Christian Brothers University 
Biol 112L Principles of Biology II Laboratory
Departmental Syllabus

Catalog Data BIOL 112L. PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY I LABORATORY. 
Laboratory experience to illustrate and explain the principles covered in BIOL 111. Prerequisite or Corequisite: BIOL 112.

BIOL 112. PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY II
Continuation of BIOL 111, this semester covers systematics and taxonomy of fungi, animals, anatomy and physiology of eukaryotic organisms, embryology, ethology and ecology.  Includes three lectures and one discussion session per week.  Prerequisite: BIOL 111. Corequisite: BIOL 112L. Offered in the Spring semester and usually in the Summer Term II. 

  • Lecture: 3 credits. 
  • Lab: 1 credit. 
  • Lecture and Lab are co-requisites and must be taken concurrently. 
  • This course is a required course applicable to the biology major. Biol 111-112 are prerequisites for all other Biology courses applicable to the degree.
Course Objectives To understand and appreciate the diversity of life on Earth, the remarkable adaptation of organisms to their environment, the common set of characteristics found in living things, and a deeper understanding of metabolism and homeostasis.  Since lab investigations illustrate, complement and supplement material presented in lecture, this lab course must be taken concurrently with the lecture.  Emphasis in this lab course is on learning-by-doing. Come prepared to work.
Goals: 
  • 1.  To identify and distinguish some examples of a) nonvascular, seedless plants, b) vascular, seedless plants, c) gymnosperms and  d) angiosperms.
  • 2. To understand how and why the physiology of seed plants is so closely tied to morphology.
  • 3. To identify and distinguish some examples of the following animal phyla: a) Porifera, b) Cnidaria, c) Platyhelminthes, d) Nematoda, e) Annelida, f) Mollusca, g) Arthropoda, Echinodermata and  h) Chordata
  • 4. To develop skills in the dissection of selected Arthropods, Echinoderms and mammalian Chordates.
  • 5.To identify the major structures found within each system of the mammalian body and understand the roles they play in mammalian physiology.
  • 6. To gain an appreciation of the evolutionary relationships existing between animals within different phyla by comparing certain anatomical features.

    • [Sample course goals provided by Dr. Ogilvie]
    Textbooks
  • Text: Biology, 6th edition, by Campbell and Reece  Student resource center (access code required)
  • Lab Manual: Biological Investigations, 5th ed., by W.D. Dolphin.
  • Photo Atlas for Biology, current ed., by Perry and Morton
    		•
    Prerequisite
    Courses    		 Prerequisite or Corequisite: BIOL 112.  BIOL 112 has the corequisites: BIOL 112L. 
    Professors Dr. Stan Eisen
    Dr. Malinda Fitzgerald
    Dr. Mary Ogilvie
    Bro. Edward Salgado
    Dr. Katie Sauser
    Dr. Sandra Thompson-Jaeger
    Schedule
    for the 
    Lab Course
    Week Campbell Ch. Lab Topic (Lab Manual Exercise #)
    1 Plant Phylogeny, Bryophytes, Lower Vascular Plants  (15 and 16)
    2 Root structure (23), Stem structure (24), Leaf Structure, Chlorphyll absorption spectra (25)
    3 Plant Reproduction and Development (26); Photosynthetic rate as a function of light intensity (25)
    4 Simple Animals (19)
    5 Protostomes I (20) + II (21)
    6 Deuterostomes, #22.  Biodiversity of a small pond.
    7 Lab Midterm Exam
    8 Spring Break
    9 Musculoskeletal System (30)
    10 Nervous & Sensory System (31)
    11 Digestive & Respiratory Systems (27)
    12 Circulatory System (26)
    13 Excretory & Reproductive Systems (31)
    14 Animal Development (18)
    15 *Comprehensive Final Lab Exam*
    Attendance The policy for lab attendance is subject to the discretion of your instructor.  This will be explained on the first day of lab.
     
  • In general, students are required to attend all labs. Successful completion of all labs may be required to pass the course.  In general, students must be present for all scheduled quizzes and exams.  Lab quizzes will be given at the beginning of lab.  If you are absent for a lab or scheduled quiz you need to consult your professor (and the syllabus for your particular lab section) regarding the possibility of make up work.  Unexcused absence from lab is likely to result in a severe reduction in your course grade.
    		•
    Assessment
    (Exams and
    Grades)    		 Assessment possibilities (the specifics of exam format, the policy on drop quizzes, point values and number of quizzes and other assessments will be determined by each professor):

    Feedback and evaluation may take the form of data submitted at the end of lab periods, quizzes, exams and formal lab reports. Quizzes and exams may include "hands-on" (practical) as well as paper-and-pencil items.
     

