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Course Information
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Botany 121 Plant Diversity Syllabus: Fall 2025 Instructors: Robert J. Cummings, PhD and Larry Jon Friesen, PhD Bob Cummings cummings@sbcc.edu Larry Friesen 121bot.fall@121botany.net Textbook: Friesen, Larry Jon and Robert J. Cummings. 2025. Plant Diversity. NatureJournal. ISBN: 978-1-942380-10-8. |
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Nature of the Course Botany 121 Plant Diversity is a combined lecture-laboratory course emphasizing the biology of plants and related forms, their structures and life processes and the principles of evolution and ecology that determine plant diversity and distribution. Plant Diversity satisfies the SBCC General Education Requirement in Natural Sciences and transfers to all UC and California State University campuses where it satisfies a general education requirement for a life science laboratory course. By the end of the course, you should be able to describe fundamental molecular, cellular, anatomical and physiological characters of plants, how they complete their life histories, and the major evolutionary changes that have occurred from ancestral forms resulting in the diversity and distribution of plants on Earth. General Topic Sequence
Plant Diversity Student Learning Outcomes
Assignment Due Dates 25 Aug: First day of instruction 25 Aug: Establish course Turnitin Account before 12 midnight 6 Sep: Last day to drop for a refund of tuition 6 Sep: Submit Quiz 1 before 12 midnight 7 Sep: Last Day to Drop without a "W" 22 Sep: Three lab reports are due 29 Sep: Submit Exam 01 before 12 midnight 18 Oct: Submit Quiz 2 before 12 midnight 20 Oct: Three lab reports due 24 Oct: Last Day to Drop with a "W" 27 Oct: Submit Exam 02 before 12 midnight 15 Nov: Submit Quiz 3 before 12 midnight 17 Nov: Three lab reports due 24 Nov: Submit Exam 03 before 12 midnight 6 Dec: Submit Quiz 4 before 12 midnight 8 Dec: Three lab reports due 15 Dec: Submit Exam 04 (Final Exam) before 12 midnight 
Laboratory Laboratory due dates. To avoid late penalties four lab reports must be submitted for each of the following four deadlines. Completion of laboratory exercises may be completed and submitted in any order. There are deadlines for submission of a certain number of reports as follows: 22 Sep: a total of three lab reports are due 20 Oct: a total of six lab reports are due 17 Nov: a total of nine lab reports are due 8 Dec: a total of twelve lab reports are due Important Note: Plant Diversity is a laboratory course and completing each of the twelve lab reports is required. Each lab report is worth 15 points and submitting all twelve lab reports carries the possibility of earning 180 points. At least eight lab reports must be submitted to be eligible for a passing grade. Student Evaluation Course grades are determined by your total point score according to the following scale: Four Lecture Exams: 400 points, 100 points each Four Chapter Quizzes: 100 points, 25 points each Twelve Laboratory Reports: 180 points, 15 points each Course Grade Scale (~percent): A 100 - 85; B 84 - 75; C 74 - 60; D 59 - 50; F 49 - 00 Course Grade Scale (points): A 680 - 580; B 579 - 510; C 509 - 410; D 409 - 340; F 339 - 000 Pass / NoPass Option: Pass = 375 and above; NoPass = 374 and below. * Extra credit. Instead of extra work for extra credit, 5 extra credit points will be earned for submitting all four quizzes and 5 extra credit points for each exam that meets the due date and minimum word count --(all quizzes 5) + (each of 4 exams 20) = 25 extra credit points. 1. Submission of Quizzes, Lab Reports and Examinations is required. Submitted assignments are the means by which participation ("attendance") is evaluated. Submission of four original exams is required in order to be eligible for a passing grade and to remain in the course. Missing required assignments is equivalent to missing class meetings in a traditional course. Failing to submit required assignments, particularly early in the course, may result in dismissal similar to a traditional, onsite class requiring attendance. Examinations due before the last date to drop with a "W" must be submitted as evidence of participation in the class and, if not submitted, the student will be dropped for non-participation. Failure to submit exams with due dates after the last date to drop with a "W" will result in a failing grade. 