Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Thank you for your interest in my class.
This class is taught in person and on campus. Regular attendance in lecture is expected but roll will not be taken or tracked. Attendance in lab is required. I strongly suggest that you attend all lectures. And though most of the material on the exams is covered in the text, I will on occasion dispense small jewels of wisdom that aren't found in your regular assigned reading. Make-up exams will be scheduled only under the most extraordinary circumstances. 

Exams and assignments:
There will be 3 exams covering lecture material, 2 midterms and a noncomprehensive final (so basically, three even-weighted exams).  Also, there will be three required literature review assignments.  The literature reviews require you to read one article from a scientific journal, magazine or other approved source and write a brief, two-to-four-page review. These will be worth ten points each (refer to myPCC for details). There are also three case studies worth 10 points each (also on myPCC). There is NO extra credit!

Grading
Letter grades are based on a traditional break-down:

 90 % or above = A
 80 - 89 % = B
 70 - 79 % = C
 60 - 69 % = D
 59 % or below = F (see note on the last page of this syllabus)

Exams - will be a combination of multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and essay. Generally, the midterms will be approximately 50 multiple choice, true/false and matching and three to five short answer (approx. 3 - 6 points each) or essay questions (up to 10 points each). The total point value for each exam will be 75 points. Lecture accounts for approximately 67% of your overall course grade

Lab - accounts for approximately 33% of your overall grade. Lab assessments are weekly quizzes and prelabs as well as 2 Lab Exams. Due to the hands-on nature of lab exams, make-up exams are extremely difficult to schedule.  If you have a pre-existing conflict at the beginning of the term, I need to know about it ASAP in order to schedule an alternative exam time.