This syllabus
describes the scheduling of and procedural details for Bio 301D. This
information is subject to change, as described below. The website for the
class, which displays this syllabus, the book, homework assignments, and old
exams is http://bio301d.com
UTC 3.122 MWF
10-11 (#47795)
UTC 2.102A MWF
11-12 (#47800)
Date |
Event |
August
30 (Wednesday) |
First
Lecture (first day of class) |
September
4 (Monday) |
Labor
Day (no class) |
September
25 (Monday) |
First
Homework Due |
September 27 (Wednesday) |
First Exam (during class) |
September 22 (Friday) |
Rosh Hashanah starts |
October
14 (Saturday) |
Texas
OU Weekend |
October
18 (Wednesday) |
Second
Exam (during class) |
October
20 (Friday) |
Second
Homework Due |
November
7 (Tuesday) |
Last
day to drop or change CR/NCR status |
November
13 (Monday) |
Third
Homework Due |
November
15 (Wednesday) |
Third Exam (during class) |
November
23-27 |
Thanksgiving
Break |
December
6 (Wednesday) |
Fourth
Exam (during class) |
December
8 (Friday) |
Fourth
Homework due |
December
11 (Monday) |
Last
class day, last Bio301D day |
No final exam
(see below for potential use of the final exam period). |
Exam number
|
Chapters
(approximate)
|
Topics
|
Dates (all Wed)
|
1
|
1-9
|
Scientific Method and
Models
|
27 September
|
2
|
10-15
|
Data Quality
|
18 October
|
3
|
16-21
|
Interpretation and
Conclusions
|
15 November
|
4
|
22-26
|
Impediments, Conflict,
Bias and Fake News
|
6 December
|
Week spanning
|
Topics covered
|
30 August – 1 September
|
Introduction to 301D,
Scientific Method
|
6-8 September
|
Scientific Method
|
11-15 September
|
Models (general and
specific topics)
|
18-22 September
|
Models (specific topics)
|
25-29 September
|
review, Homework 1 due, Exam 1, start Data & Evidence
|
2-6 October
|
Data and Ideal Data
(general)
|
9-13 October
|
Data (forensics)
|
16-20 October
|
finish Data, Homework 2
due, Exam 2, begin Evaluation
|
23-27 October
|
Correlation vs. Causation
|
30 October – 3 November
|
Controls, Experiments
|
6-10 November
|
Experiments, start
Impediments
|
13-17 November
|
Homework 3 due, Exam 3, Impediments
|
20 November
|
Conflict, bias, fake news
|
27 November – 1 December
|
Conflict, bias, fake news,
circular reporting
|
4-8 December
|
Avoding the problems; Homework 4 due, Exam 4
|
11 December
|
Recap and review of grades
|
Optional
Help Sections:
times and locations (not in catalog; you do not register for
these and there is no University credit associated with these)
Times
will be announced the second week of class.
(all are 1 hour long)
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Fri |
|
12:00-1:00
GDC 2.210 |
|
|
|||
3:00-4:00
GEA 127 |
|
|
|
||
4:00-5:00
ETC 2.132 |
4:00-5:00
GEA 127 |
|
|||
Who |
office |
office hours* |
email ** |
|
|
|
|
Jim Bull |
PAT 131 |
W 2:00-5:00
(or by appt) |
|
Anne Chambers |
PAT 130 |
W 12:00 – 2:00 |
|
Matt Paff |
PAT 130 |
M 1:00-3:00 |
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
|
*- if office hours overlap with
Help Session times, then for those weeks when Help Sessions meet, it will
usually be the case that the person’s office hours will be held during the Help
Session in the Help Session room. Also, if you are unable to make
scheduled office hour times or Help Session times, you should make arrangements
to meet with us at a time of your convenience.
