BRING THIS COURSE PACKET TO ALL LECTURES-ESPECIALLY TO THE COMPUTER LAB!!
For lecture notes (a pdf of PowerPoint slides; remember that you
can print more than one slide per page – look for this option after you click
print, on the next window- before you click on OK).
COURSE DATES
CHECK THE COURSE WEB SITE. An additional extra credit exercise (Development biology reading) will be handed in February (date given in class) and a required exercise on fertilization (“Research in fertilization”) will be due in mid April (again, exact date given in class). Graduate student paper due week before finals. Note we meet during quiet week (I will minimize lecture material, there will be a review and no papers are due).
Fall 2006 DUE DATES for Dev Bio: finish online quiz on review
material by Sept 14; short Paper 1 due Sept 19; Exam one Sept 28; short Paper 2
due Oct. 10; Exam 2 Oct. 26; short Paper 3 due Nov 7; the
"Research in fertilization" exercise is due Nov 16. Fall break is Nov
20-26. Graduate student paper due week before finals (any time that week;
you can also hand it in earlier) and the FINAL announced later- FINALS
WEEK is Dec 10-16. Note we meet during quiet week (I will minimize
lecture material, there will be a review).
INSTRUCTOR
INFORMATION:
Dr. Bradley J. Stith. Office: 3402 NC, tele. 303-556-3371. Office hours: 1-2 (before class), Tu Thurs and
by appointment. As most students do not visit me during office hours, I
encourage you to stop by when you can or better yet give me a call and set up
an appointment! You can also email me:
brad.stith@cudenver.edu.
COURSE
OBJECTIVES:
1.To understand basic concepts and
definitions of modern developmental biology, and then apply these concepts and
definitions in new areas of developmental biology
2.To develop critical thinking and study
skills
3. As a productive and cooperative
member of a study group, learn to use the Internet and other on-line resources
as learning and research tools
We will cover these general
topics: Roles of gene regulation and cell signaling in Developmental Biology,
Gametogenesis, Fertilization, Cleavage and Cell Division
Embryology,
Gastrulation, Neurulation, Development of Dorsal-ventral axis, Cell movement
and Neural crest migration, and Cell-cell interactions. This course does not emphasize embryology
(memorizing anatomy of various embryos), but biochemistry of development.
Note that we will meet and I will lecture during
quiet week, but the amount of new material presented will be minimized. Quiet
week will have one or two review sessions.
Best way to an "A:" Attend all lectures!! You will
not understand the material unless you see my visual aids, or hear my
discussion of the animation of the processes, hear my review of the videos
(only some of which are on the web). Simply
reading the text or reviewing someone else’s lecture notes is not
sufficient to understand the complicated figures that we will use.
I believe that
note-taking skills are important. Not
only do they develop listening and communication skills, I and some “master”
teachers believe that lecture attendance, listening to main points, recording a
distilled version of what I say, and rephrasing in your own words are an
important facets of learning. Due to the
value of lecture note taking, I do not provide all lecture notes. Learn to think in lecture, not just
mindlessly record details. Listen to get
the main point (see following example on why flies can be caught when it is cold). Ask yourself, why did the prof say that? Did it follow from the last part of the
discussion? Can you see the connection
between this topic and the last? Did the prof say something that seemed to
contradict what he said last lecture?
Constantly ask yourself if you understand what I said.
However, to help those who cannot show
up to the first few classes, and to provide an example of outlining lecture
notes, I provide notes. Copies of these notes will be on on our course web
site. Note that these notes do not
contain all discussions of figures that we use (I simply cannot reproduce all
statements and point at figures).
TEXT AND
SUGGESTED TEXTS
TEXT: NEW
EDITION OF "Developmental Biology," by Scott F. Gilbert, Seventh edition.
A CD ROM is included (Vade Meacum). NOTE
THAT YOU SHOULD START READING THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS IMMEDIATELY and start
using the CD ROM.
I plan on covering chapters 1-10 (note that I skip some
sections all chapters, last half of chapter 8, and skip all of chapter 9).
BEST WAY TO AN
"A:" ATTEND ALL LECTURES!! You
simply cannot read the text on your own and understand this difficult material.
Other books from prior courses: a good
UP-TO-DATE General Biology text such as "Biology" by Neil
Campbell. This course in Developmental
Biology is summarized in CHAPTER 43 OF "BIOLOGY"
BY NEIL CAMPBELL.
I also recommend
that you have an UP-TO-DATE Cell Biology text book such as World of the Cell by Wayne Becker et al., or the new edition of Molecular Biology of the Cell (Alberts
et al.). Chemistry for Biology Students by and Professor Farnsworth's Explanations in Biology (by Frank Heppner)
may be helpful. Most of these books are
from courses that you should already have taken and you may already have a copy
of these texts. I can put a copy of each
in the library on reserve. If you no longer have your texts, and as these
NON-REQUIRED texts are expensive but valuable, you might consider splitting the
cost with other students.
