General Microbiology Thomson Biol 240 Spring 2012 1 Welcome to Biol 240! The information in this greensheet will help you to understand what is expected of you in this class and help you to succeed. You should retain it for reference throughout the course. “Would you tell me, please which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to” Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland Learning Outcomes This course will challenge you. In addition to thinking about the material in the course you will be encouraged to develop new skills and gain a better understanding of how you learn, and, hopefully, where you want to get to. After completing our course in General Microbiology you will be approximately five months older, but you will be wiser in the following ways: 1. You will appreciate the importance of your own personal microbes in maintaining your state of health. 2. You will understand how microrganisms function, how microorganisms have influenced human history, and how they will influence your life. 3. You will learn aseptic transfer, isolation, culture, and identification techniques for studying microorganisms in a laboratory. Biology 240 General Microbiology Section 40193 Lecture TTh 8:10-9:25 17-203 Lab TTh 9:45-11:00 16-204 Instructor: Barry Thomson [email protected] http://www.smccd.net/accounts/thomsonb Office 18-109 Tel: (650) 306 3291/3792 Office Hours: TTh 12:10-1:00pmGeneral Microbiology Thomson Biol 240 Spring 2012 2 4. You will study the human immune response, and understand the balance of destruction and tolerance between hosts and pathogens. 5. You will become very microbe-aware and hyper-hygienic as a result Structure of the Course. We will follow the outline of the syllabus, but beware of changes. Lectures will be approximately 75 minutes, but this may vary depending upon content. Assessment Lecture Practice Exam 1 x 25 25 Exams 3 x 100 300 Final 1 x 150 150 Extra Credit Picnic (25) Lab Assessment ~26 x 10 260 Unknown Project 35 Take Home Lab Quizzes 2 x 10 20 Formal Lab Write Up 35 Total Points (approximately) 825 Exams There will be three in-class midterms and a comprehensive final exam. The exams will consist of both multiple choice questions and written answers. The exams will be curved to the highest score in the class. For each exam you must bring a 50 question Scantron (882-E) and a #2 pencil The Final Exam will consist of 2 parts. The cumulative portion (50 points Chapters 1 17) will be in the form of a take home exam. It will be available before the final week of Grades: A 90% + : B 80 –89% C 70 –79% : D 60-69% : F < 60%General Microbiology Thomson Biol 240 Spring 2012 3 classes, and must be hand-written and handed in on the day of the in-class Final Exam (100 points will cover all lectures after Midterm #3). Labs Lab Clean Up and Attendance Policy You must correctly dispose of chemicals, sharps, and biohazards. You must maintain a clean work station, return any items used in lab to the correct location, and please always clean labels off glassware (testtubes) with acetone before disposing of them. Attendance at Lab is recorded. Remember that, this is an oversubscribed class if your attendance at lab is poor, you have taken a place from another student who also needed this class. To protect your clothes from staining, or burning, you should wear lab coat, and closed shoed shoes while in lab. Lab Assessment We have 26 scheduled Labs. Some labs will be completed within one lab session; however, other labs will be completed, following incubation, the next lab session. Lab Notebook Take notes during lab in a notebook. These notes will include tips on techniques you are learning, additional information and instructions given during lab. These notes will be used to write up the Datasheets for each lab at the back of your lab manual. Grading will reflect your understanding of the concepts, rather than your technical expertise. The answers to the supplementary questions will be written in your lab notebook and this must be handed in for assessment at the end of each Lab Grading Period. Lab Grading Periods There are six due dates for labs. These dates are outlined in the Lab syllabus. Hand in all completed labs on the due dates. A list of questions to be answered per grading period is also provided on the course webpage. Each Lab is worth 10 points, which includes points for supplementary questions (2 points each) found on the Lab Grading Period Handout on the website. Always clean microscope objective lenses before returning to the cabinet.General Microbiology Thomson Biol 240 Spring 2012 4 Late Work Policy You have adequate time to research and write your assignments, and complete your labs. If you cannot meet the deadline you automatically deduct 25% of your grade. Assignments later than one week will not be accepted and will not be graded. Make-up exams are generally not offered. If you notify me in advance that you cannot make the exam date, or if you have fulminating pseudomembranous colitis and have documentary evidence to the same effect, a make up exam may be offered, but not for full credit. Student Conduct Cheating includes copying and plagiarism. Copying another student’s work during exams, or reading from notes will result in confiscation of the exam, a zero for that particular exam, and you run the considerable risk of being expelled from the class. Students caught cheating may have this written on their academic record. Plagiarism includes copying material directly out of a written source and claiming this work as your own. It also includes copying and pasting text directly from websites. Do not do this- this is also cheating. Use “quotation marks”, and cite sources where appropriate. If you choose to drop the class it is your responsibility to officially drop the class at the Admissions Office, and remove your name from the Official Class Roster. Failure to drop the class may result in you receiving and F for the class. Course Texts Textbook: Tortora, Funke, and Case “ Microbiology an Introduction”10th (or 9th) edition,(2009), Benjamin Cummings Lab Manual: Leboffe, M.J., and Pierce, B.E. “Microbiology Laboratory Theory and Application Brief Edition (2008), Morton PublishingGeneral Microbiology Thomson Biol 240 Spring 2012 5 Course Website