BSC 1010C
General Biology I
Dr. Graeme Lindbeck
glindbeck@valenciacollege.edu

Instructor: Dr Graeme Lindbeck

Office: AHS-217

Office Hours:

Phone: (407) 582-1256

Web Site: see "My Courses" in Atlas

E-mail: glindbeck@valenciacollege.edu

Course Description:

Welcome to the General Biology I (BSC1010C) course. This course, and the accompanying laboratory, provides a foundation for future advanced biology courses and is primarily intended for those students who plan on majoring in Biology or for those students who plan to pursue a career in the allied health sciences.

The course focuses on the cellular and molecular portion of biology. It emphasizes the basic principles and unifying concepts of modern biology. These include, but are not limited to, the chemical structure of living matter, the structure and function of living cells, the major metabolic functions of cells, reproduction, genetics and evolution.

Course Objectives:

By the end of the course you will be able to:

1. demonstrate competency in the application of critical thinking and scientific reasoning.
2. differentiate between living and non-living entities.
3. model and categorize the fundamentals of molecular structure and functions associated with living organisms.
4. compare and contrast the structure and function of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
5. demonstrate an understanding of the structure and functions of cell membranes and the implications for cellular processes.
6. explain the processes of energy transformation as they relate to cellular metabolism.
7. evaluate asexual and sexual reproduction as they relate to genetic variation.
8. model the processes and patterns of inheritance in eukaryotic organisms.
9. describe or model the regulation and expression of genetic information.

Textbooks:

Required:

1. Biology, Custom Edition for Valencia College, Volume 1. 3^rd edition. (2014) Taken from Biology, 10 ^th edition. Pearson Learning Solutions.


2. BSC 1010C General Biology I Laboratory Manual, 1st edition (2015). Lindbeck and Matthews. Hayden-McNeil.

Optional Books and Study Aids:

1. Student Study Guide for Campbell’s Biology, 10^th edition. (2013) Taylor. Benjamin Cummings Publishing Company, Inc.


2. Class Notes. Lindbeck. Available online from the class web site

Valencia College Core Competencies:

The faculty of Valencia College has identified four core competencies that define the learning outcomes for a successful Valencia graduate. These competencies are at the heart of the Valencia experience and provide the context for learning and assessment at Valencia College. You will be given opportunities to develop and practice these competencies in this class. The four competencies are:

1. Think - think clearly, and creatively, analyze, synthesize, integrate and evaluate in the many domains of human inquiry

2. Value - make reasoned judgments and responsible commitments

3. Communicate - communicate with different audiences using varied means

4. Act - act purposefully, effectively and responsibly

Class Policies:

1. Attendance: The College believes that regular attendance and class participation are significant factors which promote success in college. Students are expected to attend all lectures unless unavoidable emergencies prevent attendance. Documented absences will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Roll will be taken at the beginning of every class. Students arriving more than five (5) minutes late will be recorded as being absent from class unless they notify the instructor of their presence in class at the end of the period.

2. E-mail: You should only use email as a tool to set up a one-on-one meeting with me if office hours conflict with your schedule. Use the subject line “Meeting request.” Your message should include at least two times when you would like to meet and a brief (one-two sentence) description of the reason for the meeting. Emails sent for any other reason will not be considered or acknowledged. I strongly encourage you to ask questions about the syllabus and assignments during class time. For more in-depth discussions (such as guidance on assignments) please plan to meet in person or call my office. Our conversations should take place in person or over the phone rather than via email, thus allowing us to get to know each other better and fostering a more collegial learning atmosphere.

3. Laboratories:The labs are an integral part of the course and you are required to attend all laboratory sessions. There will be a short quiz at the beginning of each lab session, worth 5 points towards your lab grade. You must be seated in the lab room at the correct time in order to take the quiz. If you are more than one minute late you will not be able to take the quiz. At the end of the laboratory session you must sign out by initialing the sign-out sheet and entering the time you leave the laboratory. Failure to do so will constitute an absence.

   Laboratory sessions cannot be made up. If you have a valid, documentable reason for missing a lab, you must contact the instructor within 24 hours of the lab; you must also present your documentation to the instructor as soon as possible. You are allowed one unexcused lab absence. Any further unexcused absences prior to the withdrawal deadline will result in your being administratively withdrawn from class. If the unexcused absences occur after the withdrawal deadline you will receive an “F” for the semester.