For a more in
depth review of genetics, consider purchasing "The Cartoon Review of Genetics." For more in depth information
on molecular genetics, consider reading “Molecular
Biology” by Robert F. Weaver (McGraw-Hill) or "Molecular Biology: made simple and fun" by David P. Clark and
Lonnie D. Russell (Cache River Press).
OUR COURSE WEB
SITE
The web site
will be used to enhance this lecture course.
Go to Dr. Stith’s home page (http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~
I will show you
how to access our web site by visiting a computer lab early in the course (we
will meet at a computer lab instead of the lecture hall). To use the web, you
can use your own computer at home or work, but remember that you can also use
the computers on campus. The computer
labs are in North classrooms 3010 (the science computer lab, located between
the Biology and Chemistry departmental offices), 2206, 1208 and 1206 are
typically available Monday through Thursday, 8 am to 9 pm. On Friday, from 9 am to 4 pm, on Saturday, 10
am to 5pm, and on Sunday, from noon to 8 pm.
Depending upon the day, Room 2206 is sometimes open an hour earlier or
later. This schedule is subject to
change
If you use your
own computer at home or work, then you can dial into the computer on campus for
access to the Web (or for email).
Instructions for this process are available from the Help desk in the
computer labs or at CINS offices (telephone: 303-556-6100). To dial in from your home or work computer,
you will use these telephone numbers: 303-592-7911 or 303-228-9004.
OTHER
WEB SITES OF NOTABLE VALUE:
1. The web site for our textbook (lots of
animations!!) is:
2.
Dr. Stith's web site that has information on research (phospholipase C,
fertilization, etc.)—see also the page for Cell Biology 3611 for cell signaling
animations:
http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~bstith/
3. SEARCHING FOR THE LATEST PAPERS ON A CERTAIN TOPIC: USING "PubMed"
If
you have a topic, you can get abstracts of scientific journal articles at this
site:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/
Go
to this site, and then type in some key words.
If you are not specific and have only a few key words, you will get
thousands of references. To reduce the
size of the list of references, try for review papers or try for the most
recent papers (see “advanced used” of PubMed on the web site). For example, instead of "embryo,"
type in
"embryonic eye development" or other very specific statements (what
stage of development? What species? Do you have any certain authors?).
Note
that this literature search service is free.
Print out the abstract, and if the paper looks good, look it up in our
library or at the UCHSC library (telephone: 303-315-7460; located at 9th and
Colorado Blvd). Reviewing current literature
may be required for your "Short Papers" since the current literature
found on PubMed will be more up-to-date than your text. However, the papers found by this method are
still slightly out of date since PubMed is about 3 months behind, and
the papers take up to about 10 months to be published. Most likely, the data in the recent paper
were collected about two years ago!!
Thus, as compared to the text or published papers, you might get more up
to data information on the web! Thus, I require you to check for pertinent web
sites in your three papers. Note that
web sites are NOT critically reviewed (whereas published papers and texts
are). Something found on a web site may
be totally incorrect! Use your critical thinking skills!
4.
For a course on DB see
http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/eduweb/virtualembryo/db_tutorial.html
5. A whole tutorial on how to find things on the
web:
http://webware.Princeton.EDU/howard/slides/search/
6. A web site that helps you find any Biology info on the web:
8. A web site discussing fertilization and the
work by D. Kline:
http://www.kent.edu/biology/kline.htm
9. Society for Developmental Biology (has many
links to other DB sites):
10. A web page of a DB teacher and
researcher--lots of valuable links!!:
http://orion.it.luc.edu/~wwasser/index.html
11. A site on DB:
http://zygote.swarthmore.edu/index.html
12. Another course in DB online (note that it has
related web sites, old exams-which may not be valuable for our course-, movies,
how to study, etc…):
http://www.utexas.edu/courses/zoo321/
13. A review of recombinant DNA technology (good
for the review questions!!)
http://esg-www.mit.edu:8001/esgbio/rdna/rdnadir.html
14. The virtual embryo:
http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~browder/index.html
15. A web site all about sea urchin embryos:
http://www.stanford.edu/group/Urchin/contents.html
16.
General search engine to check out web sites (note that you sometimes do not
have to type in http://): www.google.com
17. CLONE USING A COW AS HOST, SEE:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/graphics/science/clone.htm
UNIVERSITY
POLICIES
CHECK UNIVERSITY SCHEDULE AT:
http://carbon.cudenver.edu/catalog/
If
repeating this course, it must be completed in its entirety. There will
be no exceptions to this departmental policy.
Snowy day policy: some class days might
coincide with large snow fall. If classes are not officially canceled (check
radio or TV news or 556-8376 or 556-2401), a lecture or exam will be held. If the campus is closed, the exam or lecture
will be held next meeting time.
Exams will be taken from students caught
cheating and they will receive an F for the test. Further action may be
taken. Warning: I have given an F to
approximately 8 students in the past because of cheating on an exam. Make sure that you have read the Student Code
of Honor booklet to understand your responsibilities.
