Course Syllabus

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Course Description:

This course is the lab portion of the BIO120 class. Both Bio120 lecture and lab are designed for non-biological science majors. It covers basic principles of life science, including cellular biology, plant and animal kingdoms, ecology, genetics, and evolution. Emphasis is also placed on human biology as it relates to everyday living.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon Completing Biology 120 Lab students will…               

  1. Use a microscope to locate and identify the plant, animal, and bacterial cells as well as structures that may be visible in these cells such as the nucleus, cell membrane, chloroplasts, and cell wall.
  2. Compare and contrast algae, mosses, ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms.
  3. Use the scientific method to develop hypotheses to predict outcomes of experiments and record experimental data to use to refute or support hypotheses.
  4. Compare and contrast members of a variety of animal phyla and describe the unique characteristics of each phylum.   

Lab Activities:

Every week, except for weeks of lab exams or finals week, you will be asked to complete a lab module activity. Click on Modules to view the lab assignment. Each lab module activity will be worth 3 points. 

Lab Quizzes:

As many as 14, 9-point quizzes may be given this semester.  Lab quizzes consist of short answer, multiple-choice, and true/false problems, no make-up quizzes are allowed.  

On Canvas a combined score of your lab activities and the quiz will be posted.  The highest score you can earn is 12 points.  Two of your lowest combined scores will be dropped at the end of the semester.

Lab Exams:

Two Lab Exams are scheduled; each is worth 30 points.  Due to the nature of the Lab Exams – there are no make-ups in the weeks that follow a lab exam. 

 

«« You must earn at least 55% of the points available in lab in order to pass Biology 120 ««

 

Attendance

This class is completely asynchronous. That means there are NO specific meeting times. Everything will be available online and can be completed online without specific meeting times.

However, attendance is very important and will be monitored by your participation in Canvas. I will be monitoring your attendance throughout the course. How will I do this?

  • Complete and submit the getting started/syllabus quiz (Due Wednesday, Jan 13th by 11:59 pm). If you do not, you will be dropped from the class.
  • You must complete lab assignments/exams or quizzes. When you submit work, I will use that as you having attended class for the week.
  • No excessive missing lab assignments/quizzes for the whole course

 

Drop Dates

It is your responsibility to officially withdraw from the course should you, for any reason, find it necessary to do so.  I may only drop you for “non-attendance”. However, you should not assume that I will remember to drop you.  If you stop attending the class – you must drop the course.  Failure to withdraw requires that your instructor, at the end of the semester, issue you a failing grade (F).

  • The last day to drop with a refund is January 22 
  • The last day to drop without a “W” is January 30   
  • The last day to drop with a “W” is April 23

Grading

You do not receive a laboratory-grade.  Points earned in the lab are added to the points you earn in the lecture section of the course.  The total number of points earned will be sent to your lecture instructor.  Lab points available during the semester will equal approximately 25% of your course grade.  It is the policy of the Cerritos College Biology Department that in order to pass the course you must pass the lab (LaTeX: \ge55%).

For those of you who like to keep track of how you are doing in lab grade-wise, I suggest using the following grading scale:  100-90% A; 89-80% B; 79-65% C; 64-55% D.

 

 

Course Summary:

Course Summary
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