Anatomy Lab Heart Dissection – Fill Out and Use

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H U M AN AN ATOM Y – BI OLOGY 2 4 2 3 – FA LL 2 0 1 1

LABORATORY I N FORM ATI ON & POLI CI ES –

ALL SECTI ON S

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:

Instructor: Michael T. Griffin, M.S.

Office: Cavness Science Bldg. (basement) - Rm 029B

Office Phone: 325-486-6640

Office Hours: M-Th 5-6 pm, T&Th 11 am-2pm

E-Mail Address: mike.griffin@angelo.edu

(Type "Bio 2423 Lab" in the subject line of any messages)

LAB OVERVIEW & LEARNING OUTCOMES: Anatomy is the ABC’s of biology. It is fundamental and absolutely essential in understanding biology and an integral part of many other disciplines (physiology, medicine, kinesiology, psychology, allied health sciences, nursing, et cetera). Laboratory exercises provide the real learning experience in any anatomy course and serve to illustrate, validate, and reinforce what you learn in lecture. As a successful student in anatomy lab you should be able to locate, identify, and functionally describe the structures of the human body and the physical relationships among them at all levels of organization. You will achieve these learning outcomes, through dissections, examinations of models & slides, lab activities, and examining the three-dimensional relationships among various structures of the body. Lab practicals and quizzes will assess your knowledge and comprehension of these outcomes. This semester you will dissect a mink, sheep heart, sheep eye, and a sheep brain that are all remarkably similar to their human counterparts. In addition, you will also examine histological preparations of many organs and tissues, as well as models, and charts. You will be notified in advance when you will need to bring your dissecting kit and gloves and wear old clothing.

Since Anatomy is a taught in an academic setting, it requires a great deal of conceptual understanding and rote memorization...And although most of anatomy is conceptually straight forward, the amount of material & unfamiliar terms make it a seemingly difficult subject. Do not think cramming will work. You must prepare for class & study nearly every day to earn the grade you want. This requires you to PDA… practice perfectly, maintain discipline to study, and posses a positive attitude about the course. Any deficiency in these learning characteristics may affect your grade. Therefore to achieve the course goals and help maximize your learning, it is vital that you attend lab, come prepared, focus your efforts, make use of the full period, and study the material outside of lab everyday. Finally be sure to ask for help. We’re here to help you learn!

COURSE MATERIALS:

−Since lab material will be routinely distributed via the web, you are required to have internet and Blackboard access, and an official ASU email account. All communication will be through these media. ASU provides these services free at any of the computer labs on campus. Call the IT Help Desk at 325-942-2911 for technical assistance.

LAB ASSESSMENT & GRADING POLICY: You will have the opportunity to earn 500 points in the lab portion of this course. Your grade will be determined by the total number of points you accumulate on pre-lab assignments, pre-lab quizzes, and practical exams administered at the beginning of the lab period (see schedule). These course components are designed to assess your knowledge and comprehension of the course content, motivate you to keep up with your studies, and reward you for doing so.

−Pre-lab Quizzes are written assessments administered at the beginning of lab that must be completed within 15-20 minutes. (If

you arrive late you will not be given extra time). Quizzes will come directly from the lab manual pages which you are required to fill out ahead of time (activities, figures, tables, and ‘reviewing your knowledge sections) and coloring book plates (3rd ed. of Kapit and Nelson’s Anatomy Coloring Book). Quizzes are designed to make you study material ahead of time to make lab time a more productive learning experience OR reinforce material you have already learned. Your instructor will provide you with the specific information you are responsible for learning at the beginning of each lab session.

−Practical Exams are tests where you identify labeled structures, locations, functions, etc. from models, dissections specimens, charts, and microscope slides at various stations distributed around the lab…from memory. The information you are responsible for learning for all lab practicals is listed in the summary word-lists in your lab manual. (You are not allowed to use the word-list during the practical exam). Please speak with your lab instructor if you are unfamiliar with this type of assessment format. You are required to arrive on time and follow the guidelines posted in the ‘general lab rules’ below. If you arrive late for a practical exam you will not receive any additional time to complete it.