Keep track of the drop deadline (tenth
week of the semester).
The departmental policy is that
incompletes will be granted only when a majority of the course requirements
have been completed and only one or two items remain to be completed. Incompletes are not to be given in which the
student is to retake the entire course or even most of the course. No incompletes will be granted after the
start of quiet week without a doctor's note.
The following college policy on the awarding of Incomplete grades (IW/IF) was approved by the faculty, and was formerly printed in the Schedule of Courses. The CLAS Course Completion agreement is available in the CLAS Advising Office.
Incomplete Grades (IW/IF): Incomplete grades (IW or IF) are not granted for low academic performance. To be eligible for an Incomplete grade, students must (1) successfully complete 75 percent of the course, (2) have special circumstances (verification may be required) that preclude the student from attending class and completing graded assignments, and (3) make arrangements to complete missing assignments with the original instructor. A CLAS Course Completion agreement is strongly suggested.
Incomplete grades of "IW" (incomplete withdrawal) and "IF"(incomplete failure) are faculty discretionary grades. They are to be used sparingly, and for non-academic reasons. Specifically, the administration of incomplete grades signify special circumstances beyond the student’s control that preclude completing a small portion of the course, for which a final grade cannot be assigned. CLAS policies stipulate that an incomplete grade may be awarded only if the following conditions are met:
1. Student must have successfully completed 75% of course.
2. Student has special circumstances that preclude the completion of graded assignment(s). An incomplete grade is never to be given to a student who is unable to meet course requirements because of a course overload, undesirable grades, or conflicting external obligations.
3. The missed assignments are to be completed with the original instructor.
4. The course grade is to be determined using the original grade combined with missed assignments.
Students who must retake the course are not eligible for an incomplete grade.
Students with poor academic performance are not eligible for an incomplete grade.
Student making up an incomplete grade should not re-register for the course.
When an instructor determines that an incomplete grade is justifiable, students are encouraged to submit a CLAS Course Completion Agreement, which is available from the CLAS Advising Office. This contract documents completed and missing assignments, current course grade, and conditions necessary to obtain a letter grade for the course. If this contract has not been fulfilled within one calendar year (12 months), the grade will be converted automatically either into a "W" (from an "IW") or "F" (from an "IF"). The "IF" grade does not mean that the student is necessarily failing at the time it is issued, but it does mean that the student is required to complete the course.
Upon completion of the missing course work, a Change of Record Form should be completed by the original instructor to change the "IW" or "IF" to a letter grade. The original incomplete grade remains on the student’s transcript even after a letter grade is assigned. Grades of incomplete cannot be retroactively added after the semester ends.
Fall 2006
Important Policies and Registration/Academic Deadlines
·
CLAS students must
always have an accurate mailing and e-mail address and are responsible for
making sure all filters are set appropriately to receive official University of
Colorado email: Go to
http:/www.cudenver.edu/registrar to update and/or change.
·
Students must complete
and submit a drop/add form to make any schedule changes. Students
are not automatically dropped from a class if they stop attending or do not
make tuition payments. The student is ultimately responsible for verifying
their schedule prior to officially published drop dates.
·
Late adds will be
approved only when circumstances surrounding the late add are beyond the
student’s control and can be documented.
In addition, late adds will only be approved if the student has not
taken an exams, quizzes or has not completed any graded assignments. Independent verification of this from the
professor will be required. Any late adds will require a petition and
independent documentation from the student.
·
Late drops will
be approved only when circumstances surrounding the late drop are beyond
the student’s control and can be documented independently. This will require a petition and
documentation from the student.
·
Students who wish
to graduate in December of 2006 MUST meet
with their academic advisor to obtain a graduation application. The application must be completed and
submitted by September 6, 2006 to be considered for graduation in December
2006. There are no exceptions to this date.
·
Students are
responsible for completing financial arrangements with financial aid, family,
scholarships, etc. to pay their tuition.
Students will be responsible for all tuition and fees for courses they
do not officially drop by September 6, 2006 using proper drop/add procedures
and forms.
******************************************************************************
IMPORTANT
DATES
·
August 24, 2006
(midnight) Last day to be added to the wait-list for a closed course.
·
August 24 – September 6, 2006 Students are
responsible for verifying an accurate fall 2006 registration via the SMART
registration system. Students are NOT
notified of their wait-list status by the University when they are added to a
class or dropped from the waitlist. All
students must check their schedules prior to September 6, 2006 for accuracy.
·
August 31, 2006
(midnight) Last day to add courses via
the web SMART registration system.
·
September 6, 2006 (5:00 pm) Last day to add
rostered courses without a written petition for a late add. This
is an absolute deadline. This
deadline does not apply to independent study, internships, and late-starting
modular courses.
·
September 6, 2006 (5:00 pm) Last day to drop a
fall 2006 course for a full tuition refund and no transcript notation. This
is an absolute deadline.
