stony brook university fall 2018 bio 201 fundamentals of ... · exams: midterm exams and the final...

Bio 201 F18 Syllabus

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Stony Brook University Fall 2018

BIO 201 Fundamentals of Biology: Organisms to Ecosystems

DEC: E, SBC: SNW

Meeting time and place: MWF 12:00-12:53 Javits 100

MID-TERM EXAM DATES: 26-Sept, 24-Oct, 28-Nov

Mid term exams are given during class sessions. FINAL EXAM: Wed 12-Dec, 2:15-5:00 PM

Prof. John True Office Hours: MW 1-2, Life Sciences 114

or by e-mail appointment Instructor contact information Professor John True, PhD Email: [email protected] Life Sciences Bldg. Room 114, Phone: (631) 632-1071 Graduate Teaching Assistants: Catie Folie Email: [email protected] William Thomas Email: [email protected] Administrative Support Fumio Aoki, Online and technical support e-mail: [email protected] Ecology and Evolution Department Phone 631-632-8539 Diane Pauciullo, Exam Issues 108 Centers for Molecular Medicine Phone: 631-632-8171 Email: [email protected] Lynette Giordano, Course Registration and Waitlist Management 110 Centers for Molecular Medicine Phone: 631-632-8530, Email: [email protected]


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GENERAL INFORMATION: BIO201 together with BIO202 and BIO203, make up a three-semester set of courses on Principles of Biology. These courses may be taken in any order. In BIO201, living organisms are explored from evolutionary, ecological, and structural points of view. These fundamental insights are vital to the understanding of all of biology.

Prerequisites: Level 3 or higher on the mathematics placement examination or co-requisite MAT 123 or higher MAT course (for Stony Brook Students)

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is an introduction to the major concepts in evolution, ecology, and biodiversity at the genetic, organismal, community, and ecosystem levels. Topics are presented in relation to five overall themes: Nature and Process of Science, Evolution, Information Flow, Systems, and Structure-Function. Our goal is to give you a strong foundation in the principles you need to understand and solve problems in the areas of organismal, ecological, and evolutionary biology. Whether your career goal is medicine, basic research, clinical research, or teaching; a sound, rigorous understanding of these basic principles is crucial.

Learning Objectives for Bio 201 The learning objectives for the course are listed in a separate document posted in the Syllabus folder on Blackboard. TEXTBOOK: OpenStax Biology, free e-textbook Link: https://openstax.org/details/books/biology (click on Table of Contents then click on View Online) COURSE ORGANIZATION: Overview: This course is organized into 11 modules, each of which have associated lectures, in-class clicker questions, and assignments, readings, and 1-2 online concept quizzes (see schedule below for dates). The concept quizzes and assignments can be found in the “Assignments” folder on Blackboard and the lecture PowerPoints can be found in the “Documents” folder on Blackboard. Attendance is required; clicker questions are given during each class period to monitor student attendance and comprehension. Finally, there will be four exams in this course, three midterms and a cumulative final exam. The content of the course is accessible to you via recorded classes on Echo360 (link in the “Documents” folder), lecture PowerPoints, e-textbook readings, and other materials posted on Blackboard. Blackboard: The course utilizes the Blackboard site at http://blackboard.stonybrook.edu. All information needed for this course is posted on the course’s blackboard site. Pay attention to all announcements. You must use your stonybrook.edu e-mail. All course announcements are sent to you at this e-mail. If you have used Stony Brook's Blackboard system previously, your login information (Username and Password) has not changed. If you have never used Stony Brook's Blackboard system, your initial password is your SOLAR ID# and your username is the same as your Stony Brook (NET ID) username, which is generally your first initial and the first 7 letters of your last name. For help or more information see http://it.stonybrook.edu/services/tlt-student-help-desk. For problems logging in, go to the help desk in the Main Library SINC Site or the Union SINC Site, you can also call 631-632-9602 or email [email protected].