** in case of emergencies, but not
for routine class questions, you may contact bull@utexas.edu
Course
content
This class
teaches an evidence-based method of making decisions: how to evaluate evidence,
what alternatives to consider, and what to trust. The main ideas are taken from
the scientific method, but the emphasis is on applying that style of
decision-making to all sorts of normal problems in daily life. You should learn
how to evaluate a newspaper article about some new claim or discovery, what
kinds of limitations underlie any study (and thus how to look for weaknesses),
and how to improve almost any goal-oriented procedure. The course content
consists of lectures and demonstrations (plus a few short videos) in
class. Your course grade is determined by your performance on the exams,
written homework assignments, a few on-line quizzes and an on-line survey.
As noted
above, lectures mostly follow the order and content in the class book (Scientific Decision-Making) written by Pease and Bull
(modified by Chis Warnock and Konrad Prus in 2012),
although lectures also augment the material in the book. In addition, a
few lectures may not be in the book, and lectures will often describe and
discuss current events that are not in this book. So
whether you come to lecture or not, you should know what was covered in class
for the exams.
The
syllabus describes the procedures, materials and events/schedules for
Bio301D. It is not only useful at the beginning of the semester, but it
is also relevant throughout the course, as it tells you how to challenge exam
questions, whether late homework is accepted, and many other things.
Updates.
If it is necessary to make changes during the semester in exam dates, homework
due dates or other aspects of the course syllabus and conduct, we will announce
these changes in lecture and post a new syllabus and post a notice on the class
web site. You are responsible for all announced changes, whether or not you
attend lecture.
We
do not use a standard text for this course. We lecture from our own material
and from various publications in the scientific literature, news, and other
sources. We have written a book (Scientific Decision-Making) that contains most
of the class material. It is available for free on the class web site http://bio301d.com . In the past, a
hard copy has been available by request for around $20 at Paradigm Notes, near
24th & Speedway. Students enrolled in Bio301D may make
a personal photocopy or electronic copy of the book for use in this course for
free. One way or another, you are likely to want access to it, but don’t feel that you need to spend any money to get it. Furthermore,
although the book contains most of the material for this class, the lectures
include current events and a few new topics each semester that are not in the
book.
The class
website (http://bio301d.com) has the on-line class material. Note that you
may access everything without going through Canvas and that no password is
required (homework assignments do need to be uploaded to Canvas).
The syllabus,
book and homework assignments may be modified during the semester. You
will be notified of any changes, but you should be aware that any downloads of
material done at the beginning of the semester will not have those updates.
Help
Sessions are offered with this course. They are optional, in that your
attendance at them does not affect your grade, and they were not part of your
registration. They will not meet every week – they meet only during the times
announced in class. They are intended as help and practice sessions. They will
be used (i) for help with homework, and (ii) to go
over practice exams. Students are not assigned to particular sessions; instead,
you go to any one you want (or can). If you cannot make at least one time (and
in a class of 400, there will be several such cases), you can make other
arrangements with the TAs or Bull.
Practice
exams. At least
for the 1-2 weeks preceding a scheduled exam, the corresponding exams from the
previous 3-4 years will be posted on the class website. You will be able
to "take" the exams and then go over the answers in Help Sessions.
Keys will also be posted so that you are not forced to attend a Help Session to
obtain the answers.
You
will be given timely access to your exam scores and homework scores throughout
the semester.
There
is a standard 1-week period after you are given access to scores in which you may report
mistakes so that we may correct them. This 1-week window applies to
any opportunities for points that you are provided in class – exams, homework,
surveys or other means of awarding points. If you have an extended
absence, then you should document your excuse within a week of returning to
class. The goal here is to get these matters addressed during the
semester rather than at the end.
There
are 4 exams and 4 homework assignments, due on the dates given in
the calendar above.
There
will be at least 11 on-line quizzes/surveys, dates to be determined (all
but one administered through Canvas).
There will be an opportunity to substitute electronic, in-class
participation for some of the on-line quizzes (see below).
All
4 homework assignments are described on the class web site and in the book, and
will also be discussed in lecture. The Canvas quizzes will be announced
during the semester as they become relevant and due.