·
September 6, 2006 (5:00 pm) Last day for
undergraduates and graduates to apply for December 2006 graduation. This is an absolute deadline.
·
September 6, 2006 (5:00 pm) Last day to request
pass/fail or no credit option. This is an absolute deadline.
·
October 30, 2006 (5:00 pm) Last day for NON-CLAS students to drop a fall 2006 course
without a petition to their home college and receiving their Dean’s approval.
·
November 10, 2006 (5:00 pm) Last day for CLAS
students to drop a fall 2006 course.
Treated as an absolute deadline. A petition and Dean’s approval required.
·
November 10, 2006 (5:00 pm) Last day to withdraw
(drop all courses) without a written petition.
Dean’s approval required after this date.
See Academic Calendar for details
on registration/payment deadlines:
http://www.cudenver.edu/registrar
“Grievance procedure: If a student has a
grievance with any aspect of a course, the first step is to meet with the
instructor during office hours or by appointment to discuss the problem.
This discussion should not take place by e-mail. Student and
instructor should both maintain a professional, respectful demeanor during this
discussion, and make an honest effort to listen carefully and to understand the
other’s viewpoint. In laboratory courses, the next step in resolving a
grievance after meeting with the teaching assistant may involve a discussion
with the faculty member in charge of the laboratory course. If the
grievance cannot be resolved by an honest and sincere dialogue between student
and instructor, the student may then make an appointment to discuss the problem
with the department chair.”
IMPORTANT
NOTES CONCERNING EXAMS and GRADES
1.
There will be an online quiz reviewing General Biology material relating
to this course, 3 short papers, two lecture exams and a comprehensive
final. These exams and final are 100
points each and will be given during in our classroom. I typically give out A's
to about 20-30% of the class (warning: this is a comparatively low number). For graduate students, there is an additional
requirement of a 15 page paper.
2. The FINAL EXAM will be
comprehensive. About 50% will cover new
material (material not covered by prior exams) and 50% will cover old
material.
3. Review these notes and suggestions at
numerous times during the semester (before paper due, before and after exam);
this rereading will pay off.
4.
EXAMS WILL HAVE MULTIPLE-CHOICE, TRUE-FALSE, FILL-IN-THE-BLANK OR SHORT
ESSAY ANSWERS.
5. YOUR FINAL GRADE WILL BE DUE TO:
·
2 LECTURE EXAMS (200 points)
·
comprehensive FINAL (100 pts)
·
Three SHORT PAPERS based on the categories of newspaper
articles (10 pts each; 30 pts total); see next page for information on papers
·
ONLINE QUIZ on review of general biology material (see web site for the
course) (35 pts)
·
Homework (found in this packet): “RESEARCH IN FERTILIZATION: USING WEB
VIDEOS” (25 pts)
·
For graduate
students, a full paper (50 pts)
Thus, for undergraduates, there will be
380 pts, for graduate students, 430 pts.
6.
REGRADING THE EXAMS:
For
the comprehensive final, I recommend that you emphasize figures, videos and
animations used in the class as an efficient review method. Of course, go over old lecture notes but
emphasize old exams (I often take questions from prior exams and put them into
the comprehensive final).
After you get an
exam back, the first thing to do is to check the exam key-try to understand the
reason why you missed a question (did you read too much into it, didn't know
enough details, misread question, missed the point in lecture). Exams and keys will be posted TO OUR WEB
SITE.
If you wish a regrade: first, check the key, then write a detailed explanation explaining why you think that the question was not graded properly (and stable this to the exam) and give it to me. I reserve the right to go over the entire exam to correct any grading errors in your favor, or not in your favor.
For
Graduate Students in DB 5054
Those taking the course for graduate credit will have (in addition to other course requirements) a 15 page paper (typed, single spaced) due the week before finals. Use these sections: Introduction (short summary of topic), Discussion (present ideas, use references for all statements; e.g., Thorson et al., 1995 and list the title, volume and page numbers in the end of the paper) and conclusion. I will look for your input or criticism or YOUR final conclusions (at which you have arrived after reading the material). The subject matter should be approved by Dr. Stith and can be from the newspaper articles found in this course packet (do not use the same article or topic for both the short paper and for this long 15 page paper) or some other concept/idea from lecture or the text. I have to approve the topic to ensure that it is related to developmental biology and the material presented in this course. For this long paper, I expect you to place clear illustrations in the text and to use ALL sources of information (e.g., web, Pubmed, original literature, textbooks, etc.). To let me know that you tried all sources, let me know about key words that you searched the web with and if the web did not have any pertinent references.
SHORT
PAPERS
The newspaper articles in this course packet, taken
from the Denver Post or the Rocky Mountain News, have been collected
over the past years (most of the topics are not yet found in textbooks). Read the newspaper articles in this course
packet and pick one article from each of the 3 sections noted below. You will use the internet and other sources
to write a short paper (typed, single
spaced) for each article. The
2-3 page short papers may have an appendix of illustrations (limit appendix to
two additional pages).
