Exploring Biology

Integrated Science 100 (2 credits): Fall 2017

Course Overview
xxxxx xxxxx@wisc.edu
xxxxx xxxxx@wisc.edu
Instructors xxxxx
Ali York
xxxxx@wisc.edu
xxxxx@wisc.edu
Course Director: xxxxxx xxxxx@wisc.edu

xxxxx xxxxx@wisc.edu
xxxxx@wisc.edu
Peer Leaders xxxxx
xxxxx xxxxx@wisc.edu
xxxxx xxxxx@wisc.edu

Mondays 2:25 - 4:20PM

Course College Library, Rm. xxxx

Office Hours and Instructors: by Appointment only

Peer Leader Support (PLS) Hours: check weekly email
How to Contact Please contact by email. More info page 4!

Course Description
This is a seminar course that is designed to introduce freshmen students to the
main concepts in biology and the potential career paths that follow with biology
education. This is not intended to be an introductory biology class - our focus will
be on core concepts and ways of thinking in biology, not on specific technical
content.

We will learn the core concepts through four main themes – Making of the eye’,
‘Teaming with microbes’, ‘Genetic modifications’ and ‘Cancer’ during the course.
We will practice science communication through a poster project and plan out
careers through a Bucky BioMap project.

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 Learning Goals
• Develop scientific ways of thinking and communicating.
• Adopt and use a cognitive framework for biology that is organized around the five big
ideas.
• Develop metacognitive approaches to learning that will contribute to your success
and life-long learning.
• Appreciate co-curricular learning experiences in biology and become equipped with
the navigation skills and knowledge to integrate these experiences into your
academic plan.
• Describe how biological sciences contribute to society, and explore career
opportunities for those with bioscience degrees

Materials
• All course materials will be published online on Canvas. You can access the course
via -canvas.wisc.edu/courses/xxxx
• You will need a TopHat subscription. Join code: xxxxx, password: mondayexbio
• No textbook is required.
• Please bring note-taking materials of your course. Our classroom has laptops for each
student.You may choose to use them or use your own laptop.

How to Succeed In the Course

• Attend and participate! Discuss ideas with your peers and peer
mentors.
• Apply your knowledge. Memorization will probably not work in this
course– this course has different goals and will require critical thinking
skills.
• Test yourself. Try to identify the course concepts in popular science and
news articles you read or listen to.
• Take control of your own learning. Reflect on the whole group
meetings and discussion sections. Could you share what you learned
with others outside of class? Have you found the best way to study for
you?
• Take notes by whatever means works best for you. Pen and paper or
with your laptop is fine. Ask your peer leaders for any advice on this!

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 Course Grading
Quizzes,
Projects, Including the final
including =125 pts
Poster Project
and BioMaps
=200 pts
Assignments +
Reflections +
Participation w/
TopHat
=225 pts

Grades and Attendance

Grade Scale:
A: 93-100% (Excellent)
Exceeds expectations. Incorporates new ideas or connects course ideas in new ways. Well organized, clear, professional. Work
demonstrates critical thought. Participation includes contributing clear, well-considered, creative ideas, promoting group discussion,
asking thoughtful questions about others’ ideas and responding well to questions.

AB: 88-92% (Intermediate high grade)

Exceeds expectations. Demonstrates a deep understanding of the material. Well organized, clear, professional. Work demonstrates
critical thought. Participation includes contributing clear, well-considered, creative ideas, promoting group discussion, asking thoughtful
questions about others’ ideas and responding well to questions.

B: 80-87% (Good)
Meets expectations. Work is well organized and clear. Regular and respectful contributions to class and group discussions. Asks
questions.

BC: 75-79% (Intermediate grade)

Directions were followed and work indicates that student understood the concepts of the assignment. Regular and respectful
contributions to class and group discussions.

C: 67-74% (Fair)
Directions were followed. Regular and respectful contributions to class and group discussions.

D: 60-66% (Poor)
Directions were not followed and a significant portion of the work was not turned in or
was incomplete. No meaningful participation in group discussion.

F: 0-59% (Fail)
Work was not turned in. Class participation lacking, and unprepared for exams.

Attendance: Notice that there is no point category for attendance, this is because you need to do more
than just show up for class. That being said, attendance is required and each unexcused absence will
cause a 5% reduction in your final grade. See more on pg. 5.

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 Assignments and Assessments
Quizzes: There will four quizzes over the length of the summer session. There will be a Pre-Quiz,
three additional quizzes during the term and then a final exam at the end of the term. All quizzes
will be online via Canvas.
Projects:
1. Bucky BioMap – A multi-part degree mapping project that will help you plan for your time at
UW-Madison to ensure that you can accomplish the things that you want to.
2. Discovery Poster Project – A multi-part project where you will investigate a bioscience
research topic that interests you, culminating in a poster presentation at the end of the term.
Assignments: There will be regular assignments that will each include in class components and
out of class components and be submitted via Canvas. Many of these assignments will include
group/team aspects and therefore Team Work will also be assessed.
Reflections: A vital component of learning is reflecting on your process, progress and goals.
Accordingly, you will complete several assigned reflections.

Need Help?
Email is the best way to get in touch with an instructor or a peer leader. Please remember to put Exploring Biology 100
in the subject line, and give us 24 hours to respond. Always use your @wisc account, be professional and use correct
salutations. Before you email us, please make sure the information is not already on canvas or in the syllabus. Thanks!

