BB 350: General Biochemistry Syllabus 2008
It will pay you to read this document. One question on the first exam will come straight from the syllabus.
MEETING TIMES
Spring, 2008: MTWF 1:00-1:50 Cordley 1109
INSTRUCTOR INFO
Dr. Kevin Ahern
Office – ALS 2145
Office Hours –Whenever I'm in my office, which is most of the time. My calendar can be viewed HERE
Contact: ahernk@onid.orst.edu or phone 737-2305
COURSE PREREQUISITE
CH 332
LEARNING RESOURCES
1. Textbook: Biochemistry, Fifth Edition by: Campbell/Farrell, Published by Thomson Brooks/Cole (the fourth edition will work fairly well)
2. Instructor summaries and additional informational items will be available through the Schedule page URL below.
3. PowerPoint images are available through the class Blackboard site
4. Individual meetings with the instructor are encouraged.
WEB MATERIALS
The class Web paged can be found at http://oregonstate.edu/instruction/bb350/.
The tentative lecture and exam schedule is on the Web at http://oregonstate.edu/instruction/bb350/schedule.html. Due to the need to ensure that the class is presented with material at a rate that is best suited to learning, the schedule may fluctuate slightly through the term.
This syllabus can also be found at http://oregonstate.edu/instruction/bb350/syllabus.html.
EXAMINATION INFO
(I) Exam #1 – Listed on Schedule page
(II) Exam #2 - Listed on Schedule page
(III) Exam #3 - Listed on Schedule page
(IV) Final Exam – Wednesday, June 11 at 9:30 (comprehensive)
All exams will be given in the regular Cordley 1109 classroom.
EXAM POLICIES
There will be four exams given in this course. The final will be comprehensive. Exams will take place in the regular classroom. Preparing makeup exams requires a significant effort on the part of the instructor. Excused absences will not be given for airline reservations, routine illness (colds, flu, stomach aches), or other common ailments with a doctor's note. Excused absences will generally not be given after the absence has occurred, except under very unusual circumstances. Regrades of exams will be performed when there is an error and the student requests it. All requests for regrading must be made within 3 class days of the day the exam is returned to the class as a whole. After that period of time, grades will be fixed and will not be changed.
Students sometimes have confusion about the class exam policy. So that there is no confusion, it is as follows:
In the event of a pre-arrangement with the instructor due to unusual circumstances, a makeup exam MAY be given. Students wonder what constitutes unusual circumstances. We will take that on a case by case basis, but the following situations are NOT grounds for missing an exam:
1. You misread the date of the exam on the syllabus.
2. You went to the wrong room.
I recognize that errors are occasionally made in grading of examinations. It is the responsibility of each student to check that their exam has been properly graded. If errors are made, or if the student feels that more points should have been awarded for a particular question, requests for regrading MUST be made within three days after the examination is returned to the class. Requests for regrading after that time will be automatically denied.
GRADING
Course Points Distribution - Exam 1 (20%), Exam 2 (20%), Exam 3 (20%) Final Exam (35%), Professionalism (5%), Professionalism is scored as a measure of the instructor's assessment of the way in which a student acts responsibly. Students who will lose Professionalism points will be those who make appointments, but that don't show up or are irresponsible in other ways. Students who as questions that are answered in the syllabus will lose professionalism points. Only irresponsible behavior will result in loss of Professionalism points. For the record, there is NO extra credit possible beyond the occasional questions asked on exams and therefore I do not (and in fact cannot) take into consideration improvement during the term in assigning grades. No fixed grading scale will be used to assign letter grades and no fixed numbers of letter grades are set, so grading is, therefore automatically curved. Grades will be assigned on groupings as determined by the instructor at the conclusion of the course.
COURSE POLICIES
Please note the date and time of the class exams. Attendance of lectures is strongly encouraged, but not required. In order to enhance the learning environment, it is essential that distractions, such as cell phones are not used in class. Consequently, it is class policy that without explicit permission of the instructor, all cell phones MUST be turned OFF when the class is in session. Failure to follow this rule may result in significant reduction of grades of offenders. The instructor may, on occasion, give a pop quiz. Pop quizzes will change the grading distribution of the course and cannot be made up. Reading and studying the assigned material before the lecture date is essential for success. Waiting to the last minute to study or prepare is a prescription for disaster.
LEARNER EXPECTATIONS
1. Advance preparations, including reading notes before lectures are given.
2. Avoid last minute studying
3. Questions to answer concepts/processes that the student does not understand BEFORE it is too late.
4. Recognition that an understanding of a complex topic like biochemistry requires considerable background prior to the class, a considerable amount of information to be acquired in the class, and sufficient time and effort to put these together to master the material.
LEARNER OUTCOMES
The intention of the course is for students to:
1. Acquire the technical language used to communicate biochemistry information
2. Recall elements of basic biochemistry principles, including metabolic pathways, molecule names, molecular structures (where noted), enzymes, control mechanisms, and terms used to describe categories of molecules
3. Perform analyses and basic calculations relating to solutions, energy, and catalysis
4. Communicate (through writing) key concepts relevant to biochemistry
5. Understand and apply elementary concepts of biochemistry to relevant, specific problems.
GENERAL OSU AND DEPARTMENTAL POLICIES
Please note: "Students with documented disabilities who may need accommodations, who have any emergency medical information the instructor should know, or who need special arrangements in the event of evacuation, should make an appointment with the instructor as early as possible, no later that the first week of the term. In order to arrange alternative testing, the student should make the request at least one week in advance of the test. Students seeking accommodations should be registered with the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities."
The Department of Biochemistry/Biophysics follows the university policies on student conduct. These can be found at http://oregonstate.edu/admin/stucon/regs.htm.
Cheating or plagiarism by students is subject to the disciplinary process outlined in the Student Conduct Regulations. Students are expected to be honest and ethical in their academic work. Academic dishonesty is defined as an intentional act of deception in one of the following areas:
* cheating- use or attempted use of unauthorized materials, information or study aids
* fabrication- falsification or invention of any information
* assisting- helping another commit an act of academic dishonesty
* tampering- altering or interfering with evaluation instruments and documents
* plagiarism- representing the words or ideas of another person as one's own
Behaviors disruptive to the learning environment will not be tolerated and will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct for disciplinary action.
The goal of Oregon State University is to provide students with the knowledge, skill and wisdom they need to contribute to society. Our rules are formulated to guarantee each student's freedom to learn and to protect the fundamental rights of others. People must treat each other with dignity and respect in order for scholarship to thrive. Behaviors that are disruptive to teaching and learning will not be tolerated, and will be referred to the Student Conduct Program for disciplinary action. Behaviors that create a hostile, offensive or intimidating environment based on gender, race, ethnicity, color, religion, age, disability, marital status or sexual orientation will be referred to the Affirmative Action Office.