BIOLOGY 112 LAB OUTLINE – Spring, 2013
BIO 112 is a hybrid course because
of the
nature of the lab. Completing the
laboratory portion of this course will demand significant
time outside of class. This is
reflected in the shortened lab
sessions (two hours rather than the typical three hour labs). As a distance-learning course, we will
use Blackboard to supplement
communication. In addition certain
assignments will be
turned in via email.
This lab will focus on students
working
creatively in small groups to learn how to do science. Working in
groups of two
or three, students will design experiments, gather data, and then
present their
findings orally and in writing. The first three labs will consist of
group
activities designed to review material covered last semester and
prepare
students to complete experiments of their own design. Labs 4-7, 8-11,
and 12-15
are four-week sequences devoted to particular experiments. Experiment 1
(Labs
4-7) will investigate the effect of some independent variable on
reaction time
or blood pressure in humans. Experiment 2 (Labs 8-11) will investigate
the
effects of some independent variable on human behavior. Experiment 3
(Labs
12-16) will investigate topics chosen by students. Each group of
students will
design an experiment by the end of the first lab (What will you test
and how
will you test it?), complete the collection of data by the end of the
third, and
present their findings during the fourth lab. Each presentation will
consist of
one paper per group and an oral presentation involving all group
members. Labs
5, 9, and 13 are computer simulations that track lecture topics and are
placed
so that groups will have two weeks to gather data and prepare lab
reports.
GRADING: Lab will be worth 25% of your overall
grade in
General Biology. Each lab will be worth 1 point. To earn points you
will have
to be present and participate in the activity of the day. Students will
have
something to turn in from each lab (see below). Grading usually will be
based
upon group efforts and often on work done in class during the
lab.
Additional grades will be earned by a homework assignment (week 3)
worth 1
point and three lab reports. The first two lab reports will be
worth a
maximum of four points and the third one worth twice as much (eight
points).
Therefore, you will have the opportunity to earn up to 32 points during
the
semester (15 points from 15 labs plus two 4 point lab reports and one 8
point
lab report). I will determine your grade by adding up the total number
of
points earned and then dividing by 30. This means that you can earn a
total of
107% from lab or that you can miss two lab grades and still earn 100%.
Each of these activities will be worth one point
Lab 1. In-class exercise: Experimental Design.
Lab 2. In-class exercise: Solving Statistical Problems
Lab 3. Interpreting an Article in a Scientific Journal
Lab 4. In groups of three: Turn in Experimental Design and Reference for Experiment 1
Lab 5. In-class exercise: "Seedling" grade from student competition
Lab 6. In groups of three: Turn in Raw Data from Experiment 1
Lab 7. In groups of three: Oral Presentation of Experiment 1
Lab 8. In groups of three: Turn in Experimental Design and Reference for Experiment 2
Lab 9. In-class exercise: "Shark" grade from student competition
Lab 10. In groups of three: Turn in Raw Data from Experiment 2
Lab 11. In groups of three: Oral Presentation of Experiment 2
Lab 12. In groups of three: Turn in Experimental Design and Reference for Experiment 3
Lab 13. In-class exercise: "Cycle" grade from student competition
Lab 14. In groups of three: Turn in Raw Data from Experiment 3
Lab 15. In groups of three: Oral Presentation of
Experiment 3
ATTENDANCE POLICY: There are no make-ups in lab. You will
have to come
to class in order to earn points.
Grading Criteria for Lab Reports
The three lab reports will be graded using the following criteria. Only typewritten papers or those written on a word processor will be graded. All lab reports must include a cover sheet. Points will be earned based upon four criteria:
1. COMPLETENESS: Does your
experiment
test what you say it does?
Do you say what you should in your
paper?
2. ANALYSIS: Do you carry
out the
appropriate statistical tests?
Do you perform these tests correctly?
Do you interpret correctly the
results of these
tests?
3. FORMAT/WRITING: Does
your paper
follow the correct format?
Is your writing clear, concise, and
grammatically correct?
Is your writing free of misspelled
words?
4. TABLES/FIGURES: Do you
display
appropriate data in Tables or Figures?
Do you follow proper format?
Do any Figures included have visual
impact?
I
will grade
each paper on a 0-4 scale (roughly equivalent to "A-F") with respect
to completeness, analysis, format/writing, and tables/figures. These
component
scores will appear on the cover sheet of the paper. The grade for the
paper
will be the arithmetic mean of the four components. The first two
papers will
be worth four points, while the third paper will be worth eight points.
BIO 112 Lab Schedule
WEEK DATE TOPIC
1 1/7, 1/9 Introduction, Experimental Design
2 1/14, 1/16, 1/23 Statistical Analysis(Rank Sum Test)
3 1/28, 1/30 Writing a Lab Report: Presentation (preparing Tables and Figures)
4 2/4, 2/6 Experiment 1 (Experimental Design)
5 2/11, 2/13 Photosynthesis Lab ("Seedling")
6 2/18, 2/20 Experiment 1 (Data Collection)
7 2/25 2/27 Experiment 1 (Lab Reports due, Oral Presentations)
8 3/4, 3/6 Experiment 2 (Experimental Design)
9 3/18, 3/20 Behavior Lab ("Shark")
10 3/25, 3/27 Experiment 2 (Data Collection)
11 4/1, 4/3 Experiment 2 (Lab Reports Due, Oral Presentations)
12 4/8, 4/10 Experiment 3 (Experimental Design)
13 4/15, 4/17 Reproductive Physiology ("Cycle")
14 4/22, 4/24
Experiment 3 (Data
Collection)
15 4/29, 5/1 Experiment 3 (Lab Reports Due, Oral Presentations)
NOTE: The lab meeting on Monday, May 6 will be used as a make-up, if necessary.