Cell Biology Laboratory                                                                                                        Spring 2002

Biology 252                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

                                                                    SYLLABUS[1]                   

                                                                                               

REQUIRED TEXT:   Bregman, A, Laboratory Investigations in Cell Biology, Revised Third Edition, 1996.

 

COURSE GROUND RULES:

 

            1. You are expected to attend each lab.  Failure to attend a class will result in loss of points on quizzes and also on lab write-ups and reports as you may not turn in a report if you did not attend the lab involved.

            2. Labs cannot be made up.  If you have missed a lab due to illness you may see the instructor to discuss the situation.  Illnesses must be verified by a letter signed by the attending physician.  Please let me know in advance if you are unable to attend a particular lab.  You can leave a message for me with the Departmental secretary, Pam Bradley, at 508-3623 (Room 811).

            3.  It is important that you get to lab on time because an introductory discussion period/lecture will precede each lab.  Additional information and instructions are usually given during the period as the experiment progresses - if you must leave the room during class time - check with your classmates when you return to see what you have missed.

            4. Students are expected to take lab exams at their regularly scheduled times. In cases of verified, legitimate absence, a make-up exam may be scheduled; otherwise a "0" will be entered as the grade for that exam.

            5. Due to health concerns, you must not eat or drink in the lab.

            6. Dishonesty during an exam will result in a "0" for that exam.  Plagiarism on any written assignment will result in a "0" for that assignment. Make sure that you understand that paraphrasing, as well as quoting another person without citing them specifically constitutes plagiarism.   Please see the Loyola Undergraduate Catalogue for a discussion of academic integrity.

            7. Carefully record your raw data in ink.  Never erase recorded data - cross out anything you wish to change with a single straight line so that the original entry is still readable.  A carbon copy of the data must be turned in at the end of the laboratory for several of the labs.

            8. The grade for any assignment which is turned in late will be lowered 1 grade per day after the due date.

            9. It is essential that you clean up your lab station before leaving at the end of the period.  All glassware, instruments, etc. must be cleaned as directed by the instructor.  Failure to clean up your lab station will result in loss of points, which will be deducted, from points earned on the lab report.

 

GRADING: 

 

            Grading scale:

                                                Grade                                       Percentage

 

                                                  A                                           90-100

                                                  B                                             80-89

                                                  C                                             70-79

                                                  D                                            60-69

                                                  F                                                0-59             

            Point distribution:

                                                                                    Total Points

 

                        Laboratory exams (2)                            66

                        Quizzes (3)                                             9

                        Group lab reports (9)                             20

                        Formal lab report (1)                                5

                       Total Points:                                         100

                                   

ASSIGNMENTS:

 

            Laboratory exams:

Two exams will be given; each is worth 33 points.  Exams cover both theoretical and procedural aspects of labs, calculations, graphing and interpretation of data.

            Quizzes:          

Two short pop quizzes will be given at the beginning of the period.  Each is worth 2 points - the quizzes may not be made up if you come in late.  The quizzes may cover material from the previous week's lab as well as from the current week's lab.  Always read the lab material before coming to lab and be prepared for a quiz!  An individual quiz will be given to each student to ensure s/he can use the microscope efficiently.  The microscope quiz is worth 3 points. 

            Lab reports:

Two types of reports will be submitted during the semester.   Notice that there is a “Report” section consisting of exercises and Questions, Data sheets, Graphs, etc. following each exercise in the laboratory manual.

1)  Group lab reports: (a) Each group will turn in a carbon copy of the data collected by the group at the end of the period in which the lab was performed.  (b) Then, each group will turn in the “Report” section of the exercise on the due date for the report specified on the schedule. Material to be handed in includes data recorded during lab (the original copy - not carbon copy) and answers to questions posed by the lab manual or the instructor.  Graphs are also required in some instances.   Each group should work on the reports collectively.   You should all get together to work through the assignments, but each week a different student in the group will be responsible for completing and submitting the report.  All students who worked together on the exercise must approve and sign the report that is handed in; the student responsible for submitting the report for the particular week should sign first and place an asterisk after his/her signature. Each report is worth 2 points.            

2)  Formal Laboratory Report:  You will write up one lab exercise, “The Hill reaction in isolated chloroplasts”, as a formal report.  The report is worth 5 points.  See “Format for formal lab report” for details.

 

OFFICE HOURS:

 

Instructor: Arden Davidson - Office hours: Rm. 825D, Damen Hall, Tuesday 10:00a.m.  If you wish to see me at a different time, please make an appointment.  If you wish to leave me a message - see Pam Bradley, the Departmental secretary, or call her at 8-3623.  You can also contact me via GroupWise, adavids@luc.edu.

 

 



[1] Prepared in conjunction with R. Lammers