Only
your 3 highest exam scores will count towards your final grade (If you take all
four exams, your lowest exam will be dropped. Or you may choose to not take one
exam). Similarly, only your 3 highest homework scores will count towards your
final grade. And you can get credit for at most 8 Canvas quizzes or
equivalents. Each exam will be worth 100 points, each homework will be
worth 34 points, and each Canvas quiz (or alternative) will be worth 6
points. Your final grade will be determined from the sum of your
+3 highest
exam scores (100 pts each)
+3 highest
homework scores (34 pts each)
+8 highest
Canvas quizzes (6 pts each)
compared
to a threshold. There are 3*(100)+3*(34) +8*(6) = 450 points
possible in the semester. We will use the following grade thresholds.
Note that a ‘+’ will be assigned grades in the top 25% of the intervals (except
for A).
A
(405 and above)
(90% or more of
450 points)
B+, B (404-360)
(80%)
C+, C (359-315)
(70%)
D+, D
(314-270)
(60%)
F
269 and below
We
may change these thresholds to make them more lenient -- that is, to benefit you;
we will not make them more stringent (but there is no assurance that the
thresholds will be changed). Furthermore, any opportunities for
additional points will merely be added to your total and thus make it easier to
get a higher grade – we will not rescale your points if there is an opportunity
to make more than 450 total points.
We advise against using the "best 3 of 4" policy
as an excuse to miss any of the first three exams. The first exam is typically
the easiest, and you may later regret not taking it. Likewise, if you miss one
of the first three exams for an unexcused reason and then miss another with a
valid reason, you will get a zero for one of your three top scores. Importantly, you are not allowed
to make up an exam unless you present documented, timely excuses for each exam
missed (see the details below for what constitutes "timely"). So missing one exam without a legitimate excuse means that
you will get a zero as one of your top 3 exams if you miss a second exam,
regardless of whether you have a legitimate excuse for the second missed
exam. And the makeup is given at end of semester, is written answers and
is comprehensive over the entire course.
There
are two lecture sections, one at 10:00 and another at 11:00; they are in the
same room, and the material for each is the same. Subject to seating
limitations, you may attend either lecture. But you must
attend the exam at the time for which you are registered (subject to a
possible penalty unless you have prior permission). If you are registered for
the 10:00 class, you must take the 10:00 exam, and if you are registered for
the 11:00 class, you must take the 11:00 exam.
Bring
a photo I.D. to all exams; it may not be checked, but you should have it anyway.
You should also bring a #2 pencil and eraser for exams.
Exams
use scantron forms. Exams and keys from
previous years will be made available on the web in advance of each exam so
that you may familiarize yourself with the types of questions likely to be asked.
If you accidentally bubble on the scantron form one
or more different answers than you intended, there is unfortunately little that
can be done. If your answers were
systematically shifted on the scantron form (e.g.,
you omitted your answer to #16 so everything after question 15 was shifted by
one), you may present your case for consideration; decisions will be made on a
case-by-case basis. However, your
answers will need to be marked clearly on the exam form with the questions (not
just the scantron), and there will be a penalty for
any corrections made.
Correcting
and challenging exam grading: a 1-week window
All matters concerning your
score on an exam must be presented within a week of posting the exam and your
score.
Copies
of the exams and keys are posted within hours of the exam so that you can see
how the exam was graded. The complicated nature of many questions leads
some students to ask about or even object to the way that questions were
graded. You may ask how questions were graded in person or over email,
but there is also a formal procedure for challenging the grading of answers; if
successful, these challenges could result in a more favorable grading of your
answer. These formal challenges to the grading of exams must be
presented by email to the class email account (bio301d@utexas.edu) or in
writing to Jim Bull within 1 week of the date the exam results are
posted. Do not email the challenges to Bull’s personal account! Challenges relating to the amount of partial
credit given for incorrect answers are never successful - don't
bother explaining that you think you should get some credit for getting two of
10 grouped questions correct. Likewise, you may not challenge an exam on
the grounds that you were misled by one of us when you asked a question during
the exam; if a question was genuinely misleading, then that should be the basis
of the challenge, not the fact that we did not tell you the answer. Some
grouped questions don't give any partial credit. The assignment of points and
partial credit depends on many factors, such as how difficult the question is,
whether you had access to that question in the sample problems, and how serious
a misunderstanding is implied by a wrong answer.
