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MCB 150: MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BASIS OF LIFE
Lecture: Smith Memorial Hall, 1:00 PM Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Mr. Brad Mehrtens (Instructor); mehrtens@illinois.edu
Melissa Reedy (Course Coordinator); murray@illinois.edu
Course Office: 252 Davenport Hall; 244-6239; (8:30 AM–5:00 PM
Monday–Friday)
MCB 150 WEB SITE
Course Web site: www.life.illinois.edu/mcb/150
Course Gradebook: https://gradebook.atlas.illinois.edu/courses/mcb150/spring10/index.html
REQUIRED & RECOMMENDED MATERIALS
The following items should be available and should be listed correctly at
the Illini Union Bookstore (IUB). They may not be
available and it is not guaranteed they will be listed
correctly at any other bookstore. Please pay careful attention to dates
and editions when purchasing these items. Any items (other than those specifically
named below) listed by bookstores as optional or recommended have
not been previously approved by the course faculty.
REQUIRED TEXTS (updated for Spring 2010)
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Our required text for MCB 150 is from two different books. The first is
Units 1, 2, and 3 (Chapters 1-21) of Biology, 1st edition, by Brooker,
Widmaier, Graham, and Stiling. The second is The Cell: A Molecular Approach (e-Book),
5th edition, by Cooper and Hausman. These resources will be packaged individually. There
is a code required for accessing electronic content.
SECTION CHANGE, ADD AND DROP INFORMATION
Students may use the UI Integrate System to add or to change MCB 150 discussion
sections before 5:00 PM, Monday, February 1, 2010.
Students must at all times attend the discussion sections in which they are
currently enrolled. Students will not be allowed to sit in other sections at
other times for any reason without permission from the Course Staff in 252
Davenport Hall.
Friday, March 12, 2010 (5:00 PM) is the last day to drop the course or to
elect the Credit/No Credit option.
To elect the Credit/No Credit option, students must apply in their College
Office.
To drop the course after the drop deadline, students must petition a Dean
in their college office and bring petitions to the course staff in 252 Davenport
Hall, for completion of attendance and grade information.
WHEN MCB 150 CLASSES BEGIN
MCB 150 lectures will begin on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 2:00 PM in Foellinger Auditorium.
MCB 150 discussion sections will begin the week of Monday, January 25, 2010
in 422 Natural History Building.
PROFICIENCY EXAM INSTRUCTIONS
The MCB 150 proficiency exam will be given on Tuesday evening, January 26, 2010. Students may sign up for the exam in the Core Curriculum Office in 252
Davenport Hall until 12:00 PM on the day of the exam.
You may not take a proficiency exam if any of the following apply:
A. You have taken the proficiency exam for the given course previously.
B. You have already completed the course.
C. You were enrolled in the course and dropped after the campus drop deadline (eighth week of the semester) or withdrew from the course.
D. You have completed more than one course in advance of the course (higher rubric number) in which the proficiency exam is requested.
Additional information regarding proficiency exams appears in Article 3, Part 2, 3-203, Proficiency Examinations, in the Code of Policies and Regulations Applying to All Students, which is available online at http://admin.illinois.edu/policy/code/.
EXAM AND CONFLICT EXAM INFORMATION
EXAM INSTRUCTIONS
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Exams I, II, and III will be given on Thursday evenings (see Course
Policies: Examinations for exam dates). Arrive early; the exams
will begin at 7:00 PM sharp. The exams will cover material from lecture
specifically and discussion only as the two may overlap. Please see the
MCB 150 Web site or the glass case outside of 252 Davenport Hall (MCB
150 Information Case) for any further details concerning each exam.
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The exams will be administered in various lecture halls and classrooms
on campus and the section location assignments will be posted on the MCB
150 Web site, in the discussion rooms, and in the MCB 150 Information Case
several days prior to each exam. You must take the exam with your assigned
section.
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Bring your University photo ID, several sharp #2 pencils, and an eraser.
You will not need a calculator to complete these exams. No calculators
will be allowed in the exam room.
