Syllabus --- Stephen T. Abedon, Ph.D.

	biology 113 \| biology 114 \| microbiology 509
	Syllabus
	Understanding (and then memorizing) is key to your doing well; reading your textbook is key to your understanding.
	Stephen T. Abedon, Ph.D. The Ohio State University, 1680 University Dr. Mansfield, OH 44906,
	contents \| syllabus \| top of page
	last updated Tuesday, January 01, 2008

At this site you will find . . .

1.	introduction	this page
2.	important dates	this page
3.	disclaimer	this page
4.	e-mail	this page
5.	office hours	this page
6.	texts	this page
7.	lectures	this page
8.	laboratories	this page
9.	recitations	this page
10.	examinations	this page
11.	grading	this page

contents | syllabus | top of page

Introduction

statement of disability accommodation | teaching philosophy
Biology 113/114 | Is Biology 113 for you? | Is Science for you? | Microbiology 509

Two great ideas drive the biological sciences. The first is that the substance and functions of life are, without exception, obedient to the laws of physics and chemistry... the main occupation of biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology. The second driving idea is that all of life evolved - and chiefly by natural selection. Life has immensely complex diversity that can be understood and managed only by the understanding of its long genetic history...

attributed to "Harvard biology faculty" by Dominick A. Marocco (2000, Biology for the 21st century: The search for a core. The American Biology Teacher 62:565-569)

statement of disability accommodation ---

Anyone who feels they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me to arrange an appointment as soon as possible. At the appointment we can discuss the course format, anticipate your needs and explore potential adaptations to meet your needs. I rely on the Office of Disability Services for assistance in verifying the need for accommodations and developing accommodation strategies. If you have not previously contacted the Office of Disability Services, I encourage you to do so.

teaching philosophy ---

My primary teaching philosophy posits that the only advantage of having a live instructor in the classroom (e.g., as opposed to a canned course given by computer or video) is that only a live instructor is capable of real-time clarification and answering of questions. Consequently, if you (the student) do not ask questions, one can very reasonably ask why you should even bother to attend a lecture rather than, for example, study a video of a lecture or simply read the textbook. But to fully interact with an instructor you must come to class prepared to ask questions. This preparation should be in a psychological sense of being willing to publicly state that certain material is difficult (e.g., by asking a question). However, it should also be in the sense that you have taken the trouble to sit down and identify what material you find difficult, and then formulated questions on that material before you come to class. For more on my personal teaching philosophy, click here: www.phage.org/homepage_teaching_philosophy.htm.

Biology 113/114 ---

"Biology 113 is a course which, together with Biology 114, is designed to give the student an in-depth experience in biological sciences. Science majors, including many health professionals, are the intended audience. The sequence will meet your General Education Curriculum (GEC) in the Natural Sciences. For those of you in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Biology 113-114 will meet the ten hour sequence requirement. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A STRONG SCIENCE BACKGROUND OR INTEREST, YOU BELONG IN ANOTHER COURSE, NAMELY BIOLOGY 101- ." (quoted from the Gross/Fuerst syllabus employed Autumn Quarter, 1997, emphasis theirs)

Consider the following advice:

· ATTEND CLASS AND TAKE NOTES

· MASTER THE MATERIAL BEFORE MOVING ON TO NEW MATERIAL

· DO THE OUTSIDE WORK ASAP

· STAY MOTIVATED (transcripts are forever)

· FIND A SERIOUS STUDY PARTNER

· YOU NEED AT LEAST AN 84 AVERAGE (a B) TO GET TO THE BIG TIME (MED / DENT / PHARM / VET SCHOOLS)

· READ THE TEXT AS ASSIGNED

· ALERT YOUR PROFESSOR TO CONCERNS BEFORE THEY TURN INTO PROBLEMS

· TAKE LAB VERY SERIOUSLY AND SLOWLY

· JOBS AND EXTRACURRICULARS TAKE TIME!

· GET ENOUGH SLEEP AND EAT RIGHT

· DEVELOP A CONFIDENT ATTITUDE

· STUDY EVERY DAY, SIX DAYS A WEEK

· REALIZE THAT HALF OF EVERY WEEKEND IS TO STUDY

· REALIZE THAT THIS IS NOT HIGH SCHOOL

· RELAX, SLOW DOWN AND FOLLOW DIRECTIONS

· IMPROVE BY ADAPTING AS THE WEEKS GO BY

· UNDERSTAND THAT FACULTY WANT YOU TO MAKE IT

· UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE

Here's more, this time directly from me:

· Cramming usually doesn't work - only for the very best and only for the very short term will cramming succeed

· Take your chemistry very seriously - stopping with chemistry 101 (or even chemistry 121) is a short-term, easy way of conforming to your chemistry prerequisite and not an optimal beginning to a career in biology

