SYLLABUS

DATE: August 27, 1997
COURSE NUMBER AND TITLE: Biology 252, Human Anatomy and Physiology
 CREDIT HOURS: Four
SEMESTER OFFERED: Fall
PREREQUISITE: None
INSTRUCTOR: Tom Urquhart Ph.D., MLH 221, 799-2246 (office) 758-0865 (home)
OFFICE HOURS: Monday, Wednesday & Fariday 10:30 - 11:45
CLASSROOM AND TIME: The class is scheduled to meet from 12:00 until 1:20 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday in MLH 100

Your laboratory section meets on one of the following times in MLH 220: (51) 1:30-3:30 Monday, (52) 3:30- 5:30 Monday, (53) 1:30-3:30 Wednesday, (54) 3:30-5:30 Wednesday.

Lab examinations will be given on Fridays. Refer to the class schedule for the four dates on which these tests will be given.

TEXTS:

It is recommended that you purchase this textbook, it is in my opinion this is the best A&P book on the market today for a class with our objectives. Many of the transparent overheads that I present in class are taken from this text, and it is in your best interest to have a copy. Also, reading assignments will be given for specific topics in this text. This text will also be used during the second semester of BI 253 (Physiology).

SUPPLIES: Dissection kits are sold in the bookstore. You may purchase a complete kit or select individual tools. Each of you will need a Mall Probe , and each group which shares a cat for dissection will need to have a pair of quality scissors , a scalpel , and forceps .

PURPOSE: This one semester course in Anatomy & Physiology emphasizes Anatomy, but includes elementary Physiology. Since many students are Medical-Science Majors, clinical aspects are included.

This entry level course requires no previous knowledge of either Anatomy or Physiology on your part. It is assumed that you have little knowledge of the subject at the beginning of the semester.

This course fulfills four of the eight A & P credits required for the LCSC Baccalaureate Nursing Program, Biology and Secondary Science Education Majors, and the four credits required in Physical Education.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

  1. Regarding lecture materials, students will be able to define the basic structure and function of the following systems: osteological, muscular, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, immunity, respiratory, digestive, urinary and reproductive. Specific objectives are listed in the four study guides that supplement this syllabus.

  2. Students will demonstrate minimum competencies in the laboratory by correctly naming: tissues (such as muscle, bone or blood), bones and their structures, muscles, blood vessels, and structures of the digestive, circulatory, nervous, endocrine, urinary, and reproductive systems. Lists of all required structures to be learned in the lab will be given to you.

EVALUATION: Your grade will be calculated on the basis of lecture quizzes, lecture and laboratory examination scores, and dissection points. No extra credit.

Quizzes are given one week before each lecture exam. They are given during the last few minutes of class so that you may run into overtime and not feel rushed. There will be 4 quizzes, each one worth 20 points and covering lecture content and specific reading assignments from the text and applications manual.

Lecture exams, are all comprehensive (i.e. they cover all material back to the beginning of the semester). Each (except for Exam One) will consist of approximately 75% material since the last exam and 25% material prior to the exam. The final exam will be equally distributed over the semester material. There will be four exams and one final, each worth 100 points.

Laboratory exams will include only the material covered since the previous lab exam. You will be given an answer sheet and asked to name anatomical structures on lab specimens. Twenty five stations, each with three questions complete a 75 point exam. You will have approximately 2.0 minutes at each station (which is plenty if you know the answers) and 5 minutes after completing all 75 questions to "go back" and recheck a few answers. There will be four exams, each worth 75 points.

Each member of your cat dissection team (consisting of 2 or 3 people), can earn up to 25 dissection points. Even though quality of dissection is important, major emphasis is placed on the completeness of dissection. Cats will be graded after the last lab exam has been given.

A curve, based on the class performance, will be calculated for each quiz and exam and adjusted if necessary until the average is mid-C. Consequently the cut-off for grades is usually below the standard 90-80-70-60 curve ( 80% is an A on some tests). The point distribution for all grades will be given to you when tests are returned. You will know, to the point, what your grade is throughout the semester.

MISSED TEST POLICY: All four of your lab exam scores are counted in your grade. DO NOT MISS LAB EXAMS . You are allowed to miss one quiz and one lecture exam without affecting your grade. Most students choose to take all four lecture exams and drop the final. If you are unable to take one of the first four lecture exams, it will become the one dropped. You may amelioratet by taking the final. If you must miss a second lecture exam, please contact me before the exam to discuss the possibility of a makeup. The same policy exists for lecture quizzes. Regardless of the reason, do not ask to make up a quiz or exam if it is the first one you have missed. Please be sure to get copies of any tests missed to use as study aids.

