|
GRADE |
PERCENTAGE POINTS |
|
A |
90 -
100% |
|
B |
80 -
89% |
|
C |
70 -
79% |
|
D |
60 -
69% |
|
F |
below
60% |
Mid-Term Progress Report
The mid-term grade in this course, which will be issued
prior to the midterm , reflects approximately 20% of the entire course grade.
Based on this grade, students may choose to officially withdraw from the course
by Friday XXXXXX XX, 2010 and receive a grade of "W".
COURSE SCHEDULE:
The schedule of laboratory exercises is provided at LABORATORY
SCHEDULE. This
link also include information on laboratory safety, pre-labs, homework, and
preparation of laboratory notebooks.
COURSE POLICIES:
Laboratory Safety: All students must pass a safety quiz before working in the
biotechnology laboratory. Students must follow safety rules and guidelines at
all times. Students are encouraged to report any violations of the safety rules
to the instructor immediately. Failure
to follow specified safety rules will result in dismissal from the laboratory
and receive a grade of zero for that lab.
Laboratory Attendance: Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each
lab period and will count as part of your course grade. For every lab
section you attend, you will earn 2 points, for a total of 48.
Students who are more than 5 minutes late will be considered tardy and only
earn 1 point for that day. Students who are more than 10 minutes late
will be considered absent and earn 0 points for that day. If you are
absent from a lab, you are still responsible for the missed material for
exams, quizzes, notebook, lab report, etc. You cannot get any points
for any work pertaining to the lab that was missed (quizzes, assignments,
etc). Students who do not attend regularly generally do not do well in the
course.
Excused Absences:
The only absences that are excusable are for illness (requiring a doctors note), accident (requiring
note from the police), and legal reasons (requiring a note from the judge),
and work obligations outside of the ordinary (requiring a note from your
boss). The following are examples of absences that are NOT excusable:
travel (including leaving for break early or coming back late) or any type
of appointment (doctor, dental, eye, etc. You know when your class
meets, don't make an appointment during that time).
If you are excused, you are
still responsible for the material and assignments pertaining to the missed lab.
If you miss a quiz, the next quiz will be doubled. If you miss an exam,
the final exam will be doubled to make-up the difference.
A
STUDENT THAT MISSES MORE THAN THREE SCHEDULED
(EXCUSED OR UNEXCUSED) LABORATORIES WILL BE SUBJECT TO WITHDRAWAL FROM THE
COURSE BY THE INSTRUCTOR'S REQUEST.
Laboratory Reports and Assignments: Students must follow the guidelines for preparing
laboratory reports, papers, research summaries and assignments. All assignments
must be typed unless
the instructor directs otherwise. You must include your first and last name on
the top of each page of the report or assignment. All reports/assignments are
due at the beginning of class and must neat and stapled. Late assignments (10
minutes after the beginning of class) can be turned in within 24 hours for half
credit.
Laboratory notebook: Each student must maintain a laboratory notebook.
Students must follow guidelines for maintaining laboratory notebooks at all
times. The instructor will check laboratory notebooks periodically.
Group Work and Final Project Preparation: Students will work in groups of 2 -3 to complete
laboratory experiments. Students are encouraged to work in groups to discuss
laboratory experiments but all written work must be unique and and prepared
independently by each student. Any exceptions (such as group projects,
etc) will be announced in class.
Other
classroom regulations and
policies:
Students must abide by policies in the Clayton
State University Student Handbook, and the Basic
Undergraduate Student Responsibilities.
-
No cellular telephones, pagers,
instant messaging devices, etc.
One point will be deducted from your total earned points each time your
device makes an audible sound. One point will be added to each student’s
total earned points if the instructor’s phone makes an audible sound. If a
student’s cell phone makes and audible noise during an exam or quiz, that
student will lose ten points from his or her total earned points.
-
No talking while the instructor or
another student is talking.
Students repeatedly violating this policy will be asked to leave the
classroom for being disruptive.
