Course Syllabus

Biology 100: General Biology

Crafton Hills College: Fall 2023 section 60

 

Instructor: Michele Jones

Email: mjones@craftonhills.edu

Office hours: W 6:30 to 7 PM

Also by appointment via Zoom

website: Choose “online classes / Canvas” on the CHC home page, logins menu (upper right corner)

 

Lecture Monday, Wednesday 5PM to 6:20 PM, CNTL room 132

Lab Monday 6:35 PM to 9:40 PM, CYN room 206

 

TEXTBOOK

Lecture textbook: Concepts of Biology

Online FREE through OpenStax College.

https://cnx.org/contents/s8Hh0oOc@11.1:rLyPnvLx@13/Preface

There are also links to all textbook chapters on the class website under course modules on CANVAS. These will take you directly to the indicated chapter on OpenStax (use “open in new window” button).

 

LAB WORKBOOK

Biology 100 Laboratory Activities Written and published by the CHC Biology Department. Online through our BIOL 100 Canvas website via CHC home page.

https://www.craftonhills.edu/

You will print the worksheets needed for each week – usually 3 pages. Worksheet pages are easily identifiable. Each has a blank line for student and/or team names. Information pages in the lab book can be accessed electronically or printed, depending on your preferences.

 

OTHER REQUIRED MATERIALS:

This course and many other campus courses use the Canvas instructional support system, e-mail, and other online resources. CHC works to ensure that these resources are available to all students.

• All CHC classrooms and most campus public spaces offer free WIFI access.
• The CHC Learning Resource Center and other locations on campus offer free access to computers.
• Printers are available in the CHC Learning Resource Center, offices of support programs, and some classrooms. Printing fees may apply.
• If access to computer technology is a barrier to you, either due to lack of hardware, software, or computer literacy, please discuss your situation with your instructor, so that we can help you.

#2 pencils with good erasers are required for exams

Bring your own pens or pencils to lab. Everything else you need for lab will be provided by the CHC Biology Department.

Tentative Lecture Schedule

Week	Day	Date	Lecture Topics	Reading	Lab Topics
1	M	8/14	Introduction to Biology 100	Syllabus	Lab 1: Lab intro and safety
	W	8/16	How does the Scientific Method work?	Ch.1
2	M	8/21	Chemistry of Life	Ch.2	Lab 2. Metric data collection
	W	8/23	Molecules essential to life	Ch.2
3	M	8/28	Parts of a cell	Ch.3	Lab 3. Scientific inquiry – black box
	W	8/30	Cell membranes	Ch.3
4	M	9/4	No Class - Labor Day		No labs this week due to M holiday
	W	9/6	Energy for living things	Ch. 4
5	M	9/11	Photosynthesis and respiration	Ch. 5	Lab 4. Goldfish metabolism
	W	9/13	Exam 1 (Chapters 1-5) 100 points
6	M	9/18	When and how do cells make more cells	Ch. 6	Lab 5. Microscope introduction
	W	9/20	mitosis and meiosis	Ch. 7
7	M	9/25	Inheritance: predicting traits	Ch. 8	Lab 6. Mitosis & karyotypes
	W	9/27	Some complications of inheritance	Ch. 8
8	M	10/2	How does DNA copy and repair itself	Ch. 9	Lab 7. Mendelian genetics
	W	10/4	More DNA Replication	Ch.9
9	M	10/9	DNA and biotechnology	Ch. 10	Lab 8. CSI: DNA fingerprinting
	W	10/11	EXAM 2 (Chapters 6-10) 100 points
10	M	10/16	History and Diversity of Life	Ch.11	Lab 9. Microbial life in pond water  (and lab 10 plate exposures)
	W	10/18	How life changes over time	Ch. 11
11	M	10/23	Diversity of Life: Phylogeny	Ch. 12	Lab 10. Microbes from the air
	W	10/25	Bacteria, Protists, Fungi	Ch. 13
12	M	10/30	Plants	Ch. 14	Lab 11. Local flora field walk (alternative night lab ☹)
	W	11/1	Animals: Invertebrates	Ch. 15
13	M	11/6	Animals: Vertebrates	Ch. 15	Lab 12. Pill bug behavior
	W	11/8	EXAM 3 (Chapters 11-15) 100 points
14	M	11/13	Digestive System	Ch. 16	Lab 13. Physiology self-testing
	W	11/15	Respiratory System	Ch. 16
15	11/20-11/25		No Class – Thanksgiving Break		No Lab – Thanksgiving break
16	M	11/27	Circulatory System	Ch. 17	Lab 14. TBA
	W	11/29	Immune System	Ch. 17
17	M	12/4	Ecosystems	Ch. 20	Lab 15. Makeup lab
	W	12/6	Conservation and Biodiversity	Ch. 21
F	M	12/11	EXAM 4 (Chapters 16-17, 20-21) 100 points		No Lab Meeting!

