Biology 1406 and 1407 General Biology I & II

Instructor: Ralph Hicks

Classroom: Temple Ralph Hicks

Office: Math Sciences Bldg – Temple

Home: 254 771 – 3209, call after 10 am and before 9:00 pm.

Email: ralph.hicks@templejc.edu

1. Material required:

Text: Biology: Life on Earth; 7th Edition. Audesirk, Audesirk, Byers.

Lab manual for Gen Biol - Biol 1406 or 1407

2. Recommended materials:

Notebook for taking notes, pen/pencils, colored pencils for making drawings in your notes and on exams.

3. Exams:

3 to 5 exams based on class speed; consist of all or some of the following:
  1. Multiple choice
  2. Fill in the blank
  3. Drawings to be labeled
  4. Drawings made by student and labeled
  5. Discussions
  6. Matching
  7. Definitions
  8. ATP problems
  9. Protein synthesis problems

Laboratory exam questions will pertain to models/charts; 35-mm slides/power point.

Lecture and Lab exams will be given on the same date and will be scored as one grade.

Daily/weekly Quizzes – Written or Verbal, based on the current and previous topics and will occur at any point during the class period.

4. Grading systems: Grading is on a total points basis with the following requirements:

90% to 100% (of total points) = A

80% to 89% = B

70% to 79% = C

60% to 69% = D

Exams = 75%, Daily Quizzes = 15%, Attendance = 10% of total course grade.

Final Grade – Bring a SASE to the final, and I will mail your final grade to you.

5. Amending of grades: No curve as such will be applied to the grades. Grades may be (at teacher discretion) amended by the teacher.

*****Make-up Exams: DO NOT MISS AN EXAM! *****

Make-up exams will be given at my convenience, may require you to travel to TC Temple, are usually more difficult and comprehensive, will not include bonus points, and Make-up exams will be scored with a reduction of two letter grades (10%) for the 2nd exam missed, and two letter grades (20%) for the 3rd – 5th exam missed. It will not matter whether the absence is excused or unexcused --- the reductions will be the same.

QUIZZES will NOT be made up - you take a 0 (zero) for that quiz!

Course grade notification – if you want, bring a SASE on the last class day.

Old Tests will be held for 1 semester for your review, and then discarded.

6. *****Attendance*****: will be recorded during the class period - Present or Absent – no in between. If you leave class early, for whatever reason, you MAY be counted absent. You are responsible for all material whether in class or not. You may miss one three-hour class session w/o grade penalty. If you stop attending class, YOU are responsible for Dropping the class. Do not come to a test late. If I have started the oral exam, I will not start over to accommodate you.

Do not leave during the lab. This is hands-on, group study time. I give quizzes during this time. .

7. Additional comments: I am very concerned about your progress in Biology 2401/2402. I will be available for consultation 30 minutes before/after class, by phone or email and by appointment. The best is email - ralph.hicks@templejc.edu. Don’t hesitate to come and get help. Come discuss any problem pertaining to the course, or just come in and get to know your instructor.

In addition, I will know each of you in the class. BUT when we run into each other in the community, please remind me your name and the class you attended.

Learning and Study styles, Logical errors and Fallacies

Define Literacy and Environmental, Biological, Botanical, HA&P Literacy

Where does one get information when one is ‘literate’?

4 learning styles - ways people ‘learn’ . Which are you?

Hear it - Verbal/Auditory – hear the information (radio for telephone number)

See it - Visual –see it – READ the salient points aloud. That will help you ‘hear’ it too. And Repeat them to yourself – makes you rearrange the info so that it makes sense to you.

Logical – rearrange info in a manner that makes sense to YOU! (rewrite notes)

Hands on - Active - Hands on; take it apart, put it back together; Lab exercises,

Study Habits, techniques

Lecture – repeated info, Keywords written on board, take notes in class –REWRITE em, Draw a vert line along left edge of paper – put keywords to the left and descriptions to the right. Leave space on right to add book notes to lecture notes.

Lecture Notes: DO NOT write complete sentences! – slows you down and gets in the way of your hearing all the instructor says.

SHORT hand. Develop abbrs:

Std - w/, w/o, w/i, :. , ca., b/c, u/s,

Std Science - T, pcpn, atm, Pa (pascal – pressure), H+ (proton) Element symbols (C, H, O, N etc),

Prof - fxn, fxnl, rxn, , en (energy), e- (electron), H

Book or written materials

SQ3R – all four learning styles.

