Biology 102 Laboratory Policies. Fall 2005. Univ. of Conn.

Laboratory Policies in Biology 102

Grading

The laboratory portion of this course counts for roughly 1/3 of your course grade. Your grade in lab will be based on criteria described by your TA. However, because of the significance of the laboratory experience in this course to the General Education Requirements, you should be aware that you cannot pass this course without passing the laboratory portion. Please note that you cannot pass this course if you miss more than 2 labs , regardless of whether they are "excused" or not. The Optional Comprehensive Laboratory Quiz described below cannot substitute for laboratory experience.

There will be an Optional Comprehensive Laboratory Quiz given during the last week of labs. This optional quize will be worth 15 points and can be used to replace your lowest lab grade (quiz + homework for a lab that you actually attended and did the work). This optional comprehensive laboratory quiz cannot be used to replace a lab grade of zero because you missed lab due to an unexcused absence. Unexcused absences count as a zero and cannot be replaced. Therefore, make sure you come to lab every week and complete the required assignments.

The formula for determining lab grades is as follows:

Item Points Comments
Quizzes 10 pts. each The average score from quizzes given throughout the semester will count for roughly 66% of your lab grade. Each quiz begins promptly at the beginning of class and covers material from the previous lab as well as 1-2 questions on the current day's exercise. All quiz scores will count toward your final lab grade; however, the lowest quiz grade (not a missed lab) may be replaced with your score from the Optional Comprehensive Laboratory Quiz given during the last week of class.
Written Reports 5 pts. each During each exercise, you should record data and answer questions in the spaces provided in your lab exercise. You may need to complete this work after the lab period. In addition, you will be given written assignments, based on your experiments, to complete outside of lab. Hand the assignments in at the beginning of your next lab period.

If reports are turned in late, there is a grade penalty of 10% off per day late (excluding Saturday and Sunday). A late report must be signed off in person by your Biology 102 laboratory TA to be accepted; you cannot leave it in a mailbox.

You are expected to complete all reports for labs you attended, none will be dropped. You may not turn in a report for a lab you missed. If you missed a lab and can justify your absence to your lab instructor by acceptable written evidence (e.g., representing the university at sanctioned events, you were sick and have a note from the infirmary or doctor, etc.), you will need to present to your TA a Petition for Lab Makeup Activity (available from your TA or the Bio 102 Resource Room). If your petition is approved, your lab instructor will give you an alternate assignment on a topic related to the week's lab activity, and a due date. You may then receive a grade to replace the missing grade for your missed lab (both quiz and report). If you added the course late and missed an early lab, you must make it up with this option. You cannot attend a lab section in which you are not enrolled without the permission of your TA.

Please note that you cannot pass this course if you miss more than 2 labs , regardless of whether they are "excused" or not. The "make-up" option cannot substitute for laboratory experience.
TA evaluation
Your TAs will assess your participation, attendance, attitude, and communication (e.g., asking good questions, demonstrating preparation for lab) and convey that information to the instructors at the end of the semester. When the instructors convert final course numbers into letter grades, they look carefully at these TA comments -- for students close to a grade boundary (e.g., between a B+ and an A-), positive comments may be used by the instructor to boost the student to the next grade category.
Total 180 pts.

Quizzes
A short quiz covering the material from the previous week's lab will be given at the beginning of each lab period. These quizzes will also include one or two questions about the lab you will be doing that day. This means that you should be sure to read ahead before coming to lab, and that you should arrive at class on time.
Lab reports
Each week, you will turn in to your TA a lab report on the previous week's lab. For most labs, this will consist of completing the written assignment given to you by your TA. Reports from labs with unexcused absences will not be accepted. In other words, your TA will not accept your report unless you actually participated in the lab.
Attendance
Attendance in lab is mandatory. If you miss more than 2 labs (whether "excused" or not), you cannot pass the course. In the event that you do miss a lab with a legitimate excuse (illness, representing the university at sanctioned events, or death in the immediate family), you must contact your TA immediately about making up the exercise. Also, when you go to lab, we expect you to complete the entire assigned exercise. If you leave the lab before doing that, you will be counted as absent for that day.

