Lab Syllabus - Bio 232 - Biology of Invertebrates
LABORATORY STUDY
Scheduled time for lab work is on Tuesday afternoon from 1-5 .The designated lab space is 115 Hulings. Supplementary lab space for computer work is located in the ground floor computer imaging lab. You each will have a work space you can use for the term. Bring a dissecting kit to lab and keep it at your work station so it is handy at all times.
REQUIREMENTS FOR PREPARATION, MAINTENANCE AND GRADING OF A NOTEBOOK FOR BIOLOGY 232
You are required to develop a written record of your ongoing
work in the course. This effort is to include preparation of a Bauplan for
each phylum studied and response to selected questions posed by you, class
members, or instructor. I am thinking that 6 detailed studies of this sort
will be required for completion and a top score. You are asked to write/draw
only on the right hand page (left page consistently if you are left handed
and want to use the left page). The facing page not immediately used will
be used later for instructor comments, your further reflections and response
from fellow students. Some examples of past work will be available. Here is
an outline of Gary's conception of how to use an active and investigative
approach to learning about the biology of invertebrates. Required will be
a presentation of your discovery and explication of a Bauplan for each of
the phyla chosen for study (some assigned and some optional). The presentation
of each Bauplan should include both text and drawings that you prepare; remember
to make those records only on the right hand page (or left if you are left
handed) of paired sheets in the designated 3-ring binder. Use plain paper
and pencil or sometimes fiber tip pens for drawings. Notes can be made with
a ball point pen but a fine point pencil or mechanical pencil with medium
lead is a better tool. No drawings with ball point please. Include prints
obtained from computer imaging where useful. Each presentation should be organized
to include information about all the main features of each Bauplan. We will
work out what to include during laboratory sessions. TA Bridget can help you
with some suggestions and examples from past work in the course. I also ask
you to practice the habit of evaluating the status of any ideas, explainations,
or other form of information about each Bauplan and additional notes and observations.
By so doing we will all develop a more critical view and deeper understanding
of scientific thinking. Mainly what I am thinking here is that is important
to distinguish between supposition, observation of another person, observations
of your own, hypothesis, a question, guessing, experimental evidence, theory,
opinion, text book "facts", your opinion, a class mates opinion , that of
a published author or that of an instructor etc. Sources of any information
or observations should be clearly indicated by the manner in which you prepare
narrative, documentation, or make use of a brief citation. The reader should
not have to guess where the findings you present are coming from. Develop
some simple and clear code for this purpose and then make notations in the
margin of your notes to be included in your notebook. Word choice can also
be used to indicate status and ownership of data and ideas. For example, your
own direct observations are highly valued in the context here and you can
so indicate by writing or speaking in the first person. Periodically you will
be asked to have a fellow student respond to your presentations by writing
comments on the required blank pages. Gary and Bridget will, from time to
time, also provide written feed back on those same blank pages. Bridget will
be in charge of coordinating this effort. I see my role to serve as a guide,
and facilitator for the preparation of each Bauplan. I will provide assistance
in a variety of ways including helping you find examples, finding resources,
giving advice, written evaluation, demonstrating techniques, and making demonstrations.
Last modified: January 12th, 2001
Questions? gwagenba@carleton.edu