Challenges may cost you points. If your challenge to a question
indicates that you do not understand the issues, you can lose 1 point on that
question. This penalty may never be used and is not intended to dissuade
you from challenging a question. Rather, it is intended to ensure that
you understand the question and answers before offering a challenge. You
will not lose points by indicating that you interpreted the question
differently than it was intended, but you could lose points if your challenge
indicates that, after getting your exam back, you still don’t understand the
issues needed to answer it.
You
may challenge
a maximum of two questions per exam. If you think that more than two
questions had problems, use the best two cases for your challenges and get
someone else to challenge the others. If a question has fundamental
problems, then it will be regraded for the entire class, so you can benefit by
someone else’s challenge. Probably at least half the challenges that are
accepted lead to regrading of the entire class (done in such a way that no
one’s score goes down).
The
format for challenges to the key, whether on paper or email must do the following:
1) Give your
exam version (keycode)
2) Paste or write the exam question and its preamble and
into your document – so that all the information used to answer the question is
there.
3) Indicate the answer you chose, the answer on the key, and
why you think your answer should be credited.
If
your challenge deviates from this format so much that we cannot understand it
or cannot evaluate it without going back to your version of the exam or your
answer sheet, there is a good chance that your challenge will be dismissed
regardless of its content. Class size is large and we need your cooperation in
expediting challenges. Furthermore, we do not engage in a dialogue about
challenges or send email responses back. We will evaluate those that are
submitted and regrade where appropriate, but you will not be notified of the
outcome except via changes to your exam score.
The
fourth and last exam is scheduled for the last week of class in the lecture
hall. University rules dictate that we obtain permission from the Chair to be
exempted from giving a final exam, and if we obtain that permission (you will
be notified during the semester either way), that fourth exam will merely cover
the material since the third exam. If we cannot get permission to give the
fourth exam on this date, the fourth exam will instead be given at the time and
place scheduled for the final, and it will then cover material from the entire
semester. If you wish to submit a written challenge to our grading of the
fourth exam, this must also be done within 1 week of when we post scores.
We
do not give make-up exams to students who miss only one of the four scheduled
exams. If you miss two or more exams, we will give you a makeup exam only if
you present us with a documented, compelling excuse for all exams you missed.
Furthermore, when you miss an exam for a documented, compelling reason, you
must give us your documentation within one week of the exam date (or your
return-to-school date, if your documented excuse indicates that you were unable
to attend classes for some time after the exam). For example, we would not give
a make-up exam to a student who missed the first and second exams, but who did
not provide us with the documentation for missing the first exam until after
the second exam. We would give this student a make-up for the second exam only
if they gave us a documented excuse for missing the first exam within one week
of the first exam, and a documented excuse for missing the second exam within
one week of the second exam. So if you miss an
exam (unless it is the last) let Bull know why pronto, so that you don’t get a
bad grade by missing a second exam. If you oversleep but can still get
to the exam during the exam period, do so to see if we can accommodate you.
Note that, if a makeup exam is given, its format may
be very different (e.g., require written answers) than the format of the exam
given in class. A makeup given at end of
semester will likely be comprehensive.
Homework assignments (22% of possible
points)
There
are 4 assigned homeworks, each worth 34 points. We will count only the best 3 toward your
grade. Each assignment requires you to
find an article (newspaper, magazine, web, or other) and fill out a template
that relates the information in the article to material presented in class. The
301 home page (bio301d.com) provides a link to the details
about these assignments. The deadlines are given in the calendar above;
unless advertised otherwise, there is a 2-day period in which an assignment may
be turned in with a 10% penalty.
Homework
grading may be challenged, just as exam grading may be challenged. The deadline
for a homework challenge is one week from the time its grading is first
posted. Like exam challenges, a homework challenge must be presented in the
form of an explanation for which part of the grading you are challenging and
why you think an error has been made. In addition, homework challenges will
entail a blind regrading of the entire assignment, and your score could go
down. So be confident that your challenge has merit AND that other parts
were graded correctly before turning it back to us (you can ask about it before
you challenge). Also, we will do any regrading as blindly as possible. So
please don't indicate that you need "x more points" to get an A at
the end of the semester.