· Study for the first exam as hard as you have ever studied for an exam, and start your studying for this exam on the first day of the term

· Memorize the material and you will be able to understand exam questions; understand the material and you should also be able to answer exam questions

· Grades are an indicator; if you are not doing well on exams (e.g., earning at least 70% of available points) then you should reassess your approaches to studying

You can find various materials of relevance to taking biology 113/114 at:

www.phage.org/biology.htm (index of course)
www.phage.org/bio_113_schedule.htm (on-line schedule plus links to on-line notes)
www.phage.org/bio_114_schedule.htm (on-line schedule plus links to on-line notes)
www.phage.org/sta5202.htm (biology 113 and 114 FAQs)
www.phage.org/sta5008.htm (introduction to major's biology)
www.phage.org/sta5002.htm (how to succeed at science)

Is Biology 113 for you? ---

Biology 113 considers the biology of organisms approximately at or below the level of the cell. It has been my experience that 30 to 60 percent of the students in a given year who take Biology 113 will either drop the course because they are failing it (or are unwilling to put in the effort necessary to do well in the course), or will not drop the course but will nevertheless earn a grade of less than a C-. It is my assumption that students who sign up for Biology 113 do so with the intention of learning biology and then passing the course with a reasonable grade (e.g., >D+). The following questions (and answers) are my attempt to help students to self identify themselves as likely successful versus likely unsuccessful Biology 113 students.

Have you ever taken a major's science or math course?

Non-science majors who have not yet voluntarily exposed themselves to real science courses typically are not aware of the great divide that separates science (or math) courses for majors from all other especially introductory courses offered on a college campus. Typically this absence of awareness extends also to the difference between major's science courses and non-major's science courses. Major's science courses are hard and can take sometimes incredible commitment. Doing well in a major's science course is not compatible with extremely heavy course loads (e.g., >15) nor extremely heavy work loads (e.g., >10 hours a week) nor extremely heavy "social-life loads" except for the very capable or very experienced. If Biology 113 is your first introduction to a real science course, you may not be prepared for the rigor expected of you to pass this course. Minimally, then, you should not undertake Biology 113 unless you have a strong background in biology, chemistry, and mathematics at the introductory, non-major's level, e.g., a B or higher in non-major's chemistry, a B or higher in a rigorous high school biology course or a rigorous introductory non-major's college biology course, and a B or higher in a college algebra. If you have not yet achieved reasonable mastery of these three subjects at the non-major's level, and have not yet taken a major's science course, you probably will not pass Biology 113. Furthermore, note that simply doing well in non-major's biology courses is no substitute for an extreme commitment to doing what it takes to actually learn the material presented in Biology 113.

How is your understanding of chemistry?

Approximately half of Biology 113 covers material that is very much based in chemistry. For individuals who take introductory chemistry concurrently with Biology 113, Biology 113 will introduce chemical concepts that have not yet been covered in their chemistry class. For students with an interest in biology at any level, it is always a good idea to get as good and as strong a background in chemistry as is possible, e.g., completing an entire introductory major's chemistry sequence. However, doing so before taking Biology 113 is not always possible nor practical. Therefore, minimally students should enter into Biology 113 only following reasonable success in their chemistry prerequisite. In other words, if you struggled through an introductory non-major's chemistry course and only obtained a C, you will probably struggle through Biology 113, and may not be so lucky as to receive a C. PLEASE, TAKE YOUR CHEMISTRY PREREQUISITE SERIOUSLY AND WORK VERY HARD AT MASTERING THAT SUBJECT, TO THE EXTENT REQUIRED BY YOUR CHEMISTRY INSTRUCTOR, BEFORE TAKING ON BIOLOGY 113.

How is your understanding of biology?

It is the sad truth that high school biology can vary extensively from school system to school system, and school systems do not always do a service to their students. If your high school biology course did not do a good job of introducing the molecular basis of life, genetics, or, for that matter, evolution, then you probably do not have a good background in biology. If you do not have a good background in biology before taking Biology 113, then Biology 113 can be very challenging simply due to the enormous number of new concepts that will be covered. If many of these concepts are new to you, you may not succeed at the class simply because there is only so much completely new information that an individual can cram into their brain over a ten-week period. I recommend to anybody who has an interest in biology, after taking their standard high school biology course, that they then go on to take the AP biology course if one is offered at their high school. Alternatively, consider taking the introductory non-major's biology course offered at the college level (and then take that course very seriously). If nothing else, you will have no idea whether you are interested in studying biology as a career until you have been exposed to what biology is all about, and, sadly, such an exposure does not always, or even commonly occur at the high school level.

Are you a non-science major?

I have had a number of individuals who have attempted to broaden their otherwise non-science training by taking Biology 113. Sometimes this occurs late in their college career, after they have taken many of their non-science courses and having generally done well in those courses. Please note, however, that these individuals often have gone on to do poorly in Biology 113. Presumably their poor performance is a consequence of the various reasons listed above: Have never taken a major's science course, have a very poor background in chemistry, have a very poor background in biology, and work too many hours outside of school. However, an additional consideration should be that Biology 113 likely is much, much harder than many, most, or even all courses that a non-science major has taken.

Having not taken all possible non-science courses I must rely to some extent on anecdotal evidence for this conclusion, but among science majors common experiences are that there are two kinds of college students in this world, those that can play Frisbee on the lawn during warm spring days, and those who must be content to watch, from a library window, while other students playing Frisbee on the lawn during warm spring days. Though certainly cliché, note that it is the science majors that typically would be found in the library pouring over their texts day and night just to gain a small understanding of their subject areas, while it is non-science majors that can afford to take the time to play Frisbee. Another anecdote came from a science major who one term happened to be taking a course with their non-science-major roommate. For the science major the shared course was their easy, "blow off" course for the term. For the non-science major the shared course was the "hardest course" that student had ever taken. That is, the level of rigor a science major is typically exposed to in their courses can be enormously greater than the level of rigor a non-science major typically is exposed to.

MINIMALLY, IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT LEARNING BIOLOGY AND DO NOT YET HAVE A STRONG SCIENCE BACKGROUND, YOU SHOULD NOT EVEN CONSIDER TAKING MAJOR'S BIOLOGY WITHOUT FIRST TAKING AND THEN DOING WELL IN A NON-MAJOR'S INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY COURSE. Don't let yourself be lulled into a false sense of security that your upper-level non-science or non-major's curriculum has somehow prepared you for taking a major's science course. Above all, if you need or want to take Biology 113 (and 114), then do not delay taking these courses until your senior year, counting on passing them to graduate. Having said all of the above, certainly I welcome any and all who are able and willing to put in the effort to give Biology 113 a shot. It can be a challenge, but some of my best students have come from otherwise "less-rigorous" majors.

How well do you think?

To do well in Biology 113 you must be a reasonably good thinker. Memorizing, no matter the effort required, will only get you to the point where you can read exam questions intelligently. To actually answer exam questions often also will require thinking. The ability to think is necessary to do well in the sciences. In a very real sense all the memorization in the world is all but useless unless you can apply that information, and application requires thinking. I am not certain how to address the issue of thinking except to note that you probably are a good thinker if you enjoy playing intellectual games (e.g., playing word games, reading mystery novels, diagnosing difficult automotive problems, etc.). Learning to think can take years of training. It begins with a tendency to be excited rather than offended by challenging problems, and then is honed by practice, practice, practice, and more practice. It does not happen through giving up after a few minute's effort, looking up answers in the back of a book, and then moving on. If you are put off by intellectual challenges, Biology 113 may not be for you.

How much time do you have?

Let's say that you are not exceptionally talented at learning biology and performing on biology exams (or, for that matter, microbiology exams), or that you are struggling with the material but want to earn a grade of a C- or greater. How much time should you expect to put into courses such as Biology 113, Biology 114, or Microbiology 509? I'd say about 20 hours per week. 20 hours a week? Yes, 20 hours a week assuming that your goal is to actually learn biology as a solid foundation for a subsequent career in applied or basic biology. Let's break this down into specifics so that you will understand what I mean:

· Time spent in lectures: 3 hrs/wk

· Time spent in recitations or exams: 1 hr/wk

· Time spent in labs/working on laboratory material: 3 hrs/wk

· Time spent reading a chapter at ~2 hrs/chapter for two chapters/week: 4 hrs/wk

· Time spent studying notes before attending lectures or recitations at ~1 hour per lecture/recitation: 4 hrs/wk

· Time spent studying notes/organizing material after attending lectures at ~1 hour per lecture/recitation: 4 hrs/wk

3 + 1 + 3 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 19 = ~20 hours per week. In other words, four days a week an hour a day reading your text, an hour a day studying handed-out notes, an hour a day attending class, and an hour a day organizing your notes after class (with time put toward specific efforts varying from day to day), plus approximately three hours per week devoted to your laboratory. Of course, this effort can be spread over 7 days rather than four (though some of these efforts, e.g., going over material after class, are better off done with material still-fresh in your mind rather than being put off until later), but if you are serious about learning biology, then you should expect to put in approximately 4+ hours a day, four days a week into the effort. If this amount of time is simply not available to you, then you are probably not going to do as well in biology as you would like to. Also, if you have no intention (e.g., never have before) put this much time into a course, you also likely will not do as well in biology as you would like to. Furthermore, if you are really struggling in the course, you may have to put even more time into your effort, though you in fact may be pleasantly surprised that actually putting forth this minimum may be sufficient. Finally, all of the above assumes that you are really working at learning biology during all of the hours listed rather than procrastinating, letting your mind wander, or otherwise not making efficient use of your time. To those who may consider the above discussion insane, all I can say is "good luck." Either you are sufficiently talented that none of the above applies (to which I say, "How wonderful!"), or you will be in trouble in biology even before you walk through the door for the first day of the term.