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−Depending on your instructor grades may or may not be posted on Blackboard, so it is your responsibility to keep up with them. Pre-lab quizzes and practical exams will be graded by your lab instructor or an assistant and returned the next lab period. There will always be a laboratory exercise that follows the pre-lab assignment, quiz, or practical. [A special note, students in split labs will always take the quiz or practical in the first lab meeting of the week. Any assignments will also be due at the beginning of the first lab meeting of the week. Lab will always follow the quiz or resume during the second meeting of the week after practical exams].

ATTENDANCE POLICY: Attendance is mandatory. Attendance will affect your grade in the course. You are required to come prepared, attend lab for the full time each day, and spend time in the open lab periods. The volume of material makes it critical that you make every second in lab quality study time. Students who goof off, whine, or consistently leave early usually do not perform well simply because their efforts are not focused on studying. Roll will be taken at the beginning and/or end of the lab period. To receive credit for your attendance, you must stay for the entire lab. (Sign out sheets will be deployed at the end of lab).

Signatures are required for attendance credit. Excessive absences will be reported to the Registrar’s Office and Financial Aid. You must also attend the lab for which you are registered. Labs cannot be made up except under extraordinary circumstances. Only excuses acknowledged by the university catalog will be considered for make-up and will always be subject to written verification, If you know now that you will have work or other conflict with your scheduled lab time, you should do one of the following immediately: (1) Go to the registrar’s office and drop this lab section and then add a lab section with no work/lab conflicts. (2) Change your schedule. (3). Drop this course.

In order to make-up a lab: you must first contact your instructor in person within 24 hours of your absence (no exceptions) and provide them with a written, valid, university recognized excuse that is verifiable. (Your instructor may or may not give you permission to make-up the lab based on the validity and verifiability of your excuse). All labs, quizzes, and practical exams must be made-up the same week they were originally scheduled, no exceptions. (This is because the lab changes weekly). Format of any make-up quizzes or practical exams will be left to the discretion of your lab instructor. In the event that your instructor decides your absence is excused, you will determine together which lab you will attend to make-up the lab you missed. Permission must then be obtained from the instructor of the make-up lab before you can attend. You may not be accepted to your choice pending space availability. You must also stay for the entire lab you make-up. If you leave early and/or do not sign out, you will not receive credit for any quizzes, assignments, or practicals taken during the make-up lab. If you cannot make-up a quiz or practical exam during the week it was missed, you can use the bonus points you’ve earned in lecture and lab as “disaster insurance,” to make up for the points you missed. There are no “extra” bonus points. Failure to follow these procedures will result in a 0 for the quiz, practical, or assignment in question. Again all quizzes and practical exams must be made up the same week they are missed no exceptions. Excessive absences will be reported to the Registrar’s office and other required agencies.

SPELLING COUNTS. You will be expected to spell all terms correctly on exams and quizzes. One-quarter to full credit will be taken off for spelling mistakes. For example if it changes the meaning of the word, full credit will be taken off (e.g humerus vs. humorous). Any partial credit for almost correct answers will be awarded at the discretion of your instructor. Besides the basic reason of education, why does spelling count? Confusion may arise from imprecision. Many anatomical/medical terms are similar—they may even have the same Latin & Greek roots. Would you like your pharmacist to misread your prescription? A misspelled word on a patient's chart can lead to a disaster: legal as well as health-wise. Besides your own health or a patient’s, there’s another very practical reason: it may hit your pocketbook—in all jobs, written communication is important in making an good first impression. Would you hire someone whose application is full of spelling and/or grammatical errors? Here’s an example for nurses enunciated by a colleague: “I tell them they could be the world's best nurse, but if they have misspellings on their charts, those reading the charts (including the doctors) may mistrust their abilities and intelligence. Because physicians often first 'meet' the new nurse on the floor through written reports, the opinion may be made before they actually meet. Once this opinion exists, it is very difficult to overcome. You only get to make a "first impression" once! This could even lead to poor efficiency reports and to being passed over for promotions.”

REGRADING PROCEDURES: Every effort is enlisted to ensure accuracy and consistency in grading; however sometimes mistakes do occur. An answer key of each quiz and practical exam will be made available and your paper will be returned to you. You are encouraged to carefully review the key. To report grading errors regarding your quiz, exam, or grade, you are required to follow the Procedures for Regrading shown below.

