Syllabus Review

BIO220 – Introductory Microbiology

A Little Perspective

2011-2012 Grades

43.532.521.510.50

2005-2012 Grades

43.532.521.510.50

Assessment and Grades

650 Points Total

Final Grade is determined as a percentage of the total grade. The total number of points may be changed, with notice, for pedagogic or andragogic reasons.

300 Points for Exams

There are four exams, your best three grades count for the final grade. While you are not required to take all four exams, please look on these as a way to deal with life’s little inconveniences, rather than as a way of compensating for a lack of studying.

100 Points for Presentation

Each student will give an 8-10 minute PowerPoint (or equivalent) presentation about an assigned microbe. The microbes will be assigned at random and the presentation assignment will be laddered through the semester.

50 Points for Lab Notebook

The lab is run on a notebook model. The notebooks will be collected five (5) times during the term and evaluated for completeness, accuracy and participation.

100 Points for Lab Skills

Microbiology is ultimately a very practical discipline so through out the term there are various practical assessments of your lab skills to judge your ability to perform the techniques learned.

100 Points for Lab Unknown

The lab unknown is the practical final for the lab. The project will involve the integration of skills learned in the lab to identify an unknown sample of bacteria.

Grade Scale4.0 = 100% - 93.0%3.5 = 92.9% - 86.0%3.0 = 85.9% - 80.0%2.5 = 79.9% - 75.0%2.0 = 74.9% - 70.0%1.5 = 69.9% - 65.0%1.0 = 60.0% - 64.9%0.5 = 50.0% - 59.9%

Course Policies

Extra Credit and Make Up Work

There is none. Plain and simple, any deviations from this are at my discretion.

Attendance Policy for the Course

You will be dropped from the course (or failed after the last drop date) if you fail to complete two (2) exams or attend three (3) or more labs.

Incomplete Requests

This is the single most misunderstood policy in any of my courses. As such, here are the minimum requirements for an incomplete.

Significant and Extenuating Circumstance

Incompletes are not because a student fails to attend or isn’t happy with their performance, but rather for life’s experiences that cannot be circumvented.

Passing Grade at the time of the Request

When you get an Incomplete your grades to that point carry over to the Incomplete, so you must be passing in order to get an Incomplete.

Regular Attendance

Incompletes are not meant for students that do not attend class.

Over half the assessments complete

The Incomplete is meant for students with extenuating circumstances where the very end of a course cannot be completed.

Office Hours and Contact

Email:micro@docireland.org

JCC email has a problem with turning student emails into spam from various ISPs, so I run my own server. Expect a response from me within 48 hours, but I reserve the right to not reply within twelve hours of a test or assessment.

Phone:Don’t bother…

I hate phones… no seriously, I hate them. Besides, I prefer to have conversations in person or in writing so that they are not subject to interpretation.

Office:136A McDivitt

Office Lab

Office Hours:M/W: 12-1T/R: 11-1

I’ll be around other times, these are just the hours I guarantee I’ll be here.

Website:http://docireland.org/JCC

JetNet and I have a distinct dislike for each other, so I run everything off my blog. Nothing here is required, but it helps.

Final Thoughts

Some people think of me like this…

Honestly, I am a little more like this…

But in the end, I want you all to succeed…

The question is do YOU want to put in the effort?