What you can expect from your instructor

1. Present material clearly and in a variety of formats
2. Be available during lab and outside of class (office hours, study sessions, by appointment, by telephone, by e-mail) to answer questions and address concerns
3. Clearly communicate objectives for each unit (i.e., what do you need to know, what kinds of problems should you be able to solve)
4. Provide resources and opportunities for individual practice during study time (e.g., textbook, practice problems, online self-tests)
5. Provide feedback on progress in a timely fashion (e.g., homework, quizzes, and tests returned for your review, answers to problem sets provided on-line, relevant online study tools recommended)
6. Actively engage students in learning process (e.g., in class problems, small group work, interaction with lab groups during period)
7. Set required standards of performance appropriate for target audience (i.e., what you are expected to be able to do to pass this course is appropriate given the courses and programs for which this class is a prerequisite)

Your instructor expects that you ...

1. Are adequately prepared for this course

   Success in BIO requires certain prerequisite skills and priorities. The better your academic preparation the greater your chance of success. Such preparation would include basic math, reading and English skills (ideally completion of at least MAT 082 and ENG 101 and eligibility for CRE 101). Students with a previous (and fairly recent) high school (or college) chemistry course also tend to have greater chances of success. Knowing how to study effectively and having enough time to do so are also essential qualities. If your study skills are lacking you might consider enrolling in study skills courses offered at GCC (CPD 150 or 150AB) and/or attending free workshops on selected topics related to strategies for college success, watching videos at Center for Learning on such topics as notetaking and test anxiety. Some students may need to wait to take BIO 156 until they have better developed these prerequisite skills.

2. Actively attend all classes and laboratories.

   Attendance is critical to your success in this course. Someone else’s notes can never take the place of the experience of the actual class. You must be in class on time and ready to learn. This means coming to class well rested and enthusiastic about learning new material, being in your desk with all needed materials out and ready at the start of the period, knowing where we left off so you can build on that foundation, taking thorough notes that help you remember important ideas, asking questions about things you do not understand, staying attentive, on task, and engaged until class is dismissed, and participating in all class activities. (If you are text messaging in class, you are not meeting this expectations).

3. Stay on top of your studies.

   Success in this course requires regular and frequent work. Do not procrastinate. Review notes from lecture as soon as possible after class. Fill in any of the details that you heard but didn’t get a chance to write down. Add one sentence summaries of each key concept in your own words in the margin. Read the corresponding pages in the text and add any ideas to your notes that help your understanding. Work on relevant sections of the study guide, self-tests, and problem sets. Mark anything you don’t understand with a question mark and actively try to clarify those concepts by checking printed resources, talking it over with classmates or a tutor and/or asking your instructor.

   Then go back and review material from previous classes (without looking at your notes!), focus on concepts that you are struggling with most, and look ahead to what is coming up so you will be prepared to absorb that new material.

   Review laboratory work as soon as possible after lab. Make sure you have answered all the questions in the lab manual and that they all make sense. Be sure you can describe what you did and why it was important (e.g., what happened and why). Do practice problems, assigned homework, and begin studying for next week’s lab quiz. Get the list of study objectives for the lab quiz from Blackboard and make sure you understand each completely.

   Use all study aids provided (e.g., practice problems, crossword puzzles, on-line self-tests, and text book). Apply the same level of effort and care whether or not the work is being collected for “points.” Everything made available to you can be a valuable tool to your success. Remember the goal is never to simply mindlessly “fill in the blanks;” instead, your answers need to be a reflection of your thinking process. Be sure to check your answers and figure out why you missed anything that was wrong. Just printing out the answers won't do any good.

   Take advantage of extra help that is offered. Check Dr. C's web page for the times of office hours and study sessions.

4. Master each of the concepts outlined in study guide such that you can apply the information to solve problems.

   Meeting this expectation will require more than reading over your notes and reading your text. Your goal is to be able to explain all the material covered in lecture and lab in your own words without looking at your notes. Accomplishing this will require frequent and active studying. You will need to find an active studying method that works for you. Such activities as writing out answers to objectives and reviewing them from memory, meeting regularly with a study partner or group to discuss course material and quiz each other on key concepts, and repeatedly using the online self-tests and study activities throughout each unit may prove to be effective. Flash card drills can help you learn information that must simply be memorized (e.g., vocabulary, names of structures).

5. Do all assigned homework to the best of your ability and submit it on time.

   Start on homework as soon as each assignment is made. This strategy will allow you to complete the assignment while the instructions are still fresh in your mind and will give you enough time to ask questions about anything you come to realize needs clarification. Make sure the final product reflects your best work (e.g., neatly and carefully done, thorough, complete, meeting all outlined criteria and containing all required components). Have it with you, with your name on it, stapled together, out and ready to turn in at the beginning of class on the date it is due. (Do not bother buying fancy folders or covers. You are being evaluated on the contents not the “packaging. “ A colorful folder does not make up for poor work and actually is an annoyance to your instructor who is trying to keep a large pile of papers together).

6. Monitor and adjust your studies regularly.

   Use the feedback you receive via scores and comments on “two minute quizzes,” lab quizzes, homework, on-line self-tests, and exams to check the effectiveness of your activities. If what you are doing isn’t producing the desired results, adjust accordingly and immediately. That might mean more time, more focus, or different approaches. Low scores on lab quizzes and practice tests are not going to miraculously change into As and Bs on exams. Success is a product of ACTION not magic.