BSC-2023L HUMAN BIOLOGY LAB Spring 2012 Department of Biological Sciences Florida International University Section # Class Time TA Name TA E-mail TA Office Hours TA Office # TA Coordinators Adriana Galvis ([email protected]) and Ana Paula Benaduce ([email protected]). Human Biology web address: http://bioserv.fiu.edu/~biolab Class Objectives: The objective of this class is to understand the functioning of the human body and factors affecting human living. The lab is a practical complement for the class lecture. Required text: Laboratory Manual for Human Biology by Sylvia Mader (12th Edition), McGraw- Hill. Reading assignment: You are required to read each lab assignment and task sheet before the lab period (task sheets are posted in the lab web site). Bring the task sheets to lab each week. This is essential for you to fully understand the procedures and to be able to complete the tasks and answer the questions for each assignment. Required Lab Supplies: All of them are mandatory for admission to the lab: 1. Lab coat (Long sleeve shirts are not acceptable) 2. Close-toed shoes 3. Weekly task sheets 4. Brand new lab manual * You will NOT be allowed in the lab (even to takethe quiz) unless you are wearing your lab coat, close-toed shoes and have your task sheet and brand new lab manual * Grading Breakdown: All grades are based on a 100 point scale. No extra- credits will be given under ANY circumstances. Asking for an extra credit will show a complete disregard of this syllabus. There will be NO curve. No “incompletes” will be given. POINT SCALE : 100 - 90 = A; 89 - 80 = B; 79 - 70 = C; 69 - 60 = D; 59 - 0 = F Grade components: • 40% - Weekly Quizzes. • 35% - Practical Examinations. • 15% - Research Paper. • 5% - Group collaboration • 5% Lab Manual Weekly Quizzes: There will be a quiz at the beginning of each class on the material from the previous and current lab. The lowest quiz score will be dropped, however if you miss a lab due to an unexcused absence, this will automatically count as the quiz grade, which will be dropped. You will also receive a grade of ZERO if you arrive in lab after the quiz has been finished. No makeup quizzes will be given. Practical Examinations: Two practical examinations will be given (midterm & final) on the dates provided in your syllabus. Each will comprise 17.5% of your grade. Due to the nature of the laboratory practical exams, you will also receive a grade of ZERO if you are late. You may not attend any other lab section if you miss an exam. Make-up exams will NOT be given. If you are forced to miss an examination due to an emergency, please contact your TA and TA coordinator via e-mail within two days of the missed exam. Send a message that includes the reason for your absence. You will be asked to provide a written excuse (doctor's note, accident report, etc.) before a missed exam will be forgiven (The same applies to weekly quizzes). Research Paper: There will be one research paper for this lab. The research paper will be based on one topic selected by your TA from one of the 10 labs and it will be given to you no later than the second week of class. The research paper is to be completed individually! You need to gather information from the library as early as possible. The research paper will be 5 pages long (Times NewsRoman, 12pts, ~1500 words). It should include a half page introduction, 3 pages forming the body of the paper and a half page conclusion. Finally, the last page will consist of a reference page that will include a minimum of 4 journal articles, 1 citation from a book (do not use your lab Manual or lecture book), & 4 citations from legit web sites (do not use information from the Human Bio website). The paper can’t include more than TWO quotations (no more than TWO lines each). Students must submit a draft of the introduction including references by the week of February 6th. Students MUST submit the final version of the paper electronically to Turnitin.com. Furthermore, he/she MUST present a hard copy of the paper as well as the receipt from Turnitin.com (which states when the paper was submitted) at the beginning of class on the week February 27th. NOTE: The paper will not be graded until the student submits all of the aforementioned documents. Spelling and grammatical errors are penalized. Plagiarizing is not acceptable! Your TA will introduce you to it and how to avoid it in your papers this semester. Please take note of what your TA tells you because failure to do so will result in getting an “F” for the paper with serious considerations to dismissal from the course and possibly the university (see Plagiarism Policy below). Each TA is supplied with software that is sensitive to any level of Plagiarism and if you submit something that you have plagiarized the computer will find it. Do not copy anything directly from a web page. This is a serious offense and will be reported to the Dean. You CANNOT RE-SUBMITT a paper used for another class. To avoid plagiarizing you must cite every idea or piece of information that is not your own or “common knowledge.” Unless you are writing a direct quote that must be cited, you must write all information in your own words. Please be sure to talk to your TA if you are unsure whether you have plagiarized and how to cite references. For more information please check the Research Paper Guidelines in our website. Group collaboration: This grade will be assigned based on 1) Cooperative learning exhibited during class discussion, 2) Being able to function as a cooperative learning group and 3) Showing respect to your fellow lab mates and assigned TA. Additional Information on Group Work: You will be working in groups of four. Each group will be assigned various tasks that must be completed during the lab period. You must work together to complete one task before moving onto the next one. Your TA will evaluate the group after each task to determine that each group member understands the information. Each person will be evaluated and will receive a Group Grade based on their ability to work