INSTRUCTOR: Dr. David Byres		PHONE : 646 - 2038
OFFICE : D-119 ( South campus )		TEXT: Introductory Plant Biology, 11th Edition, Stern.
E-mail : dbyres@fscj.edu		HOME PAGE (website) : http://web.fccj.org/~dbyres

1. Introduction: This course is a survey of the plant kingdom, and you will study a wide variety of plants, from mosses to conifers to crops. The course will also deal with the close relatives and ancestors of plants, and look at plant evolution and adaptations. The commercial and medical uses of plants will be emphasized.Typically in this class you have 3 hours of lecture a week, and 3 hours of lab. In this hybrid course, the lecture part is done online, but you must attend the labs at South Campus (room D 210) on Fridays from 9a.m. to 11:50a.m. Note: All E-mail sent out from Blackboard will go to your FSCJ E-mail account, so make sure you check your FSCJ E-mail account at least twice a week.

2. Attendance : Regular lab attendance is strongly recommended. If you are absent for more than 15% of the classes you will be withdrawn from the class (FN grade: Fail due to non-attendance). Please note that attendance is recorded from the first day of class, so if you register late, or miss the first day that class meets, you will have one absence. It is also your responsibility to make up any work you have missed.

3. Tests: You will take 5 lecture tests during the semester. To study for the lecture tests, you should print out and learn the essential notes. The lecture tests are based on the material in the essential notes. Tests will include a variety of questions: multiple choice, fill in the blank, matching, write a sentence etc. Each lecture test is 50 questions. To see which chapters are covered by a particular test, look at the schedule. The lecture tests will be taken at South Campus during normal class time on Fridays.

Laboratory tests will be worth 50 points. Half of the questions in the lab tests will be answered in groups ( usually pairs ), and the other half will be answered individually. If you are absent for two or more labs per half-semester you will do the lab test individually; your lab partner will work with another group.

4. Group work: You will be randomly assigned to a lab partner in each half of the semester. During lab periods you and your partner will work together and answer written questions.

5. Field trips: At least two local field trips are planned during regular lab hours, where you will look at plants in their natural surroundings. At the end of each trip you will write a short report about what you learned.

6. Individual projects: You will be given two projects during the semester, where you will collect information on a particular species. You will produce a report of 600 - 800 words as a WORD document on the species that you choose.

7. Worksheets: Internet exercises using an online worksheet will be used to supplement the lecture notes. This is individual work, so make sure you do this on your own. If two students hand in answers that are exactly the same, they will both get 0 points for the exercise. Late work will not be accepted.

8. Discussion Board: There will a Discussion Board set up every week during the semester, where you will comment on recent news reports relating to Biology. Your grade will be based on the thoroughness, accuracy and insightfulness of your answers.

9. Points :                       Grade scale: Percent       Points
  5 lecture tests       250 points      A   90 - 100  %    450 - 500
  2 lab tests           100 points      B   80 - 89.9 %    400 - 449
  Group lab work         34 points      C   70 - 79.9 %    350 - 399
  Field trips             8 points      D   60 - 69.9 %    300 - 349
  Individual projects    12 points      F    0 - 59.9 %      0 - 299
  Worksheets             48 points
  Discussion Boards      48 points
                        __________
   Total                500 points