Bio 189 Lecture
Ms. Erin Chae
Office: Cheyenne 2021
Phone: 651-4569 ext. 8239 (email is preferred)
email: haejin.chae@csn.edu
webpage: http://chaebiology.educatorpages.com
Office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 4:00 - 4:30 PM and 7:30 - 8:00 PM. By appointment only.
Lecture Sections:
M/W - 4:30 - 5:50 PM (CY003, Rm 2204)
M/W - 6:00 - 7:20 PM (CY004, Rm 2204)
Course Information
Biology 189 is a comprehensive, freshman-level biology course which serves as a prerequisite for other biology courses in the biology degree program (e.g. anatomy, physiology, microbiology). It serves to build a cornerstone of biological knowledge for all students in the health field. The topics include biochemistry, cell structure and function, metabolism, genetics, gene expression, evolution, and ecology. Biology 189 is a 4-credit, lecture and lab course. It includes 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of lab per week.
NOTE: (1) Students who score below 80 on the reading placement test available in the testing center or below 70% on the Bio. 095 Diagnostic Exam, may wish to consider enrolling in Bio. 095 before taking Biology 189. (2) A delayed section of Bio. 095 (Sec. S01) will begin 02/25, and will continue through the rest of the semester. Students who would like to transfer from Bio. 189 into Bio. 095 may do so with no additional tuition or fees, other than the purchase of a new textbook. To transfer to 095 call the biology department at 702.651.5973. Do not drop the course through registration.
Textbooks
1. REQUIRED: Biology, 8th edition, by Campbell and Reece, Benjamin Cummings Publishing. ISBN-13: 9780805371468
2. REQUIRED: Biology 189 Laboratory Text. This can be purchased from the college bookstore
Course Objectives
Upon completion of the course, the student will have a general understanding of:
1. The process of scientific inquiry and the defining properties of life.
2. The properties of the major classes of biologically important molecules.
3. The basic organization and structure of cells.
4. The properties and function of cell organelles and membranes.
5. Enzyme properties and basic thermodynamics as they apply to cellular energetics.
6. The processes of energy acquisition and transformation: cellular respiration and photosynthesis.
7. The basic principles of cell signaling and communication.
8. The processes of cell division for somatic growth and sexual reproduction.
9. Genes, alleles, and patterns of genetic inheritance.
10. Chromosome structure and the physical/chemical properties of DNA.
11. Molecular genetic processes: replication, repair, transcription, translation, and mutation.
12. DNA technologies.
13. Early earth conditions and the origin of cells.
14. The biology of prokaryotes.
15. Viruses and bacteria as basic models for understanding molecular genetic processes.
16. The regulation of gene expression.
17. The fundamental principles of evolution: evidence, mechanisms, phylogenies, and diversity.
18. The relationships of form and function among diverse cell and body plans.
19. The basic principles of ecology.
Lectures
A tentative lecture schedule is provided. Any significant changes in the lecture or exam schedule will be announced in class, and will be available on the course website. You are responsible for this information, even if you are absent. Lecture topic information missed due to absence must be obtained from students in the class. While I am happy to help you with specific questions you may have after studying the material you missed, I am not able to review entire missed lectures with students.
Classroom Policy
Phones and beepers must be turned off and put away during class. Please arrive on time, and avoid coming and going during class. Although food is not allowed in the classroom, beverages are permitted. During class no electronic devices are permitted except for those authorized by your instructor.
Cheating, plagiarism, and other acts of academic dishonesty are held as serious offenses. Instructors have the responsibility to report any such incident in writing to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Serious penalties may be imposed which, depending on the nature of the incident, could range from grade reductions to permanent expulsion from the class or the college.
You are not allowed to leave the classroom during quizzes or exams for any reason.
Safety
This lecture poses no unusual safety hazards. Emergency information is posted by every exit door.
Grading
The total points you accumulate during the semester will determine your final grade. Points are contributed in the following areas:
| 4 exams* | 400 pts |
| 4 quizzes* | 40 pts |
| Laboratory | 205 pts |
| Final exam (comprehensive) | 145 pts |
| Total | 790 pts** |
*A MAKE-UP ESSAY EXAM WILL BE ONLY GIVEN OUT TO STUDENTS WITH A VALID, DOCUMENTED REASON.
**There is no ‘extra credit’ allowed in the Biology Department under any circumstances.
Final grades will be assigned following a standard grading scale:
Points* Percent Grade
711 - 790 90-100 A
632 - 710 80-89 B
553 - 631 70-79 C
474 - 552 60-69 D
0 - 473 0-59 F
Exams and scoring
1. There will be 5 hourly exams – each is worth 100 points (lowest score dropped).
2. The exams will typically consist of objective (multiple choice) questions. However, the instructor may also include a combination of objective and essay questions, or be entirely essay questions – a change in the format of the exam will be announced prior to the exam date.
