BIOLOGY II
(for Life Science Majors)
BIOL 1404,
SPRING 2013
Class Information
Section 001: MWF 9:00 a.m. in Biology LH100; Section 002:
MWF 10:00 a.m. in Biology LH100.
Test period: Tu, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Prerequisite: BIOL 1403.
1st half:
Dr. Mark McGinley 2nd
half: Ms. Carrie Monje,
Office: 215
McClellan, Of. Hrs:
M-R, 1-1:30
Biology rm. 606C
Of. Hrs: MWF. 11:00,
or by appt.
Group Of. Hrs: Monday
6:30 Room TBA
e-mail: mark.mcginley@ttu.edu e-mail:
carrie.monje@ttu.edu
blog: http://biol14042013/blogspot.com/
Required materials:
1. Class Text: Campbell’s Biology, 9th ed., by Reece et al. or customized version for TTU, 2nd
ed
2. Lab Text: Lab Manual for Biology II, by M. Dini
3. dissecting kit and 5-6 prs of examining gloves
Item 1 is available from area textbook stores. Items 2 & 3 are available from TTUAB near
room 025 in the Biology Bldg ‘til Jan. 30.
1. COURSE OVERVIEW & GOALS
BIOL 1404 is the second semester of a rigorous,
writing-intensive, two-semester course.
It is offered only during the spring, and designed to prepare life
science majors for upper-level courses in the life sciences. Whereas BIOL 1403 focuses on the particulars
of cell biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, classical genetics,
reproductive/developmental biology and evolutionary theory, BIOL 1404 focuses
on organisms as they relate to other organisms and to their physical
environments (ecology), biodiversity, as well as on plant and animal anatomy
and physiology. Overall, the course aims
to give you a strong foundation in the principles of biology, many of which you
may not encounter again in future courses.
The course is meant to introduce you to the way that scientists approach
and solve problems leading to the construction of new knowledge. It is also our hope that the course will
continue to give you an important handle in your attempt to understand the
place and role of humans in the world and, perhaps, your particular place in
it. Students
enrolled in this course must have passed BIOL 1403, or its equivalent at
another institution. Students on
academic probation, or who received a "W" or an "F" the
last time they took BIOL 1403 should immediately drop this course. This course partially satisfies the Natural
Sciences Core Curriculum requirement.
2. EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
AND METHODS FOR ASSESSING LEARNING OUTCOMES
A. Explain basic
concepts of evolutionary ecology, general ecology,
cellular energetics, plant water potential, biodiversity, animal anatomy &
physiology. ASSESSED BY: scores earned on expository
essays on each of the four unit tests, and by in-class discussions.
B. Demonstrate skills in scientific reasoning and experimental design.
ASSESSED BY: group discussion and subsequent reporting via “clickers,” by
scores earned on a mid-semester laboratory science process skills test, and by
scores earned on written lab reports.
C. Demonstrate ability to write research reports including: abstract,
introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, acknowledgments, and
literature cited. ASSESSED BY: scores on draft & final versions
of written lab reports.
D. Students
graduating from Texas Tech University should be able to explain some of the
major concepts in the Natural Sciences and demonstrate an understanding of
scientific approaches to problem solving, including ethics. ASSESSED BY: scores on expository essays on
each of the four unit tests, and by end-of-semester performance on laboratory science
process skills test.
3. ENROLLMENT & ATTENDANCE
You should be enrolled separately in a lecture section (001
or 002) and in a laboratory section
(501-521). See Dr. McGinley immediately
if you have doubts about your enrollment.
Regular attendance is critical for the success of BIOL 1404
students. Success in this course will
require a good set of notes, hopefully written by yourself, and the critical
reading of all assigned pages in the textbook, for there will be test questions
on material that has not been covered in lecture. Class will often begin with verbal
announcements that are not formally
duplicated anywhere else. You are
responsible for getting missed announcements from classmates. We consider more than two absences during the
semester to be excessive. It does not
matter why you are not present in
lecture. The simple fact is that if you
are not present, you will not learn the material as well as you otherwise
would. During the 2nd half of
the semester, class participation will be monitored using the H-iTT
devices. Particularly important is your
regular attendance in lab. You must attend the lab section in which
you are enrolled. More than two
unexcused absences from lab will result in the loss of ALL points connected
with the laboratory portion of this course.