4. Laboratory Reports and Assignments: All lab reports are to be turned in at the beginning of the next laboratory session. Failure to do so will incur an automatic 20% penalty for the report. All other assignments are due by 5:00pm on the due date. Failure to do so will incur a 10% penalty for each day the assignment is late. Assignments will not be accepted at any time unless they are turned in to the instructor personally or through the science office and have a time stamp to indicate when they were received.

5. MasteringBiology: Assignments have been created using the custom version of Pearson’s online adaptive learning software known as MasteringBiology. If you have purchased a new copy of the textbook you will find an access code for MasteringBiology bundled with the book. If you have purchased a used book or have a version other than the Valencia custom edition, you will need to purchase a subscription to MasteringBiology through the portal found in the Blackboard page for this class. This will cost $55 for the semester.

Every student must complete the pre-knowledge assessment as this is a required assignment and is worth 40 points. There are also reading and homework assignments and a quiz for each of the sixteen chapters we will cover this semester. For most chapters a total of 20 points can be earned by completing the assignments for each chapter (5 each for the reading assignment and the quiz and 10 for the homework assignment). Each primary assignment also has an adaptive follow-up assignment attached to it. You can test out of the follow-up assignment, and automatically receive any points associated with it, by achieving a minimum score of 95% on the primary assignment. At the end of the semester the percentage of the total points you have earned on these assignments will be calculated and included in your semester final score as a value out of 100 (see the paragraph on grading).

6. Chapter Summaries: Chapter summaries are required for each chapter covered in an exam and are to be turned in at the time of the exam. The summaries will be returned to you at the end of each exam. Each summary is worth 5 points towards your semester grade. You may do these summaries in whatever form you wish and there is no minimum or maximum length. However, it is intended that these summaries should be a genuine attempt to summarize each chapter and must be your own work.

7. Extra Credit: Five percent extra credit may be earned per semester. One percent may be obtained by donating, or attempting to donate, a pint of blood during the semester. A total of five percent may be obtained by producing a set of study cards (preferably one card per chapter) for the chapters covered on each of the five in-class exams (one percent per exam). Any extra credit earned will be added to your final total points earned at the end of the semester.

8. Exams: All exams will be based on both the lecture material and assigned reading. There will be five 50 minute, 50 question multiple choice lecture exams. These will usually be held on the Wednesday or Thursday of the week in which they are scheduled. There will also be a 2-hour, 100 question comprehensive multiple choice final examination at the end of the semester. The lecture portion of your semester grade will be based on your score for the five lecture exams plus your score on the final exam. NOTE: During the exam ALL personal effects must be placed in back packs or book bags. These must be placed under your desk during the exam. All cell phones must be turned off and placed on the desk in front of you and visible to the instructor.

   If you miss an exam, you must contact the instructor, in person, by phone or by email, within 24 hours of the exam date and present an excuse from an appropriate authority (doctor, police, judge, etc) to account for your absence upon your return to campus. Missed exams may not be made up at any time or for any reason. The lowest score obtained on the remaining exams will be substituted for any missed exam.  NOTE: failure to take the comprehensive final exam at the end of the semester will automatically result in an “F” grade.

   All multiple choice exams will use machine-scored answer sheets. These can be purchased for a nominal price in packs of 6 at the campus bookstore. You are responsible for making sure you have a Scantron sheet of the correct type for each exam. The required scantrons are the Scantron Form 882-E type. You need to bring a #2 pencil for marking the form as the scanner will only read pencil – do not use pen. Your name and ID must be printed on the answer sheet and will be checked as you leave the exam room. Scantrons will not be returned to students; however, they may be examined in the instructor’s office during office hours the week following the exam.

   Grades will not be given out over the phone, or by email, by the instructor or the Department secretaries. Grades will be made available to students as soon as possible after the exam in a manner that preserves student privacy.

9. Grading: There will be a total of 1,125 points available for the semester. These will be allocated as follows:

   a. 500 points from in-class exams (5 x 100 points =500 points)
   b. 200 points from the final exam
   c. 100 points from MasteringBiology (calculated as a percentage of points earned)
   d. 220 points from the labs [15 points/lab (180 points) + 20 points/lab practical exam]
   e. 25 points for the genetics assignment
   f. 80 from chapter summaries

   At the end of the semester, your score for each of these components will be added together and converted to a percentage. Grades for the semester will be awarded using the following scale:

   A: 100%-86%
   B: 85%-71%
   C: 70%-56%
   D: 55%-46%
   F: 45%-0%

   There will be no additional curving.