  • Possible Assessment Opportunities:
    1. Midterm Lab Exam worth 100 points. This exam will include questions in a practical format and will be primarily identification and short answer.
    2. Lab quizzes (possibly ~9-10 quizzes).
    3. Handouts/internet assignments (possibly 2-3 assignments, worth 20 points each).
    4. Formal Lab Reports (usually 2 Lab Reports).
    5. Comprehensive Final Lab Exam worth 150 points. There will be practical and written components to this exam.
  • The grading scale is 100-90%=A, 89-80=B, 79-70=C, 69-60= D, and <60=F

    • Sample Course Syllabus may not agree with the details of each professor's syllabus
    Lab Reports The number and point values of lab reports and other assessments will be determined by each professor.
    In general, at least two formal laboratory reports will be required.  Students should prepare lab reports using the following format. These reports should be typed (word processed). The report has to contain the following sections:
  • 1.  An ABSTRACT section, in which you describe in briefest form, the purpose, primary results and conclusions of  the research report. By convention, it is 200 words or 3% of the laboratory report, whichever is LESS; 
  • 2.  An INTRODUCTION section, in which you provide information pertaining to the problem as it is recognized and in which you discuss background information which would be pertinent to the reader. The purpose, in which you specify the questions to be addressed in THIS lab report, should be in the LAST paragraph of the introduction section; 
  • 3.   A MATERIALS AND METHODS section, in which you discuss the organism(s) under study and the experimental protocol in "text" form. PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE A MATERIALS LIST. If there are several parts to the experiment, each part should be described separately. In text format, briefly describe the protocol you followed in conducting this experiment. If there are several parts to the experiment, each part should be described separately; 
  • 4.  A RESULTS section, in which you discuss the data from each part of the study in the same sequence as the parts were described in the Materials and Methods section. Use a paragraph to tell the reader what the main point is, and at the end of the sentence, refer to a specific Table or Figure, as in the following: "Seedlings exposed to either 0.1% or 0.2% phosphate grew vigorously, but the controls did not (Figure 1)."  It is essential to convert or present the data in an understandable format. CHARTS OF RAW DATA ARE NEITHER NECESSARY NOR DESIRABLE!; 
  • 5.  A DISCUSSION section, in which you relate the results of your experiment to the general body of knowledge pertinent to this area of research; 
  • 6.  A REFERENCES section (Literature Cited), in which you list the references used for background information and/or protocol procedures, including your laboratory textbook. 
  • Plagiarism will not be tolerated.  (How to avoid plagiarism)  Any information obtained from sources (in your own words or quoted) in your reports should be referenced in your report and the full citation must be listed at the end of the report.

    •  
  • Below is a sample grading rubric for Biol 112 Lab Reports (the actual percentage values are up to the discretion of your professor).  The maximum grade is a 100 and is a composite of three grades based on spelling grammar, and content.  

    • I. Spelling counts 25% of the total grade. Each different spelling or typographical error will usually result in a point deducted from the maximum. However, if one word is consistently misspelled, it will be deducted only once. Low grades in spelling can be avoided by keeping a dictionary on hand and proofreading your work before you submit it for review.
    II. Grammar counts 25% of the total grade. Each grammar error (wrong tense, poor sentence of paragraph structure) will usually result in a point deducted from the maximum. Low grades in grammar can be avoided by proofreading your work before you submit it and by writing practice essays.
    III. Content counts 25% of the total grade. The kinds of questions that are considered in evaluating content include the following:
               1.Is your information accurate? 
               2.Is your discussion logical? 
               3.Did you transform the raw data into a more useful and appropriate format? 
               4.Do you adequately support your argument? 
               5.Do you adequately correlate and contrast your data to previous experience? 
               6.Do you support your conclusions with the appropriate statistical test(s)?
    IV. Format counts 25% of the total grade. The kinds of questions that are considered in evaluating format include the following:
       1.Did you follow the appropriate protocol for writing the report? 
       2.Are all section of the lab report complete? 
       3.Did you transform the data into an appropriate manner? 
       4.Did you include the appropriate tables and figures?
    You should write your reports as if you were submitting them to the Transactions of the Tennessee Academy of Sciences. Your professor, in turn, will review them as if he or she were an editor for the journal.
    [Sample Lab Report information from Dr. Eisen]
    • For more information about this course, contact Bro. Edward Salgado, Chair, CBU Biology Dept.
    [Revised July 2003 / AER]
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