Lab Grades
The Laboratory grade is
worth
200 points (40%) out of the 500 point course total.
The Lab grade will be based upon
the following:
| CATEGORY |
POINTS |
PreLab
Quizzes
(weeks
2, 3, 4, 7,
8) |
25 points total
(5 pts each) |
Lab Basics
|
10 |
| Microscopy
Lab |
35 |
| Restriction
Mapping Lab |
35 |
| Polytene
Chr Lab |
20 |
| Mitochondria
Lab |
35 |
| Cytoskeleton
Lab |
35 |
TA points
|
5
|
| TOTAL
POINTS |
200 |
Missed Labs /Lateness: There
will be no make-up labs! If you know of an impending conflict, make
arrangements with the Lab Director to attend an alternate lab period. No
one may attend alternate lab periods without prior instructor
notification
and approval. If you are late and miss a significant part of the
day's
introduction/demonstration, then the organizers may, at their
discretion,
decide for reasons of safety and practicality to bar you from the rest
of that day's session.
Pre-lab Quizzes
A pre-lab quiz will be due at
the beginning
of each lab. The quizzes are designed to ensure that you have
reviewed
the material ahead of time. Your lab expereince will be greatly
enhanced if you are familiar with the goals and the procedures.
Quizzes will be collected at the beginning of the lab. Late
quizzes
(more than fifteen minutes after the lab begins) will not be accepted.
Lab Reports
Lab reports will be due at the
beginning
of the lab period. If
you begin writing your lab reports before the last moment,
you will be able to discuss any problems with your TAs or with the Lab
Director.
Late reports will be penalized 2 points per days (the weekend counts as
one day). Do not turn in late reports to your TA and please do
not ask the TA for extensions. Turn in LATE REPORTS at the Lab Director's office (BSLC
215). On the cover of the lab report,
note the day that you turned in the report. Also, e-mail the Lab
Director that the report was turned in.
Additional Notes:
- Before leaving the
laboratory, write
down your partner's name (and phone number), as well as those of any
classmates
(shared data) you need to cite.
- Remember, you are NOT
being
graded on achieving an expected result; therefore a good, accurate
representation
of your findings, with any intelligent explanation or hypothesis for
the
data obtained, is critical. In the laboratory, experiments that give an
unexpected result are often the ones that lead to new discoveries. You
will not be penalized for having problems carrying out the experiment,
provided you discuss the problems encountered. You may wish to use the
data of classmates to complete your analysis, but cite them fully.
PROBLEMS: If you have
difficulties,
of any nature, that will affect your lab performance, let the Lab
Director
(2-2514 or cps3@midway) know as soon as possible. The earlier we find a
creative solution, the better.
ACADEMIC HONESTY: A
note
on writing your reports: You are encouraged to consult your TAs, to
work
in groups and to collaborate with colleagues while analyzing your data.
However,
your lab report must be written individually, in your own
words!!!
A paraphrase is NOT your own work. See "From the College Catalog"
below
for further details.
From the College Catalog:
Academic Honesty: On January
12,
1983, the Dean of the College issued the following statement regarding
academic plagiarism and cheating:
As students and faculty
of
the University of Chicago we all belong to an academic community with
high
scholarly standards of which we are justly proud. Our community also
holds
certain fundamental ethical principles to which we are equally deeply
committed.
We believe it is contrary to justice, to academic integrity, and to the
spirit of intellectual inquiry to submit the statements or ideas or
work
of others as one's own. To do so is plagiarism or cheating, offenses
punishable
under the University's disciplinary system. Because these offenses
undercut
the distinctive moral and intellectual character of the University, we
take them very seriously, and punishments for committing them may range
up to permanent expulsion from the University of Chicago. The College
therefore
expects that you will properly acknowledge your use of another's ideas,
whether that use is by direct quotation or by paraphrase, however
loose.
In particular, if you consult any written source, and either directly
or
indirectly use what you find in that source in your own work, you must
identify the author, title, and page number. If you have any doubts
about
what constitutes "use," consult your instructor or simply cite the
source.
It is emphasized that, if your
are
at all unsure about the permissibility of any collaboration with
others,
you should check with your TAs or with the Lab Director. In most
exercises
you will be working with a partner. In lab, note your partner's full
name
and phone number. Make sure you each have your own copy of all shared
data
before leaving the laboratory. Note that even tables, graphs and
figures
should be prepared individually, photocopies are not acceptable.
Partners
who are roommates should pay particular attention to the independence
of
their efforts! In some cases it may be appropriate to compare your data
with those obtained by others or with pooled class data. If so,
indicate
clearly which data are not your own and fully attribute the source.
In the event that the Lab Director has
strong
suspicions of academic dishonesty, a grading penalty will be imposed,
AND
a letter will be sent to the Dean of Students and placed on record in
the
student's file.