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BIOL 111: Principles of Biology Lab
Fall 2009
Course Description and Schedule
Tentative:  Updated August 6, 2009

 

Instructor: Dr. Stan Eisen

Lab Manual: Symbiosis:  Christian Brothers University Principles of Biology Laboratory BIOL 111L and BIOL 112L

Description: BIOL 111, Principles of Biology, is the first half of a two semester sequence dealing with the various fields of study within the biological sciences. The specific topics which are studied include the following:

The experiments you will be doing in laboratory are designed to demonstrate the concepts in the course:

Grading will be based on the following:

Grade Point Distribution

A = 3.5 – 4.0
B = 2.75 – 3.49
C = 2.00 – 2.74
D = 1.00 – 1.99
F < 1.0

Attendance:

The Student Handbook states the following: "Every student is expected to attend classroom and laboratory periods regularly. A student who has been absent, even for a legitimate cause, is under obligation to make up the work. Any student who has missed a total of eight hours of class may be dropped from the course, with a mark of 'F', at the discretion of the teacher. Since labs meet only once per week, the attendance policy for lab has to be modified to read the following: "…Any student who has missed a total of three laboratory meetings may be dropped from the course, with a mark of 'F', at the discretion of the teacher.

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Lab Schedule for Fall 2009:

Week of

Activity

Aug 24

NO LABS

Aug 31

Microscope (2) & Cell types (3)

Sept. 7

Quantitative Techniques (4); Quiz 1

Sept 14

Enzymes (5); Quiz 2

Sept 21

Cell transport (6); Quiz 3; Optional draft for Report 1 due

Sept 28

Cell respiration (7); Quiz 4, Lab Report 1 due

Oct 5

Cytogenetics (8); Quiz 5

Oct 12

MIDTERM EXAM

Oct 19

FALL BREAK

Oct. 26

Cytogenetics: Meiosis and Crossing Over (9)

Nov 2

Mendelian Genetics & Blood Typing (10); Quiz 6

Nov. 9

Molecular Genetics; Onion DNA (11); Quiz 7

Nov 16

Microevolution (13); Simple Bacteria Stain (14); Quiz 8

Nov 23

NO CLASS - THANKSGIVING, Optional draft for Report due Wednesday, November 24 anyway

Nov 30

Protists, Fungi (15, 16); Quiz 9; Lab Report 2 due

Dec 7

FINAL EXAM DURING LAST CLASS
A review can be accessed via http://www.cbu.edu/~seisen/BIOL111LabReview/

GUIDELINES FOR LABORATORY REPORTS

  1. Please DOUBLE-SPACE your laboratory report, and use margin size to 1 inch.
  2. Place a cover sheet at the front of your laboratory report. The cover sheet should have your name, the report title, the course and section numbers centered on the page. PLEASE DO NOT PLACE YOUR LABORATORY REPORT IN A PLASTIC OR OTHER BINDER.

The laboratory report should include 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. If the procedure you followed is exactly like it is described in your laboratory book, it is sufficient to say something like, "The animals were treated in the manner as described in our laboratory book on pages - to -." If the procedure you followed is slightly changed, it is sufficient to say something like, "The procedure described in the book was modified so that we used 10% saline rather than 15% saline." 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 .1% or .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, in which you list the references used for background information and/or protocol procedures, including your laboratory textbook.

CRITERIA FOR THE GRADING OF PAPERS AND EXPERIMENTAL REPORTS

            The maximum grade is a 4.0  and is a composite of three grades based on spelling grammar, and content.

I. Spelling counts 10% 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 20% 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 30% 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. Do you adequately support your argument?
      4. Do you adequately correlate and contrast your data to previous experience?
      5. Do you support your conclusions with the appropriate statistical test(s)?

IV.  Format counts 40% of the total grade.  The kinds of questions that are considered in evaluating format include the following: 

1.      Does your lab report include all of the required sections?

2.      Did you transform the raw data into a more useful and appropriate format, e.g. table or figure?

 

You should write your reports as if you were submitting them to the Transactions of the Tennessee Academy of Sciences. I, in turn, will review them as if I were an editor for the journal.

Name______________________

Grades

Spelling x 10% =              .

Grammar x 20% =           .

Content x 30% =            .

Format x 40% =             .

COMPOSITE GRADE .= sum of adjusted scores