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Please do not bring to the exam any backpacks, purses, hats, bags, books,
notes, papers, clipboards, musical instruments, or anything other
than the items listed in number 3 above; you will be allowed to enter the
exam room with these items, but they will be placed away from student seating
during the exam. No one will be monitoring who deposits and collects these
personal effects, so thefts and mistaken identification of belongings can
occur. We urge you not to bring valuables to the exam room. You will be
asked to place all jackets/coats completely under the chair in which you
are seated. In the case that the floor of the exam room is wet, you will
be allowed to place jackets/coats at the front or back of the room during
the exam. Cell phones, pagers, ipods, audio equipment, and any other electronic
devices must be turned off and placed away from student seating during
the exams.
The MCB 150 faculty/staff is not responsible for any of your personal
belongings. We strongly suggest you do not bring them to the exam site.
The Illini Union Bookstore has lockers available for temporary storage
of such items if you are unable to leave them at home prior to an exam.
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If you have a University course that conflicts with the exam, contact
the MCB 150 staff in 252 Davenport Hall by 5:00 PM, the Tuesday prior to
the exam. See the Conflict Exam Instructions section
for further details.
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If you are ill or incapacitated on the day of an exam, you are urged to
seek assistance at McKinley Health Center or elsewhere as needed, and to
miss the exam (your score will be prorated if your absence is excused).
Do not call your TA. Call Deb Bielser/Melissa Reedy or the MCB 150 Staff
(244-6239) and advise them of your situation. When you are well enough
to return to classes, go to the Office of the Dean of Students. It is are
located in various rooms of Turner Student Services Building, 610 E. John
Street, Champaign; 333-0050. Inform the Deans that you need confirmation
of a confining illness to be sent to Melissa Reedy. NOTE: If
you choose to attend an exam while suffering from illness, and you complete
the exam, that exam determines your score.
- Texting, or the use of a cell phone for any purposte during an exam, is prohibited. Doing so may earn you a zero on the exam, or more extreme penalty at the discretion of the instructor.
CONFLICT EXAM INSTRUCTIONS
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Conflict exams are given from 5:00–7:00 PM on the regular exam day.
You must make arrangements to take a conflict exam by 5:00 PM, the Tuesday
prior to the exam day. Use the MCB
150 Conflict Exam Request Form to make these arrangements. You must
make these arrangements for each exam. Your request for a conflict exam
will not be carried to subsequent exams.
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If your conflict is a regularly scheduled course for credit at the University,
we will confirm your conflict on Banner. If your conflict is caused by
anything other than a University course, please bring written documentation
supporting your claim of conflict.
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If you have a conflict with the regular exam time and the conflict exam
time, see course staff in 252 Davenport Hall by 5:00 PM on the Tuesday
prior to the exam day. An alternate conflict exam time will be arranged.
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Conflict exams locations are provided via email after we have received
appropriate documentation.
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You will be required to remain in the exam room until exactly 6:50 PM.
Students taking the conflict exam are given the same exam as students taking
the exam at the regular time. In order to protect the integrity of the
exam, conflict exam students are held until 6:50 PM. If you wish to use
the remaining 10 minutes to complete your exam, you may.
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Students taking the conflict exam will not be allowed to take their exam
booklet with them when they leave the exam room. These booklets will be
available for pick-up in 252 Davenport Hall on the day following the exam
or in your discussion.
FINAL EXAM AND CONFLICT FINAL EXAM INFORMATION
FINAL EXAM INSTRUCTIONS
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The Final Exam will be administered Thursday, May 13, 2010 from 8:00 - 11:00 AM.
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The exam location(s) will be posted on the MCB 150 Web site and in the
MCB 150 Information Case by Friday, April 30, 2010 at 9:00 AM.
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Bring your University photo ID, several sharp #2 pencils and an eraser.
You will not need a calculator to complete this exam. No calculators will
be allowed in the exam room.
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Please do not bring to the exam any backpacks, purses, hats, bags, books,
notes, papers, clipboards, musical instruments, or anything other
than the items listed in number 3 above; you will be allowed to enter the
exam room with these items, but they will be placed away from student seating
during the exam. No one will be monitoring who deposits and collects these
personal effects, so thefts and mistaken identification of bags can occur.