TEST GRADING: Tests will be returned to you within seven days. Some questions are graded by lab assistants and some are graded by me. If you believe that a question have been improperly graded, I will regraded them. To have this done, write the question number on the front page below your name and return it to me within one week following the exams return. Regrading is limited to the one week period following the return of an exam.

TEST TAKING: You may have all the time you want, within reason, to take lecture exams and quizzes. The lab exams are timed only because we must test many of you within a short period.

Try to relax and let your mind work for you rather than against you. Remember it is your mind and it's under your control.

Do not sit next to other students during lecture quizzes or exams, and do not wear hats (like baseball caps) during testing.

CHEATING: Our professions require honesty. Almost all students are honest. Avoid the temptation of looking at another student's paper, avoid exposing your answers to others, and keep your lecture notes out of view during exams. Cheating is unacceptable behavior and will result in failure of the course.

KEEP TRACK OF YOUR GRADE: Record each test score on the Examination Record at the bottom of the Date/Topic Course Outline in this syllabus. If you do, you will always have a record of your grades and you won't have to ask me to add your score for you.

CLASS ATTENDANCE: I do not take role in either lecture or lab, however it is obvious when students miss class. I will notice your absence in both lecture and lab. There is a strong correlation between success in this class and attendance. If possible don't miss, and if you do be sure to get all missed information.

During scheduled lab time,instructors will be there to help you. Outside of the scheduled lab time, help is more difficult to find. Even though most labs are crowded with students, it is the best time to cover the most information.

In addition, the lab is open most of the time. You are encouraged to come in often and study. It will take more time to learn lab objectives than is scheduled in lab. Your lab is scheduled to last for 2 hours each week, but to firmly learn material you will need to spend more time in lab than 2 hours. If you need evening or weekend access to the lab, you may check out a lab key that is on reserve in the library. The checkout time is limited to ten minutes which will allow you to unlock the outside lab door, relock it and block it open while returning the key to the library. Only students enrolled in A & P will be allowed access to this key. Also, campus security officers have keys. They also have a list of students enrolled in this class. With proper ID you may be able to convince one of them to let you in. You have my permission to do so. If you are studying late in the lab and an officer passes through asking to see ID, please cooperate, they are doing their job.

LAB ETIQUETTE: Clean your lab table and any other mess you have made in the laboratory at the end of of each class. Sinks are not garbage containers!

Smoking in not permitted in any classroom outside stairwell or balcony on campus. If you smoke do so outside beyond the stairwell, please dispose of your butts properly.

It is acceptable to take your cats home, provided that you have the consent of each of your dissection partners. It is also acceptable to study, but not dissect, cats other than your own. If you remove any cat from its storage container be certain that it is returned to it's container. If you get a cat out, it is your responsibility to put it back. You will be tested on other cats, so look at many of them.


If you are the last person leaving the lab after 5:00 p.m., please turn off the lights and close all doors.

Generally speaking, bones, slides and models are not allowed out of the room. However, I will check a few of them out under the following conditions: that it is very inconvenient for you to study them in the lab during the time to be checked out, that they not be out during any scheduled lab period, and that they not be out during the week before a lab exam.

QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS IN CLASS: If you have questions about material being presented during lecture, please ask them. Even if the question is "What are you talking about?". Your feedback informs me of the extent of our communication.

Due to the volume of material that we need to cover, please hold any lengthy discussions until after lecture.

VIDEOS: Laboratory videos which show structures to be learned in lab are on reserve in the library. Included among them are tapes on the skeletal system, and muscle dissection. I have not yet successfully produced tapes on the rest of the lab material, but if it happens this semester I will advise you accordingly. For a fee, you may have the media center copy lab tapes on your blanks or theirs.

CADAVER POLICY: Students enrolled in this class now or in the past are the only people welcome to view cadavers. Please don't encourage or allow unauthorized people to view them. Use common sense with this matter and treat the cadavers with respect.

Only students enrolled in Human Dissection are allowed to dissect cadavers. Do not touch them with any metal tools! Be very careful when handling delicate organs such as vessels and nerves.

OFFICE HOURS: My office hours are basically open. You are welcome to come in almost anytime. Unless it is very important, even if it will only take a minute, please don't disturb me if my door is closed. Just like you, I am frequently "Against The Wall". If it is important and if you can get through, you may call me at my home anytime before 9:00 p.m.