 

Biology 100 student learning outcomes:

1. Satisfy the life science general education requirement for Associate degree and transfer.
2. Improve student ability to use scientific method and to make informed decisions relating to biological issues.
3. By the end of the semester, the successful student will be able to:
4. Outline the shared and unique cellular, physiological, organismal, and ecological

characteristics of archaea, bacteria, protista, plants, fungi, and animals.

2. Summarize the mechanisms of cellular reproduction and explain how errors in these

systems are related to disorders such as cancers and trisomies.

3. Apply the mechanisms of genetics to simple problems of inheritance, and discuss

complicating factors such as environment and multiple gene interactions.

4. Describe the structure and function of DNA, provide examples of how this knowledge is

being applied in genetic engineering, and evaluate the scientific basis of current

concerns and controversies.

5. Explain ecological concepts such as food webs, energy pyramids, and ecological roles,

and discuss human activities that may affect ecological balances positively and

negatively.

6. Explore through discussion history of life and how evolutionary mechanisms have

affected living organisms, past and present.

7. Summarize and synthesize information derived from published articles on scientific

topics in biology.

8. Design and carry out scientific experimentation, use scientific tools for data collection,

employ simple data analysis such as calculation of means and ranges, prepare and

interpret graphs.

 

 

Grading and assessment:

• 4 exams ……………………………….…....... 40%
• Weekly lab activities ………….………….…. 40%
• Canvas Homework assignments ……….…. 10%
• In-class quizzes (part of participation)…….. 10%

 

Lecture examinations will primarily include objective-type questions (i.e. multiple choice, matching). There may be questions in a very short essay format or fill in the blank - covering material from the lectures, laboratories, and readings/assignments.

Good attendance and participation in lecture is worth up to a 2% bump in your score. Students with less than 90% attendance are not eligible for this bonus.

Keep all graded assignments as "receipts for credit earned" until final grades are posted.

 

LECTURE AND LABORATORY ATTENDANCE

Lecture and lab attendance are mandatory.  Participation is ALWAYS encouraged as this is a vital part of the learning process. 

 

Challenging scores: If you ever feel an assignment was graded unfairly or in error, please discuss your concerns with the instructor. The instructor may ask you to hold on to your request for reconsideration of points until the end of the semester.

 Make-up exams: Make up exams will be offered in cases of genuine illness and emergencies. Communicate with your instructor as early as you are able. If possible, the instructor will schedule an alternative test-taking time within a day or two of the exam (before or after). After a lecture exam has been graded and returned to the class, and you have missed the ordinary make-up test opportunity, eligibility for make-up exams will be handled on a case by case basis.  If you can document a legitimate reason for your absence on test day, you will be eligible for a fill-in-the-blank makeup exam.

 

 Accommodations students with disabilities: For any student who faces barriers, even if these do not fit the definition of disabilities, please let your instructor know how to assist you. Please help your instructor understand your special needs. Our goal at CHC is to help every student succeed. Official requests for disability accommodation should be made through the CHC Disabled Student Programs & Services Office.

Check the CHC website for additional information.  Services include (but are not limited to) note-takers, tape recorder loans, readers, test proctoring, large print books, tutoring, mobility assistance, handicapped parking, and interpreters for the deaf, pre-registration, and adapted computer technology. A program to support learning disabled students is also provided. 

• Phone: (909) 389-3325 
• DSPS Website:  https://www.craftonhills.edu/current-students/disabled-student-services/index.php

 

*NOTE: It is the student’s responsibility to provide the professor with paperwork from the SAS office for the CURRENT semester and no less than 5 days prior to the first exam date.

 

FAMILY EDUCAITONAL RIGHTS & PRIVACY ACT (FERPA)

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act gives parents certain rights with respect to their children’s education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level.  

