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BIO
425 Introduction
to Research |
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Syllabus
for Fall 2008 1 credit
hour Prerequisite: Junior standing and 20 hours toward a
biology major and a minimum biology GPA of 2.0 |
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Instructor: |
Dr. Andrew
Madison Office: 134 in White Hall Phone: 661-5127 Email: amadison@uu.edu (BUT, I prefer that you
email me through BlackBoard) Web
site:
http://www.uu.edu/personal/amadison |
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Office hours: |
Monday,
Wednesday, & Friday — 9:00 – 10:00 AM Tuesday
& Thursday — 9:30 – 10:30 AM These are
the hours that I am guaranteed to be in my office, excepting specially called
meetings or off-campus activities. Please
note: I may also be in WH 103 setting
up for a lab. FEEL FREE to drop by at
other times. If I am in my office or
in the lab, I’ll be happy to speak with you. |
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Course Objectives: |
This course
is designed to provide the conceptual and practical foundation needed to
develop and implement a scientific research project. You will be building the necessary skills
to assist you in the implementation of the research (BIO 426) and the
presentation of the research (BIO 427).
The course focuses on: 1) Exploring research idea options, determining
the strengths and weaknesses of various research project ideas, 2) Examining
different experimental designs and general methodology for conducting
research, 3) Developing a written research proposal, 4) Developing a
presentation of your research. While
there are no exams or quizzes in this class, you WILL be expected to remember
and implement what you have learned in BIO 426 and BIO 427. You are expected to attend BIO 427
presentations. |
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Method of
Instruction: |
The class
will meet together for one hour a week. During these we will discuss many
aspects of accomplishing successful research. Topics to be discussed are
included in the course outline. The
remainder of the course will involve the development of a research proposal
for the independent work to be carried out in BIO 426 (Research Experience). Each student is expected to meet with me or
another professor with whom you would like to work with to discuss progress
on the research proposal. Students
will also be expected to attend all research presentations made by BIO 427 (Research
Presentation) students made that semester. There may
be opportunities to work with research scientists at other institutions,
state agencies, or federal agencies.
In order for an off-campus project to be acceptable it must be
biological in nature, involve hands-on experience on the part of the student,
and address a biological question. Prior
approval of the project must be obtained from me before this option can be
considered. Since many of these
research projects are conducted during the summer, it may be necessary to
“play it by ear” in terms of fulfilling your research requirements for this
class and BIO 426 and BIO 427. |
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Required Textbook: |
A Handbook of Biological
Investigation, 6th
edition, by H. W. Ambrose, K. P. Ambrose, D. J. Emlen, and K. L. Bright. Hunter Textbooks, Inc. |
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BlackBoard |
You have been
provided with a BlackBoard account for this class. It is password protected and will provide
access to course information and provide a medium to track progress in the
course. I will be posting grades and
instigating occasional online discussions.
BlackBoard can be accessed from ANY computer with an internet
connection. This is NOT an online
class, but is more properly referred to as a “web enhanced” course. We will be meeting weekly for our one hour
sessions. |
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Method of
Evaluation: |
Research Proposal — I will be
posting guidelines for the format and composition of the research proposal on
BlackBoard. It is extremely important
that you carefully follow these guidelines; failure to adhere to the proper
format or lack of inclusion of required components will result in a
significant deduction in your grade. IT IS
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you turn assignments in on time. You will be HEAVILY PENALIZED for turning
in your draft and final research proposals late. One letter grade will be taken off each day
it is late. You are
permitted to write as many rough drafts as you desire. I will edit and re-edit your drafts all the
way up to when the final proposal is due. |
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Participation — This is a
necessarily more subjective assessment towards the determination of your
grade. It will be based on regular
attendance of weekly meetings, attending BIO 427 presentations, and
participation in any online components of the course. In addition, you should note that a grade will not be given for this
course until all borrowed materials (books, papers, etc.) have been returned
to their proper faculty member. |
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Attendance: |
I expect
you to be at every weekly session. If
you know that you are going to miss a session, I expect the professional
courtesy of a phone call or email informing me IN ADVANCE of your absence
(non-emergency absences will NOT BE EXCUSED after the fact, even for
legitimate reasons). Legitimate and
excusable absences include (but are not limited to): 1) personal illness
(must be verified by a nurse/doctor excuse), 2) Union University sponsored
functions (I normally receive a notice concerning your participation in these
functions, but double-checking with me is always a good idea), 3) death in
the family or extreme family problems, and 4) civic responsibilities (jury
duty, military responsibilities, etc.).
Attendance
will be taken at the beginning of each class.
I expect you to be on time. If
you have more than 3 unexcused absences from the weekly sessions, it will
result in automatic failure of the course. |
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Cheating and
Plagiarism: |
I encourage
you to work with others in this class.
Bounce research project ideas off of them, talk with students in BIO
426 or BIO 427 about their research projects, talk
with other Department of Biology faculty.
Just don’t copy from each other’s
work! If reports or research
proposals (even from previous semesters) have identical wording, all
offending parties will receive a zero for the assignment, regardless of who
copied whom. Plagiarism,
intentional or unintentional, is prohibited.
Webster defines plagiarism as “the stealing and passing off of the
ideas or words of another as one’s own”.
Further, the MLA Handbook states, “Plagiarism may take the form of
repeating another’s sentences as your own, adopting a particularly apt phrase
as your own, or even presenting someone else’s line of thinking in the
development of a thesis as though it were your own.” In other words: do your own work. If you are
caught plagiarizing sources in your proposal, you will receive an
automatic failing grade for this course and the incident will be
reported to the Dean of Arts and Sciences for further reprobation. |
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Last day to drop: |
If you know
that excessive absences will interfere with progress in this class, you
should consider taking another semester.
You can drop this course before October
13, 2008 without penalty. After this date you will receive a failing
grade, even if you drop the class (except for extenuating circumstances). |
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General Course
Outline: |
We will be covering the following topics in this course:
However,
the lecture topics and the order of presentation are subject to change. Important
dates: Sep 17 –
Meet the Faculty Luncheon (lunch provided) Sep 24 – Tentative
research idea needed Oct 8 –
Final research idea needed Nov 5 –
Draft research proposal due Nov 25 – Final
research proposal due Dec 3, 10 –
PowerPoint presentation due |