WHAT TO CALL ME: It is not necessary to call me Dr. Urquhart. Do so if you prefer, but I am comfortable being called Tom by students. May I suggest however, that you use formal names when talking to or about any faculty member who has not invited you to do otherwise.

TIPS ON HOW TO STUDY: This course has the reputation of being hard. In my opinion, it is not hard in the sense of being difficult to understand, but difficult because it is a lot of work. I try to make clear what you need to know to succeed. There are no mysteries about what the tests will cover. Copies of lecture exams from the previous year are included in this syllabus, Some of the questions on past exams will be the same this year, but most of them will be different. Use the old exams as a tool to evaluate your preparation for testing. Also detailed study guides that outline the contents covered on each exam are included in the syllabus.

Material presented in class will be the primary source of questions asked on lecture exams and quizzes. Other questions may be drawn from assigned readings in the text and applications manual. Your best tool will be a good set of notes. A lecture outline is available for you at the book store. Use it for your notes if you choose. You will need to write down more in your notes than I write on the board. Get as much of the information into your notes as you can, and START STUDYING EARLY! I often use colored chalk (mostly red, blue and yellow), and I recommend that you use colored pencils.

Read your textbook! Lectures are much more meaningful if you already know something about the subject. You will discover that the textbook covers some subjects more completely than I, and less coverage on others. However, most of the textbook material not covered this semester will be covered next semester.

Review your notes every day after class and make certain that everything is clear. You may not have learned it yet, but at least it will be in a learnable form. Do whatever you need to do to get your notes in order.

Don't lose your notes!

It is generally considered necessary to study eight hours out of class for every four hours spent in class each week. Depending on your ability and energy level, it may take more or less than eight hours of study per week in this course. From the beginning keep track of how much time you spend studying (minute by minute) so that you will be able to effectively determine how much time it takes for you to prepare for this class. Studying is not passive or relaxed behavior; it requires energy and is not easy. You will be tired after spending a few hours doing it. Consequently, spend a few hours each day studying rather than many hours just before the the test.

For most students best results are gained by first trying to learn material independently. This means going over your notes many times. Study a section of your notes consisting of 2 or 3 pages until you believe that you know it. Then, put your notes aside and try to make an abbreviated copy of those few pages on clean paper. If you truly know the material, you will be able closely duplicate your notes. When you are ready to test, you will be able to make a new set of notes from memory alone. This may sound impossible, but it is a task that can be learned with practice. Following independent study, get together with someone else, or with a group. You can discover how well you understand something by trying to explain it to someone else.


Use your study guides. They contain lists of vocabulary words that are the answers to many test questions. They also contain objectives that clarify what concepts you need to learn.

One of the common statements made by students to me is: "Before the exam I really knew this stuff. In fact I was explaining it to other students who didn't understand it and they did better on the exam than I. I just get uptight in exams." When I ask these students questions about the material, I find that their knowledge of it is rather incomplete, they don't really know it as well as they think. The information seems clear to them while their notes are open before them, or even for a short period afterward, but when the notes have been closed for a day their recall is diminished. They need to go over notes again and again until it is remembered. Start early! Study everyday! Learn the material well enough that you can make another copy of your notes from memory.

You will enjoy learning the structure and function of this marvelous biological machine. It will not be easy, but it will be worth it.

There will probably be times when some of you wonder why you are being asked to learn so much. Some information will appear unimportant to you. Try to look at it this way: You need to have a large knowledge pool of this information. Your pool must contain many terms and concepts. Very few terms are essential, but in order to function in your profession and understand it's language you must have a large pool. Be proud of your pool. I try to be selective about what you learn and try to give you as much as I can in the time we have. Even so, there are many important pieces of information that are not presented. We just don't have enough time to cover it deeply. Use the contents learned here as a foundation on which to learn more in the future. There will be many more A&P terms and concepts that you will need to learn in the future. This course is only the beginning.

We all know that everything learned now is not remembered later, and only a fraction of it remains in long term memory. However, once learned it is quickly recalled upon review. Like climbing mountains, there is an art in conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw while higher up. Climb this mountain as high as you can.

ATTITUDE: Your attitude about this course, or anything else in your life, is your choice. You and only you have total control of your attitude. For excellent reading on this subject read the short book, "One Man's Search For Meaning", by Victor Frankl.

This course will be a lot of rewarding work, and much more enjoyable if you choose to like it.

As your professor, I intend to follow the contents of this syllabus, including the course outline, as best I can, and to provide you with a worthwhile learning experience.