IDS 3214L - Our Coastal Environment from the Bay to the World Laboratory

 A Foundational Global Learning Course

Biscayne Bay Campus

Fall 2017 

Updated September 16th

Course Information:

Instructor: Megan - mkell009@fiu.edu

Schedule:

Office Hours: TBA

Course Texts:

Task sheet will be posted and students will need to print them out and bring them to lab.

Attendance: Be prepared to participate in ALL the course as scheduled.

Lab Supplies Required:

•  Lab coat (Long sleeve shirts are not acceptable substitutes for proper lab coats).

• Closed-toe shoes should always be worn inside the labs no flip-flops or sandals allowed.

• Some type of waterproof shoes to be worn during field trips and but MUST be able to be worn in water.

• Lab notebook (3-ring binder with tabs and both lined and blank paper)

FIU Faculty Senate Approved Grading Scale:

Grading Breakdown:   Grades will not be curved and will be posted as soon as possible and are broken down in the following manner:

 Midterm Practical Exam – 25%

Final Practical Exam – 25%

Quizzes – 15%

Lab Task Sheets – 10%

Project - 20%

Notebook and Participation - 5%

  Participation:

Participation also includes wearing proper attire for lab work (closed-toe shoes and lab coat) and outdoor field work (getting wet from the head down if it is raining and from the feet up when we wade into the adjacent Biscayne Bay to collect samples) and cleaning up after each lab.  There will be 2 possible mandatory half-day field trips one to BBC for a kayak ride around the bay and the second to Biscayne National Park for a snorkeling trip most likely on Saturday.

 Notebook: 

You are required to print out, read and bring to lab each assigned task sheet (s) before the lab period.  You will be required to maintain your lab manual & binder containing your observations, drawings and answers to exercise questions.  These notebooks will be collected and checked twice per semester.  The notebook should consist of a three-ring binder that will first include printouts of this syllabus, lab safety and microscope rules.  Following this, in chronological order under separate tabs, you should include: notes from each laboratory exercise, quizzes and completed task sheets.  Failure to follow the exact guidelines will result in a lower combined notebook/participation grade (5% of overall grade for this course).

 Practical Exams: 

There will be a midterm and a final with some practical questions and due to the nature of the laboratory practical exams, you will receive a grade of ZERO if you are late or miss the exam.  You may not attend any other lab section if you miss an exam.   No make-up exams will be given.

 Quizzes:

There will be quizzes as indicated on the syllabus for a total of 7 quizzes with the lowest score being dropped (15% of overall grade for this course).  Quiz material is based on material presented in the previous lab as well as that day’s activities.  You will be expected to recall major concepts and results discussed from the previous lab and background introductory information from the current lab.  You must be present in the beginning of the class or field trip in order to take the quiz.  If you are late or absent, you will receive a ZERO for the quiz and there are no make-up quizzes.

 Lab Task Sheets:

Each lab has an associated task sheet that can be found online at www.fiu.edu/~brinnr.  It is your responsibility to print out, read and bring to lab each assigned task sheet (s) before the lab period.  The questions within the task sheet (s) should be completed and turned in to be graded at the beginning of the next lab session. 

Student Groups:

Students will work in groups to collect data on campus and also work on their global projects.

 Help:  If you need additional assistance with the information presented in this course, contact your instructor or the lab coordinator.  If the office hours are inconvenient, other arrangements can be made.

Learning Outcome: Students that successfully complete this lab will have complete knowledge of the scientific method and be able apply this method in marine biology of global scenarios. Students would also be able to identify different marine taxa and their basic biological characteristics and have a general knowledge of basic marine abiotic parameters and how these influence marine life.

 Important Policies:

You will follow all policies as stated in the University Handbook.  Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the course and possibly the University. 

Sexual Harassment:     http://www.fiu.edu/hr/eop/Forms/Policies/Sexual_harassment.pdf

Plagiarism:  Cheating is unacceptable and will be reported to University Officials

Emergency:  “Emergency” is determined as an unpreventable event that prevents attendance to the

laboratory session.  Emergency situations are:

·         Medical emergency with Medical Doctor/emergency room’s note.

·         Automobile accident with police report (lack of ride is NOT an emergency)

·         Death of immediate family members.

·         Natural events causing the closing of FIU-BBC (National Hurricane Center 305-229-4470)

·         Emergency situations also include problems with late registration.  However, your instructor reserves his/her right to deny you a seat in this course.

Week	Topic / Task Sheet	Exercises and Remarks
Aug 22th	Syllabus   Plagiarism Policy  Lab safety rules (read and attach to your notebook)
Aug 29th	Lab 1 - continued  Field trip around BBC / Local Orientation Quiz #1
Sept 5th	Lab 2 - Physical and Chemical properties of water  Quiz #2
Sept 12th	No Classes due to Irma
Sept 19th	Lab 3 - Microscope use and biological properties chlorophyll, phytoplankton, zooplankton and infauna Quiz #3	Topic for Project Due
Sept 26th	Lab 4 - Pollution Lab Quiz #4
Oct 3rd	Lab 5 - Kayak Trip Quiz #5
Oct 7th Sat	Lab 6 - Field Trip: Biscayne National Park  Release Forms (sign and submit)
Oct 10th	Midterm Exam (ALL material from Labs 1-5) 1st Notebook Check
Oct 17th	Lab 7 –Fisheries Lab-[ Boat Field trip] Quiz #6
Oct 24th	Lab 8 – Sea Level Rise Lab Quiz #7
Oct 31st	Lab 9 - Field Trip to Rocky Intertidal Diversity in BBC Quiz #8
Nov 7th	Lab 10 – Marine Mammals Lab Quiz #9
Nov 14th	Review
Nov 21st	Thanksgiving week (No Lab)
Nov 28th	Final Practical Exam
Dec 5th	Final Project Presentation

-THIS SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE! CHECK BACK EVERY WEEK!!

SYLLABUS AND SCHEDULE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS DEEMED NECESSARY