Evaluation of Student Achievement:
Course grades (A-F) will be assigned at the end of the semester based upon the total points you accumulate. Grading will be based on the following criteria:
Typically, an "A" grade will require 90% of the total possible points (80%=B, 70%=C, etc.). I will be happy to discuss your potential grade with you at any time during the course.
If you must miss a lecture or lab, then inform the instructor before you miss a scheduled class period.
You cannot make up a lecture exam or lab quiz after it has been given. If you miss an exam or quiz unexpectedly due to a serious illness or accident, then contact the instructor when you return to campus and bring documentation of your situation. If you miss a lecture exam or lab quiz, then your score will be 50% of the points possible or 1 point lower than the lowest class grade, whichever is lowest.
Attendance in the laboratory is mandatory. Read the assigned lab exercises before coming to lab. If you miss a lab, then you can make it up until the end of the semester but you will have to prepare all the media and materials needed to complete that exercise yourself.
An incomplete grade ("I") will only be given if all the lecture exams and lab quizzes are completed by the end of the semester and only the Bacterial Unknown Project needs to be completed. In that case, project reports that are turned in late will have 10% of the possible points deducted before they are graded.
Lecture Exams:
There will be three lecture examinations. The final examination is cumulative but will be weighted towards information covered after the first two examinations. The final examination includes a take home part and a portion that will be completed in class during the regular final examination time. You can expect these exams to be composed of a combination of multiple choice, fill in the blank, short answer, and essay questions. I may occasionally post practice questions on the course web site prior to scheduled examinations.
Submit a 'Microbes in the News!' item each week. If I use your news item in class, then you get 5 bonus points added to your point total. News items must be recent (less than 2 weeks old) and can only be submitted once. Submit your microbe news item to the instructor by email, and include your name, the URL or a PDF of the newspaper or online article, and if possible also send a PDF of the original scientific paper mentioned in the article.
Laboratory Quizzes:
These quizzes will be short (~15 min) and not comprehensive, but will require thoughtful replies and concise answers developed from knowledge you gain through the lab exercises and lectures. The format of these quizzes may vary; there may be only one short answer question, several multiple choice, true/false, or fill-in the blank questions, or a combination of all including visual identification of stain reactions and test results.
Laboratory Notebook:
Each student should keep an up-to-date laboratory notebook in addition to filling in the exercise forms in the back of the laboratory manual. You should include a short introduction describing the type of microorganism examined or tested, a short description of the methods used to examine the microbe, images of stain and test results performed (If you have a digital camera, then bring it to lab.), and an analysis of the exercise (What did you learn?, Why does this stain reaction stain some cellsone color and other cells a different color? How does this differential media work to separate different bacteria? What did a particular test tell you? How would you identify a bacterium?, etc.). Your lab notebook will not be graded but will be invaluable to review for lab quizzes.
Bacterial Unknown Project:
Individual students will isolate and identify an unknown bacterium later in the course. You will develop and return a detailed report about the bacterium you identify. The details of what to include in your report will be discussed in your lab section. Great weight is placed on this assignment.
Class Participation:
All students are expected to attend all schedued lectures and laboratory periods. You should anticipate occasionally spending additional time outside regular lab periods to examine and transfer bacterial isolates and work on lab exercises. Often, you will be working on several lab exercises simultaneously because is takes more than a few days to grow some types of microorganisms. Occasionally, you may find that there will be less to do during some lab periods because your cultures have not fully developed. This does not mean there is nothing to do. Don't disappear from the lab! Use this time wisely to examine and make notes on your other experiments. If you finish those tasks, then look around. Your lab bench may need to be cleaned or organized, or you can plan ahead for the next lab period.
How to Succeed in this Course:
This is a challenging course with new vocabulary, new concepts, and much information to absorb and digest before exams. In order ro succeed, you should attend all lectures, take careful notes, and allow ample time to study material presented in the lectures and lab. Try to read each assignment before coming to class. Don't fall behind! Reading a textbook is not like reading a novel. Stop frequently and ask yourself, "What did I just read?" Exam questions are derived from lectures and assigned readings.
I will make every effort to aid your comprehension of material presented in this course. Some of you will find that attending the lectures, labs, and reading the lecture and lab assignments is all the support that you will need. Others may have difficuty with some of the material. I will be happy to answer your questions about lectures or any aspect of the course. You may have to come to me for help because it is difficult for an instructor of a large class to determine if one person is confused or having difficulty understanding a topic or concept. Please seek me out if this happens to you. I promise to be helpful and patient in answering your questions and assisting you in resolving your problem or fears.