INVESTIGATIVE BIOLOGY LABORATORY (BIOG 1500) SYLLABUSWelcome MessageEducational OutcomesTESTIMONIALS (Fall 2020, also online)Course StaffContact InformationCLASS MEETINGSVideo camera USEDiversity statementAccommodationsFOUR IMPORTANT THINGS YOU WILL NEED IN THIS COURSEHOW TO SUCCEED IN THIS COURSEParticipate in the online dialogues and come prepared to the lab sections:Gain useful lab skills:Take advantage of the course learning tools:Please be on time and don’t procrastinate:We are here for you! So please ask for help when you need it!HOW WE WILL ASSESS YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLSFinal letter grades:Incompletes:1. Course website and social media2. CanvasOTHER INFORMATIONAcademic IntegrityUsing pedagogical data for publicationsSchedule for Lecture and Lab MeetingsPercent of GradeComponentReadings and AssignmentsActivityWeek ofIBL Syllabus Spring 2021 1 INVESTIGATIVE BIOLOGY LABORATORY (BIOG 1500) SYLLABUS WELCOME MESSAGE Welcome to Investigative Biology Laboratory! This course is designed to provide lab experience with emphasis on the processes of scientific investigation and to promote collaboration, communication, and literacy in science. The goal of this lab course is to teach skills, especially critical thinking and problem solving, that students can apply in research laboratories during their time at Cornell and after graduation. These skills go far beyond learning how to use particular laboratory equipment. We care about all of our students and are here to help you succeed! The course introduces students to a laboratory research environment, teamwork, hypothesis formation, experimental design, statistics, and ethics in research. Students gain information and science literacy skills and practice many forms of science communication, from presentations to proposal writing and scientific poster preparation. Students first fill their scientific toolbox and then develop the capacity to solve increasingly challenging problems with greater independence. In this inquiry-based lab course students can choose between two main research fields for a final project: the development of antibiotic resistance or limiting nutrient analysis of green algae. The expectation is that students finish the course as well-rounded scientists, equipped with all the skills needed in real research environments. The course employs a number of student-centered pedagogies including case studies, formative assessment using a web-based response system (Poll Everywhere), problem-based learning, reflection, role playing, presentations, active learning activities, peer-teaching, peer-review, and inquiry-based learning. EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES By the end of the course, students will be able to: 1. Design hypothesis-based experiments, choose appropriate statistical test(s), analyze data, and interpret results. 2. Demonstrate mastery of lab techniques and scientific methods that can be applied across biological systems and scales. 3. Find and evaluate relevant scientific information using appropriate library tools. 4. Effectively contribute to work within their research groups and reflect on the ethics, benefits and challenges of collaborative work. 5. Use discovery science to explore patterns in nature, and apply accuracy and precision to the scientific process. 6. Apply fundamental biological information to increasingly novel and complex situations. 7. Author and produce scientific content using digital, oral, visual, audio and written communication formats. TESTIMONIALS (FALL 2020, ALSO ONLINE) “I like how this course really prepared me for my future scientific endeavors by providing me with necessary research skills.” “I liked how engaging, interactive, and applicable this course was in general.” “I liked how the course was really applicable to outside life and got me thinking in a scientific manner.” “The skills learned after completing the course were worth all of the work.” “It was very engaging and I learned a lot. I really liked how the information was applicable to research and to lab techniques. I wished I would have taken the class sooner.”IBL Syllabus Spring 2021 2 COURSE STAFF Lectures are given by the Course Director, Dr. Mark Sarvary, and Co-Instructor, Dr. Frank Castelli. Drs. Sarvary and Castelli are Cornell alumni and passionate about teaching biology. Lab sections are led by graduate student Lab Instructors who may be assisted by Undergraduate Teaching Assistants. The teaching staff strives to be supportive of our students and welcome you to approach them for assistance. The course also has an amazing logistical support staff. To learn more about the staff, visit our website (https://investigativebiology.cornell.edu/). CONTACT INFORMATION Please visit https://www.InvestigativeBiology.cornell.edu for fast answers to frequently-asked questions. If you have other questions, please email our course address ([email protected]) and we will get back to you, usually during business hours. This address should also be used for scheduling issues, reporting excused absences, and any course-related issues. CLASS MEETINGS We are an online course in Spring 2021. To attend class, log into Canvas and click on the correct Zoom link. Weekly Lecture: Lectures 1 and 2 will held live via Zoom on Tuesday 9:05-9:55 am. The other lectures will be pre-recorded and released at the beginning of each week. Weekly Lab: All lab sections will be held live via Zoom. See your online course roster for the section times. VIDEO CAMERA USE We understand that there are circumstances under which students may feel very uncomfortable turning on their video feed during class meetings, so we do not require that they be turned on. However, we strongly encourage video to be turned on because turning on cameras helps class to feel more engaging and more like a community. Also, turning on cameras makes it easier for instructors to receive non-verbal feedback that greatly improves teaching, including how to appropriately pace the lab meeting. Many students in the last two semesters suggested that we more strongly encourage students to turn on their cameras to improve the remote class meeting experience. With this in mind, please prepare for class meetings in ways that maximize your comfort with being on camera. If you have concerns about turning your camera on during class, please privately communicate this to your lab instructor. DIVERSITY STATEMENT The staff and instructors of BIOG