Each of the three short papers will be worth 10
points, for a total of 30 points. The papers will be due approximately every
2-3 weeks, starting about Mid-February. Articles are arranged into three
categories.
For paper
One, pick one newspaper article from the “Cloning” section
For paper
Two, pick an article from the section on “Fertilization: Fertility,
Abortion, Egg, Sperm, In vitro fertilization.
For paper
Three, pick an article from “Embryology” (includes sex determination,
birth defects).
The
format is as follows (USE
THESE 3 HEADINGS):
A. INTRODUCTION (summarize or
abstract the article)-one-half page. being able to summarize a lot of
information succinctly is difficult and takes practice and time.
B. DISCUSSION. This section will be at least 1 and a ½ to 2 pages and you
will explain terms and scientific procedures used in the article. Using critical thinking skills, evaluate
statements that you have read, evaluate the science behind statements, form an
opinion on statements made in the articles. Expand upon the science presented
in the article (explain terms, etc.) and USE THE WEB TO EXAMINE the article
(use key words, names and organizations to search the web for more UP-TO-DATE
information). Does the scientist quoted
have a web site? Go beyond the
articles to make a prediction about the future.
Note that this section expands upon the basic science presented in the
newspaper article, and some of the section is your opinion about the science
presented in the article. Note that we
use web sites since they offer an encyclopedic summary of various scientific
topics, because they are often more up to date than our text, but because the
web sites are unrefereed, we need to use strong critical thinking skills in
evaluating their accuracy and truth.
C. SUMMARY. Summary of conclusions
and your PERSONAL OPINION of what you read (the article and other sources). USE
CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS One-half page.
D. BIBLIOGRAPHY. At least One-half
page (not counted in total pages noted above). For references in the text of these short
papers (and with the graduate student’s long page); cite them as Smith et al.,
1995 or Smith and Thomas, 1996. Then in
the bibliography, use this format: Smith, J., Thomas, R. (1996) Title goes
here. Journal Name vol: page.
If the reference is a web site, list a name for the web site in the text
of the paper (e.g., Geron, 1999) and give the URL (address of the web site) and
WHEN YOU ACCESSED THE SITE in the bibliography.
Final Notes on
short papers:
1. At the beginning
of the introduction, state the title, author, source (Post or News?) and date of
the article that you have chosen.
2. Emphasize developmental
biology material in your paper. For
example, go into how tamoxifen works, what does P53 do in the cell, what is a
telomere and how does it limit cell division?
Some papers have emphasized how many people get skin cancer, how to
treat skin cancer, use of sunscreen lotions, what number of sunscreen lotion to
use; this is not Developmental
Biology. In other words, the
better papers will relate to the lecture or text material.
3. Make sure that you use
the web to check for web sites of the Scientists
quoted in the article (use
the author's name as a keyword in a search with www.google.com or http://www.hotbot.com/), about the subject
matter that relates to Developmental Biology (P53, gene therapy, telomeres,
taxoifen, mitosis), or even the organization noted (does the lab or foundation
or university have a web site that updates and summarizes the work?). CLIP OUT SOME WEB ARTWORK AND INCLUDE IN YOUR
REPORT (the illustrations do not count toward the 4 pages). Another reason for using the web is that some
of the newspaper articles are old but the web reports the latest information. It turns out that gene therapy, for example,
has not fulfilled the promise stated in a 1991 article. I
would like for you to note even unsuccessful searchers on the web (what
keywords were not found, etc.).
4. Make sure that you list a reference for each discussion (I
could not find the source of many statements in the papers).
CRITICAL
THINKING SKILLS
As you read the
newspaper articles, as you read the web site information, remember to read
using critical thinking skills. Do you
really believe what the newspaper writer (often, someone with little biology
background) is postulating?
Robert Park,
professor of Physics at Univ of Maryland, has written a book called: Voodoo
Science: the road from foolishness to fraud (2002). He states 7 warning signs for bogus science:
1. The discoverer
pitches the claim directly to the media.
2. The discoverer
says that a powerful establishment is trying to suppress his or her work.
3. The scientific
effect involved is always at the very limit of detection (Loch Ness monster or
space shit photos are very blurry).
4. Evidence for a
discovery is anecdotal (you need hard data).
5. The discoverer
says a belief is credible because it has endured for centuries (the “ancient
folk cure” existed since middle ages).
6. The discoverer
has worked in isolation.
7. The discoverer
must propose new laws of nature to explain an observation.
To fully
understand the articles, even test questions, use CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS.
These skills will enable you to evaluate what you read. Use the skills
to identify assumptions that you may have as you enter this course (biology is
easy; college is as easy as high school; I do not have to improve my logical
thinking skills). The most common
example of critical thinking is asking yourself “Did the author present sufficient
data to make the conclusion that they did” and whether the writer is trying to
sell you something (this does not make the conclusions incorrect but ….).
