Laboratory Manual: Available on the "Labs" section of this web site.

Lab - The labs complement the lecture material.  Labs cannot be "made up" and because lab sections are full you cannot attend a section other than the one you are enrolled in.  One of the benefits of having smaller lab sections is that each student can get more individual attention from the Teaching Assistant (TA).  If a university approved absence arises, you need to discuss it with your TA prior to the lab meeting in order to make other arrangements.

The Interactive Study Partner (CD) located in the back cover of your text is yet one more way to view the material.  It contains activities, little movies, and additional multiple choice problems covering the topics we study.  Many students have found it helpful.
 

The final exam  is worth 100 points. It is not cumulative and it covers the material Dr. Olivetti will discuss during the last quarter of the class. The final exam is scheduled for Tuesday December 11 at 8:00 AM. There will be no alternate final exam.

If you have difficulty with multiple choice testing I recommend that you seek study skills assistance from the Learning Co-op or the Office of Specialized Student Services.  We will be practicing multiple choice questions frequently in class.
 

Schedule a regular time to review your notes within 24 hours of each lecture.   Information you received in lecture is fleeting in your short-term memory.  The sooner you come back to it, the more likely you will transfer it to a long-term storage.  Waiting any longer than this means that most of the material will be lost, and it will take longer to commit it to memory.  Try to integrate review of the lecture with the corresponding readings in your textbook.  Working with the same topic is the best way to master the lesson.  Return to past lecture notes frequently to help retain the information you have already learned.

Stay current with the lessons.  Biology is not like other courses that have assigned problem sets or homework.  It is easy to fall behind during the weeks between exams.  There is far too much material on each exam to be able to master it in just the few days before a test.  Keeping up does not take any more time than a marathon cramming session the day or two before a test.  Staying on top of the subject is a more efficient use of your time (e.g. an hour after each lecture 10 different times vs. 10 hours cramming).  You will learn and retain more from repeated exposures to the material over many days and weeks.  When it is time to get ready for the test, you will only need to review the material to refresh your mind.

Studying for biology takes more than learning to recognize facts.  Nor  is it sufficient to commit the facts to memory.  Challenge yourself to understand how the facts relate to the main topics outlined in the objectives.  How do these facts relate to material studied in past lectures?  If we discuss the replication of DNA in one lecture, don't treat mitosis (cell division) as a separate, unrelated topic.  Make the connection that the DNA replicates so that when a cell divides each cell receives a complete copy of the DNA in the form of chromosomes.  If facts and concepts aren't related to each other, you are missing the information that helps hold all the details together in a logical way.  You must see the logic if you are going to understand biology.
 

Work with other students from this class.  When you explain material to others you learn it much more clearly.

Attend the SI classes (the hours will be posted on the blackboard and this web site). Consider getting a tutor at the Living Learning Center (656-4075).

I would be pleased to hear from you by e-mail as frequently as you like with questions and information you hear or read on hot topics in biology.  I check my e-mail frequently and find that it is the easiest way to contact me.