-
Computers are for note-taking,
research, or other class related activities only. Students
using them for surfing the internet, checking email, playing games, etc will
be asked to turn them off. On subsequent offenses, the student may be asked
to leave the classroom for being disruptive.
-
Visitors are not permitted without the
instructor’s permission. Children
are not allowed in the classroom at anytime.
-
Quizzes will be given at the beginning
of class. Students
who are late must remain outside of the classroom until the quiz is finished
and will receive a grade of zero. There are no make-up quizzes. A quiz may
be based on your attendance on a particular day. Quizzes, including
attendance quizzes, may be unannounced.
-
Exams start at the beginning of class.
The instructor may permit a student to begin late if the excuse is
reasonable. Students who are more than 10 minutes late will not be allowed
to begin the exam. There are no make-up exams.
-
No form of academic dishonesty will be
tolerated in this course. The
most common forms are cheating and plagiarism, but any type of activity that
is considered dishonest by reasonable standards will constitute academic
dishonesty. The minimum penalty is a grade of zero on the work involved.
The maximum penalty is expulsion from the university. Be aware that
students found in violation of the university’s academic dishonesty code
have lost scholarships, athletic eligibility, and/or their U.S. student visa
(if an international student). All forms of academic dishonesty will be
reported to the Office of Student Affairs for investigation. Judicial
procedures are described at http://adminservices.clayton.edu/judicial/.
-
No form of disruptive behavior will be
tolerated in this class. While
a variety of behaviors can be disruptive in a classroom setting, more
serious examples include belligerent,
abusive, profane, and/or threatening behavior. A student who fails to
respond to reasonable faculty direction regarding classroom behavior and/or
is found to be repeatedly disruptive while participating in classroom
activities may be dismissed from class. A student who is dismissed is
entitled to due process and will be afforded such rights as soon as possible
following dismissal. If found in violation, a student may be
administratively withdrawn and may receive a grade of WF. For more
information, please refer to: http://as.clayton.edu/DisruptiveClassroomBehavior.htm
Common examples of disruptive behavior
include, but are not limited to:
-
Monopolizing classroom discussions
-
Failing to respect the rights of
other students to express their viewpoints
-
Talking when the instructors or other
students are speaking
-
Constant questions or interruptions
which interfere with the instructor’s presentation
-
Overt inattentiveness (e.g. sleeping
or surfing the internet)
-
Creating excessive noise
-
Entering the class late or leaving
the class early
-
Use of cell phones or pagers in class
-
Inordinate or inappropriate demands
for time or attention
-
Poor personal hygiene (e.g.
noticeably offensive body odor)
-
Refusal to comply with faculty
direction
Students exhibiting these types of behaviors
can expect a warning from the instructor or dismissal for the lesson in which
the behavior occurs. Failure to correct such behaviors can result in dismissal
from the course.
More extreme examples of disruptive behavior
include, but are not limited to:
a. Use
of profanity or pejorative language
b. Intoxication
c. Verbal
abuse of instructor or other students (e.g. taunting, badgering, intimidation)
d. Harassment
of instructor or other students
e. Threats
to harm oneself or others
f. Physical
violence
Students exhibiting these more extreme
examples of disruptive behavior may be dismissed from the lesson or the entire
course.
Students dismissed from a lesson will leave the classroom immediately or may be
subject to additional penalties. Dismissed students are responsible for any
course material or assignments missed.
Students dismissed from a course have the right to appeal the dismissal to the
department head responsible for the course. Appeals beyond the department head
may also be pursued. If no appeal is made or the appeal is unsuccessful, the
student will receive a grade o WF (withdrawal – failing) regardless of the
current grade in the course.
Conditions attributed to physical or psychological disabilities are not
considered as a legitimate excuse for disruptive behavior.
The description of disruptive behavior and listings of examples of disruptive
behavior are taken from the Web sites of James Madison University, the
University of Delaware and Virginia Tech.
Changes or additions to this syllabus,
including reading, exam schedule, grading, and course policies can be made at
the discretion of the instructor at any time.
Last update: January
12, 2010