We urge you not to bring valuables to the exam room. You will be asked
to place all jackets/coats completely under the chair in which you are
seated. In the case that the floor of the exam room is wet, you will be
allowed to place jackets/coats at the front or back of the room during
the exam. Cell phones, pagers, ipods, audio equipment, and any other electronic
devices must be turned off and placed away from student seating during
the exams.
The MCB 150 faculty/staff is not responsible for any of your personal
belongings. We strongly suggest you do not bring them to the exam site.
The Illini Union Bookstore has lockers available for temporary storage
of such items if you are unable to leave them at home prior to an exam.
-
In case of illness or personal emergency the day of the exam, contact
a dean in your college. Only a dean can excuse a student from a final exam.
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A conflict final exam will be given only for students who have met the
requirements stated on the Conflict Final Exam Instructions page.
Complete a Conflict Final Exam Request Form before 5:00 PM on Wednesday, May 5 to arrange a conflict final exam.
CONFLICT FINAL EXAM INSTRUCTIONS
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A Conflict Final Exam will only be given to individuals who find themselves
in one of the following situations:
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Students with three final exams scheduled within a 24 hour period
as defined in Section 82.A.4). Final Examinations of the Code
of Policies and Regulations Applying to All Students which can
be found at www.uiuc.edu/admin_manual/code/.
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Students who have another final exam scheduled at 8:00 AM on Thursday, May 13, 2010. The conflicting course's enrollment must be lower than
the MCB 150 enrollment in order for you to take the MCB 150 conflict
final exam. Please see the MCB 150 Staff in 252 Davenport Hall for
enrollment information.
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Students who have a verified personal problem, and who have received
written permission to take the MCB 150 conflict final exam from a dean
in their college.
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Any student with one or more of the above situations should use the MCB
150 Conflict Final Exam Request Form on the MCB 150 Web site and
submit the form by 5:00 PM Monday, December 7, 2009. Students should feel
free to contact the MCB 150 office with questions or concerns about conflict
final exams.
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All student requests will be reviewed and students will be contacted as
soon as possible via telephone or e-mail regarding the status of their
request. Qualified students will be informed of the Conflict Final Exam
time and location by Wednesday, May 5, 2010 (Reading Day) before 5 PM.
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The Conflict Final Exam date, time, and location will not be determined
until all Conflict Finals Requests have been processed (after 5:00 PM May 5). The Conflict Final may be given at any regular final exam time slot.
This means that the conflict Final may be given before or after the regularly
scheduled exam.
THE MOST DIRECT ROUTE TO 252 DAVENPORT HALL
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Enter Chemistry Annex through the main doors on the north side of
the building, off the brick walkway between Chemistry Annex and Noyes
Laboratory.
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Take stairs just inside the main doorway to the second floor.
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Walk straight ahead down a short corridor through two doors. The second
door you will pass through is 243 Davenport Hall. Rm. 252 Davenport
Hall is the first door on your right.
Wheelchair Access
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Enter Chemistry Annex through the wheelchair access ramp on the southeast
corner of the building.
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Take the elevator from the basement to the second floor. Turn right
out of the elevator and right again to go down a short corridor.
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The second door you will pass through is 243 Davenport Hall. Room
252 Davenport Hall is the first door on your right.
For further information call 244-6239. |
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GENERAL INFORMATION & POLICIES OF MCB 150
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The course faculty and the TAs are in charge of the orderly conduct of
students in discussions and may exclude a student who does not comply with
a reasonable request in this regard.
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All students are assumed to have read and understood the Code
Of Policies And Regulations Applying To All Students, University of Illinois, and
will be expected to act accordingly.
The Code is available online at: www.admin.illinois.edu/policy/code/
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Concerns over exam grading, discussion teaching or grading, and exam or
discussion absences should be taken up with the MCB 150 Course Coordinator.
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The deadline for grade corrections on all items is one week after
corrected items are returned or grades are received.
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Excused class time compensating for evening exams is provided by cancellation
of lectures.
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Reference letters and recommendation forms are to be submitted to the
student's TA, whose evaluation will be reviewed and countersigned by a
member of the course faculty.
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The faculty and staff of MCB 150 are not responsible for any student personal
belongings during examinations or class periods.