In addition to
points listed above, there are other "critical thinking" questions to
ask yourself while reading a newspaper article, studying or even taking an
exam:
1. What is the purpose of paragraph or
exam question?
2. Identify the Central problem (clarify
question you are asking)
3.
Is the author's reasoning based on real data or evidence? Does the
author make inferences that go beyond what the data support? Is the author biased?
5. Is there the correct use of key words
and phrases?
6. Assumptions; what assumptions are
used for reasoning? are they appropriate?
7. Implications, consequences and conclusions; where does this
lead?
Memorization is
very important in college biology, but it is not sufficient; you must
understand the concepts and integrate them into the flow of ideas. Some students believe that the more time
spent memorizing will always result in a higher grade. The amount of time spent
studying is important but good study skills are more important. There are free courses on study techniques
(see Center for Learning Assistance).
Application of
concepts and ideas is important.
Learn to think in lecture, not just record details. Listen to get the main point (see following example on why flies can be caught when it is cold). Ask yourself, why did the prof say that? Did it follow from the last part of the discussion? Can you see the connection between this topic and the last? Did the prof say something that seemed to contradict what he said last lecture?
Questions will
involve all levels of thinking:
1. Simple memorization. Questions requiring more than one step
are confusing
2.
Student actively uses intellectual abilities and skills to
analyze concepts. Test yourself; do you
really know all implications of the
concept and how to use it?
3.
Using intellectual skills and abilities, the students bring together apparently unconnected ideas
or concepts. Application of basic
concepts to new, apparently unrelated problems.
Note that the course will
have questions from these categories; that is, there will be some simple
questions that require memorization and regurgitation. Other questions will involve more than one
step and require careful thinking; obviously, these questions require higher
level thinking skills.
Often students
will think that they know a concept but actually, they don't. The first time many students test themselves
is during the first exam; they then find out that they did not clearly
understand the concept. The poorer students does not "self assess" or
check that they understand the concept before taking the exam. After the exam, the poorer students says
"I thought I understood that yet I got it wrong on the exam." So,
constantly test yourself. You can do
this by presenting the idea to a fellow student (JOIN A STUDY GROUP). Try to
answer the questions that I present in lecture (write them down to practice them
later). Ask yourself questions about the
concept (pretend that these are questions that will be on the exam). When making up questions, look at the concept
from different angles (don't just make up a regurgitation question).
An important
story to remember: a student came up to
me after the first exam and complained that I tested only details, not
concepts. She pointed to a question and
said that she listened to the lecture tape after the exam and that the answer
to the question was found in only one sentence of the lecture. The question was "Why is it easier to
catch flies when they are cold?" On
the basis that this answer was only mentioned, she said that I tested only on
unimportant details.
I agreed with
her that detail is important in Biology. Concepts are based on supporting details or
facts. However, the question that she
missed was a concept question. I spent a
lot of lecture time on the concept of temperature altering the rate of an
enzyme-catalyzed chemical reaction. As
an example, here are the concepts associated with this topic:
·
the rate of enzyme-catalyzed reactions speeds up as
temperature is raised from zero, peaks then declines again.
·
a diagram of the
rate of a reaction in the body versus the temperature is bell-shaped due to two
factors. The first factor was important
for the increase from lower temperatures; the rate of any chemical reaction
(inside the body or outside) increases as the temperature increases.; and the
second: if the temperature is raised to too high a value (often about 60 deg.
C), then enzymes are destroyed and the chemical reactions responsible for
movement slow down.
·
peak rate of the chemical reaction is usually body
temperature. The enzymes of the organism
work best at this temperature (peak rate of reaction).
·
since movement is due to a series of chemical reactions,
movement may speed up with higher temperatures.
We mentioned various applications of this concept; this is why flies are
harder to catch in the summer, and why snakes like to lie to streets (to warm
up so that they can move faster).
·
we discussed the advantage of keeping the body temperature
constant and high versus allowing the body temperature to cool down.
Write out the
concepts and the flow of the concepts completely and clearly. Have a fellow student evaluate it (examples
from General Biology: what is the one main function of the electron transport
chain? how does it do this? How is pH
applied? How is the concept of diffusion
of ions across membranes applied?).
The more mature
student will try to define concepts and details from the course and integrate
them. For example, in Cell Biology, I
discuss membrane proteins and how they are connected to proteins outside of the
plasma membrane. This topic is covered
at least three times in the course, but I use the same illustration. The active thinking student recalls the
multiple times that the same topic has been discussed. The active student is able to integrate the
discussions of the same topic covered from different approaches. The immature thinker will attempt to memorize
a list of disjointed facts.
The active
thinker will evaluate all information taken in to see whether they understand
the concept. The active thinker pushes
each idea. The active thinker constantly
asks "What would the consequences of that statement be?" What
implications are there? What else could you say about that? What impact would
this answer have? (this relates to the elements of thought).