• Phone: (800) USA-LEARN (voice) 
• FERPA Website:  https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html

 

Grading scale:

A = 90% – 100%

B= 80% - 89%

C= 70% - 79%

D = 60% - 69%

F = 59% or below

 

College Honor Code:

- Academic integrity

- Honesty

– Fairness

 

 Is academic integrity important? YES!

The student's goal in pursuing a formal education should be to gain knowledge and skills, not just get a grade. The instructor's goal in evaluation is to provide feedback to assist the student in achieving course learning objectives. The institution's goal is for each student to be assessed and awarded a letter grade based on his or her individual learning achievement.

 Is plagiarism okay? NO!

Copying from someone else's work and taking credit for that work is never acceptable. A plagiarized assignment may be given zero credit regardless of the extent of plagiarism. At the instructor’s discretion, a borderline case of plagiarism may be given a warning or a lesser pointy penalty. Each student is penalized equally, regardless of who copied or was copied. Students involved in plagiarism lose their eligibility to earn bonus points of any kind. A single serious offense or repeated minor offenses could lead to the filing of a report with the CHC Office of Instruction, which could lead to expulsion from class or dismissal from the college.

 Can students balance team-based learning with individual academic integrity? YES!

 Group study can be a powerful learning tool. In laboratory activities in this class, both group and individual efforts will be required.

When you work with fellow students on what is assigned as individual work, you can preserve academic integrity by doing the following:

1. Draft your own work individually as a first step, even if you are struggling and not confident. That struggle is part of the learning process.
2. After you complete an assignment individually, discuss your answers with lab teammates or other study partners.
3. When ideas or problems are worked out in partnership, it is the responsibility of each student to find a unique way to express the concepts using his or her own words and ideas.
4. Be an active partner in lab or lecture team work. Contribute to discussions. When a written document is to be turned in for credit, it is your right and responsibility to proofread the team work for comprehensibility and accuracy, even when another student is assigned as the Recorder.

Can I look up information online? YES!

The difference between plagiarism and scholarship is giving credit. When you report facts that you've learned through research, give credit to the source. There are many established formats by which citations can be done.

 

RESOURCES

TUTORING SERVICES 

• LRC Website:  https://www.craftonhills.edu/current-students/tutoring-center/index.php
• STEM Center Website: https://www.craftonhills.edu/academic-and-career-programs/stem-center/index.php

 

CHC support services: The college has numerous student support services, all intended to help students. Check out the CHC Learning Resource Center with its numerous free services – computers, individual and group study areas, tutoring, academic skills workshops, writing center, library, and more! Look for workshops from the CHC counseling and student services programs on test-taking skills, time management, stress management, and other useful topics. The Counseling Center, Career Center, and Transfer Centers are ready to guide you in choosing or fine-tuning your goals and identifying your options in achieving your dreams. You may qualify for support via special programs such as STEM, EOPS, CARE, CalWorks, Financial Aid, Veterans Center, Homeless Student Services, Disabled Student Services, International Student Services. You can resupply at the Bookstore or enrich your life with athletics or student clubs. Don’t go hungry – the COACH cupboard offers food, no questions asked. Learn more on the CHC web page.

Online resources: The textbook publisher has free supplemental materials to help students explore and expand comprehension of class topics. Many people have posted helpful study videos – check out YouTube and other sources by using any search engine.

 Your fellow students: Studying in a group can power-size your study time.

Your instructor: If you don’t understand the course material from lecture, from lab, from the textbook, from online video, from your study group, or so on … your instructor will want to help. Check the instructor’s availability for drop-in or advance appointments. Look for your instructor’s full schedule posted as a document so that you can look for a good match to the instructor’s availability. You can also submit questions via Canvas. Messages left for your BIOL 100 instructor via Canvas or college e-mail will usually be answered within 24-hours on weekdays.

 

Add/Drop/Withdraw: Students will be added on a first come first serve basis. August 25^th is the deadline to add a full-term class (late fees apply).  August 25 is the last day to drop the class and receive a refund for enrollment fees. September 3 is the last day to drop a class without a W (withdrawal) appearing on your transcripts (no refund). October 27 is the last day to withdraw and receive a W on your transcripts. December 8 is the last day to request pass/no-pass grading option.