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MICROBIOLOGY  BIO 205  Fall 2020

Dept. of Biological Sciences

Bio 205 ‘Microbiology’

Credit hours: 3

Course prerequisites: Bio 181; Corequisite BIO 205L

Course website: BBLearn, Schedule and Course Description on http://copelab.com/teaching

 

Course schedule: Access via BBLearn, or here: bit.ly/BIO205-schedule

Instructor: Dr. Emily Cope (Emily.Cope@nau.edu); 928-523-6004

 

Supplemental Instructors (SI): Raini Leveen; rbl42@nau.edu

Peer TAs: TBN

These are students who have taken the class before, got an A in it, and are in the classroom to help you with the in-class worksheets and also check your lecture notes.

Course Purpose:

The goals of this course are to gain an understanding of (i) the language and concepts of microbiology, (ii) the roles of microorganisms in disease and the environment, and (iii) the biological systems present in humans that can counteract microbial disease.   In this course, students will obtain knowledge suitable for higher level classes in microbiology and immunology. In the lab part of the course (205 L), students will gain practical experience with working with microorganisms.

BIO205 is required in the following degrees: Biomedical Science, Dental Hygiene, Microbiology, Nursing, and Nutrition and Foods.  It is a pre-requisite course for BIO320, BIO 346, BIO 369, BIO 375, BIO 376, BIO 409, BIO471C, and BIO488C.  It can be taken for Liberal Studies credit in the Science and Applied Science distribution block.

Course Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, students will demonstrate:

 

Assignments/Assessments of Course Student Learning Outcomes:

Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes. Your grade will be based on three in class exams worth 100 points each (SEPTEMBER 10th, OCTOBER 6th, NOVEMBER 3rd), a comprehensive final exam worth 100 points (NOVEMBER 24th), 10 quizzes using the BBLearn online system for a total of 200 points (there will be 12 quizzes total, two lowest scores will be dropped), 10 scheduled in-class activities (worksheets or group activities) worth 20 points each. Again, I will drop the lowest two worksheets. I will drop the lowest exam score from the total; you will be graded on your TOP THREE exams.

*A note on the quizzes and worksheets: Quizzes will be conducted via BBLearn using the Norton InQUIZative format. Worksheets may use the Norton Smartwork5 format. You will need the digital access key that comes with the textbook. If you don’t purchase the book, you can purchase the digital access key for InQUIZative and Smartwork5 for a minimal fee. Quizzes may cover readings before the material is discussed in class, although mostly from material previously covered in lecture. Quizzes will be conducted on the BBLearn site and therefore are open book. Pay attention and check regularly, it’s your responsibility to get them done. The quiz will be open all day Thursdays.

*A second note on the quizzes and worksheets: In order to get credit for the these assignments, you will need to access them via BBLearn and not from the digital Norton website directly. If you access them directly, your grade will not be recorded.

Quizzes will open on Tuesday each week and are due Friday by 11:59pm

Exam Format. Exams will take place on BBLearn and will consist of objective questions, such as multiple choice, multiple answer, matching, short answer, fill in the blank, or true/false. The majority of the exam (90%) will consist of new material and a minority of the exam (10%) will consist of material covered on prior exams – questions will be taken directly from previous exams.

Student Learning Expectations/Outcomes for this Course. After taking this course, students should have a fundamental understanding of microbial physiology, genetics, and their roles in human health and disease. This understanding is important and useful to women and men in all fields. Since the human microbiome and emerging infectious disease have become important topics in human health in the recent years, we will address topics in these areas. The objectives of this course are to 1) promote critical thinking among students, 2) provide students with a foundation in microbiology and microbiological processes, 3) provide students with a foundation about different groups of microbes, and 4) to provide students with knowledge on how microbes are central to human health and disease and the role of the immune system in mediating these interactions. You will build upon your previous knowledge in chemistry, genetics, and cell biology. BIO205 may be a prerequisite for other classes you are interested in taking at a later date (e.g. Immunobiology BIO401C). Thus, check on the prerequisites before you decide to drop this class.

 

Required Textbook. ISBN: 978-0-393-97858-2. Microbiology: The Human Experience. Authors: John W. Foster, Zarrintaj Aliabadi, and Joan L. Slonczweski. This textbook is available to purchase (new, loose leaf, or digital EBook for a reduced cost).