The good student
will look up lecture topics in our text, in web sites (e.g., for our text or
other DB texts) or in ancillary texts (such as Chemistry for Biology Students,
Prof. Farnsworth's explanations...).
A goal in this
course is to learn how to think like a Biologist. To be able to attack a problem that requires
specific knowledge that you may not have.
However, understanding the basic concepts of Biology or the
“foundation,” the Biologist usually can forge a good answer. The answer may not
be correct but it would involve knowing and applying the basic concepts of biology. A quote that I often repeat in this course
is: "Mother Nature likes certain things." Certain concepts come up again and again
(that is, they are used again and again) and this makes them important.
Examples of Concepts Used Again and Again; Topics You should
Already Know (taken from General Introductory Biology)
The most
important basic concepts are the helix, pH, chemical bonding (both weak and
strong bonds), solubility, scientific notation, levels of protein structure,
denaturation, spontaneity of reactions, chemical reactions and mechanism of
action of enzymes (SEE the summary set of vocabulary words that you should
already know). Certain molecules keep
coming up again and again: glucose and glyceraldehyde phosphate (which is 1/2
glucose) are two. Glucose or similar
monosaccharides are found attached to proteins, lipids and make up
polysaccharides, DNA and RNA. Only four
types of biomolecules make up all the parts of the whole body. In developmental biology, Pax6 comes up again
and again (in situ hybridization, eye development, induction, transcription
factor binding to enhancer region, etc.)---when studying, be aware of a topic
that keeps coming up and make your
own succinct summary. A good test question is to
summarize the many times we discussed a certain topic over different parts of
the course.
However, we
couple these basic concepts with certain basic facts; cell structure or cell
anatomy, the reactions of photosynthesis and respiration, the steps of the cell
cycle, the viral life cycle, the basic steps of DNA, mRNA and protein
synthesis. These and other facts come
together with concepts to form the basis of the various important areas of cell
biology: membrane transport, metabolism, Mendel's laws of genetics, molecular
genetics, gene regulation, mitosis and meiosis, natural selection,
chemiosmosis, and the electron transport chain.
Do not fall
behind; it is especially important to keep up the first few weeks of
class. With so much material, you will
not be able to catch up and this could result in a very poor result on the
comprehensive final. All-night cramming
to catch up usually doesn't work. A RECENT STUDY HAS SHOWN THAT THE STUDENT'S
FINAL GRADE RELATES TO THE NUMBER OF TIMES THE STUDENT ACCESSES THE COURSE WEB
SITE DURING THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF THE SEMESTER!!
Biology is a
combination of details and broad concepts; you must know both. One common freshman student comment is that
there are too many details; yet without details one cannot understand the
concept that they illustrate. Science is
full of details (do you inject 3.2 mls or 2.3 mls of anesthetic?). Students
should develop memorization skills (use of vocabulary lists, flash cards, group
studying). One reason we go into glucose
structure in General Introductory Biology is to illustrate that memorization of
complex structure can be made easier through mnemonics.
For multiple
choice questions: read the WHOLE problem
and all of the possible answers. Don't
stop at the first answer that you think is correct, there may be an answer that
is MORE correct or there may be several true answers that do not pertain to the
question. Past student errors and
suggestions include: (a) reading too much into the question than what is there
(the question was just not that hard) (b) your first guess is most often
correct (c) misunderstanding simple English [e.g., a student forgot the
difference between switching (two objects) versus the transfer (of one object)]
(d) many students miss questions that upon second reading seem so simple-they
say "I should have read the question more slowly and carefully."
Another problem
I find with short essay answers is that the answer is poorly phrased. Start off by repeating the question
("the reason that protons move out of the intermembrane space is
because...."). Often, the grader
has to search for the correct answer in two paragraphs of writing that does not
relate to the question. In other words,
if I asked whether the sun rises in the morning, I would get answers such as
"the sun is big and yellow, I awake at 6 am, my windows face east..."
ATTEND LECTURES because (a)exam
and quiz material is drawn from the lectures (b)book covers topics that I do
not discuss in lecture, and I cover topics that the book doesn't (c)text book
is very valuable but it should be used as a back up for the lecture course. Use
the text since people learn best when they see two different discussions of the
same material.
Lectures are
primary for exams-read only the parts of the book that back up the lecture (the
book simply covers too much). If you
can't attend a particular lecture, make sure that you arrange with one or more
than one student to copy their notes later.
Poorer students said "I studied the book not the lecture. I didn't go to lecture."
If you miss a
lecture, get a tape of the lecture and notes from a fellow student. You can look at my overheads (which are
sketchy) but you will get more information from a lecture tape. Note that cassette tapes can be swiftly copied
at the Book store (electronics section).
A VALUABLE HINT: Use a tape recorder to tape all
lectures. Whether you are a
freshman or upperclassman, a student's comprehension and (often) grades shoot
up after they begin to use a tape recorder.
