. It's a great resource -- use it!
  • Review Sessions. Your instructors will offer occasional review sessions where you can ask questions about any of the material you wish to review or have difficulty with.
  • Office visits and E-mail questions. Your instructors are available for individual consultation regarding any aspect of the course. If you have unanswered questions or concerns, or are in serious academic trouble, see us after class, during office hours, or contact us by E-mail.
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