General Policies

Grading:

A 10-point scale will be used to assign grades in the course: 90-100% = A, 80-89.99% = B, 70-79.99% = C, 60-69.99% = D, < 60% = F In addition, grades of +/- may be used at the discretion of the instructor and in accordance with the policies of the University.

Laboratory	100 pts
Lecture Exam I	75
Lecture Exam II	75
Lecture Exam III	75
Final Lecture Exam	75 pts
	400 pts

Honor Code: The terms of the Honor Code of the University are upheld in this class. You are expected to do your own work at all times in the course. Any representation of other's work as your own (on tests, papers, homework, quizzes, etc.) is a violation of the Honor Code of the University. In lab, data may sometimes be shared and discussed; however, final reports and answers using the data must be generated by you working independently, unless you are instructed otherwise.

Disabilities: If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see the instructor and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at 993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through the DRC.

Attendance: Attendance is strongly encouraged in both lecture and laboratory. There will be no make-ups of any material, so you are responsible for obtaining any information you miss because of an absence.

Exams:

Exams are not optional and you must take scheduled exams on the days they are scheduled.

Exam questions will cover the material presented in class. Exam format will be multiple choice (scantron graded) and students are required to bring their own scantrons to class. There will be several versions of the exam handed out to the class.

Students MUST bring a student ID to each exam and arrive on time. Once exams have begun to be turned in, no late arriving students will be permitted to take the exam. Visit the restroom BEFORE you arrive; no one can leave the room prior to completing and turning in the exam.

The Final Exam will be in TWO parts, each worth the equivalent of a lecture exam (75 pts). The FIRST part will cover new material presented after the third lecture exam and is required of all students. The SECOND part will be comprehensive, covering the same material as the first three lecture exams, and will be OPTIONAL for those students wishing to make up a low grade on a previous lecture exam. If a student makes a higher grade on the comprehensive part than on any one of the lecture exams, then the comprehensive score will substitute for the lowest lecture exam score. If the comprehensive score is not higher than any of the lecture exams, then it will not count.

There are NO makeup exams. If you miss a scheduled exam for any valid reason (illness, car trouble, etc.; not being ready is not a valid reason), you must notify the instructor in writing (email preferred) within 24 hours; give all pertinent information. If you provide notification of a missed exam, you will be able to make up one (and ONLY one) missed exam by taking the comprehensive part of the final exam, which will be used to substitute for the missing exam. This option can be exercised only once during the semester, so if you miss more than one lecture exam, the additional misses cannot be made up.

Laboratory: The laboratory will be worth 25% of the course grade. You should maintain your laboratory notebook (lab manual is designed to be kept in a binder) during all labs as it may be graded by your instructor. Some of the labs will be written as laboratory reports, including data analysis and graphing. You may use computer programs to generate these charts, graphs and analyses. You will also have quizzes on some of the topics covered in lab. Quizzes will cover the assigned exercises for the week, so you must prepare for these prior to the lab session. Many of the questions in the lab exercises can also be answered prior to lab. Your lab instructor will expect you to have read all material before arriving for the lab session. Bring your textbook to each lab session.

It is important to keep the lab clean and organized at all times. Do not leave without cleaning your work area and putting all items back in place. Handle the microscopes, slides, and any other instruments with care. Should a problem arise, tell your instructor immediately.

There is no eating or drinking of any consumables (including water) in the laboratories, no open-toed shoes can be worn, and no mouth pipetting is permitted. Other safety procedures required by the University will be reviewed by your lab instructor on the first day of classes, and you will be required to sign a waiver in lab stating that you understand and will adhere to these procedures.

There are no make-up labs. It is impossible to make up a missed lab since all lab sections are filled and live material is only ready on the days of scheduled laboratory sessions. Also, this course has the laboratory room only on Monday and Tuesday of each week and the room is not available to us when the other classes are in session. If you are unable to attend a lab, you may take the lab in another regularly scheduled section if you have arranged to do so in advance with the instructors.

Students re-taking BIOL 304: Students who are retaking the course to obtain a better grade must take both the lecture and lab sections to obtain a new grade. The Dean of COS strictly prohibits students from using the lab grade obtained in a previous course to fulfill the requirements of any lab course taken more than once. IF YOU DO NOT ENROLL FOR A LAB SECTION AND DO NOT EARN A GRADE IN LAB THIS SEMESTER, YOU WILL RECEIVE A ZERO FOR YOUR LAB GRADE.

Drop date: The last day to add classes is September 15, 2009 and the last day to drop classes is October 2, 2009. Selective withdrawal period is Oct 5-Oct 30, 2009.

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Last updated August 28, 2009 by J.D. Lawrey