Course Schedule. A tentative schedule is provided at the link at the top of the syllabus. It is also here: bit.ly/BIO205-schedule. This spreadsheet will be kept up to date and will be where you find current due dates, exam dates, reading materials, and lecture information. Check this link regularly!

*Please note: The lecture material may be modified based on the needs of the course but the exam dates will remain firm.

Grading System.

Course Point Summary:

o   Exam 1 = 100 points

o   Exam 2 = 100 points

o   Exam 3 = 100 points

o   Final Exam = 100 points.  This is a comprehensive exam covering all material discussed during the semester.

I will drop your lowest exam score from the total. Thus, you are taking 4 exams, worth 100 points each, but are scored on your top three exams

 

Extra credit: There will be one special media assignment for 20 grade (not percentage) points of extra credit.

 

Extra Credit Media assignment guidelines. To get credit for the assignment the student must write and produce an 5-8 minute podcast, video, or animation episode describing a microbe in the context of an infectious disease or its relationship to human health from the spectrum of diseases and examples covered in this course. You may concentrate on the microbial characteristics (physiology, metabolism), disease symptoms, mechanisms used by that microbe to impact health or disease (e.g. metabolism, virulence factors), or any combination. You must also submit the written references. References should be submitted along with the media assignment in a separate document. Either APA or MLA format are acceptable. The extra credit assignment is due NOVEMBER 10th, by 11:59pm. Late extra credit will not be accepted. A note about primary literature: most Internet sources although containing lots of information, are NOT peer-reviewed. Please use appropriate sources including those found on Medline, CDC, or from a peer-reviewed journal to receive credit. Your textbook is a good general reference but does not count as a reference. Ask me if you do not understand the distinction! More detail about this assignment will be posted on BBLearn in October 2019.

Grading Scale: A: 90-100%; B: 80-89.99%; C: 70-79.99%; D: 60-69.99%; F: 0-59.99%

 

Drop/Withdrawal. Refer to https://in.nau.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/153/2020/04/Fall-2020-Academic-Calendar1.pdf for important dates. The last day to drop without this course appearing on your transcripts is August 20th. The deadline to withdrawal without a petition but with a grade of “W” is October 19th.

Course Policies and Student Learning Expectations.

·           Although there is a significant memorization component to this course, students will also be tested on their problem-solving and critical thinking abilities. Consequently, students who simply memorize material in preparation for the examinations score much lower than students who understand the material and can apply what they know to problems that they have not seen before.

·           Make up exams will be allowed at the mutual convenience of instructor and student providing that an excuse, such as documented illness, official university excuse, or family death, has been approved by the instructor in advance of the exam. Routine medical appointments that you schedule do not count as legitimate excuses, and all absences for illness must be accompanied by a doctor’s note or other evidence. Physician documentation or university documentation will be required for approval to take a make-up exam.

·           Students who do not complete the quizzes will receive a zero for that quiz and will count as one of your two dropped quiz scores. THERE WILL BE NO MAKE UP QUIZZES.

·           Attendance at the lectures is not required, only if a passing grade is desired. It is recognized that absence from class is sometimes necessary. However, the course moves along quickly and generally students who do not attend class miss a substantial amount of information and often fail this course. A minor portion of your grade will be derived from in class worksheets. These are graded on a pass/fail basis and require attendance to earn credit.

·           Students are expected to behave professionally at all times. For each hour you spend in lecture you will be expected to spend at least two hours in study and preparation outside of class. Students are expected to read the textbook.

·           Students should be on time for class and should turn off/silence all cell phones, iPods, and other electronic devices for the duration of class. Laptops or tablets are allowed for note taking only.

·           No computers, cell phones, headphones, books, or papers may be used during the exams. If a student is observed using or looking at any of these items, it will be considered cheating and handled accordingly with NAU published policies on academic integrity, found here https://policy.nau.edu/policy/policy.aspx?num=100601#_ftn1. To be safe, I recommend keeping your phone off during exams.

·           Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated. Any students found guilty of each may receive a failing grade in the class. If plagiarism is suspected, I will check the document using SafeAssign.

·           Students are expected to develop their own comprehensive set of notes; materials provided on the Bb Learn site are supplementary, and should not be viewed as substitutes for note taking.

·           I expect you to check the course schedule at least 24h prior to class. I will e-mail or notify you in the beginning of class when I modify the schedule.

