Course Organization and Study Advice

Examinations (500 points): There are three major examinations during the term and a final exam. Each term exam is worth 100 points and the final is worth 200 points. The first three exams are listed on the syllabus. The final exam will be administered during the final exam period and will include questions from the last section of the course AND questions from the previous sections. The first three tests will be composed of 25 multiple choice questions (2 pts each), 5 short answer questions (5 pts each) and 5 questions involving interpretation of figures from the texts. The final will contain 50 multiple choice questions, 10 short answers and 10 figure interpretation questions. Make-ups are available only for bona fide illness or family emergency. Generally, the sniffles and a sore throat do not qualify. If you must miss for athletics or other legitimate reason, you are required to make arrangements to take the exam early.

Quizzes (200 points): As listed on the syllabus, 11 quizzes are administered throughout the term. These are 10 minute exams, composed of 4 short-answer questions. The lowest grade is eliminated. A missed quiz will be counted as your lowest grade.  There are no quiz make-ups. If you have bona fide conflict (e.g., athletics, class trip) you must make arrangements to take the quiz early.

Review Concepts (120): The text book includes 72 "reviewing the concepts" questions, appearing at the end of each chapter. Each student will be assigned 6 of these questions with the task of developing a bullet list of points from the text that can serve as an outline for the development of answers to these concept questions. The bullet list needs to be posted prior to the class in which the material will be covered. [It is your responsibility to figure out when that is.] The questions are posted in the ProfNotes on the R:drive. Additionally, it will be indicated in the R:drive concept questions the figures or tables in the text that relate to the answers to the questions. You may be called on in class to explain the figures or tables from a Powerpoint slide presented to the class. Copy your assigned questions and post your bullet list on the work directory. Your bullet list and class presentation of figures are worth 20 points for each question. Unassigned questions will be available for extra credit.

Laboratory experiences (80 points): All students are required to have hands-on experiences working in a laboratory setting, assisting in training animals, gathering data, etc. There are two options by which you can earn the 80 points.

a. Assist in Senior Thesis Projects . There are three senior thesis project for which you can be of assistance. The students in charge of the project will circulate material describing their projects assisting you in making your choice. You should plan on committing 20 hours during the term to these projects.

b. Your own rat shaping project. Many students enjoy working with their very own rat, teaching the animal to do things such as run an obstacle course, play basketball or soccer, etc. You are welcome to pair up with another student in the class and work on a project together. I’ll assist you in designing your project and provide advice about training procedures.

Study Advice. To assist you in keeping up with the material, lecture outlines for each class will be posted on the R:drive. It is a good idea to print these out prior to coming to class and use them for note templates. I put particular importance on understanding the graphs and tables in the texts. Make sure you can interpret them and relate their contents to the issues in your texts. Often, there are quiz and test questions that refer to the graphs.

The syllabus, posted on the web, may be updated from time to time. I will inform you of modifications via e-mail. However, it your responsibility to check the syllabus regularly and note updates.