Survey Question Read Recite Review

REVIEW your OLD notes periodically – helps retain material, prevents STRESS for comprehensive materials.

What are some techniques that help get an ‘A’ in class? Name some good study habits

Describe some techniques that help you assess your study habits?

Describe different ways to determine what will be on the test.

How do you know what interests the instructor?

What are ‘benchmark’ facts? How do you use them to study and to become ‘literate’?

What is the ‘big picture’ of a section?

Bold-faced type words

Questions for Review at the end of the chapter

Test Taking Techniques -

How can you improve your odds on a multiple-choice test?

‘Absolutes’ type words –always, never, all – mean what to you?

‘Qualifier’ type words – sometimes, may, could – mean what to you?

How do you use the test itself to help you answer questions that you don’t know?

If you do not understand a question, how can you ‘get’ points – write down how YOU interpret the question and then give your answer. Instructor ‘see’s YOUR perspective.
  1. multiple choice – you explain why you picked one particular answer and why you think another answer is also correct.

b. ESSAY – this is BEST place to use this technique.

Why should you anticipate essay questions? How do you do this?

What is a technique for handling True/False, multiple-choice questions that you don’t understand?

STRESS - ‘test anxiety’? What are some techniques that decrease ‘test anxiety’?

  1. STUDY – be sure you know the material COLD!
  2. Deep breathing

Check the MATH for you score!

Thinking about thinking – ability to think clearly, creatively, PURPOSEFULLY. You become ‘literate’ so that you understand why YOU believe the things you believe. You can support your opinions (hypothesis), with logical, well conceived and arranged ‘evidence’.

1. Analytical thinking – what are the PARTS of a problem – how to eat an elephant?

2. Creative thinking – is there a different way to ‘study/solve’ the problem?

3. Logical thinking – Deductive reasoning via a series of ‘steps’

4. Critical thinking – what is main point, objective, goal? Does the evidence support it?

5. Reflective thinking - Can I use this to make ‘more effective’ choices? Is it important?

Characteristics of Critical Thinking
  1. skepticism and independence – question authority J This is NOT popular! Don’t believe everything you hear/read. EXPERTS disagree, and often are ALL wrong!
  2. open-mindedness and flexibility – consider alternate view points, opinions (hypotheses) Try arguing from another’s viewpoint.
  3. accuracy and orderliness – Precision counts, be systematic in approach.
  4. persistence and relevance – what is the MAIN POINT, why is it relevant?
  5. contextual sensitivity and sympathy – Try to understand how OTHERS view the info, situation, etc. What is the BIG PICTURE?
  6. decisiveness and courage – confidence in YOUR thinking
  7. humility – you COULD be incorrect.

6 steps to critical thinking

  1. Identify and evaluate premises and conclusions in a argument
  2. Acknowledge and clarify uncertainties, vagueness, equivocation, contradictions
  3. Distinguish between facts and values (good, bad/evil)
  4. Recognize and asses assumptions – biases of the protagonists, antagonists; what do they think YOUR biases are? Education, race, gender, etc. conscious & competent.
  5. Reliability or unreliability of a source – WHY is the source COMPETENT?
  6. Recognize and understand conceptual frameworks. What philosophies dominate or control a person, group, etc. How do these affect the actions of the group, how they view themselves and the world around them. How can conflicting views and opinions (philosophies) be resolved? Where is the common ground?

Premise – main points or concepts of an argument that lead to a conclusion: as, because, assume that, given that, since, whereas, we all know that,…

Conclusion – the Opinion, philosophy that logically follows from the premises: and, so, thus, therefore, it follows that, consequently, the evidence shows that, we can conclude.

Logical Errors and Fallacies
  1. Red Herriing – extraneous info that diverts attention from main point.
  2. Ad hominem attack – criticizing the opponent rather than the logic of the argument
  3. Hasty generalization – stereotyping; biased conclusion, lack of facts
  4. False cause –Drawing a link between premise and conclusion based on some causal connection that does NOT exist.
  5. Appeal to ignorance – because some facts are in doubt, therefore a conclusion is impossible.
  6. Appeal to Authority – it’s true because ___ says so.
  7. Begging the question – using some trick to make a premise seem true when it’s not.
  8. Equivocation – using words with double meanings to mislead the listener
  9. Slippery slope – claim that some event/action will CAUSE some subsequent action.
  10. False dichotomy – giving either/or alternatives as if they are the only options.

Concept Maps: a diagram of the premises and the way they are connected that lead to a Conclusion.
LOGICAL learning style.