On-line quizzes and class participation
alternatives (11% of possible points)
At least 11 on-line quizzes (or other activities)
will be provided during the semester, but we will count only the best 8 scores
(at 6 points each, for 48 total possible points). The times each is available will be announced
in class and posted on the website. Most
of them require that you read one or two articles, then answer 3-6
questions. All but one will be
administered through Canvas. All are
expected to be done outside of class.
(We may also experiment with partial-quiz formats that assign less than
6 points at a time but combine to equal 6 points across different quiz dates.)
Attendance and Participation. For those who wish to attend class, there
will be an electronic participation option in which you can respond to
questions presented during lecture. If
you answer enough of those questions correctly on a class day, and you do so on
enough class days during the semester, you will be able to substitute class
participation for an on-line quiz.
Details will be given in class, but it should be possible to substitute
participation for up to 2 on-line quizzes throughout the semester.
Note that there is no ‘penalty’ for failing to
participate in class – all students have the same total possible number of
points that can be attained. Class
participation can be used to replace one or more on-line quizzes (if it is to
your advantage) but cannot be used to get extra possible points.
No
End-of-Semester Special Options
Students
slightly below a grade threshold often look for ways to get the few extra
points at the end of the semester. The options at the end of semester are the
same as they are during the semester:
i)
challenge
the exam 4 grading
ii)
challenge
HW4 grading (your score could go down)
There
is simply no other work that is allowed to get such points – no reports, no
redoing homeworks or retaking exams. The only
way to get points for the class is with the four exams and four homeworks, regardless of the grade a student receives, whether
passing or failing.
In
handling electronic files for large classes, it is easy for the staff to make
mistakes -- both big and little ones. For example, a student may forget to fill
in an EID number on an exam, and the instructor may accidentally insert the
number of another student in attempting to fix the problem. Or, the professor's
manipulation of the class Excel file may inadvertently shuffle some columns but
not others so that the posted scores do not correspond to the actual recorded
scores for any of the students. Mistakes such as these and others will be
corrected whenever detected, and the instructors are under no obligation to
honor such errors whenever the student has, in due time, access to information
that would reveal the error. Exam keys are posted, so that any incorrect
grading may be identified by the student, and any erroneous recording may
likewise be recognized. If we post an incorrect score and then discover our
error, don’t expect that the previous score should apply if access to the files
and records would have revealed the error. Additionally, any challenges to
class records must be supported with any emails or files to which you have
access (do not delete them until the final grades have been posted).
You
are not penalized for failing to attend lecture (although you may replace an
on-line quiz with a certain level of participation). Nonetheless, you are responsible for material
presented in class, regardless of whether you attend. And you must attend to
take the exams and must complete on-line quizzes and assignments on time (which
does not require attendance). In the past, one student suggested that we
should grade their exam more leniently because they missed lecture because of a
dentist appointment. That request was denied -- it is your responsibility for making
up the missed material, regardless of how legitimate your excuse for missing
class. In the event you have missed class, you may wish to consult someone who
did attend to determine what was covered.
Lost assignments; internet
downtime, and other factors preventing on-time completion/submission
There
is a host of problems that can delay submitting an assignment that you have
completed or interfere with taking an on-line quiz. To offset computer theft and loss, use the
free UT Box service that serves as a backup for your work. In general, don’t wait until the last minute
to submit an assignment or take a quiz, since there are times of high activity
that slow internet traffic on campus, and you may be affected by software
incompatibilities. We will honor major,
campus-wide interruptions that last more than a couple hours but not individual
cases of internet interruptions, computer loss and hardware/software
malfunction specific to your computer.
In any case, late homework submissions are allowed for 48 hours with a
small penalty. And we can make
adjustments for interrupted quiz completion and for other problems arising
during quiz attempts on-line, but only if we are notified before the answers
are published.