University Policies. The Safe Environment, Students with Disabilities, Institutional Review Board, Academic Integrity, Academic Contact Hour, Classroom Management and Professional Ethics and Code of Conduct policies are available at https://policy.nau.edu/policy/policy.aspx?num=100601#_ftn1. Students are responsible for reviewing and understanding these policies.  

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY NAU expects every student to firmly adhere to a strong ethical code of academic integrity in all their scholarly pursuits. The primary attributes of academic integrity are honesty, trustworthiness, fairness, and responsibility. As a student, you are expected to submit original work while giving proper credit to other people’s ideas or contributions. Acting with academic integrity means completing your assignments independently while truthfully acknowledging all sources of information, or collaboration with others when appropriate. When you submit your work, you are implicitly declaring that the work is your own. Academic integrity is expected not only during formal coursework, but in all your relationships or interactions that are connected to the educational enterprise. All forms of academic deceit such as plagiarism, cheating, collusion, falsification or fabrication of results or records, permitting your work to be submitted by another, or inappropriately recycling your own work from one class to another, constitute academic misconduct that may result in serious disciplinary consequences. All students and Academic and Faculty Affairs / Syllabus Requirements Page 2 of 3 faculty members are responsible for reporting suspected instances of academic misconduct. All students are encouraged to complete NAU’s online academic integrity workshop available in the E-Learning Center and should review the full Academic Integrity policy available at https://policy.nau.edu/policy/policy.aspx?num=100601.

 

COURSE TIME COMMITMENT Pursuant to Arizona Board of Regents guidance (ABOR Policy 2-224 – Academic Credit), for every unit of credit, a student should expect, on average, to do a minimum of three hours of work per week, including but not limited to class time, preparation, homework, and studying.

 

DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR Membership in NAU’s academic community entails a special obligation to maintain class environments that are conductive to learning, whether instruction is taking place in the classroom, a laboratory or clinical setting, during course-related fieldwork, or online. Students have the obligation to engage in the educational process in a manner that does not interfere with normal class activities or violate the rights of others. Instructors have the authority and responsibility to address disruptive behavior that interferes with student learning, which can include the involuntary withdrawal of a student from a course with a grade of “W”. For additional information, see NAU’s Disruptive Behavior in an Instructional Setting policy at https://nau.edu/university-policy-library/disruptive-behavior. NONDISCRIMINATION

 

AND ANTI-HARASSMENT NAU prohibits discrimination and harassment based on sex, gender, gender identity, race, color, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status. Due to potentially unethical consequences, certain consensual amorous or sexual relationships between faculty and students are also prohibited. The Equity and Access Office (EAO) responds to complaints regarding discrimination and harassment that fall under NAU’s Safe Working and Learning Environment (SWALE) policy. EAO also assists with religious accommodations. For additional information about SWALE or to file a complaint, contact EAO located in Old Main (building 10), Room 113, PO Box 4083, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, or by phone at 928-523-3312 (TTY: 928-523-1006), fax at 928-523-9977, email at equityandaccess@nau.edu, or via the EAO website at https://nau.edu/equity-and-access.

 

 

COVID-19 Policies

FACE COVERING AND PHYSICAL DISTANCING REQUIREMENTS Appropriate face masks or other suitable face coverings must be worn by all individuals when present in classrooms, laboratories, studios, and other dedicated educational spaces. To maximize the benefits of physical distancing as an important strategy to help reduce community transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, instructors may implement mandatory student seating arrangements or specific seat assignments. Instructors may remove students who do not cooperate with these requirements from the instructional space in the absence of an approved accommodation arranged through Disability Resources. Failing to comply with these requirements may constitute a violation of the university’s Disruptive Behavior in an Instructional Setting policy available at https://nau.edu/university-policy-library/disruptive-behavior. USE NAUFLEX

 

CLASS SESSION RECORDINGS FOR STUDENTS AND FACULTY USE ONLY Certain class sessions may be audio or video recorded to help reinforce live instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. These recordings are for the sole use of the instructor and students enrolled in the course. Recordings will be stored in approved, accessible repositories. By enrolling, students agree to have their image and classroom statements recorded for this purpose, to respect the privacy of their fellow students, and university-owned intellectual property (including, but not limited to, all course materials) by not sharing recordings from their courses. Questions regarding restrictions on the use of classroom audio or video recordings may be addressed to the appropriate academic unit administrator.