ATTENDANCE POLICIES
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Attendance will be recorded at every discussion session.
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Students must attend their scheduled discussion section.
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Students who wish to have consideration for religious observances which
conflict with exams or discussions, must present verification in writing
to course staff within one week of the first lecture (before Wednesday,
28 January 2009), in compliance with the Code of
Policies and Regulations Applying to All Students (Rule 34.B.4).
If the religious observance is such that the exact date cannot be determined
in January, contact course staff before the deadline and provide information
about the approximate date or dates of absence(s).
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Students with a conflict with an evening exam in MCB 150 should complete
a Conflict Exam Request Form on the MCB 150 Web site by 5:00 PM on the
Tuesday prior to the exam so that a conflict exam can be arranged. Written
evidence of the conflict must be provided (see Examinations section).
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Class absences before and after vacations (e.g. Spring Break, before Finals) are not excusable, except as aforementioned.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU MUST BE ABSENT
Absence from Class
We know that students become ill and that family emergencies arise. In
order to accommodate absences due to illness or emergency, we allow that a
specified number of assignments and/or quizzes may be missed without penalty. These
missed assignments and/or quizzes can be dropped according to the criteria
set forth in the Course Policies for this course.
Extended Absence from Class
If you experience an illness (chronic, recurring or lasting three days or
more) or other circumstance that causes an extended absence from class (lasting
three days or more), please contact the Office of the Dean of Students. The
office of the Dean of Students is located in the Turner Student Services Building,
610 E. John Street, Champaign, 333-0050. A representative of that office
will provide us with the necessary information to address your circumstance. Please
fill out an online absence form for your course which can be found on the course
web site.
Absence from an Exam
If you experience an illness that causes you to miss an exam, you should go
to McKinley or your private physician to seek assistance. Whether it
is an illness or an emergency that prevents you from taking your exam at the
appointed time, you should then contact the Office of the Dean of Students.
The office of the Dean of Students is located in the Turner Student Services
Building, 610 E. John Street, Champaign, 333-0050. A representative of
that office will validate your visit to McKinley or your private physician
and then provide us with the necessary information to address your circumstance. Please
fill out an online absence form for your course, which can be found on the
course web site.
Absence from a Final Exam
If you should experience an illness or emergency that prevents you from taking
your final exam at the appointed time, you should contact the Office of the
Dean of Students at 333-0050. If this occurs during normal business hours,
you call will be answered by staff. If this occurs after hours, you will
be given a phone number for the emergency Dean on call. There will always
be someone available for you to call. Please fill out an online absence
form for your course which can be found on the course web site.
MCB 150 WEB GRADEBOOK
The MCB 150 Web Gradebook can be accessed directly at:
https://gradebook.atlas.uiuc.edu/courses/mcb150/spring10/index.html
Scores on exams and assignments will be available for student review on the
MCB 150 Web Gradebook. To check your scores, sign into the MCB 150 Web site
and click on the Gradebook link and follow the instructions presented there.
All students are responsible for checking their scores on the Web Gradebook
after each exam and assignment is returned to them. Each student is responsible
for reporting possible discrepancies to their TA and if immediate action is
not taken, the student is responsible for bringing this to the attention of
course staff within one week of receiving their graded paper or exam score.
Students are encouraged to keep all graded papers returned to them until after
final grades are issued.
The final deadline for Web Gradebook corrections is 5:00 PM,
Wednesday, May 5, 2010.
No Web Gradebook scores will be altered after this deadline so please be certain
to check all your scores before this time.
LON-CAPA ASSIGNMENTS
The LON-CAPA system will be used to administer two types of assignments. Instructions
for accessing the LON-CAPA are contained in the Course Information Packet. There
will be ten online assignments, Weekly Review Questions, worth 5 points each
for a total of 50 points. Each assignment will cover material covered
in the previous week in lecture. There will also be Pre-Lecture and Post –Lecture
Questions before and after each lecture, worth 8 points each for a maximum
total of 280 points.