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EXAMINATIONS AND GRADES: Your course grade will be determined as follows: Midterm exam 1: 15% Midterm exam 2: 15% Midterm exam 3: 15% Cumulative final exam: 20% In class clicker questions: 15% Review Quizzes and homework on Blackboard: 20% GRADED ACTIVITIES: Review Quizzes: Each module of the course has 1-2 associated review quizzes, each consisting of 10 random questions from a test bank for that topic. The quizzes will become available on or near the first class day of the module and be due on the date specified on the schedule below. The quizzes are graded for completion but must be taken by the due date to receive credit. The quizzes will remain available beyond the due date for studying purposes. They include exam questions from previous semesters and are a good resource to use when studying for the exams. Clicker Questions: Clicker questions will be asked during each class period. Many of the clicker questions will have the option of more than one correct answer. For these questions, students will receive full credit if they select all the correct answers and no incorrect answers. They will receive partial credit for selecting some of the correct answers. Selecting an incorrect answer will result in point deductions. Clicker scores will appear on Blackboard as a percent correct for each class period. A student’s six lowest performing days will be dropped. After those drops, if a student’s average clicker score is >70%, they will be given full credit for this portion of the grade. Clicker scores are uploaded to BB within 24 hours of class. There is one column of scores (out of 100%) for each day. If you are properly registered, you should see a number in the column for this date in the BB grade book. If you see “- -” or “0” in your clicker score for a date, the software did not register your answer. If you participated in the clicker session, then either you are not registered, or not licensed, or your clicker is not working properly. Using another student's clicker (or Turning Point app) is Academic Misconduct. Students who are caught doing this, and the other student whose clicker is being used, will receive 0 clicker credit for the entire course and will be reported to the Academic Judiciary. In class Quizzes: Short individual quizzes will be given in some class periods. The quizzes will either focus on content we are about to cover (pre-module quiz) or content we just covered (post module quiz). Exams: Midterm exams and the final exam will be a combination of multiple choice questions and several open-ended questions. All mid-term exams will take place during class time. The final exam is cumulative. See the course schedule below for exam dates. Other assignments: There are several other homework assignments as described in the schedule below. There will be more details about these in class when they are assigned. GRADING SCALE Letter Percentage* Letter Percentage* A 93-100 C+ 77-79.9 A- 90-92.9 C 73-76.9 B+ 87-89.9 C- 70-72.9 B 83-86.9 D 60-69.9 B- 80-82.9 F 0-59 *approximate, based on previous semesters


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STONY BROOK CURRICULUM - SNW (Study of the Natural World) SYLLABUS STATEMENT: After taking this course, students are expected to have formed a basic understanding of the methods scientists use to explore natural phenomena including observation, hypothesis development, measurement and data collection, experimentation, evaluation of evidence, and be conversant in a broad set of topics regarding the natural world. In addition, students are expected to be able to describe major principles and concepts that form the basis of knowledge in the natural sciences, such as biological evolution, transformation of matter and energy, and relationships between biological form and function. Finally, students are expected to be able to assess scientific information and the application of data, concepts, and models in the natural sciences. HOW TO SUCCEED IN BIO 201: 1. WATCH THE INTRODUCTION VIDEO: The introduction video will take you through how the course is managed and set up on Blackboard so you can spend your time learning content during the term. 2. READ E-TEXTBOOK READINGS: These readings provide important background for the video lectures and class assignments. You will not be tested on textbook material that is not discussed in class. 3. ATTEND ALL LECTURES: The lectures show you which topics to emphasize, how much detail you need to know, and how the topics fit together. The exams are based on the lectures, which may contain some material that is not found in the textbook; so do not skip any of the lectures. Lectures can be re-watched on Echo360. 4. TEST HOW WELL YOU UNDERSTAND THE MATERIAL BY TAKING THE REVIEW QUIZZES. The review quizzes include many old exam questions, and doing well on the review quizzes indicates that you understand the material that will be on the final exam. If you are not getting high scores on the review quizzes, you need to re-watch the lectures. Then, re-take the review quiz (you will get new items from an item bank) to make sure you now understand the material. If you still need help, contact the UGTAs with questions (see 6 below). 5. COMPLETE ALL ASSIGNMENTS ON TIME! Assignments with due dates will be posted under “Assignments” on the Blackboard site. You may wish to print out lecture PowerPoints given in the assignment prior to watching lectures for note taking purposes. 6. UTILIZE THE COMMUNITY HELP BLACKBOARD PAGE. The discussion section of this page (which appears as a separate course heading in Blackboard) will have discussion forums on each unit of the course. The UGTAs monitor these discussions on a daily basis and will respond to your questions within 24 hours of your post. If they cannot provide answers immediately, they will contact the Graduate Teaching Assistant and the Instructor, who will address your question on the discussion board. BIO 201 ONLINE BLACKBOARD PAGE: The course is managed completely through the Blackboard site at http://blackboard.stonybrook.edu. All syllabus and grading information is posted along with assignments and lecture videos. Discussion board forums are provided. Pay attention to all announcements. You must use your stonybrook.edu e-mail. All course announcements are sent to you at this e-mail. If you have used Stony Brook's Blackboard system previously, your login information (Username and Password) has not changed. If you have never used Stony Brook's Blackboard system, your initial password is your SOLAR ID# and your username is the same as your Stony Brook (NET ID) username, which is generally your first initial and the first 7 letters of your last name. For help or more information see: http://it.stonybrook.edu/services/tlt-student-help-desk For problems logging in, go to the helpdesk in the Main Library SINC Site or the Union SINC Site, you can also call 631-632-9602 or email http://[email protected]


