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Your final is on Wednesday 4 May from 7:30 to 9:30 am. It will include
everything we have covered since the Mid-term (i.e., Rodentia and everything we
have covered since then (lecture mainly and anything we have done outside during
lab). See you Wednesday.
Thomas E. Morrell
Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday 4-5 pm.
Phone: 285-8842
Email: tmorrell@bsu.edu
Teaching Assistant: Andy Duff
Office: CP 240 C
Phone: 285-3686
To access Reading Assignments On-line
Go to:
the BSU library home page
- select: WebCat
- select: Reserve Desk
- type in Morrell and select Instructor
- select Morrell, Thomas E.
- select: (Wildlife Biology)
- Select the article you would like to read (e.g., The Pandas
Thumb)
- Click on the URL address provided to the article
- Enter your user name and password
Students taking this class are
responsible for all information on this page.
About This Course
The objective of this course is to give students a comprehensive understanding and appreciation
of mammals. Topics such as biology, ecology, distribution, behavior, evolution,
systematics, conservation, and socio-economic aspects of mammals will be covered.
Lab sessions will provide students with a "hands-on" opportunity to examine and identify mammals by skin and skull
characteristics. Additionally, labs will also be used to introduce
students to some research and field techniques currently used to study
mammals. Students will be responsible for knowing to the species level many of the skins and
skulls that are in the BSU mammal museum. Emphasis will be given to North American
mammals.
COMPONENTS OF THIS CLASS
In this course I use a combination of lectures and stduent self-guided
instruction. Much of
the format
for this class will be new to many of you and may require a change in what
you expect to do in class and in how you prepare for class. I can assure
you that research in education indicates that students master concepts in
this course environment markedly better than students in wholly lecture-based
environments. Some of you will find this course style empowering
while others of you will find it disconcerting.
An assumption
of this learning environment is that your depth of understanding directly
relates to the amount of effort you put into learning.
Regardless
of your perceptions, it is my role as your instructor to be as supportive
as possible.
Directed readings
On most 'lecture" days you will be
provided with a reading assignment and list of reading questions.
Directed reading questions will help you determine what concepts are most
important in your reading assignment. You will be responsible to
come to each class having read your assignment and answered the questions.
It is your responsibility to feel comfortable with your understanding of
the answer to each directed reading question before you take the minitest.
The
questions in your directed readings are designed to; 1) help you acquire
specific knowledge, 2) develop and monitor learning strategies that allow
you to acquire the depth of understanding necessary for independent
learning, and 3) assess your readiness for evaluation.
Group Discussion
You will
not always be able to fully answer (and understand) all of the directed
reading questions. Each class you will meet with your "group" to
discuss these questions and develop an understanding for the answer.
You will help your group members better understand the answers and they
will help you. Thus, you will have to be an active participant each
day in class with your group. If you do not participate (i.e., carry
your own weight during group discussions and group minitests) you will not receive Group
points towards your final grade.
Question-answer Sessions
This is the time to ask the
instructor questions about the directed reading that you remain unclear
about. This is your final opportunity before the minitest to get any
material that you are confused about
explained to you. Remember your
first opportunity to answer the directed reading questions was
when you went
over the material outside of class. Your second opportunity was during
team time at the beginning of class. Question-answer sessions are your
third time and during these sessions it is your responsibility to ask
questions about material you are unsure of. Question-answer
sessions work best when students ask all the questions they need to
clarify their understanding of the material. Pay attention
to all question-answer exchanges even if you believe you already know the
answer. Something during the exchange may reinforce your understanding by
giving a new perspective or by verifying what you
think. Some
mini-lectures may also be done during question answer sessions but these
will be restricted
to course material that is difficult to master. Once
again, students are responsible for informing the
instructor of
difficulties they are having during these sessions.
Minitests
There will be
short minitests given on nearly every day of class. Each day the
minitests will bet taken by an individual, and then a test might be taken
by the team. On team minitests, team members will work together to turn
in one paper and all team members will receive the same score. Individual
minitests scores will account for 75% of a student's grade and 25% of a
student's grade will be the scores from team minitests. If you miss a
class period, you can only receive credit for your individual score on a
retake. You can not contribute to team scores on days that you are not
there so team scores on missed days is always zero.
