General Microbiology BIOL 230 Fall 2008

Lecture: TTh 2-3:15 PM; Evenden Tower 104

This is your guide for success in this course!

Course Objectives:

• To gain an understanding of organisms that are too small to see with the naked eye (microorganisms).
• To understand the characteristics of microorganisms and the ways they are adapted for their environments.
• To understand the ways that these adaptations affect other organisms such as humans and animals. For example, to understand how these microbes cause disease.
• To understand the ways that human activities affect microorganisms.

General Education Objectives:

This course meets the New York State "Gen Ed" requirements for the sciences. Some exercises and exam questions will analyze your understanding of the following General Education Objectives for the Natural Sciences. You should be able to demonstrate the following

1. an understanding of the role of observation in the development of hypotheses to explain natural phenomena.
2. an understanding of the methods of hypothesis testing.
3. methods of data collection and analysis.
4. the ability to synthesize data and information to arrive at a conclusive statement which assess the validity of hypotheses as applied to natural phenomena.

Evaluation of Your Knowledge of the Objectives:

• You will be tested on your knowledge of the listed objectives in a variety of ways. Examinations will consist of a mixture of multiple choice, short and long discussion questions on the objectives for each unit.
• You will have a number of homework assignments that may consist of take-home essays, case studies, and other investigative assignments. These often test your ability to apply the principles that have been covered in lecture and laboratory.
• You will have three laboratory reports that are based on your ability to use the skills that you have learned in laboratory exercises.
  • One short report will be used to evaluate your knowledge of the Scientific Method by designing an experiment and carrying it out, and evaluating your results.
  • One longer report evaluates your ability to identify an unknown bacterium using the skills you have learned.
  • The final long report evaluates your ability to carry out laboratory procedures as well as to synthesize information using a relatively large data set generated by all of the students in the class.

• Your performance in laboratory will be evaluated by grading selected sections of your laboratory notebooks as well as one laboratory quiz. (See Lab Home Page for more information.

Instructor: Dr. Marsha S. Stock;
Office 519 Evenden Tower
Phone: 746 4370
e-mail: stockms@.delhi.edu

In Case of Cancellation:

• It is unlikely that class or lab will be canceled.
• However, if it is necessary to cancel class I will post a message in Vancko Hall (which also goes to your Delhi Web Mail address) and change my voice mail message to inform you of the cancellation.

Books et al.:

• Textbook: Jacquelyn G Black. 2008 Microbiology: Principles and Explorations, 7th Ed. John Wiley & & Sons, New York. [You may use the 6th edition; the page numbers will be a bit off however.]

  • Readings Book: Pamela Nagami, M.D. 2001. the Woman with a Worm in Her Head: and Other True Stories of Infectious Disease. St. Martin's Griffin, New York.
  • Laboratory Manual: Stock, Marsha S. 2007. [Note that everyone must have a NEW Laboratory Manual -- even if you have taken the course before.]
• The Lecture Outline for the course is available on line in Vancko Hall
• Photographic Survey: Wistreich, George. 1999. Microbiology Perspectives: A Photographic Survey of the Microbial World. Prentice Hall, Inc. I strongly recommend that you purchase this book. It has great pictures and the text is clear and to the point. We will be using it a lot in lab and I will be referring to it during the semester.

Technology:

• There is extensive use of technology in the course.
• You do not have to have enormous expertise in technology but I do expect that you know the basic workings of a computer and the use of Microsoft Word or an equivalent word processing program. You should be able to use the web and save and send files using e-mail and a web-based program like Vancko Hall.

Technology -- Vancko Hall:

• You should check for postings in Vancko Hall regularly (at least once a day).
• Vancko Hall holds the customized on-line resources for this course. It is in a "course management system" called Moodle.
  • This link will get you to Vancko Hall.
  • Log on using your Student ID as your user name and your 6 digit PIN as your password.
    • Your student ID is your "800" number -- it begins with 800 or 8000.
    • Both your PIN and your student ID have been e-mailed to you.
    • If you don't have them, you may go to the Registrar's office in Bush Hall and they will look them up for you.
  • If you have your student ID and your PIN, but cannot get into Vancko Hall try this:
    • Go to Bronco Web, log in, and then change your PIN.  Then try Vancko Hall.
    • If that doesn't work, send your problem to the help desk; they WILL get back to you as soon as possible with the solution.

Attendance:

You are expected to be on time and prepared for each lecture and laboratory. Walking late into lecture or laboratory is not only rude, it is disruptive. Please make every effort to be on time. (See disruptive behavior below.)

• You are expected to attend lecture and laboratory at all times.
• Excused absences must be documented their legitimacy is determined by the instructor.
  • These would include illness or family emergency, etc.
• The College also allows absences for religious holidays and College-sponsored field trips. It is, however, the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor before such events, and to arrange to make up the work on their own.
• With the use of Vancko Hall and e-mail you have no excuse for turning in work late. You are expected to find out what you missed and hand in all assignments on time. Assignments are due regardless of your lack of attendance.
• Lecture exams: Missed lecture exams must be made up within the week of the absence. Make up exams will only be given with a documented excuse.