3. There will be five, short, in-class quizzes (lowest score dropped), although the instructor may choose to proctor these online rather than in-class. Any change in the format will be announced in class well before the date of the quiz.
4. Questions, problems, or challenges to exam/quiz questions must be presented within one week of the day on which the scores are returned to the student. All assignment grades will be considered final after that time.
5. The final exam will be comprehensive. It will be worth 145 points.
6. Many exam questions will require not much more than simple recall, while others will require the student to put principles together to solve a problem. Material for examination may be taken from the lecture, lecture notes, textbook, and any combination thereof.
7. Failure to properly fill out the ‘scan-tron’ sheet will result in loss of one point for the exam/quiz in question.
Laboratory
You are registered for 1 of numerous lab sections. You must attend the lab in which you are officially enrolled. Students are expected to attend and to be punctual. No makeup quizzes, and no lab section switching will be allowed without permission of the receiving instructor. Your lab instructor will describe specific policies and procedures on the first day of your lab section.
There is only one grade for Biology 189. Your lab score will combine with your lecture scores at the end of the semester to create the final grade.
Lecture Course Website
The official course website for this class can be found at: http://chaebiology.educatorpages.com. Here you will find copies of this document, updated versions of schedules, etc.
The website will also be used as a location to post announcements between lectures. It is a good idea to check the website between lecture dates for updated announcements.
Angel
Supplemental materials for the laboratory section may be found in Angel. To access Angel:
1. Go to the CSN online homepage (http://onlinecampus.csn.edu/default.asp)
2. From the CSN Online Campus Homepage you need to log on. Your user name = last 8 digits of your C# and password is MMYY of your date of birth. Fill in the boxes and click on OK. (If you have activated your student account and changed your password, then it will differ from the MMYY formula).
3. In Angel, on the left is a list of courses available. Click on the one that says Biol 189L. In this on line course shell you will find the lab syllabus and the on line quizzes/assessments, plus tools to communicate like e-mail and bulletin board.
Important Dates
January 30 Final date to drop without a grade (i.e. no “W”), last day for refund
April 3 Final date to drop a class and receive a “W” grade
March 7 Final date to apply for Spring Graduation
May 18 Final exams
Tutoring
All CSN students may receive up to 4 hours of free tutoring for each credit of class. For Biology 189, students may request up to 16 hours of free tutoring. To request a tutor, contact the tutorial office at one of the following numbers:
Cheyenne campus: 651-4232
West Charleston campus: 651-5732
The Math and Science Resource Centers
The resource centers are FREE tutoring programs for all math and science students enrolled at CSN. The locations of each of these centers are:
Cheyenne campus room 2050
Charleston campus room H-203
Henderson campus room B-201
Visit the following internet link to view resource room hours, tutoring schedule, etc.
http://www.csn.edu/math/resource.htm
TRIO Student support services
TRIO Student Support Services is a free program for degree-seeking low-income, first-generation college, financial aid-grant recipients, and disabled students. Trio can provide qualifying students with in-depth academic planning, supplemental tutoring, assistance in filing for financial aid, additional grant money, and effective study skills. TRIO Student Support Services can be contacted at 651-4441.
Student Retention
The Office of Student Retention can help you to achieve your goals and maximize your talents in college. Did you know that CSN has a wide array of services and programs to help make your experience at CSN be a successful and rewarding one? The Office of Retention can help you get or stay on the right track, and can be contacted at 651-2628 (Cheyenne) or 651-7367 (West Charleston). Free Success Planning Appointments are available. The staff at the retention office is committed to helping you success at CSN by sitting down with you, assessing your needs and helping you access the many resources at CSN.
CAPS
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers a variety of free and confidential services for students. CAPS provides confidential short-term individual, couples, and family therapy; group therapy, support groups; and crisis intervention to assist students in mastering their current situation and acquire the skills, attitudes, and knowledge that will enable them to realize their full potential. For information about CAPS, or to make an appointment, call 651-5518.
DRC
Students with medical, psychological, learning or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations or auxiliary aids will need to contact a campus Disability Resource Center:
Cheyenne: 651-4045
Charleston: 651-5089
Henderson: 651-3086
The Disability Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services. This office also hires students as note takers, readers, proctors, scribes, lab assistants, and research assistants as needed. Interested students can fill out a job interest card at the DRC.
Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.