How disciplined are you?

The biggest problem students encounter in Biology 113, typically, is that by the time they have figured out what it takes to get on top of and then stay on top of the material, it is already too late for them to ever claw their way back from the abyss. People, this material builds on top of previous material, and if you fail to master the simpler, earlier stuff, then you are really going to suffer when things start to get a little bit complicated. If you are not sufficiently motivated to start out your quarters at the top of your game, you probably shouldn't even think about attempting Biology 113. After all, if you can't hack the effort when your are fresh, then how are you possibly going to hack it after you're burnt out on the quarter?

What does "taking on a challenge" mean to you?

Finally, let me note that after reading all of the above, I still have a surprising number of students who take all of the above as a challenge, which is great, so long as they have a clue as to what taking on a challenge actually means. Let me note first of all what taking on a challenge does not mean. It does mean that you take on an effort and then just assume that things will sort of work out in the end. It also does not mean that you will set aside a certain degree of effort that you think you are willing to make, and then fail to adjust to inaccuracies in your original assessment. No, taking on a challenge means being responsible for your own efforts, doing what it takes to perform even if what that takes is more effort than you would prefer to put forth, and, in short, making the actual taking on of the challenge a priority in your life. (definition of priority: "the quality or state of coming in first in time"; definition of challenge: "something which tests a person's qualities") In other words, deciding to take on challenges is an easy, almost meaningless expression of intent and in no way serves as a substitute for the actual work that is typically necessary for significant success in one's endeavors.

Is science you? ---

How well do you read?

Part of college is learning how to learn, and especially how to learn while you are reading. For many introductory courses, though, it is necessary only to show up for a class to gain a sufficient understanding of the subject to pass the course. This is not the case for a major's science class. In the sciences there is some expectation that individuals are going to gain a strong understanding of the material presented in their textbook. Often this means that students will be expected both to read and to learn from their textbooks. I have had struggling students come to me who have told me that it takes them an entire day to read a chapter in their biology textbook, or that the textbook is written so far over their heads that they cannot possibly learn anything from it, or that they read the text but that this does not translate into much or any understanding of the material. These problems, however, while certainly possible are also totally unacceptable. If you do not have a sufficient mastery of reading, or of biology, to learn from your biology text, then you probably will not do well in Biology 113-114, or Microbiology 509, unless you make a serious effort to counter this problem through attempts to increase your reading skills, to increase your background in biology, and to decrease your external commitments (e.g., to other classes, to work, or to your social life). That is, you need to be able to give yourself sufficient time to concentrate on your biology, and you need to have a sufficient background in biology to understand what you are concentrating on. It should not come as too great a surprise that it may take you two or three or more hours to read a chapter in your textbook, in preparation for a lecture. However, if it takes much longer than that, or you do not comprehend the material as you read it, then you are definitely in trouble vis-à-vis your success in Biology 113-114 or Microbiology 509.

How well do you memorize?

One of the ways that introductory biology differs from introductory courses in chemistry, physics, or mathematics is the large emphasis in biology on memorization: You will be expected to learn a vast amount of information in a biology course. If you are not a good memorizer, then Biology 113-114 or Microbiology 509 will be a challenge. What is a good-enough memorizing ability to do well in Biology 113 or Microbiology 509? Let's say a given exam has 240 terms and concepts that you will be responsible for and covers six chapters and eight lectures. It should be possible for you to learn those terms and concepts over the course of three weeks and approximately 24 to 40 hours of reading and studying plus the eight or so hours of attending lectures (e.g., one to two hours a day, seven days a week for three weeks, plus 10-15 hours of studying for the actual exam). If after that kind of effort you fail to obtain a strong grasp of the material, then either your biology background is insufficient, your ability to memorize is insufficient, or the techniques you employ to learn the material are not satisfactory. The bottom line, however, is that Biology 113-114 and Microbiology 509 will require a significant amount of memorization and if you are not used to making a strong commitment to learning material, then you will not do well in these courses.

