Biology of Organisms Lab
What is it?
The Biology of Organisms Laboratory examines the diversity of life through lectures, demonstrations, dissections, fieldtrips, and experiential activities. Form and function of microbes, plants, and animals will be compared to demonstrate how organisms have adapted to their environments.
At the end of the semester, you should be familiar with:
- Taxonomy and interrelationships of major phyla
- Evolutionary innovations characteristic of major phyla
- Functional morphology and natural history of major phyla
- Microscopes, dissection, and other basic laboratory skills
- Observation, measurement, and formulation of hypotheses
- Collection, analysis, and communication of biological data
Instructor
who? Frank Jordan (Associate Professor and Slayer of Fishes)
where? MO 357 (office), MO 316 (lab), or just lurking about campus
when? Office hours: by appointment
if not? Phone: 865.3829 (office) or jordan@loyno.edu (email)
Meeting time and place
See current Schedule of Classes for meeting place and time. Lab is held in 365 and 365A.
Blackboard and email
All course materials and communications will be facilitated via Blackboard. You are responsible for all materials placed on Blackboard and you should check the Blackboard site regularly for new additions. You should also check your email regularly for last minute updates, modifications, jokes, etc. You will be added to the Biology of Organisms recitation site on Blackboard during the first week of classes.
Required textbooks
Latest edition of Biology by Campbell et al. Laboratory manual distributed at beginning of semester. Download notes from Blackboard site before coming to each recitation.
Laboratory guidelines
Laboratory and recitation are coordinated with one another and attendance in both is critical to your success in the Biology of Organisms course. You must complete all assigned work during the regular laboratory period. There will be no makeup labs. Because class size is based on the number of microscopes and seats, you must attend the section for which you are registered. Be prepared for the material when you come to lab. Review the material in your lecture text to facilitate uptake of knowledge. Lab manual and web pages will help you prepare for quizzes. Don't try to rush through the exercises-this invites disaster.
Quizzes will be given at the beginning of laboratory, so be sure you are on time! Quizzes will test you on diversity, form, and function material from the previous recitation and lab (80%) and the upcoming lab (20%). No makeup quizzes will be allowed, but your lowest quiz grade will be dropped. A laboratory practical covering arthropods, echinoderms, and chordates will be held during one of the last lab periods.
Clean your station thoroughly before you leave. Your area must be clean, your microscope properly stored, all slides returned to their proper trays, and all display materials returned to wherever you found them. All plant and animal matter goes into a red biohazard bag. Do not put arms, legs, lower life forms, pieces of the instructor, etc. into the regular trash containers. Dispose of glassware ONLY in the container provided.
There will be a number of miscellaneous assignments during the semester, including formulating hypotheses, making drawings from dissections, using the Internet to make a virtual insect collection, and writing short descriptions of laboratory exercises. These assignments are usually described in your laboratory manual, but your instructor may make additional assignments. We will drop your lowest score on miscellaneous assignments.
To develop your communication skills, you will prepare two (2) word-processed reports that clearly and concisely describe the purpose, methods, results, and conclusions of activities of several labs. Unless specified otherwise by your instructor, you will use the format and instructions appended at the end of your laboratory manual. Use of graphs, tables, and statistics is expected. A guide to simple statistics is appended at the end of your laboratory manual.
Field trip stuff
There will be three field trips during the semester -- Audubon Park, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park, and TBA. Because of travel time and other logistical challenges, we will probably return to campus a little later than the scheduled time on these days so plan accordingly.
Tests, grading, and other nastiness
See most recent syllabus for specific grading policies. Typically, grades for will be calculated as a percentage of the 400 points in the table below (0-59% = F; 60-69% = D; 70-79% = C; 80-89% = B; 90-100% = A).
- Blackboard quizzes = 50 points
- Quizzes in laboratory (8) = 140 points (lowest grade dropped)
- Lab practical quiz = 50 points
- Lab Reports (2) = 100 points (40 + 60)
- Miscellaneous Assignments (8) = 70 points (lowest grade dropped)
- Total possible points = 410
Attendance in laboratory and recitation is mandatory. Late assignments will be penalized. Academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, will not be tolerated in any form. The undergraduate bulletin should be consulted for definitions and consequences of academic dishonesty.
You will receive the same grade in recitation and lab (i.e., they are a composite).
Advice and stuff
"A student with a disability that qualifies for accommodations should contact Disability Services at 865-2990 (Academic Resource Center, Room 405, Monroe Hall). A student wishing to receive test accommodations (e.g., extended test time) should provide the instructor with an official Accommodation Form from Disability Services in advance of the scheduled test date."
Of course, you should feel free to contact me whenever you need help with this course, life, the universe, or anything. I would be happy to hear your abbreviated life stories and your projected life-history trajectories. I don't have any money, so don't ask.
Finally, please feel free to offer suggestions and constructive criticism as the semester progresses. I strive to continually improve this course.