BE PREPARED: You may be called on at any time in lecture or laboratory. You are expected to be prepared by reading assignments, completing homework assignments, and continuously reviewing lecture and laboratory material. Keeping up with course work will make taking exams much easier.

Disruptive Behavior:

• Disruptive behavior includes the obvious, such as talking in class, getting up and walking around when someone (student or instructor) is talking. In addition, walking into class or laboratory late is disruptive. Students will be given one warning about such behavior via an "Academic Jeopardy Early Warning Report." Subsequent infractions may result in removal from the course and the assignment of a grade of an F.

Academic Honesty:

• Collaborative Learning: There are several instances where you will be handing in work that you have done in laboratory or lecture. In those cases you are free to consult with your classmates; I encourage you to do so. However, the work that you hand in must be your own and written in our own words. Work that, in the opinion of the instructor, is too similar to another student's work, may result in a grade of a zero on that assignment.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism includes not only copying another student's work, but using the work of others, such as the author of your text, without giving proper credit. Reports and papers that are handed in must be properly referenced. Failure to do so will result as explained in the above section. See detailed instructions on scientific notation which will be handed out when you are given an assignment.

• Cheating: Copying from other students in an exam or using any kind of study aid during an exam or quiz will be punished by an zero for that quiz or exam.
• If a student persists in academic dishonesty such as plagiarism or cheating they may be removed from the course with an F and/or may face suspension from the college as stated in the Academic Code of the College: "Cheating (including plagiarizing) on quizzes, examinations or assignments will be met with penalties ranging in severity from a grade of zero for the work involved to a grade of F for the course and possible suspension from the college."

Exams and Grading:

Lecture and Laboratory will not be separated for grading purposes:

• Exams and Quizzes:
  • 3 hourly exams (100 points each) cover both lecture and laboratory material.
  • 3 online quizzes (33 points each).
  • I will drop the lowest hourly exam grade OR the total of the quizzes whichever is lowest.
  • Final Exam (100 points):
    • The final exam is comprehensive. The grade for the final exam will not be dropped.
    • You must get at least a 60 on the final exam in order to get a C in the course.
      • For example if you have a final average of a 71, including the final, but get a 59 on the final exam, you will get a D+, not a C in the course.
  • Missed exams may be made up only with a documented, legitimate excuse such as illness or a death in the immediate family. The judgment as to the legitimacy of any excuses is determined by the instructor. They must be made up as soon as possible and will not be given later than end of the week after they were given. .
• Written assignments: You will have three assignments associated with laboratory:
  • A group experiment of your own design for 50 points. This will be an oral report plus a one-page summary. More information is included with this assignment.
  • An unknown report for 100 points.
  • A Laboratory Project report worth 100 points.
  • Written assignments will be handed in as a digital or soft copy as well as a paper copy.
  • Written assignments will be accepted up to one week late. However, 5 points will be taken off per day. Written assignments that are more than 7 days late will get a grade of a zero.
• Short Written Assignments.
  • There will be a number of short written assignments to be submitted on Vancko Hall. Many of these will be from the readings.
    • These must be submitted on time in order to receive credit.
    • They total 70-100 points.
  • Most will be questions on assigned readings.
• In class participation and quiz points. 50 points may be earned by class participation and quick quizzes that are given in class on assigned lecture material.
• Laboratory notebook: You will be required to keep a laboratory notebook which counts a total of 50 points. Two or three laboratory exercises will be collected without advanced notice and graded for a total of 30 points.
• Laboratory quiz: There will be one laboratory quiz at the end of the semester worth 50 points.
• Deductions: Failure to follow correct laboratory procedure that may result in harm to persons or equipment will be penalized by a 5 point deduction from your grade total for each infraction. Repeated disregard for laboratory procedures can result in removal from the course and assignment of an F for the course.
• Laboratory: see Laboratory Home Page for information on laboratory expectations and assignments.
• Letter Grades: Letter grades will be assigned after your numerical grade is calculated. In general there will be no curve so that letter grade assignments follow the following: A = 90-100; B = 80-89; C = 70-79; D = 60-69; F < 60. NOTE that the exception to this is if you receive less than 60 out of 100 on the final exam. If so, you will not get a C in the course, even if your average is a 70 or above.
  • NOTE: you must have an average of 70 or above to get a C in the course. IF I give a C- it will be LESS THAN A 70 and will not count for credit for those of you in Veterinary Science or Nursing.
  • ALSO: I will not round up a grade of 69 point anything to a 70. You MUST have a 70 or above to get a C.

Grading Summary:

General Microbiology Lecture Schedule Fall 2008

The following schedule is a guide or plan for the course. Dates of quizzes, exams, and material covered may change as needed. REMEMBER: If you miss an exam you must have a written excuse that is acceptable to the instructor and you must make up the exam within a week of the scheduled date and time. Make-up exams may be entirely essays.