Microbiology 509 ---

Much of the difficulty in Microbiology 509 involves the memorization of numerous facts. Microbiology is a broad field and medical microbiology is a well-studied subdiscipline. Microbiology 509 is aimed at individuals interested in careers in medical areas and thus will emphasize those aspects of microbiology relevant to health care. Many aspects of training toward health-care professions are similarly memory intensive, so this aspect of Microbiology 509 should come as no surprise. The two caveats, other than the memorization emphasis of this course, are the following: (i) A prior, reasonable understanding of cell physiology will be extremely helpful and (ii) exams will be designed to test the degree to which you have learned the material. That is, all else held constant, the better you know and understand the material presented, the better you will do in this course. It cannot be stated too strongly that for some, many, most, or all of you, taking the time to read your text prior to attending lectures will make the difference between your understanding and not understanding the material and therefore between your doing well and not doing well on exams.

legal accountability for actions; a message to nursing students

Much of the foundation of a nursing career will be found in your microbiology course. It is important that you learn the material in this course well. In particular, keep in mind throughout this course, during your subsequent training, and in your future work that the actions of nurses are not absolved by the following of doctor's orders. Instead, nurses are legally accountable for their actions, even in situations where others make the incorrect decisions that were subsequently followed. This legally expected ability to second-guess the decisions of others is only possible given sufficient knowledge of medicine, and now, in school, is where you will be building this necessary foundation of knowledge. Don't blow the opportunity.

links to more on legal accountability

· State of Ohio Board of Nursing

· American Nurses Association

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Important Dates

The OSU on-line calendar can be found at:

· http://www.ureg.ohio-state.edu/ourweb/more/Content/bigcal.html

The correct (atomic clock) time can be found at: www.time.gov

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E-Mail

I value communication by e-mail. If you have any question, comments, concerns, or criticisms, please feel free to e-mail me, or contact me by other means. I encourage the asking of routine questions via email.

When e-mailing, please be certain that you employ a meaningful subject heading such as “e-mail from bio 113” or “micro 509 question”. I receive a large amount of e-mail and routinely delete anything that is not of obvious relevance.

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Office Hours

Remember that Laboratory Periods are also Recitation Periods!

office address:

My office address is 299 Bromfield.

In the schedules presented below, “open” means that I have no commitment for that time slot during the quarter, though I may not always be around or available at the time; “prepping” means that I getting ready to teach a lecture or a lab so will be happy to answer short questions but will not be available for long consultations.

Note that if I am not found in my office (B-299) during “open” or “prepping” times then I may be found in my lab (B-213 or B-213C). During periods indicated as “Micro 509 or open” I may be found in any of those locations plus B-211.

Winter-quarter teaching schedule:

The Winter, 2005, Mansfield-campus course schedule can be found at: http://www.mansfield.ohio-state.edu/schedule/WI08.htm.

My personal teaching schedule is as follows. Note that “open” does not guarantee that I will be on campus on any given day while “prepping” is suggestive that I will be in my office and means that while I won’t have a great deal of time, I will nevertheless be able to quickly answer questions etc.

Period	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
before 8:30	off campus	off campus	sleeping	sleeping	sleeping
8:30-9:00	off campus	off campus	prepping	prepping	prepping
9:00-10:20	off campus	off campus	Bio 113	Bio 113	Bio 113
10:20-12:00	off campus	off campus	open	open	open
12:00-1:00	off campus	off campus	open	open	open
1:00-1:30	off campus	off campus	open	open	open
1:30-4:30	off campus	off campus	???	???	Bio 113
4:30-?	off campus	off campus	???	???	???
?-on	off campus	off campus	off campus	off campus	off campus

office hours:

I am generally available for consultation whenever I am present on campus, except when I am teaching, preparing for a lecture, preparing for a laboratory, in the middle of an experiment, or currently interacting with others. The surest way to pin me down is to make an appointment, particularly during one of the time slots indicated as “open” in the above table. If you have a very short question, please feel free to bug me at any time. Even if you think that your question is a difficult one, please don't hesitate to ask for help any time I am around. The worst that can happen is that I will request that you try again at some later time. I cannot guarantee that I will be on campus but please feel free to stop on by if you are. If I’m around, I’m probably in Bromfield 299, Bromfield 213, or Bromfield 213C.

If you are aware of a time that you are interested in consistently meeting with me, it may be possible to turn that time into an office hour.

please ask for help:

The time to ask for help is not at the end of the term. If you do not understand a concept, or are unsure of where things are heading, then please feel free to ask for clarification. You may do so prior to class, following class, during laboratory, outside of the classroom, or during class. Biology is a difficult subject. You may need help from time to time to understand the material. Not only do I want to personally encourage you to seek help when you need it, I also want to assure you that I would never punish you in any way for seeking help.