Procedures for Regrading: Read and follow the instructions below.

1.If the error is strictly a mathematical error: staple a note to your quiz/exam which reads “math only” & turn it in to your instructor for a grade recalculation.

2.If you believe you have found a grading error:

−study the key before you request that any question(s) be regarded. Remember a 1 pt error is at best only .002 pts out of 500.

−remember that the quizzes/practicals are photocopied immediately after you turn them in (e.g. We will know if you have changed an answer). It is an expense we wish we did not feel compelled to bear.

−you must clearly state your reason(s) for thinking the question has been graded incorrectly in a neatly written, attached note. “Question X is graded wrong or I deserve more points on question Y” are not reasons. This means we expect a clearly delineated/thoughtful reason based on verifiable factual information that your answer is correct (i.e. from a reputable source like your text or lab manual). We expect a short paragraph for each error along with specific page references.

−staple your justification to your quiz or practical and turn it in to your instructor. Your instructor will be very fair and accurate, but the entire quiz/practical will be regraded AND if the resulting grade is lower than the previous, the second grade will replace the first. Regraded quizzes/practicals will be returned the following week.

3.The deadline for requesting any recalculating or regrading is the same day following the return of the quiz/practical. No Exceptions.

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WHAT WILL ANATOMY LAB BE LIKE?

Anatomy lab is a combination of independent study and group work. Your instructor will provide some short introductory comments about tasks, assignments, and materials distributed around the lab. You will then be encouraged to work through your lab activities to identify and locate key structures on models, slides, and dissection specimens on your own or as a lab group. The instructor will walk around the lab to each table to help you with the material. Your instructor is willing to work with you as needed, but it is your responsibility to focus on the tasks, activities, and materials so that her/his attention may be focused on your particular task at the time. You are therefore encouraged to generate a list of questions for the instructor, so she/he may help you when she/he stops by your table. This requires self-motivation and the proper attitude toward learning. We are here to help you learn, but you must do your part too. (We can’t learn it for you, nor can we take your exams).

To help you achieve your learning goals, we require that you fill out the exercises in your lab manual before you attend lab. Most (if not all) of the answers to the activities, figures and review sections in your lab manual can be found within the manual itself as well as your textbook (many of the figures are the same), and your coloring book. (Answer keys will not be provided since all the answers are in these places and helps you to learn the material). As a supplement, many students find it helpful to download the pictures of the required models/slides on-line and bring them to lab to label. These are important study strategies because it frees up your lab time so you can review models, slides, and specimens. Some students prefer to work alone, but many successful students find that working with 1 or 2 other committed/motivated people helps them to learn the material faster and better. We agree.

Sometimes, you will be working in groups of 3-5 people during dissections. You do not have to touch or handle specimens, but you are still responsible for the dissection material. Further…someone at your lab group must be willing to conduct the dissection. Those who do not participate directly in the dissection will be assigned other lab duties like cleaning up, reading instructions, preparing dissection tools etc. Therefore it is advised that students organize their groups in such a way that there are an adequate number of students willing to participate in all required activities.

WHAT DO I NEED STUDY?

In lab you are required to always come prepared by filling out the lab manual in advance. You are required to study the lab manual activities/exercises, coloring book plates (when applicable), and summary word lists. These will serve as the basis for all your quizzes and lab practical exams.

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO EARN AN A?

The fact that you’re reading this shows that you have the potential to be an “A” student. In fact, we would like for every student in this class to earn an A. Read that again....Shocking isn’t it? Yes, believe it or not we want you to do well and if you’re reading this, we sincerely believe you have the

potential to do so in this lab. We will do everything in our power to help you earn the grade you want, but you’ll have to do your part too which means studying for complete understanding and learning beyond just memorizing the facts.

Anatomy is conceptually easy to understand, but learning it requires much effort on your part. Many students after an exam say, “but I knew the material,” or “I even studied for 8 hours,” and are truly bewildered by a grade lower than they anticipated. The problem is that there’s a big difference between understanding something you hear and/or read and knowing it. Understanding is what has to come first, but knowing is beyond even that. Knowing requires being able, without reference, to (1) repeat what you hear/read, accurately and completely, AND (2) use what you’ve heard/read to figure out things you’ve never seen before at all! In other words using what you know. Don’t let time dictate your studying; let learning. Study until you “learn” the material, no matter how much time it takes. Also consider that knowing requires a degree of familiarity and usefulness of the material that cannot occur overnight. Cramming doesn’t work. We suggest you spend “quality time” with anatomy everyday.