Appeals Process
Science can’t provide any final
answers. It can only offer probable explanations. Scientists therefore
care relatively little about what people think about a topic
but are very interested in why people think it. Since many
minitest questions will be multiple choice, it is possible you understood
the concept but there was ambiguity in the question or in
the reading material. You have the right to appeal any
multiple choice question on any minitest. All appeals must be written
and will; 1) identify the appeal, 2) identify the question
being appealed, 3) provide an explanation why
ambiguity was an issue, 4)
identify another option (or options) that should be considered correct
and
explain why they should be considered correct, and 5) be signed by all
members of the team.
The appeals process allows
additional options on minitest questions to be considered correct; the
original answer remains correct and team members still receive credit for
having given the original correct
response. The appeals process is
simply a way to have more than one response be considered correct for a
given question. If an appeal is granted, the points are only given to
the team that has
written the appeal. Points will be given to both
individual and team scores for that team. The appeals process allows
additional options to be considered correct; the original answer remains
correct and team members still receive credit for haven given the original
correct response. The appeals process is simply a way to have more than
one response be considered correct for a given question.
Required Text Books
Three books are required for this course:
Feldhamer, G. A., L. C. Drickamer, S. H. Vessey, and J. F. Merrit. 2004.
Mammalogy:
adaptation, diversity, and ecology. 2nd Edition. WCB McGraw-Hill.
Martin, R. E., R. H. Pine, and A. F. DeBlase. 2001. A Manual of Mammalogy with
keys to
families of the world. McGraw-Hill. Third Edition
Kays, R.W., and D. E. Wilson. 2002. Mammals of North
America. Princeton University Press - or any other field guide
of North American Mammals.
Grades
Your course grade will be based on three exams given on lecture material,
two practical exams on lab skins and skulls, and class assignments.
Lecture exams will likely consist of true/false, multiple choice, short
answer, and essay questions. Students will be responsible for live
trapping small mammals at Cooper's Woods sometime during the semester.
Additionally, all students will be asked to prepare a museum specimen.
We will be using grade book so you may check the status of your grade
anytime. There is a strong possibility that an overnight field
trip will be required.
Tentative breakdown of possible points:
Daily tests = 250 points (approximate)
Lecture exams (3 exams @ 100 points each) = 300
Practical exams (2 exams @ 100 points each) = 200
Web Page assignment = 100 points
Lab assignments = 100 points
Participation, group, peer review points = 100 points
Field notes = 50 points
Tentative total = 1,100 points (approximate)
Additional points can be earned by participating in class discussions
throughout the semester. The number of points earned for
participation is subjectively determined by the MAN, er, I mean the
professor.
Grades will be assigned according to the following scale:
>91% = A 80-81% = B- 68-69% = D+
90-91% = A- 78-79% = C+ 62-67% = D
88-89% = B+ 73-77% = C 60-61% = D-
82-87% = B 70-71% = C- <60% = F
Attendance Policies
Attendance is required. You will be responsible for all material presented during lecture and lab
sessions, and all material assigned during class. If you miss a class it is your responsibility to
obtain any information you missed during your absence. You must provide a signed medical or
legal excuse if you miss an exam or lab practical exam. Lab practical exams cannot be made up (it
takes about 3-4 hours to set up a lab practical exam, and I do not have
time to set up a lab practical a second time for a single student).
Tardiness
Each time you are not present in class or you are late to class
(i.e., entering the room after 9:00 am) you will lose 10 points and you
will provide me with a written explanation for your absence/tardiness.
If you do not provide me a written explanation within one week you will
lose 20 points.
Academic Dishonesty
Honesty, trust, and personal responsibility are fundamental attributes of the university
community. Academic dishonesty by a student will not be tolerated, for it threatens the
foundation of an institution dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge.
Special Needs and Accommodations
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have
emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case
the building must be evacuated, please inform me immediately.
Office hours: My office hours are 4-5 pm on Tuesdays and
Thursdays. If you can not meet with me during these times please
feel free to call or email me to set up a time that is convenient for you.
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