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SOURCES OF HELP: 1. TA’s: Graduate and Undergraduate TA’s will be available via e-mail to assist with all class content. 2. Each week, on the Community Help Board (a separate Blackboard page that you have access to) there will be a discussion board on each topic for you to ask questions. A UGTA will be on duty between 8AM and 11PM each day. They will respond to your question within 8 hours. Note: the Bio 201 Community Help Board is a different Blackboard page than the main course Blackboard page (it should appear in your list of Blackboard classes). 3. Prof. True is available for live office hours by e-mail appointment. 4. Technical help: Fumio Aoki is available via e-mail ([email protected]) WHO TO CONTACT: Topic Where to go/who to contact (see above for contact info) Course content Community help page Discussion board Online quizzes (concept & other quizzes) GTA (Catie) Clicker scores/issues GTA (Catie) Class make-up requests Blackboard request form Grading GTA (Catie) Course procedures GTA (Catie) or UGTAs Technical issues on Blackboard Fumio Aoki Course registration and waitlist Lynette Giordano Exam issues Diane Pauciullo Student Accessibility Support Center If you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact Student Accessibility Support Center, ECC (Educational Communications Center) Building, Room 128, (631) 632-6748. They will determine with you what accommodations, if any, are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential. Students who require assistance during emergency evacuation are encouraged to discuss their needs with their professors and Student Accessibility Support Center. For procedures and information go to the following website: http://www.stonybrook.edu/ehs/fire/disabilities Academic Integrity Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong. Faculty is required to report any suspected instances of academic dishonesty to the Academic Judiciary. Faculty in the Health Sciences Center (School of Health Technology & Management, Nursing, Social Welfare, Dental Medicine) and School of Medicine are required to follow their school-specific procedures. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty please refer to the academic judiciary website at http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/academic_integrity/index.html All electronic equipment, including cell phones, etc., should be turned off and put away before entering the exam room. Based on the University policy, a ringing cell phone during an exam represents academic dishonesty. If you are caught cheating, you will be reported to the Academic Judiciary Committee, and you will receive an “F” for the course. Course Content: Course material accessed from Blackboard, SB Connect, SB Capture or a Stony Brook Course website is for the exclusive use of students who are currently enrolled in the course. Content from these systems cannot be reused or distributed without written permission of the instructor and/or the copyright holder. Duplication of materials protected by copyright, without permission of the copyright holder is a violation of the Federal copyright law, as well as a violation of Stony Brook's Academic Integrity and Student Conduct Codes http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/academic_integrity/index.html


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Critical Incident Management Stony Brook University expects students to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of University Community Standards any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, or inhibits students' ability to learn. Faculty in the HSC Schools and the School of Medicine are required to follow their school-specific procedures. Further information about most academic matters can be found in the Undergraduate Bulletin, the Undergraduate Class Schedule, and the Faculty-Employee Handbook. Exam Conduct All electronic equipment, including cell phones etc. should be turned off and put away before entering the exam room. Based on University policy, a ringing cell phone during an exam represents academic dishonesty. If you are caught cheating, you will be reported to the Academic Judiciary Committee and you will receive an F letter grade for the course. STONY BROOK CURRICULUM - SNW SYLLABUS STATEMENT After taking this course, students are expected to have formed a basic understanding of the methods scientists use to explore natural phenomena including observation, hypothesis development, measurement and data collection, experimentation, evaluation of evidence, and be conversant in a broad set of topics regarding the natural world. In addition, students are expected to be able to describe major principles and concepts that form the basis of knowledge in the natural sciences, such as biological evolution, transformation of matter and energy, and relationships between biological form and function. Finally, students are expected to be able to assess scientific information and the application of data, concepts, and models in the natural sciences.


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SCHEDULE: