Syllabus for Biology 172 GENERAL BIOLOGY Summer 2009. The complete version of this syllabus is the one online at http://www2.hawaii.edu/~rsnider/171syl.htm/ Section: 35028 Meets MTWRF 8:00 - 9:20 in Koki'o 101 Instructor: Hank Snider -- Office: Koki'o 202K Office Hours: MWF 9:30 - 11:00, TTh 12:30 - 1:30, or whenever present in office. Email: rsnider@hawaii.edu I respond to emails frequently.TEXTBOOK: BIOLOGY, 8th. ed., by Campbell, Neil A. & J.B. Reece, Benjamin/Cummings, 2008. Laulima: You have access to Laulima at http://laulima.hawaii.edu . Sign in with your UH username and password. The instructor's website is at http://www2.hawaii.edu/~rsnider/

INSTRUCTION METHOD: You are expected to read the assigned material in the textbook before coming to class. Classroom lecture and discussion are illustrated with slides, specimens, DVDs, videotapes, and other materials. They are supplemented with internet readings, discussions, quizzes, games, lecture recordings, etc. You can reach these materials through the homepage table in Laulima. Daily assignments are given in the Assignment Schedule (see back). In Laulima, when you click a Chapter link, its online resources become available on a webpage. These include recordings of the live lectures, all the images used in the lecture, flash (Camtasia) treatments of topics, and web links, including to Mastering Biology. In the Laulima Menu is a link called Tasks Tests and Surveys that gives you access to the chapter quizzes, each worth 2.5 points. You make take the quizzes as many times as you like, and the items are drawn from a set of about 50 questions. Class activities will include preparing an individual carbon footprint for yourself, which you should do cooperatively with other students. This is a new project for Biol 172, and we will have a discussion of the results on the last day of class, when the footprint writeup is due. You should help each other with the methodology of calculating carbon footprints. Remember that you are NOT competing with each other for grades (see below) so any help that you give others will benefit you as well, probably more than the one you help GRADING: The course grade will be determined by scores on various activities, chiefly online quizzes on each chapter, 2 Exams and a Final Exam. Your Laulima participation will be graded both quantitatively and qualitatively. In other words you are rewarded for more and better contributions.

1) The multiple choice portion of the exams will be taken online and will include a random selection of questions from the chapter testbanks.

2) Question Analysis (QA)*: Two of the Multiple Choice questions, or similar questions, will be selected by the instructor for your analysis (See form). The purpose of these analyses is for you to demonstrate your critical reasoning ability in answering the question. Specifically, you will need to explain the reasoning involved in the question: Why is the correct answer preferred over the "distractor" (incorrect) answers, and why are each of those wrong. Such analyses will be worth 10 points each. The more you practice for these questions, the more biology you will learn. Hopefully you will practice all possible QA questions.

3) Essays may cover any subject in the Chapter Reviews at the ends of the chapters in Campbell. You should carefully go over these topics and make sure you understand them in depth. Usually there will be two essay questions, and you may write either one or both.

The final exam will have some cumulative aspects covering certain selected chapters, but will concentrate on the last part of the course, and will resemble the other tests. Tentative dates for the tests are indicated in the schedule.

All your scores in the course will be immediately available within Laulima. You should know your standing in the course at all times.

Alphabetical grades will be given as follows:

• The "A" grade represents outstandingly high achievement, above 90% of the possible points.
• The "B" grade indicates above average achievement, above 80%
• The "C" grade indicates average achievement in point totals, usually clustering around 75% of the total possible points.
• The "D" grade indicates below average achievement, generally below 70% of the possible points.
• The "F" grade indicates low achievement in point totals, usually with scores below 60% of the total possible points

*Note that it is not sufficient to memorize the answers to the test bank questions. Use your access to the test questions to learn WHY the right answer is correct, and the others wrong. This is the information the question analysis seeks.

Course Policy Statements:

• The student must learn all lecture material and readings, with such learning to be evaluated by written objective testing in class and online.
• The student will demonstrate regular, punctual attendance in class. Online students are expected to work in the WebCT course on a regular basis, and to keep up with the quiz schedule. Quizzes may only be available for a limited time. Missed exams may be made up only with proper written documentation, such as a doctor's excuse, or court summons. The student is expected to initiate arrangements for taking a make-up exam.
• Student conduct: Appropriate student conduct as defined by the Kapi'olani Community College Student Conduct Code will be expected of students at all times. The student will behave, while in the classroom, in a mature, honorable, honest and thoughtful manner. All students are honor bound to complete exams independently, without assistance of anyone else, and without accessing written or online assistance.
• Please do not bring children to class, or to the online testing lab.
• If the instructor is more than 15 minutes late, you need wait no longer, and may consider the class to be cancelled.
• If you decide to withdraw from the course, the paperwork must be completed by July 28th, the LAST DAY FOR ALL WITHDRAWALS. If you simply disappear without withdrawing, you will receive an F for the course.
• Withdrawals after July 28th will be allowed only in cases of extreme or unusual circumstance. Examples are a certified medical condition, or a death in the immediate family. Grade-related excuses are unacceptable.
• Incomplete (I) grades: Students must present the "Request for Incomplete" form PRIOR TO THE LAST DAY OF INSTRUCTION, June 29th. "I" grades will be given only to students who are doing "C" work or better, AND are very close to completing the course, AND have a very good reason for not being able to complete all the work on time, such as a certified medical reason or a death in the immediate family.
• Kapi'olani Community College is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution.
• Extended time in a distraction-free environment is an appropriate accommodation based on a student's disability. If you do have a disability and have not disclosed the nature of your disability and the support you need, you are invited to contact the Special Student Services Office, 734-9552, ‘Ilima 105.
  These and all other course materials are available in alternative formats.
• Students are expected to attend all classes for which they are registered. If a student is unable to attend class, he or she should contact the instructor in advance to give notification of the absence and make the necessary arrangements.
• For those students who receive financial aid and fail to attend the first week of classes without making arrangements with the instructor, the instructor will submit the student's name to the Financial Aid Office. The student will be denied financial aid for the class that he/she is not attending. In addition, it is solely the student's responsibility to withdraw from the class or attend the class and pay tuition.Disability access statements.
• The electronic communications policy adopted in December 2005 establishes the University of Hawai'i Internet service as an official medium for communication among students, faculty, and staff. Every member of the system has a hawaii.edu address, and the associated username and password provide access to essential Web announcements and email. You are hereby informed of the need to regularly log in to UH email and Web services for announcements and personal mail. Failing to do so will mean missing critical information from academic and program advisors, instructors, registration and business office staff, classmates, student organizations, and others.