Other
Matters
NATURAL
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY PART I (Core Component 030)
This course may be used to fulfill three hours
of the natural science and technology (Part I or Part II) component of the
university core curriculum and addresses the following four core objectives
established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: communication
skills, critical thinking skills, teamwork, and empirical and quantitative
skills.
Bio301D
will count toward the Science & Technology, Part I core curriculum if paired with another
appropriate biology class. The
requirements for this part of the core read as follows (Texas core code 030):
Six hours in a single field of study.
The following courses may be counted and paired as indicated below:
Biology
301D, 301E, 301L, 301M, 311C, 311D, 315H, 325H, 326M, 446L, 365S
Choose two courses
from Biology 301D, 301L, and 301M; or complete one of the following
recommended pairs: BIO311C and 311D, BIO 311C and
326M, BIO 311C and 446L,BIO 311C and
365S, BIO 315H and 325H.
see http://www.utexas.edu/ugs/core/requirements/2014-2016#fn164590687853f62af5baca9 for more details.
This course carries the Quantitative Reasoning flag.
Quantitative Reasoning courses are designed to equip you with skills that are
necessary for understanding the types of quantitative arguments you will
regularly encounter in your adult and professional life. You should therefore
expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from your use of
quantitative skills to analyze real-world problems.
Any
student with a documented disability (physical or cognitive) who requires
academic accommodations should contact the Services for Students with
Disabilities area of the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259 as soon as
possible to request an official letter outlining authorized accommodations.
If
you have a problem with the conduct of the course (e.g., you take issue with
teaching methods, feel that the classroom environment is not conducive to
proper education, or another matter), please first discuss the matter with Jim
Bull or one of the TAs. If you are not satisfied, you
may take the matter higher up. The next step would be to request an audience
with the appropriate official of BIO (Biology Instruction Office), and an even
further step is to speak with the Dean's office (either the Dean of Students or
the Dean of the College of Natural Sciences). There are various sources of
information about how to proceed with complaints and who can help you, listed
below:
Students
with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the
Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with
Disabilities, 512-471-6259, http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/
Grievances: contact the Ombudsman at
471-3825
Penalties
for (and definition of) academic dishonesty: http://www.utexas.edu/depts/dos
Prohibition of sexual harassment: http://www.utexas.edu/student/registrar/catalogs/gen-info/appD.html
Religious Holidays. By UT Austin policy, you must notify
me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of
observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an
examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious
holy day, you will be given an opportunity to complete the missed work within a
reasonable time after the absence.
The following recommendations regarding emergency evacuation from
the Office of Campus Safety and Security, 512-471-5767, http://www.utexas.edu/safety/ :
- Occupants of
buildings on The University of Texas at Austin campus are required to evacuate
buildings when a fire alarm is activated. Alarm activation or announcement
requires exiting and assembling outside.
- Familiarize
yourself with all exit doors of each classroom and building you may occupy.
Remember that the nearest exit door may not be the one you used when
entering the building.
- Students
requiring assistance in evacuation shall inform their instructor in writing
during the first week of class.
- In the event of
an evacuation, follow the instruction of faculty or class instructors.
- Do not re-enter a
building unless given instructions by the following: Austin Fire Department,
The University of Texas at Austin Police Department, or Fire Prevention
Services office.
- Behavior Concerns
Advice Line (BCAL): 512-232-5050
- Link to
information regarding emergency evacuation routes and emergency procedures can
be found at: www.utexas.edu/emergency
The
coordination of a large class with considerable electronic software faces
various logistical problems. In the past, we have had such difficulties as
rooms accidentally scheduled for two classes at the same time, classrooms
reassigned after they had been published in the Course Catalogue, and a bomb
threat for the building in which we were lecturing (which we avoided
interpreting as a reflection of student attitudes toward our course). It is
difficult for us to anticipate and apprehend all that might go wrong with the
administration of peripheral aspects of a large class such as this one, and we
solicit your help in identifying problems when they arise. If something is
wrong with the class, please contact Jim Bull (471-8266, or 471-5661), or one
of the TAs pronto. If they are not available, please leave a message with the
Biology office (471-4882) and explain the problem to the staff there.