Weekly Review Questions will be due at 5:00 PM each Friday, according to the
schedule contained in the MCB 150 syllabus. Please be advised that difficulty
accessing the server, inability to find an open computer lab, or other computer
issues will not suffice to extend this deadline. Please be sure to finish
your assignments early, to avoid missing the 5:00 PM Friday deadline!
A total of 330 points may be earned for LON CAPA assignments.
ATTENDANCE POINTS
There are thirteen total discussion section meetings during the semester.
Students will receive 3 points per attended discussion section in up to 10
discussion sections for a total of 30 points. Students are urged to attend
all discussion classes, but will not lose attendance points if they are present
for at least ten class periods. Students will not receive more than 30 total
attendance points. Teaching assistants will provide students with a clear indication
of what is required in order to be counted present for a class session.
EXAMINATIONS
Evening exams and the final exam will be in the multiple choice and/or true-false
format. Material for evening lecture exams will be drawn from the lectures,
lecture materials, associated text readings, and reserved reading, if any.
The lecturer will provide students with information regarding the content of
specific exams.
All exams are computer graded and the grades are entered into the Web Gradebook
electronically. Once the exams have been administered, they become property
of the students. Within one week of each exam, answers are posted, and errata
grade sheets are provided to students. It is the student's responsibility to
make certain that the grade on the Web Gradebook is correct. If a student believes
that an error has been made, it should be brought to the TA's attention immediately.
If an explanation cannot be found, the student and/or the TA should bring the
problem to the MCB 150 Staff in 252 Davenport Hall. All student scantron sheets
are retained for grade confirmation if necessary. All students are urged to
keep their errata sheets until a final grade has been issued for the course.
The final exam is the property of the course and is not returned to students,
nor are answers posted or made available in any way. Should a student feel
that an error has been made in the grading of the final exam, that student
should contact Alejandra Stenger.
EXAM DATES
| Exam |
Time |
Day |
Date |
 |
| Exam I |
7 - 9 PM |
Thursday |
February 11, 2010 |
|
| Exam II |
7 - 9 PM |
Thursday |
March 11, 2010 |
|
| Exam III |
7 - 9 PM |
Thursday |
April 15, 2010 |
|
| Final Exam |
8:00 - 11:00 AM |
Tuesday |
May 13 |
COURSE GRADING
Student grades in MCB 150 will be based on total of 1000 points. Categories
listed below are approximate, but should closely resemble the final distribution.
| 3 Lecture Exams |
|
450 |
|
| Final Exam |
|
150 |
|
| LON-CAPA |
|
330 |
|
| Discussion Attendance |
|
30 |
|
| Discussion Assignments |
|
40 |
|
|
| Total |
|
1000 |
points |
A more specific point breakdown for MCB 150 follows:
| 50 points |
|
Weekly Review Questions (10 @ 5 pts each) |
| 280 points |
|
Pre/Post Lecture Questions (39 @ 8 pts each, 280 points
max) |
| 40 points |
|
Lecture Review Worksheets (2 @ 20 pts each) |
| 30 points |
|
Attendance/Participation (3 classes may be missed without penalty) |
| 450 points |
|
Exams (3 @ 150 pts each) |
| 150 points |
|
Final Exam |
|
| 1000 points |
|
Total |
All point totals are estimates and may be altered slightly throughout the
course of the semester.
The point totals contained in the following table represent the use of the
plus/minus grading system coupled with a 4.0 grade point system. The grade
point values shown for each letter grade have been assigned by the University.
Students who earn the points shown below (out of 1000 possible points), will
be guaranteed the indicated letter grade. At semester's end, after the final
exam, the faculty will analyze the course grade distribution, and may decrease
(to accommodate poor class performance on an examination), but will not increase
the points needed for each grade.
MCB 150 Standard Grade Scale
Letter
Grade |
Point Ranges |
Grade Point
Value |
A+ |
1000–920 |
4.000 |
A |
919–880 |
4.000 |
A- |
879–840 |
3.667 |
B+ |
839–800 |
3.333 |
B |
799–760 |
3.000 |
B- |
759–720 |
2.667 |
C+ |
719–680 |
2.333 |
C |
679–640 |
2.000 |
C- |
639–600 |
1.667 |
D+ |
599–560 |
1.333 |
D |
559–520 |
1.000 |
D- |
519–480 |
0.667 |
F |
479–0 |
0.000 |
STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
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Science cannot exist without honesty. The faculty and staff of MCB 150
require students, as scientists-in-the-making, to hold the highest standards
of scientific and academic conduct. Any form of cheating on any graded
work in this course is unacceptable, and will be dealt with as outlined
below, and in accordance with the University-wide standards in the Code
of Policies and Regulations Applying to All Students.
