I state these policies once, in writing, so that we can dispense with such uninteresting matters right away, and spend most of the semester talking with each other about biochemistry -- my favorite subject.
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, please inform me during the first week of the semester, after consulting with the Office of Academic Support for Students with Disabilities, 237 Luther Bonney (Voice: 780-4706; TTY: 780-4395; FAX: 780-4403). For problems with writing or study skills, make an appointment at the Learning Center, 253 Luther Bonney (780-4228) or the Counseling Center, 106 Payson Smith (780-4050).
Attendance is required at the normal meeting time of your section. No makeup labs. If you miss a lab, you must contact me within 24 hours. I will excuse lab absence only for unavoidable circumstances. If I excuse the absence, obtain lab data from another student and submit a report for full credit, due on the same date as for attending students (see Late Reports, below). If I do not excuse the absence, obtain lab data from another student and submit a report, due on the same date as for attending students, with a 2-letter (20%) reduction in the final grade.
NOTE: Even if you are absent from lab, you are responsible for all announcements and for all material covered there.
See Report Guidelines. Complete eports are due at the beginning of the next lab meeting after the scheduled completion of a lab experiment. No extensions -- no exceptions. The only way to get full credit for your work is to hand it in a complete report on time.
I reduce grades on late reports by 1/2 of a letter grade (5% of the maximum possible grade) plus an additional 1/2 of a letter grade per 24 hours late, down to a minimum grade of 60%. If you attend lab, but fail to hand in a report, your grade for that lab is 40%. (If you are absent from a lab, see Attendance at Labs above.) Turn in late reports at the Chemistry Office, Science 161, and ask the administrator there to sign and date them. I do not accept any late work after high noon on the last day of regular classes each semester or session. An incomplete report is considered late until I receive all parts.
I do not give the grade of I (incomplete), and I try to avoid late W (withdraw). You must be carrying a grade of C or better before I will consider approving a late W.
Read and study the assignment carefully before coming to the lab meeting.
Next, complete the Pre-Lab Exercise, if there is one. Be prepared to hand it in at the beginning of the pre-lab meeting. No credit for late Pre-Lab Exercises! (Did I say that already?)
In giving prelab directions, I will assume that you are familiar with the theory and procedures, so I will not give detailed directions. Instead, I will try to help you with the most difficult and confusing parts of the experiment. Your goal in your pre-lab study is to become familiar with the background and procedures so you can ask questions in class and be better prepared to carry out the lab work. An excellent way to prepare for lab is to rewrite the procedure in your lab notebook as a numbered, step-by-step procedure that you can follow in lab, checking off each step and recording changes and observations as you proceed. If you prepare in this way, leave room for data, observations, and changes in procedure. A good format is to use the left-hand column of each page for procedures and other notes you put into the notebook before coming to lab, and then use the right-hand column for data, observations,changes in procedure.
Prepare your lab reports as soon as possible after the lab. Reports are easier if you write them immediately, because your memory of the lab work is fresh. Furthermore, if you start early and then run into problems, you will have time to see me for help and still complete the report before the due date.