It is my job to teach you the material that I present. If you are not understanding the material, then it is my business as much as it is yours that you let me know this. If you don't let me know so that I may provide help, then you are not just letting yourself down, you are letting me down as well. To the extent grades are important to you, you are far better off coming to me for help before examinations, rather than afterward. This means that the onus is on you to study the material far enough in advance that you leave yourself time to ask questions before exam time.

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Texts

overview | biology 113 | biology 114 | microbiology 509

overview ---

use your text:

It cannot be stated too strongly that one key difference between passing or failing a course can be your reading of your text book. In addition, your text book is a resource. Outside of the classroom the first place you should consult if you have difficulty understanding a concept or if you forget the meaning of a term is your text. Above all else, college is about learning that you are capable of learning from books.

reading (and rereading) your text:

Make it a habit to read your text, especially prior to attending lectures. Remember that many subjects are sufficiently difficult that you may need to reread sections of your text in order to understand the material presented. This is nothing to be ashamed of, and is not some extra burden imposed upon you by the gods (or, if your prefer, by your professor). We all have to do this. When you have a need to do this, just do it.

biology 113 texts (2008) ---

lecture:

Campbell, N.A., Reece, J.B. et al. (2008). Biology. 8^th edition. Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, Inc.

laboratory:

Morgan, J.G. and Carter, M.E.B. (2008). Investigating Biology. 6^th edition. Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, Inc..

biology 114 texts (2008) ---

lecture: I will not be teaching Bio 114 in 2008.

laboratory: I will not be teaching Bio 114 in 2008.

microbiology 509 texts (2008) ---

lecture:

Nester, E.W. et al. (2006). Microbiology: A Human Perspective, 5^th edition. McGraw-Hill.

laboratory:

Leboffe, M. J., Pierce, B. E. (2006). Microbiology A Laboratory Theory and Application. 2^nd edition. Morton Publishing Company.

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Lectures

overview | read your text | how to study

overview ---

I want to encourage you to read your text and other presented material, to learn from what you are reading, and then to ask questions about material which you have difficulty with and/or require clarification on (or for whatever reason you care to ask a question). You will be in charge of lectures and my only goal will be that you succeed in learning the material presented. Only with your help can we concentrate on the material you need to concentrate on.

Note that the most efficient way by which we might accomplish these goals is by you keeping track of— before lectures while you read and study—that material that gives you trouble, and then, by asking appropriate questions, making sure that I emphasize that material during lectures. Lectures will directly cater to your needs only to the extent that you make certain that they do.

read your text ---

You are strongly encouraged to read your text. Nevertheless, there always seems to be a very strong tendency, for a few individuals, to consider their textbooks to be irrelevant, difficult, or too time consuming to read. However, a key difference between college and your previous scholastic experiences is the requirement in college that you not only read, but that you learn how to learn while reading. If nothing else, college should teach you how to pick up a book and learn from it. If you don't already know how to do this, then the onus is on you to learn how, even if acquisition of this skill demands hours, days, weeks, months, or even years of dedicated effort.

how to study ---

Let's say that you are taking Biology 113, or Biology 114 or Microbiology 509. You do find that the material is not piece-of-cake easy and you want to be proactive in your attempts to learn (e.g., attempt to learn the material before you take the first exam rather than after you fail it). What should you consider doing? First, what you do and what I suggest do not necessarily have to coincide. Instead, what I will list below are what I would consider good study habits. Remember, though, that if you follow my advice but are still not learning the material then you (i) need to put in additional time, (ii) need to make sure that the time you do put in is more-effectively used, or (iii) need to learn or invent additional techniques that work for you. Also, recall that I have an expectation that a student who is serious about doing well in these classes will be putting in approximately 20 hours a week (see, for example, "Is biology 113 for you," above). Above all, make sure that you make studying and taking care of yourself physically and psychologically your number one priorities during terms.

The night before a lecture you should consider doing the following: Carefully read the assigned chapter in your text, making note of any material that you have trouble understanding. This should take you up to approximately 2 hours, or longer if you are a slow reader or have trouble understanding the material. Note that this reading need not be done the night before a lecture. Instead you can do this, for example, during the weekend before a lecture. Also, eat a healthy dinner. Don't excessively drink or do drugs. Get a good night's sleep.

The morning before a lecture, go through your text again, attempting to dwell particularly on that material you find most difficult (particularly that you have marked as such the night before). Discuss with classmates some of this material. For Microbiology 509 you may want to put additional time into becoming familiar material since micro meets only twice a week and covers one chapter or more per lecture. Try to take care of yourself. Eat a decent breakfast. Get some exercise.

During a lecture refer back to your text and to the notes that you have taken to ask questions on material that you found was difficult to understand, or which you otherwise have an interest in. It will be helpful if you have a list of questions readily available and well organized. Remember that your goal in lectures is to increase your understanding of and familiarity with the material.