Not only should you be in class at every class meeting, but you should
be attentive as well. Chatting, texting,
dozing, reading newspapers, or listening to music during class are totally
uncool and are not tolerated. Access to
the Worldwide Web is important for success in this course. Firefox is the preferred browser for the
MasteringBiology homework website.
4. EVALUATION
Your semester letter grade will be determined from the
scores you earn on four unit tests (45%), on your laboratory work (32%), on the
cumulative final exam (14%), and on on-line homework (9%). The
scores for this course are not curved.
Letter grades will be determined by the number of raw points you earn
(NOT the percentage), according to the following scale:
A = 979-1100 B = 858-978 C = 737-857 D = 616-736 F < 616
The four unit tests are worth 100 points each. If
you take all four units tests, your highest score on these four tests will be
doubled at semester’s end, thereby making these tests worth 500 out of the 1100
points possible by semester’s end. The
cumulative final exam is worth 150 points.
On-line homework will consist of 14 assignments of varying point
value. Late homework is not accepted. The distribution of the 350 points connected
with your laboratory work will be explained at the first lab meeting. Computer-graded portions of tests will be
composed of multiple-choice and/or matching questions. Tests 1-3 may also contain essays. No test scores will be dropped.
Most of the points for each test (90-95%) will be drawn from
material covered in class. Thus, a good
set of notes will be of much assistance in learning the material. Roughly 5-10% of each test will be drawn from
material in the textbook or other assigned readings, but not covered in
class. Videotapes of our lectures will
be available online at http://mediacast.ttu.edu but you should be aware that
equipment is subject to failure and to inexperience; thus, videotapes for all
lectures are not guaranteed. You may
record the audio portions of lectures (NO video recordings or photographs), but
recordings may be used only to study biology unless you have our permission to
use them for other purposes. Cellular
phones, palm pilots, pagers, and beepers may not be used during tests, labs, or
lectures, unless directed by the instructor.
Computers may not be used during tests.
You may be asked to leave if your devices disturb the class.
We will make an effort to design tests that challenge you to
do more than regurgitate facts.
Repetitious reading of textbook and notes as a sole means of studying
will get you no better than a grade of "C" because tests will ask you
to apply, integrate, and evaluate information in situations which may be
different from those covered in class.
They will be tests of your understanding
of the principles of biology, not solely tests of your ability to memorize and
recall. For test preparation, former tests used for the 2nd half of
the semester can be found at Dr. Dini’s website
<http://courses.ttu.edu/biol1403-mdini>. Tests may include material
covered in previous testing units.
Students are invited to create and submit sample multiple-choice
questions for potential inclusion into all tests. A review session will be held before each
unit test, usually on Monday evenings from 5-6.
Tests will be on Tuesday evenings at 6:00 sharp (see
schedule for dates) and will last 90 minutes.
You must be prepared to present a photo ID (does not have to be a Tech
ID) at all tests; failure to do so can result in the disqualification of your
test. Also, bring two #2 pencils and a
pen. We will provide scantron
forms. Anyone entering the test after
someone has completed the test and left the room will not be allowed to take
that test. While tests are scheduled at
a frequency of about once a month, the test period on Tuesday afternoons will
often be used for optional activities such as discussions of current topics,
enhancing study or test-taking skills, administering re-tests, going over old
tests, working on sample test questions, etc.
We strongly encourage you to be present for as many of these sessions as
you can. Not all lab instructors are
equal. As a result, it may be necessary
to normalize lab scores in certain lab sections at the end of the semester.
5. UNDERSTANDING EVALUATION
Evaluating student performance is a complex and difficult
process. While students cannot be
pigeonholed, they can be judged on the basis of their achievements. Effort is an important component of
achievement, but we cannot accurately gauge your effort. We are limited to measuring achievement by
the number of points you earn. Below are
descriptions of typical "A" and "C" students in BIOL
1403/1404 modified from an article in The
Teaching Professor, August/September 1993.