Class Schedule
Class Class Date Instructor Topic Due before class Due date
1 Mon, Sep 11 XX, XX,AY Introduction Pre-quiz Sep 11, Mon, 2pm
2 Mon, Sep 18 XX

3 Mon, Sep 25 XX Making of the Eye Career Video Sep 25 Mon, 2pm
4 Mon, Oct 2 XX BioMap 1 Sep 29, Fri, 5pm
5 Mon, Oct 9 XX Quiz 1 Oct 9, Mon, 2pm
Teaming with
6 Mon, Oct 16 XX BioMap 2 Oct 13, Fri, 5pm
microbes
7 Mon, Oct 23 XX Poster topic Oct 20, Fri, 5pm
8 Mon, Oct 30 AY Quiz 2 Oct 28, Mon, 2pm
Genetic
9 Mon, Nov 6 AY Essay Nov 3, Fri, 5pm
modifications
10 Mon, Nov 13 AY BioMap 3 Nov 10, Fri, 5pm
11 Mon, Nov 20 XX Poster outline; Nov 17, Fri, 5pm;
Quiz 3 Nov 20, Mon, 2pm
Cancer
12 Mon, Nov 27 XX THANKSGIVING BREAK
13 Mon, Dec 4 XX Poster draft Dec 4, Mon, 2pm
14 Mon, Dec 11 XX Poster fair Final posters Dec 11, Mon, 2pm
15 FINAL Open at Dec 20, 7:05PM
Dec 15 at 12:01AM

NOTE: Each Instructor will provide their own syllabus for assignments in their section.

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Important Class Policies and Reminders
Respect
This class hinges on group work and discussion; therefore it is important that we all remain respectful of each other while
providing and receiving feedback on each other’s work. While you might not agree with the opinions of your classmates (and
we don’t always expect you to!), it is important to allow others to fully develop their ideas and to provide constructive rather
than destructive criticism. Constructive criticism is well-reasoned feedback on others’ work in a professional manner as
opposed to personal attacks.
The idea of respect extends to your level of engagement with the course. If you're texting friends, snoozing, Snapchatting,
checking out Facebook, online shopping, you're probably not engaged in what's happening around you and that is
disrespectful to your classmates’ contributions. Worse, you will likely be a source of distraction for your classmates who are
trying to use class time to learn. Additionally, respect the time of your instructors and classmates by coming to class
prepared and turning your work in on time. This will allow for productive discussions during class time and efficient return of
feedback to you.

Hate and Bias Incidents

We value each member of our community. Hate and bias incidents distract from our classroom community and negatively
affect your and your classmates’ ability to learn, feel welcome, and feel safe. Hate and bias incidents will not be tolerated in
this classroom. Please intervene in incidents of hate and bias when you can, and report incidents to the instructors—if you
feel comfortable—and/or to the UW-Madison hate and bias reporting system: www.students.wisc.edu/reporthate. The
University and the instructors are dedicated to addressing reports of hate and/or bias seriously, promptly, confidentially, and
sensitively. Reports can include, but are not limited to, crimes such as vandalism or physical assault; non-academic
misconduct such as online or verbal harassment or disruptive behavior; and/or microaggressions such as derogatory or
demeaning speech from another student, TA, or faculty/staff member. A Hate and Bias Incident Team member will respond to
your report and provide you with options meet your needs. You can also report anonymously.
For more information, support, and resources regarding addressing hate and bias on campus, please visit
www.students.wisc.edu/reporthate.

Academic Integrity
This course is designed to help you develop creative and critical thinking skills. Thus, it is imperative that you create your
own work. While some assignments will require you to collaborate with your peers, we expect that all submitted work will be
of your own creation. Academic misconduct will not be tolerated and includes cheating on exams and plagiarism. Plagiarism
is defined as using words or ideas of another person as your own without giving that person credit1. The best way to avoid
plagiarism is to develop your own ideas. If you find that you need to use words and ideas from another source, then you need
to properly incorporate these materials and cite the reference. The UW Writing Center is an excellent campus resource that
can help you properly cite your references.
If academic misconduct or plagiarism is thought to have occurred, we will meet with you in person for an explanation. If we
conclude that plagiarism or academic misconduct has occurred, you will receive a score of 0 on that assignment or exam.
Occurrences of plagiarism and academic misconduct will be reported to the Dean of Students.

Accessibility
Your success in this class is important to us. If there are circumstances that may affect your performance in this class, please
let us know as soon as possible so that we may work together to develop strategies for adapting assignments to meet both
your needs and the requirements of the course. The McBurney Disability Resource Center (263-2741) provides resources for
students with disabilities. You will need to provide documentation of disability in order to receive official university services
and accommodations.

Attendance, Absences & Late Work

Attendance is required for all class sessions. We understand that illnesses and unexpected emergencies can happen, and in
these cases you should be in contact with one of the instructors ASAP. In the case of planned absences, such as university
athletics and religious observances, one of the instructors must be notified at the start of the fall term. Assignments that are
due must be still turned in, regardless of the reason for absence.
Generally speaking, as far as assignments go: Better late than never! The goal of the course is learning, and late
assignments will still provide an opportunity to learn and receive feedback. Though, there will be a penalty to the assignment
grade (10% per day). Assignments will not be accepted beyond the end of the fall term, unless specific arrangements have
been made in advance (for example due to an extended illness).
1"Plagiarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarism

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