Introduction to Biological Diversity BIOL 108 Lecture Section B2 Winter 2025 Instructor Office Email Office hours Dr Neil Harris he him CCIS 5 189 nsharris ualberta ca In person Mondays 12 00 12 50 PM Tuesdays 2 00 2 50 PM and Fridays 9 00 9 50 AM at CCIS 5 189 Virtual meetings by appointment Lab Coordinator Manon Lepage she her Office Email CW405 Biological Sciences Building biol108 ualberta ca Course format Instructional materials will be delivered in person from 12 30 1 50 PM Tuesday and Thursday in T L 11 Supporting teaching materials will be published on eClass according to the course schedule Course Description Course Content BIOL 108 examines the major lineages of life on Earth Overview of evolutionary principles and classification the history of life and the key adaptations of prokaryotes protists fungi plants and animals Laboratories survey the diversity of biological form and function and introduce students to data collection and scientific writing Course prerequisite Biology 30 Course Learning Outcomes BIOL 108 provides an overview of the major lineages of life on Earth At the end of the course students should be able to 1 Apply taxonomic and phylogenetic principles to interpret the evolutionary histories of 2 Use evolutionary theories to explain the origin and diversification of life 3 Explain the timing and importance of major events in the history of life that shaped current day organismal groups biodiversity 4 Identify and explain the key adaptations of prokaryotes protists fungi plants and animals that contribute to each group s phylogeny biodiversity and ecological relationships The instructional activities will build your knowledge of the events concepts and organisms identified in the learning outcomes The assessment activities will ask you to recall and apply this knowledge to theoretical and real biological examples presented in the instructional activities 1 Syllabus BIOL 108 B2 Winter 2025 Harris Grade Evaluation Component Quizzes 25 eClass quizzes throughout the course following each teaching topic The dates timing and instructions for the quizzes will be provided on eClass Each quiz is marked out of 5 and the best 20 out of 25 quizzes are used for grading 20 quizzes 5 marks 100 marks Midterm exam 1 February 6 2025 Topics 1 8 60 minutes 10 Midterm exam 2 March 13 2025 Topics 9 18 60 minutes 10 The midterm exams will be held during the scheduled class in TL L 11 Final exam 8 30 AM Wednesday April 23 2025 2 hours Laboratory The syllabus and grade evaluation for the laboratory course are provided on the BIOL 108 Lab Winter 2025 eClass page Students must verify this date when the Final Exam Schedule is posted on Bear Tracks Assignment of Grades Percent of final mark 10 20 30 40 The University of Alberta uses a letter grading system with a four point scale of numerical equivalents for calculating grade point averages Evaluation Procedures and Grading System As per University policy final letter grades will be based on consideration of absolute achievement total raw score from both lectures and labs and relative performance in the class The scores will be subdivided into the letter grading system using a combination of natural breaks in the score distribution and cutoffs that reflect general performance where A grades are considered excellent B grades good C grades satisfactory D grades poor marginal pass and F grades failure Grading is completed only after the final total raw scores are calculated Letter grades will not be calculated for individual course assessments e g midterms Grade Approximate percentage cutoff 5 A A A B B B C C C D D F 95 90 85 80 75 70 65 60 55 50 45 45 2 The University of Alberta Assessment and Grading Policy UAPPOL Grades in any course examination or other academic assessment shall not be mandated on the basis of a curve or historic distribution of student grades The distribution of grades shall not be predetermined by any system of quotas that requires a certain number or percentage of grades at a particular level Grades are unofficial until approved by the Department and or Faculty offering the course Syllabus BIOL 108 B2 Winter 2025 Harris Examinations Exams will be written and comprise a variety of different question styles Exams may include but not be limited to multiple choice multi select true false one word answers matching brief explanations diagrams with descriptions and short essays Representative Evaluative Material Sample exam questions will be presented as part of the assessment quizzes Before exams a set of representative questions will be provided to you on eClass so that you can see examples of the types of questions that may appear on exams The sample questions will be different from those provided in the exams Recommended Textbook Learning Resources Campbell Biology 2024 4th Canadian edition is available from the U of A Bookstore as a 12 month eTextbook subscription Used copies of Campbell Biology 2020 3rd Canadian edition are also acceptable but some content will differ between the 2024 and 2020 editions The quizzes and exams address the content of the supplied instructional materials which are based on the content of Campbell Biology I will not ask quiz or exam questions on textbook content that is not covered in the instructional materials The recommended readings serve as valuable supplements to help you preview review and better understand the instructional materials You will also need to purchase a BIOL 108 Laboratory Manual 2024 2025 from the U of A Bookstore Academic Success Centre The Academic Success Centre provides professional academic support to help students strengthen their academic skills and achieve their academic goals Individual advising appointments and group workshops are available year round in the areas of Accessibility Communication Learning and Writing Resources Modest fees apply for some services Faculty of Science Student Services The Faculty of Science Student Services office is located on the main floor of the Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences CCIS This office can assist with the planning of Your Academics and provide information related to Student Life Engagement Internship Careers and Study Abroad opportunities Please visit Advising for more information about what Faculty Academic Advisors in the Student Services Office can assist you with Missed Quizzes Policies for Missed Work The five 5 lowest quiz marks will be dropped when calculating the course mark i e you can