10. Withdrawal:You are responsible for initiating a voluntary withdrawal from the class prior to the published withdrawal date. You must withdraw prior to the withdrawal date in order to avoid being given an “F” grade. After the official withdrawal date, you cannot withdraw from the course and your grade will be what you have earned. Any student who withdraws from a class during a third or subsequent attempt in the same course will be assigned a grade of “F”. For a complete policy and procedure overview on Valencia policy 4-07 (Academic Progress, Course Attendance and Grades, and Withdrawals) please go to: http://valenciacollege.edu/generalcounsel/policy/ValenciaCollegePolicy.cfm?policyID=75

11. Academic Dishonesty: All forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited at Valencia Community College. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, furnishing false information, forgery, alteration or misuse of documents, misconduct during a test situation, and misuse of identification with intent to defraud or deceive.

    All work submitted by students is expected to be the result of the student's individual thoughts, research and self-expression. Whenever a student uses ideas, wording or organization from another source, the source shall be appropriately acknowledged.

    Students shall take special notice that the assignment of course grades is the responsibility of the student's individual professor. When the professor has reason to believe that an act of academic dishonesty has occurred, and before sanctions are imposed, the student shall be given informal notice and an opportunity to be heard by the professor. Any student determined by the professor to have been guilty of engaging in an act of academic dishonesty shall be liable to a range of academic penalties as determined by the professor which may include, but not be limited to, one or more of the following: loss of credit for an assignment, examination or project; a reduction in the course grade; or a grade of "F" in the course. At the option of the professor, the campus provost may be furnished with written notification of the occurrence and the action taken. If such written notice is given, a copy shall be provided to the student.

    Students guilty of engaging in a gross or flagrant act of academic dishonesty or repeated instances of academic dishonesty shall also be subject to administrative and/or disciplinary penalties which may include warning, probation, suspension and/or expulsion from the college.

12. Electronic devices: Please make sure that all electronic devices are placed in silent mode or turned completely off. This includes all cell phones, pagers and beepers. If your device disrupts the class you may be asked to leave the classroom. If you leave the classroom to answer or make a call, you may not return to the classroom that day.

13. Asking for help: Please ask for help if you need it! Do not wait until the end of the semester to ask for help. The sooner you ask, the more beneficial it will be. Tutoring is also available through the Tutoring Center in Building 7-240.

14. Smarthinking Online Tutoring: Smarthinking is a free online tutoring service, where you can receive live, online tutoring as well as submit your essays for comments.  To access this resource, log into Atlas, click on the “Courses” tab, and click on “Tutoring (online) – Smart Thinking,” located under “My Courses.”


15. BayCare Services: BayCare is a private and confidential counseling service contracted by Valencia College that provides short-term assistance to credit students who need to resolve problems that are affecting their college performance. Examples might include stress, relationship/family issues, alcohol/drug problems, eating disorders, depression, and gender issues.  If you are experiencing any of these issues, call 1-800-878-5470 to speak to a professional counselor.  For more information, log into Atlas, click on the “Students” tab, and click on “BayCare Health System,” located under “Health and Wellness".



16. Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities who qualify for academic accommodations must provide a letter from the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) and discuss specific needs with the professor, preferably during the first two weeks of the semester. The OSD (West Campus SSB 102, ext. 1523) determines accommodations based on appropriate documentation of disabilities.

Vacations and other important dates:

• September 7 – Labor Day (campus closed)
• September 8 – Drop/Refund Deadline
• October 8 – College Nights (West campus – no classes)
• November 13 – Withdrawal deadline
• November 25-29 – Thanksgiving (no classes)
• December 13 – Classes end
• December 14 – Final exams begin

Tentative Course Schedule:

(NOTE: This is a tentative schedule and the instructor reserves the right to change this schedule without notice at any time during the semester. It is your responsibility to stay informed of any changes.)

Please read the assigned chapters listed below before coming to class. The instructor assumes that you have done so.

Final Examination Schedule:
To receive credit for a course for which you are registered, you must take the final examination. It is your responsibility to know when and where the final examination is scheduled and to be present and on time. The Final Examination for this class will be held as indicated below.

• M,W 10:00 – 11:15am (CRN17357): Monday, December 14, 10:00am – 12:00pm, Room AHS-213


• M,W 11:30am – 12:45pm (CRN14870): Wednesday, December 16, 10:00am – 12:00pm, Room AHS-213

You may be absent from a final examination or deviate from the examination schedule only with approval by the professor and the appropriate provost. If you do not attend the final examination and do not have an approved absence, you will receive a F for the course. (See section on Withdrawal.)

Course Pages maintained by
Dr. Graeme Lindbeck .