You must attend the lab section for which you are registered. If you wish to change lab sections, you must do this through the PeopleSoft Add-Drop system; your instructors have no control over the availability of seats in lab. There is usually considerable turnover in lab schedules during the first week; if you need to find a different section to enroll in, check the computer system frequently to see if a space has opened up.
Laboratory Make-up Policy
This course is currently completely full -- if you miss a lab for any reason, there are no free seats to allow you the option of attending a different section. Every Friday afternoon we remove all equipment and supplies from that week's lab and set up for the following week's lab, so a lab missed cannot be "made up" in the lab. In certain situations where a student is absent from lab for reasons such as illness, participation in a scheduled athletic event, family emergency, or other appropriate reason, you can petition for permission to take a makeup activity. Use the Petition for Makeup Lab Activity form available from your TA or the Bio 102 Resource room. If permission for the makeup activity is granted, you will make up the lab by attending another lab section, space permitting, or by completing a written makeup assignment. Permissions to makup lab must be submitted no later than the Monday of the week following the missed lab, and all makeups must be completed by noon the following Friday. Grades on a makeup activity will replace all grades for missed work -- e.g., if there was a quiz and a hand-in report due, the makeup activity grade will replace both of these.

In the event of an emergency closing, contact your TA regarding a makeup activity.
A Caution about Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined as the submitting of another individual's work as your own, and is not allowed. Even though you will be often be working together with a lab partner and collecting data together, you must answer questions on the report handouts in your own words.
If two (or more) students hand in identically worded materials, it will be assumed that plagiarism has occurred, and a grade of zero will be given for all such work, pending review of circumstances by the TA and course instructor. Any repetition of plagiarism will raise the possibility of more stringent disciplinary action such as failing the course. Consult the UConn Student Conduct Code for further details on academic honesty, and possible sanctions for violation.

Item	Points	Comments
Quizzes	10 pts. each	The average score from quizzes given throughout the semester will count for roughly 66% of your lab grade. Each quiz begins promptly at the beginning of class and covers material from the previous lab as well as 1-2 questions on the current day's exercise. All quiz scores will count toward your final lab grade; however, the lowest quiz grade (not a missed lab) may be replaced with your score from the Optional Comprehensive Laboratory Quiz given during the last week of class.
Written Reports	5 pts. each	During each exercise, you should record data and answer questions in the spaces provided in your lab exercise. You may need to complete this work after the lab period. In addition, you will be given written assignments, based on your experiments, to complete outside of lab. Hand the assignments in at the beginning of your next lab period. If reports are turned in late, there is a grade penalty of 10% off per day late (excluding Saturday and Sunday). A late report must be signed off in person by your Biology 102 laboratory TA to be accepted; you cannot leave it in a mailbox. You are expected to complete all reports for labs you attended, none will be dropped. You may not turn in a report for a lab you missed. If you missed a lab and can justify your absence to your lab instructor by acceptable written evidence (e.g., representing the university at sanctioned events, you were sick and have a note from the infirmary or doctor, etc.), you will need to present to your TA a Petition for Lab Makeup Activity (available from your TA or the Bio 102 Resource Room). If your petition is approved, your lab instructor will give you an alternate assignment on a topic related to the week's lab activity, and a due date. You may then receive a grade to replace the missing grade for your missed lab (both quiz and report). If you added the course late and missed an early lab, you must make it up with this option. You cannot attend a lab section in which you are not enrolled without the permission of your TA. Please note that you cannot pass this course if you miss more than 2 labs , regardless of whether they are "excused" or not. The "make-up" option cannot substitute for laboratory experience.
TA evaluation		Your TAs will assess your participation, attendance, attitude, and communication (e.g., asking good questions, demonstrating preparation for lab) and convey that information to the instructors at the end of the semester. When the instructors convert final course numbers into letter grades, they look carefully at these TA comments -- for students close to a grade boundary (e.g., between a B+ and an A-), positive comments may be used by the instructor to boost the student to the next grade category.
Total	180 pts.