After a lecture, sit down and organize the material. In particular you want to get that material that you find difficult to understand into a form that is in your own words in a manner that you do understand. Do not let this opportunity pass by without your taking it. If you barely understand a concept today, then you will understand it even less well tomorrow. By the time you start studying for the next lecture you should have all of the material from this lecture understood and even to some degree memorized. If that is not the case, then you are not putting sufficient time or effort into the course.

During lecture, your goal is to better understand and otherwise learn the material. Ask questions as necessary.

Studying for exams should be done in parts. The first part should involve your making sure that you have all of the material understood and memorized. Note that I did not include "organized" in that list. You should be organizing the material day by day so that when you are ready to start studying for the exam you are immediately ready to start rather than still in need of organizing the material. Of course, if you think of new ways to organize the material as you are studying, then by all means try this out. Just don't bog yourself down organizing the material at this point to the detriment of your actually doing the hard work of learning or re-learning the material. My approach in college was to get up early the Saturday morning during the weekend before the exam and to not take any serious time off that day until I had completely memorized the material. Depending on how diligently you have been working all along, this could take a relatively short length of time (e.g., 4-5 hours) or could take a relatively long length of time (e.g., 12+ hours).

I would typically take a second day prior to the night before an exam, e.g., Sunday, to make sure that I knew the material. This step could take you a few hours.

The night before the exam I would again take a few hours to make sure I knew the material. However, what I would not do is obsess at this point. If you haven't learned/memorized the material by the night before the exam, you will likely not learn the material by the time you take the exam (unless you are cramming and this is the only opportunity you have given yourself to learn the material). Far better to take care of yourself physically and psychologically at this point. Eat a good dinner. Don't drink excessively or do drugs. Get in some exercise. Spend some quality time with friends and family. Get a good night of sleep. Make exams into an opportunity to take it easy for a few hours, i.e., reward yourself for having put in a good effort studying.

The day of an exam should be devoted to taking care of yourself, not to learning material. You should be learning material as you go along in the class, not attempting to cram it into your brain at the last moment. Remember that you need to have this material learned for the relatively long term, at least, for example, through the comprehensive final exam. Cramming won't accomplish that for you. Far better to be rested and confident as you go into an exam rather than bitter, burnt out, and exhausted from a night of cramming.

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Laboratories

grading policy ---

worth ~20-25% of your grade:

Laboratories, depending on the course, together will be worth ~20-25% of your total grade. Your grade will depend on some mix of your performance on laboratory procedures, quizzes, exam(s), outside assignments, presentations, answering laboratory notebook/text questions, etc. I reserve the right to hold laboratory quizzes without warning.

return borrowed material:

Points may be taken from your laboratory grade for non-disposable materials which you take outside of the classroom but do not return (or otherwise account for) before final grades are submitted.

laboratory exams ---

The purpose of the laboratory exam is to assure conscientious completion of laboratory assignments. It is the opinion of this instructor that lecture material is of sufficient difficulty and sufficiently memory intensive that additional memorization of laboratory assignments could be counter-productive, at least in terms of assuring reasonable comprehension of lecture material. Consequently, laboratory exams will be open lab text, but not open lecture text nor other notes. These exams will reward you for (i) keeping track of your results in your lab text in a manner that is both reproducible and understandable to another person, (ii) putting in the effort to carefully illustrate (i.e, draw) where appropriate, (iii) taking careful notes where necessary to supplement the material presented in your laboratory text, and (iv) gaining a reasonable understanding of how to answer the questions presented in your laboratory text. You will take the laboratory exam singly (i.e., not in pairs or groups). Basically, with your lab text in hand you should have a good understanding of what the lab text says as well as of the exercises that you have done.

Don't panic over preparing for lab exams, but also don't blow off your laboratories expecting to do well on them regardless. It will be to your benefit to complete your lab topics (answer questions, fill in information, take notes, etc.) during the same week as the assigned lab. Otherwise you will find yourself devoting large amounts of time and energy to doing last-minute preparations for the lab exam(s), perhaps at a time, late in the term, when you can least afford to do so. My expectation is not that you will be cramming for lab exams nor that you will be filling in details in your lab text at the last possible moment, but instead that you will have been diligently working throughout the term. If you participate in labs, understanding and learning what you are doing, sketching both accurately and precisely, then lab exams should not be difficult but instead can represent an opportunity for you to improve your overall course grade.

