This course is most
beneficial to those who are motivated and interested in learning the basic
principles of biology and/or to those who are interested in pursuing a career
which requires knowledge of biology. A high school level knowledge of reading,
math and chemistry is needed to better understand this course. You can get help
by reading the Chemistry tutorial for Biology Students by Sackheim. It is
important that students attend all lectures and labs. Missing a lecture or lab
will impede the progress in learning and reviewing the material.
Studying any science is an art, and like all arts requires discipline and focus. If you read a biology text the way you read a novel, you will miss 90% of what you should be getting.
Learn to read effectively. The key to successful science text reading involves
“Active Reading”, as follows:
1.
When you first
acquire the text, skim the whole book to find out what resources it contains.
Read “About the authors” and the Preface on pp. iv-viii. Look at the Brief
Contents on page xvi to see what the book covers. Read one of the
interviews with famous scientists (listed on page xv). Look at the end of any
chapter and note the organization of the summary, self-quiz, and supplementary
materials. Note that there are three appendices: what do they cover? Look up
the term “apoptosis” in the Glossary and index as a sample exercise. What does
the index to a reference with an “f” tell you (e.g., 407f)?
2.
Before class,
skim the assigned chapter. Read the section titles, not the text. Look
at the figures and read a few figure captions. Now, close the book and ask
yourself: “What is this chapter about? What topics are covered? What do I
already know about this?” Don’t just assume that, because you read the chapter,
you will remember. Active reading requires that you stop, frequently, ask
yourself questions, and answer as best you can without looking back at the
book.
3.
As soon as
possible, within hours or a day after the lecture, take an hour or two to read
the assigned chapter carefully. Again, use the “Active reading” technique: read
one section, then look away from the book and ask yourself questions. “What is
this section about? What do the figures illustrate? Do I understand this?” Have
blank paper handy, and draw your own version from memory of some of the
important figures. Go to the self-quiz and find a question on that section’s
material to test yourself with. Then continue with the next section. Time
yourself, and once you begin to feel you’ve saturated your brain, STOP!
Take a break, do something different, continue with the text later on. Use the
end-of-chapter questions and the instructor’s review questions to evaluate
yourself as frequently as possible. Keep a list of terms from the reading and
use these terms in your self-quizzing. Make flashcards of terms, and keep
reviewing the ones you get wrong.
4.
Don’t wait until
the night before the exam to study. If you practice active learning regularly,
you should be comfortable preparing for an exam with minimal time investment.
The best single thing you can do to prepare for an exam is get a good night’s
sleep, so your brain is alert and rested. Exams are in some ways like athletic
events; they put pressure on you to excel, and are best prepared for by steady,
regular preparation and good rest. Exams will often occur during busy times of
the semester, when you have other exams, papers due, etc. Waiting to study
material until just before an exam is like waiting to work out at the gym until
just before an athletic event. You'll often find yourself facing 2 or more
exams on the same day -- instructors are not going to change exam dates because
you are inconvenienced. If you are studying and reviewing material regularly,
you will not need to "pull and all-nighter", and your grades will
probably be better.
·
Some of you may
find that attending lectures and reading the text is all the support you need.
Others will have problems with some of the material. We offer several forms of
support to help you with difficulties you may experience. Different students
have different optimum learning stratagems; we urge you to experiment with the
options listed, and find what best helps you.
·
Interactive Study Partner CD-ROM. Your text comes with a
free CD-ROM that includes quiz questions for each chapter, as well as
interactive exercises, animations, and more. It's a great resource -- use it! It
sometimes is also useful to have a live study partner/s to share information
and knowledge as well as ask questions of each other.
·
Review
Sessions. The instructor’s web page
will have study guides/review quizzes at the end of each chapter (review questions) for you to go over, review
and answer. During the next lecture, time will reserved for question/answer
sessions about any of the material that was in the review or that is difficult
to understand.
·
Lecture
notes: PowerPoint lectures given by
the instructor will be posted on the web at the end of each chapter’s review
questions. Transparency presentations will be available in the library after
the instructor has finished the lecture for that chapter for all sections. Assignments
will also be posted on the
instructor’s web page.
·
Office visits:
The instructor is available for
individual consultation regarding any aspect of the course during office hours
or by appointment.
·
Tutoring: Contact Access Office (972-881-5898) regarding
tutoring
(excerpts-http://www.sp.uconn.edu/~bi107vc/fa02/syllabus.html#Heading10)