You will not become a copying machine; you can listen to lectures and
see the overall picture (why we are talking about this topic and what is the
meat of the topic). Use the tapes for a
review. One student said that the tapes
were the single most important reason that he improved his grade.
Good note-taking consists of a) listening for what is important b)
summarizing what I say in a shorthand (use broken English). Poorer students attempt to write down everything
from the overhead notes; they loose the main point in the detail. Do not do this; be selective as to what you
write down. Often, for sake of clarity,
I will repeat statements on the overhead; don't write these statements down if
you have already done so before. The
outline of lecture notes and/or use of a tape recorder will help you listen and
understand lecture topics. Always ask
yourself "Do I need to write this down?"
Monitor your
progress in class. Don't wait until the
last minute if you are doing poorly. Be aware of drop deadlines and know the
procedure for dropping. Poorer students
said " I waited too long to....get a tutor.....to drop..... to ask
questions."
Get practice
taking exams. Often students will know the correct answer but still miss the
question because of how they responded to the question. Part of learning is to understand the
phrasing of the question and to respond with a logical answer; this takes
practice. The “survey” found in our class web site is a good way to
practice!
It is not enough
to memorize material for an exam to achieve a good grade; you must perform well
on the exam. Answering test questions
correctly is also due to an understanding of basic English grammar and
logic. Some students missed a question
because they didn't understand the function of a semicolon or understand
commonly used words. Practice taking
exams-find out why you missed a question and correct it.
To help your
general understanding, look at the concept maps found in the Student Study
guide for Campbell's text on Biology.
Most importantly: make your own.
Many students
put an answer down and say that it doesn't sound correct. They do not explore this thought, go on to
the next question, and end up with an incorrect answer. You must think-think again, and then recheck.
One of the skills we teach is critical thinking : why did the question state
"all?" "only?"
"sometimes?" Continually ask questions of yourself when
reviewing notes and the text. Why did
Dr. Stith say that? That statement
doesn't seem to fit into the discussion-what did I miss? what did he (or the text) mean by that? Why did he develop this concept with that
fact? what is the connection between these two facts?
I suggest that
you take a look at Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman and an article
in Time (Oct. 2, 1995): the central trait for "being smart and
successful:" IQ and brain power may not be as important as being able to regulate "emotion in a
way that enhances living." In
short, being able to put off instant reward for long term reward, being able to
handle anger, frustration, loneliness and to use worry/stress to focus the mind
not cloud it (i.e., hard for depressed or angry students to study), and
(PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT) being an optimist to overcome obstacles that will cause
others to give up. Another
characteristic of those with high EQ (emotional quotient): being able to work
with others (form study groups).
The student who
drops out is often as intelligent as the student who stays (conclusion of study
performed by two Boulder sociologists), but the student who stays is more
confident ("I know that I can make it"). Initially, Einstein did
poorly in math
There are tutors
and information on improving your study, note-taking and test-taking skills at
the Center for Learning Assistance (tele. 556-2802; located in the NC
2004). I took a study skills course when
I was a sophomore and it helped me organize my studying and improved my grade
point average. The Student Advocacy Center (call 556-2324; NC 2024) helps with
general problems and study skills. They also have Peer Advocates- students who
have gone what you are going through and offer specific advice about this
course.
There are books
in the library and private courses (e.g., one student recommended a tape called
"Where there's a will, there's an A" by American Education Publisher,
Paoli Corp. Center, 15 Industrial Blvd., Paoli, PA 19301; the Academic Center
may have this tape available). For returning students: "Going Back to
School-college survival strategies for adult students;" $13; Frank J.
Bruno.
Read "Becoming
a Master Student" (College Survival; 1800-528-8323); especially
important are chapt. 1-6. The most important section of this book: take the
"Self-Test" to find where your study skills are weakest. Review "When Reading Is Tough"
(tips for active reading). I believe
that these tips are crucial for reading Biology text books. Tips
for returning students is also a discussion topic. “Science course” tips are reviewed along with
a section on overcoming test anxiety. There are many older students who are
returning to classes. They are
intelligent but sometimes their study skills are rusty. It takes up to a year for many returning
students to redevelop study skills. If
you are Pre-Med, this means that your grades will not be the best during this
first year--you may consider taking a course pass-fail or even just sitting in
on the course to give yourself time to perfect your study skills.
Learn each item
that you miss on each exam. Many
students never look up what they missed on exams due to the belief that section
is over. However, the concepts will come
up again and again and will be built upon.
For example, in General Introductory Biology, pH is introduced early and
referred to again to explain the basis of the chemiosmotic theory. The term helix comes up again and again in
reference to proteins and nucleic acids.
In addition, the final is comprehensive-it will cover the whole course.
ANOTHER great
hint to obtain better grades: Remember
the movie the Paper Chase? Form a study group. One year, there were 3 study groups; one that
met on campus, one that met at the Tech Center and one that met in
Boulder. There were 3 to 13 people per
group and they all reported that meeting and going over material helped a great
deal. I can help form these groups by
announcing their meeting time and location.