Note that it has been my observation that many individuals typically "blow off" laboratory periods either partly or in full, that individuals leave laboratories quite early, and that in general individuals fail to immerse themselves in laboratories as much as this professor expects (this is typically more true for Biology 113 and Microbiology 509 than for Biology 114, unless for the latter if individuals have not taken Biology 113 with me). Though I have not acquired the data necessary to obtain a correlation, I also note that individuals routinely perform unnecessarily poorly on laboratory exams despite these exams being open book. Please, an open-book exam does not mean that such an exam requires no preparation nor represents a get-out-of-lab free card. My expectation is that you will enthusiastically do the work assigned, that you will make an effort to learn while you are doing the work, that you will take the time to make detailed drawings of materials not pictured in your lab book, that you will answer questions posed by your lab text, that you will compare answers with those of others (not copy from others but instead to think for yourself and then compare your thoughts to those of others), that you will ask your lab instructor questions when you have difficulty understanding topics, and that in general you will at an absolute minimum devote three hours a week to your laboratory work (four for Microbiology 509 students, i.e., the time that you have scheduled for laboratories). Furthermore, it will be helpful to you to re-read the assigned readings in your laboratory text before taking your laboratory exam.

An open-book exam is a gift, both in terms of its ability to reduce the number of hours you should devote to your laboratories and as a means of bringing up your grade, especially to buffer your final exam grade, and my assigning questions that may be on this exam is the equivalent to providing you with exam questions before the exam. Don't blow this opportunity, and do try to do your absolute best to convince me that you are not blowing off labs.

Note that I must insist that laboratory exams not be taken out of labs or lecture rooms. All laboratory exams—even returned, graded exams—must be returned to me promptly. Failure to do so will result in a violator's loss of all points otherwise earned from the exam.

absence from laboratories ---

no make up labs:

In many cases make up laboratories will not be offered. However, in some circumstances, especially where materials are both not time sensitive and are not immediately removed from the laboratory room, it may be possible to make up portions of laboratories on your own time (this is more likely in biology 113/114 and less likely in microbiology 509). Individuals who are absent from laboratory sessions will be obliged to obtain information on the laboratory from fellow students. Note that making up laboratories likely will be more difficult during 2008 due to the renovation of Ovalwood Hall and our consequent relocation to the geology lab for biology labs.

valid, documented excuses only, please:

Unless a valid, well-documented excuse for missing a laboratory is produced, any exercise for which individuals are graded that is given during a laboratory period will be forfeited by the absent individual. Valid excuses include sickness, death in the family (etc.), child care conflicts, acute transportation problems, and acts of nature beyond an individual's control. Lack of preparation is not an excuse except under extreme, well-documented circumstances.

call ahead/leave message:

A student who is going to miss a laboratory is obligated to of this prior to the commencement of the laboratory period.

open laboratories ---

bio 113/114:

Some laboratories will be left intact past the end of the laboratory period (especially in biology 113 and biology 114) in order to provide opportunity for the completion of assigned tasks or for supplemental learning of the material presented. For the most part these efforts will take place within our normal biology labs, i.e., Ovalwood 470. The schedule during which this room is otherwise in use is as follows. Again, this may be less possible during the 2008.

Ovalwood 470 schedule ---

The Biology 114 lab is booked for the Winter, 2008, term as follows. All "open" slots constitute presumptive open laboratory periods. Yet again, please disregard these for Winter, 2008.

period	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
7:50-8:50	open	open	open	open	open
9:00-10:00	bio 101	bio 101	bio 101	open	open
10:10-11:10	bio 101	bio 101	bio 101	open	open
11:20-12:20	bio 101	bio 101	bio 101	bio 101	open
12:30-1:30	open	open	open	open	open
1:40-2:00	open	bio 101	bio 101	bio 113	open
2:00-3:40	open	bio 101	bio 101	bio 113	open
3:40-4:40	open	bio 101	open	bio 113	open
4:40-5:00	open	open	open	bio 113	open
5:00-7:30	open	open	open	open	open

Ovalwood 484 schedule ---

The Plant Biology lab (O-484) is booked for the Winter, 2008, term as follows. You may be able to use this lab as an open lab instead of O-470. With luck most materials you need will be found on a cart, but you should make sure (by inspection) that this is the case. We haven't decided yet where that cart will be found—as a default assume that it will be in O-470, though this may make the cart unavailable during O-470 classes unless you remove the cart before or between the scheduled classes. Be sure to return the cart to where you found it when you are done. All "open" slots constitute presumptive open laboratory periods. Yet again, please disregard these for Winter, 2008.

period	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
7:50-8:50	open	open	open	open	open
9:00-10:00	p. bio 102	open	p. bio 102	p. bio 102	open
10:10-11:10	p. bio 101	p. bio 101	p. bio 101	p. bio 101	open
11:20-12:20	open	open	open	open	open
12:30-1:30	open	open	open	open	open
1:40-2:00	open	open	p. bio 101	p. bio 102	open
2:00-2:50	open	open	p. bio 101	p. bio 102	open
2:50-3:40