Biology 102 Lab Policy

KEEP THIS DOCUMENT

Lab Grades: Your lab grade will be determined by an evaluation of your attendance and participation in lab exercises and the written documentation you provide on each lab experience. This documentation will be in the form of written reports submitted on a weekly basis. The format for these reports will be explained during the first lab period. Reports should be written on only those labs which you have attended and are due within one week of the completion of the lab exercise. Attendance and participation in each lab will be documented through completion of a competency check sheet for each lab exercise. The instructor will review your check sheet and your report and assign a numerical grade for each exercise. For each lab exercise which remains uncompleted at the end of the semester you will receive a grade of zero. You may be given options by your lab instructor for making up incomplete lab exercises.

Key Competencies: There are "key" competencies on the syllabus that must be demonstrated by students in BIO 102 laboratory exercises in order to receive credit for the course. The documentation of the Chronobiology lab in a formal journal-style scientific paper is a key competency. This paper must be submitted and accepted by the instructor by the deadline which is usually set as 3:00 PM on the Friday of the next to last week of the semester. Students who have not had their formal lab paper accepted by that time will receive an "Incomplete" as a grade for the course. They may return during the next semester and remediate this incomplete before the date listed on the Student Activities Calendar as the last day to make up an Incomplete. If the paper is not accepted by that date, the grade will automatically become an "F".

Attendance: You are required to attend at least 80% of the total contact hours for a course. Each lab absence will count as three hours and these absences will be reported to your lecture instructor. Combined lab and lecture hours may not exceed 20% of total contact hours or you will be dropped from the course. The first ten minutes of the lab period are used by the student for activities such as reading the instructions and acquiring necessary materials. Ten minutes into the lab period a brief safety lecture will be delivered in which the instructor will discuss the lab procedure and any associated hazards. If you are not present for the entire safety lecture, you are considered absent and you will not be admitted to that lab session. If you leave early, you must first ask permission of the lab instructor and arrange to make up any work missed as a result of your early departure. Students who leave early without permission will be counted absent for that lab session. Lab session will meet the first week of the semester.

Preparation: The student is responsible for furnishing writing and drawing instruments, calculators if necessary, and various types of paper as specified. You should also bring your textbook with you to be used as a reference.

Things you need to provide starting the first week:

Pencil - Number 3H or harder

dissecting kit

white unruled paper (8.5" X 11") Typing paper will do.