Also don’t be deceived by the large amounts of free time in your schedule. They simply do not exist. The general rule of 3 hrs of outside study a week for each hour of course credit is no joke. Such experiences have led to the classification of a person carrying 12 semester hours as a full-time student.

Here are some examples:

•3 hours of outside study/hr of class x (12 class hours) = a 36 hour work week outside class + 12 hours in class = a 48 hour week (i.e., College is a full time job!).

•Or to put it differently 75% of what you accomplish is done on your own. This may be vastly different from your experience in other courses. You therefore must accept responsibility for much of your own learning.

•This means for anatomy, you need to study 12 hours a week! Read that again…Yep, that’s what it takes.

•If you work a part-time job, you are just doubling or even tripling your work load. Time management is therefore crucial to your success. To study 12 hours a week we suggest getting a calendar, marking all your exam dates on it, and preparing a weekly schedule of study/play/work time.

So how do you become an “A” student? Well it really is simple isn’t it? You must come to lab and you must study…for learning. Seems easy enough to say, but is often more difficult to put into practice. The feeling of being lost or overwhelmed by the material is not uncommon. Neither are the feelings of uneasiness and frustration. A positive attitude is difficult to maintain when frustration rears up. If you are unfamiliar with how to study for a science course, see your instructor for help or use the study tips posted on your lecture instructor’s Blackboard site.

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Tentative Human Anatomy Lab Schedule - Fall 2011 - All Sections

Please note: When applicable, the coloring book plates refer to the 3rd Edition of Kapit and Nelson’s Anatomy Coloring Book. For plates, you should be able to recall all labeled structures on quizzes noted in the lab manual summary word-lists. Lab Practical Exam assignments refer to the actual lab number listed in the 2nd column and all the exercises covered within. Quizzes and Practical Exams are given at the beginning of lab. No extra time will be given if you are late. [A special note, students in split labs will always

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take the quiz or practical in the first lab meeting of the week]. Lab exercises will always follow the quiz or practical exam. You are responsible for bringing relevant materials for lab study (e.g. text, coloring book, lab manual, dissection kit).

Angelo State University – Honor Code: ASU expects its students to maintain complete honesty and integrity in all of their academic pursuits. Students are responsible for understanding and following the Academic Honor Code as outlined on the university’s web site and in the Student Handbook.

Special Needs/Disability Statement: Persons with disabilities which may warrant academic accommodations must contact the Student Life Office, Room 112 University Center, in order to request and to implement academic accommodations.

Withdrawal From the Course: Contrary to what many students believe, you are not automatically withdrawn from a course if you cease to attend lectures or labs. If you wish to discontinue participation in human anatomy lab, you must formally withdraw by seeing your lecture instructor. Dropping the lecture automatically drops the lab, no separate drop slip is necessary. Failure to do this can result in a grade of F appearing on your academic transcript. The last day to withdraw from classes for the FALL 2011 semester is

Thursday, October 27th.

Enjoy the Calvin and Hobbs cartoons and heed their implied messages.

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Student Agreement Sheet-Human Anatomy

I,____________________________________, (print your name) have read the information contained in the

biology 2423 Human Anatomy lab syllabus for the FALL 2011 semester at Angelo State University and fully understand the expectations and requirements for completing this lab successfully. In addition, I pledge to maintain the highest standards of academic honesty, integrity, and discipline while I am enrolled in this course. (Please turn this in to your LAB instructor).

LECTURE section (day & time) ________________________________.

LECTURE Instructors Name___________________________________.

Academic Major _____________________________________________.

Academic Classification _______________________________________.

ASU ID # __________________________________________.

ASU Email address and other email address you check regularly (required):

_________________________________________________________________________________________.

Phone # (optional) _________________________________. In some rare cases I have found it necessary to

contact a student.

I acknowledge I have received and am responsible for the material contained in the syllabus.

SIGNATURE: _____________________________________________________________________________.

DATE: ____________________ .

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