Laboratory Policies in Biology 1102 (Sections 1-9 and 11-19)
Lab Meeting Times and TA Contact Information
If you have taken the Biology 1102 lab previously, you cannot use the lab manual from the previous semester and you cannot receive credit for assignments turned in during the previous semester; all such work will receive zero credit.
Attendance: Because lab seating space is limited by the University Fire Code, you must attend your regularly scheduled lab section. If you have legitimate documentation for an absence you can receive a makeup assignment or attend a different lab section the same week. To do this, you MUST complete a (Permission form) and submit it your TA. Your TA will decide how you will make up the lab. If you do NOT have a legitimate reason for missing a lab, expect your TA to deny your petition for a makeup. If you have missed a lab, you have no more than one week to petition for a makeup assignment. After one week, you will receive a zero for the missed assignments (homework and quiz). All makeup assignments must be returned to YOUR TAs within one week. As an example, if you have a legitimate reason to miss lab 2, but do not present that documentation until the end of the semester, you will NOT be allowed to complete the makeup because you are past the one week time limit to complete the assignment or make arrangments with your TAs.
If you miss lab one week and return the following week, you are still responsible for the quiz and homework from the last lab you attended; in other words, you still have to take the quiz and do the homework that you would have done if you had not missed lab.If you wish to change lab sections, you must do it through the PeopleSoft Add/Drop system; your instructor and TAs have no control over the availability of seats in lab. If you need to find a different section to enroll in, check the peoplesoft computer system frequently to see if space is available.
Often, TAs prefer to assign students to particular seats in the laboratory and this is fully supported by Dr. Fry. You are required to sit in the seat your TA assigns you.The laboratory portion of this course accounts for 1/3 (33.3%) of your final Biology 1102 course grade.Your grade in lab will be based on criteria described below. Because of the significance of the laboratory experience to the General Education Requirements, you cannot pass this course without passing the laboratory portion. You cannot miss more than 2 labs, excused or not, or you will fail Bio 1102. You must earn at least 60% of the points in lab in order to pass the course. Your TAs will determine when the laboratory exercises are finished. You are expected to complete all graphs, charts, and tables in your lab manual because your TAs may collect assignments from the lab manual without telling you in advance. Important, if you leave the lab before your TA determines that you are finished or you do not do the lab exercises during lab, you will be counted as absent for that day.
Grading:
Lab grades will be posted to your HuskyCT lab pages on a weekly basis. Check your lab grades often and discuss any potential errors with your TAs. You have only one week to contest any grading discrepancies with your TA. After that time, all grades stand, and will not be changed. Your TAs will not accept assignments more than one week after their original due date unless specific permission is granted in advance from your TA.The total of all lab assignments is worth 230 points. Your goal is to get as many of those 230 points as possible. The criteria for determining laboratory grades is as follows:
Quizzes
(12)Homework
(11)
Greenhouse Assignment (1) Genetics Terms Quiz
(1)Lab Reading Assignments
(1)Last Lab
(in-class work)Final Lab Essay
(1)
Lab Total
(Semester)
Item Pts. Criteria Quizzes A 10-point quiz covering the material from the previous lab will be given at the beginning of every lab period except the first. These quizzes also include one or two questions about the lab you will be doing that day. Be sure to read ahead before coming to lab. You cannot take a quiz if you are more than 5 minutes late for class so be sure to arrive on time. In addition, the TAs reserve the right to collect completed pages of the lab manual for a portion of your quiz grade. The TAs will not announce this so complete the questions, tables, and diagrams in your your lab manuals for every lab. Homework Assignments
Every lab period except the last lab and the Plant Diversity lab will have 5-point homework assignment associated with it. Homework assignments must be turned in at the beginning of lab period to YOUR TA and cannot be left in a mailbox or given to another TA. If assignments are turned in late, there is a grade penalty of 10% off per day late (excluding Saturday and Sunday). A late assignment must be given to YOUR Biology 1102 laboratory TA to be accepted. No assignments will be accepted more than one week after their due date.
Lab Reading Assignments There is one lab reading assignment and associated question sheets worth 10 points. You will print the reading asssignment and the question sheet from your HuskyCT lab page and return the completed question sheet to your TA. This must be done in your handwriting. Genetics Terms Quiz There will be a 10 point lab quiz on genetics terms that we will be using often during the second half of the semester. Greenhouse Assignment There is a Greenhouse Tour assignment that you will complete on your own time and it will be assigned after the Plant Diversity lab. Final Lab Essay The last lab period will have a 15-point Lab Essay assignment. Please see the Lab essay Guidelines for complete instructions and topics. Essay Guidelines must be followed exactly to receive credit. You must complete all essays on your own, in your own words, and include citations for the references you used. You are required to attend and particpate fully in the last lab in order for your essay assignment to be accepted by your TA. Last Lab There are in-class assignments due during the last lab. You have to be there to do it so don't miss it. Total
In the event of an emergency closing and canceled lab, check your email as soon as possible or contact your TA within 24 hours for instructions regarding lab makeup activities. Failure to do this could result in a zero grade for that lab.