The "A"
Student -- An Outstanding Student The
"C" Student -- A Mediocre Student
Attendance: "A" students have virtually perfect Attendance: "C" students
sometimes miss class. They
attendance. Their commitment to the class put other priorities ahead of academic
work. In some
resembles that of
the teacher. cases, their health or constant fatigue
renders them
Preparation: "A" students are prepared for class. physically unable to keep up with the demands
of
They always read the
assigned pages. Their
high-level performance.
attention to detail
is such that they occasionally Preparation:
"C" students prepare their assignments
catch the teacher in
a mistake. consistently but in a perfunctory manner. Their work
Curiosity: "A" students show interest in the class may be sloppy or careless. At times, it is incomplete.
and in biology. They look up or dig out what Curiosity: "C" students'
interests are limited to issues
they don't
understand. They often ask inter- like "Do we have to know this for the
test?" They
esting questions or
make thoughtful comments. are most interested in coping or getting
by. Their
Retention: "A" students have retentive minds. goal is to spend as little time as possible
in lab or
They are able to
connect past learning with the studying.
present. They bring a background with them to Retention: "C" students
only memorized things for
class and they
continually check new information tests in high school; thus, they bring little
background against what they
previously learned. to the class.
They will probably take little from it
Attitude: "A" students have a winning attitude.
because they still use the same poor study habits.
They have both the
determination and the self- Attitude:
"C" students are not visibly committed to the
discipline necessary
for success. They show class.
They participate without enthusiasm.
Their
initiative. They do things they have not been body language often expresses boredom.
told to do. Talent:
"C" students vary enormously in talent. Some
Talent: "A" students have something special. It have exceptional ability, but show undeniable
signs
may be exceptional
insight and intelligence. It
of poor self-discipline or bad attitudes. Others are
may be unusual
creativity, organizational skills, diligent, but below-average in academic
ability.
commitment -- or a
combination thereof. These Results: "C" students
obtain mediocre or inconsistent
gifts are evident to
the teacher and usually to results on tests. They have some concept of what is
other students as
well. going on, but clearly have not mastered the
material.
Results: "A" students make high grades on tests --
usually the highest
in the class. Their lab work is
a pleasure to read.
Grade Distributions for the last two BIOL
1404 Classes
spring
2011 spring
2012
A
= 11.9% A
= 8.1%
B
= 31.0% B
= 32.5%
C
= 37.2% C
= 37.2%
D
= 15.6% D =
15.0%
F
= 4.1% F
= 7.2%
W
= 6.2% W
= 11.2%
NOTE: Letter grade proportions were calculated based on the
number of students enrolled on the last day of class, whereas “W” proportions
were figured according to students enrolled on the 12th day of class.
6. SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION
The SOAR Center will sponsor Supplemental Instruction (SI)
specifically for BIOL 1404 students. The
student leaders, Jeffrey Chen & Suzanne Alkul, will attend all lectures,
and will offer free instructional SI sessions at times and places to be
announced. This is a superb opportunity
to get help from a peer who is also an expert.
7. TEST GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES
During the week of Feb. 5-8, fifteen randomly selected lab
sections may elect a representative to the Biology Advisory Committee (BAC)
following brief presentations by the candidates concerning their qualifications
for the position. This committee of
students will meet the Wednesday afternoon following each regular unit test in
order to evaluate student comments/criticisms about test items and to forward
their recommendations to the course instructors, who will take these
recommendations under advisement. The
qualifications to serve on the committee are that the student took BIOL 1403 at Texas Tech and received a
"C" or better, and that the student be free Wednesdays from 4-5 p.m.
Suspected errors in the filling in of any part of the
scantron form must be brought to the proper instructors' attention within one
week of the posting of scores. Please do
not procrastinate; check the posted scores as soon as possible.
8. WITHDRAWAL FROM COURSE
Students who think they should withdraw from the course
should be aware that this course is offered only once a year, during the spring
semester. Withdrawal must take place
before 5:00 on March 27. You need not
inform the instructor, but it is helpful if you inform your lab instructor and
lab partners of your intention to withdraw.
Failure to withdraw properly will result in the grade of “F.” Students who plan to take this course
elsewhere and transfer the credits to Texas Tech must insure that the other
institution’s course (a) is designated specifically for majors (not non-majors
and not both), (b) has a 3-h laboratory component, and (c) is a course that
treats most of the following principles of biology: basic ecology;
biodiversity; plant anatomy/physiology, and animal anatomy/physiology.
9. OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION
Dishonesty on exams, homework, written work or connected
with your attendance in lab or lecture will meet with the most serious
consequences. Students are expected to
be aware of, and abide by, the University's Honor code. Plagiarism on written lab reports or essays
(copying/paraphrasing from other students or from other sources without giving
due credit) will result in the loss of all points for that exercise, at the
very least.
Disabling conditions:
Any student who, because of a disabling condition (e.g. diabetes, epilepsy,
dyslexia) may require special arrangements in order to meet course requirements
should contact us as soon as possible so that accommodations can be made. Students should present appropriate
verification from Disabled Student Services, Dean of Students Office. No requirement exists that accommodations be
made prior to completion of this University procedure. Religious
holidays: Any student who will miss tests because of recognized religious
holidays should notify us as soon as possible so alternative arrangements can
be made.
Can we talk? We can
talk about anything you'd like. No
appointment is necessary to see us during office hours -- just drop in. If office hours are not convenient, then feel
free to make an appointment. You can also e-mail us.. We should tell you that we are not happy to deliver all or part of a
lecture to someone who has missed class.
10. SCHEDULING
The final four
lectures will be covered as part of the Cumulative Final Exam, which is on
Thursday, May 9th, from 10:30 to 1:00 p.m. at locations to be announced in
class.
Tentative BIOL 1404 Schedule, 2013
Week Date Topic Text
Pages Notes
1 Jan. 16 Natural
Selection 476-485 NO 1404 labs this week
1 Jan. 18 Natural
Selection/Altruism 1134-1139
2 Jan. 21 MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR HOLIDAY Labs do meet this week
2 Jan. 23 Altruism/Behavioral Ecology 1118-1134
2 Jan. 25 Why have sex?
3 Jan. 28 Sexual Selection
3 Jan. 30 Population Ecology 1187-1191
3 Feb. 1
Population Ecology, cont. Last
day to drop w/o penalty
4 Feb. 4 Human Population Growth 198-200 BAC Elections this week
4 Feb. 6 Community Ecology 1194-1215
4 Feb. 8 Indirect Effects
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5 Feb. 11
Ecosystem Ecology
5 Feb. 12 Test #1 (Intro. through
Indirect Effects)
5 Feb. 13
Introduction to Energetics 142-151
5 Feb. 15 Photosynthesis I 184-203
6 Feb. 18
Photosynthesis II
6 Feb. 20
Photosynthesis/Cellular Respiration 163-181
6 Feb. 22 Cellular Respiration II
7 Feb. 25
Angiosperms: Fruits and Seeds 807-811
7 Feb. 27 Plant Diversity I 600-615
7 Mar. 1 Plant Diversity II 618-634
8 Mar. 4 Plant Diversity III
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
8 Mar. 5 Test #2 (Energetics through Plant Diversity)
8 Mar. 6
Viruses 381-394 2nd half of course begins
8 Mar. 8
Prokaryotes I 551-553,
556-565
9 Mar.
9-17 SPRING BREAK
10 Mar. 18
Prokaryotes II 564-573 NO 1404 labs this week
10 Mar. 20
“Protists” 575-579
10 Mar. 22 Fungi 636-642,
648-652
11 Mar. 25
Invertebrates I 654-673
11 Mar. 27
Invertebrates II 674-683 Last day to drop
11 Mar. 29 Invertebrates III 683-692
12 Apr. 1 UNIVERSITY HOLIDAY Labs do meet this week
12 Apr. 3
Invertebrates IV 692-695
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
12 Apr. 5
Vertebrates I 697-709
13 Apr. 8 Vertebrates II 709-717
13 Apr. 9 Test #3 (Viruses through Invertebrates)
13 Apr. 10
Vertebrates III 717-724
13 Apr. 12 Nervous
System I 1045-1054
14 Apr. 15 Nervous
System II 1055-1067
14 Apr. 17
Endocrine System I 974-982,
984-989
14 Apr. 19
Endocrine System II 989-993
15 Apr. 22
Circulatory System I 897-904,
913-914
15 Apr. 24 Circulatory System II 905-909
15 Apr. 26
Lymphatic/Immune System 910-911,
929-946
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
16 Apr. 29 Respiratory System I 915-922
16 Apr. 30 Test
#4 (Vertebrates through Immune System)
16 May 1 Respiratory System II 923-926 Lab practical starts today
16 May 3 Digestive System I 880-886
17 May 6
Digestive System II 887-895