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We require that all graded work be entirely your own, and that anything
you write using the words of other writers be correctly attributed. Some
specific points follow:
Exams
On all exams, the answers that you turn in for grading must be your own, formulated during the exam from your own understanding of the material and without any supporting information, be it written, verbal or electronic. Copying the work of another student, or allowing another to copy your work, or copying work from any other source, is unacceptable. We cannot always monitor you as you complete your work; thus, we must rely upon appearance of your work from which to judge. If the work you submit resembles that of another student or another source too closely, we may conclude that it is not your original work. Always make a conscious effort to complete your work on your own and to protect it from the view of others, in order to ensure that it will be seen as your own. Instructors in this course reserve the right to move students during the course of the exam if the appearance of a breach of academic integrity is noted. Texting, or the use of a cell phone for any purpose during an exam, is prohibited. Doing so may earn you a zero on the exam, or a more extreme penalty at the discretion of the instructor.
Failure to adhere to these standards, for any portion of an exam, may result in a grade of zero for the entire exam, for all persons involved.
Assignments
On assignments, the answers that you turn in for grading must be written
in your own words, formulated from your own understanding of the material.
Copying or paraphrasing the work of another student, or allowing another
to copy or paraphrase your work, is unacceptable. Since we cannot monitor
you as you complete your work, we have only the appearance of your work
from which to judge. If the work you submit resembles that of another student
too closely, we may conclude that it is not your original work. Always
make a conscious effort to complete your work on your own and to protect
it from the view of others, in order to ensure that it will be seen as
your own.
Failure to adhere to these standards may result in a grade of zero for
the entire assignment, for all persons involved.
On assignments, if you use another source to obtain the facts and/or opinions
necessary to complete your assignment, you must credit the source (see
next point below) and rephrase the information so that your assignment
is entirely your own words. A good practice is to read the source until
you have a thorough understanding of the material, and then put it away.
Write your assignment as if you are explaining the information you learned
from reading the source to a classmate, member of your family, or to your
teaching assistant. You may wish to look at the source again for clarification,
but be certain that you do not use statements taken directly from the text
in your assignment. Your entire assignment should be in your own words.
Furthermore, paraphrasing does NOT mean replacing key words in a statement
with synonyms. For an example of proper paraphrasing of a statement, consult
the University's Code of Policies and Regulations Applying to All Students.
Failure to adhere to these standards may result in zero credit for the
entire assignment.
On assignments, if you use the ideas and/or opinions from another author
or source, you must provide the appropriate citation. That is, you must,
using APA format, place a parenthetical reference to the source that provided
you the information necessary to complete that portion of the assignment.
Failure to adhere to these standards may result in zero credit for the
entire assignment.
On assignments, if you use a statement taken directly from any book or
other publication, including the course textbook, you must provide a citation.
That is, you must put the text in quotes and, using APA format, place a
parenthetical reference to the source at the end of the quote. Direct quotations
should be severely limited in your assignments; they should be used ONLY
in the following situations:
- A definition of a term.
- A profound statement made by an expert in the field
Furthermore, any direct quotation should then be restated in your own
words in order that your instructor may evaluate your understanding of
the material.
Failure to adhere to these standards may result in zero credit for the
entire assignment.
HONORS CREDIT
Honors credit for MCB 150 can be earned in one of two ways:
- Enrolling in the James Scholar section for Discussion and completing the
classroom and extracurricular activities, OR
- Completing an Honors Credit Learning Agreement project with the instructor.
Information regarding these options can be obtained from Mr. Mehrtens after
class or during office hours.
MCB 150 Textbook Web Site Access
MCB 150 students can access the ebook for Biology at the following URL:
Brooker Biology; http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/classware/infoCenter.do?isbn=0072956208
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