2. Do not plagiarize, copy or quote any material on exams. Copying and plagiarism are treated equally. Copying is using passages with little or no change, but referencing the source; plagiarism is using passages with little or no change, and not referencing the source. Quoting passages also is prohibited. All of your answers must be written in your own words. If plagiarism, quotations or copying is detected in your answers, your score will be reduced significantly; you may receive a zero and, in severe cases, your assignment will not be accepted as having been submitted and you may be dropped prior to the final drop date, or you may receive a course grade of F if your assignment is submitted after the final drop date and is not accepted. Do not submit AI-generated material on exams. AI is the same as copying from sources and you will lose points in proportion to the AI present in your exam. All of your answers must be written in your own words. Do not use any electronic media that would alter your essay. This includes Grammarly, QuillBot, GrammarCheck, Scribbr, etc; these programs generate AI word sequences that may be flagged as AI-generated essays and you will lose points. If copying or AI is detected in your answers, your score will be reduced significantly; you may receive a zero and, in severe cases, your assignment will not be accepted as having been submitted and you may be dropped prior to the final drop date, or you may receive a course grade of F if your assignment is submitted after the final drop date and is not accepted. 3. Late Exam Policy. The long lead time prior to deadlines should allow researching, writing and submitting exams early. Generally, late submission of an exam is not allowed except for emergencies and an extension must be requested prior to the due date. Depending on the emergency, late point deductions of up to five points per day may be applied. Medical emergencies are approved without deductions, but official verification must be submitted. Nature of the Graded Assignments Lecture Examinations There are four lecture examinations required in order to be eligible for a passing grade in the course, regardless of points earned. The questions for each lecture exam are presented at least two weeks before their due dates, often earlier. In a sense, these assignments are similar to take-home exams in a traditional class and you may use any resources available to research your answers. The course lectures and the online textbook will support your answers, but it is likely that you will expand your search for information to other sources. You must use five sources in writing each examination and list these in a References section at the end of the assignment. The course textbook must be used and listed as one of the five sources. Each of the examinations causes you to write ten short essays that are posed as separate questions, each of which must be answered for full credit. The combined length of all answers (the total for the complete exam, excluding References) has a minimum word count of 2,000 words. The best exams often are much longer than the minimum. Each examination will earn up to 100 points. Lecture exams are submitted to Turnitin. Complete each question on exams. Each question covers a general topic with specific subtopics. Sometimes, students fail to answer the question in full and lose points. Points are assigned to every part of each question. Print out the exam prompts and cross out each aspect of each question as you proofread your final draft to assure that all aspects have been covered. Begin writing your exams early and meet the word count minimum of 2,000 words for each exam. Exams shorter than the minimum word count will receive point deductions: 2 percent of the number of words, or portion thereof, you are short the 2,000 word minimum for exams. Exams that are far short of the minimum may not be accepted. Do not submit short exams. Submitting a short exam generally means that you have not provided a sufficient response to the question(s) and have lost points on content; then, in addition, you lose more points due to low word count --double jeopardy. Example: Word count: 1467. Calculation: 2000 - 1467 = 533. 533 x 0.02 = 10.66 > 11 point deduction Expository Writing All essays for exams must be original with no copied material from your sources. These assignments are designed to give you practice in re-writing, in your own words, the ideas of others. It is assumed that your essays will be written at the college level using the proper structure of expository writing. Expository writing informs, explains, clarifies, or defines. The writing informs through a carefully crafted presentation of key points, explanations, and supportive details. The writing contains clear ideas that are focused and fully explained. The writer uses a variety of credible resources to gather accurate, relevant information that provides a strong base of support in the form of facts, examples, and explanations. Strong writers recognize that greater stylistic distance is required in a formal, academic paper than in an informal, personal paper, but that expository writing can be lively, engaging, and indicative of the writer's commitment to the topic. Essays demonstrate strong control of a wide range of standard writing conventions . . . punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and grammar are correct and enhance communication. Points will be deducted for excessive misuse of the English language. Chapter Quizzes and Extra Credit Periodic quizzes are grouped into four, multiple-choice, 25-point assignments each covering one to three chapters of reading. Quizzes cause you to read specific textbook chapters in order to find answers to the questions . . . essentially, quizzes are information "scavenger hunts". Scores and answers to quiz questions are posted after the due date for each quiz. Submission of quizzes is a measure of your participation in the course, similar to taking attendance in a traditional class. Failing to submit quizzes early in the course may result in dismissal due to lack of participation but, otherwise, missing a quiz simply reduces your potential final course score. Laboratory Reports Plant Diversity is a laboratory course and you receive one grade for the combination of lecture and laboratory. Each laboratory involves the completion of a laboratory exercise and the submission of a laboratory report based on your results and observations. The form of a laboratory report varies from lab to lab and may require written descriptions, mathematical calculations, diagrams, photographs, answers to questions, etc. Directions for the completion of each laboratory is provided in the Laboratory Manual. You must submit at least four (4) lab reports before the last date to withdraw from the course with a "W". If you have submitted no labs, you will be dropped and will receive a "W" instead of an F grade. If you have submitted some labs, you will not be dropped; however you will earn a 2-point late deduction for each lab below four assessed to your total points at the end of the course. Recommendations 1. You are a science reporter. You are not creating information; you are reporting information from your reading. And, just as many reporters can write different original articles or reviews for newspapers, you can write a different original answer to exam questions. The exams give you practice in re-writing the works of others while avoiding copying. I frequently hear that "it just can't be written any other way." However, by combining ideas, reformulating concepts, changing sequence, and providing your own writing style, it is easy to rewrite an essay in innumerable ways. 2. Begin writing your exams early and meet the word count minimum of 2,000 words for each exam. Exams shorter than the minimum word count will receive point deductions: one point for every 20 words, or portion thereof, you are short the 2,000 word minimum for exams. Exams that are far short of the minimum may not be accepted. Do not submit short exams. Submitting a short exam generally means that you have not provided a sufficient response to the question(s) and have lost points on content; then, in addition, you lose more points due to low word count --double jeopardy. 3. Complete each question and all subparts of each question on exams. Each question may contain a general question and several subparts that you are to include within your answer. Sometimes, students fail to answer each subpart and lose points. Points are assigned to every part of each question. Print out the exam prompts and cross out each aspect of the question as you proofread your final draft to assure that all aspects have been covered. 4. Read and follow the Style Guide for exams. You must supply a header with your name, your password code, your email address and the exam number as shown in the Style Guide. Each answer must be numbered and sequenced in the same order as the exam questions; however, do not include the exam questions on your exams. Do not include "in text citations" in your answers; however, you must list your five primary sources used in a properly formatted References section at the end of the each exam. Failing to follow the guidelines as explained in the Style Guide will result in point deductions. 5. Complete all required assignments. Each exam must be original and must be submitted for you to be eligible for a passing grade in the course. Failure to submit an exam will result in a failing grade or dismissal from the course. 6. Meet assignment deadlines. No extensions are given except for a serious emergency or verified medical excuses. Otherwise, late exams may not accepted or may be accepted with late penalties. Failing to submit required exams after the last day to withdraw will result in a failing course grade. 8. Contact me early if you need help. I can be a tremendous help when you have questions about course content and strategies for successful course completion. I can create new art and new sections authored to meet your needs. Researching the Exam Questions Google Scholar Of course, Google will take you to many popular articles, many of which will be appropriate for the course. Google has a special section for "scholarly" articles. You can reach this section at: http://scholar.google.com/ Many of these articles require that you pay a fee; however, some do not. Also, you can use Google Scholar to search for articles and then see if they are available for free through EBSCOhost, a database of scholarly articles provided to you as an SBCC student. EBSCOhost databases SBCC's Luria Library has access to the EBSCOhost databases of journal articles that would otherwise require a subscription. You can access these online with your Pipeline login. You can reach the login page for the online databases here: http://library.sbcc.edu/onlinedatabases.html Enter your SBCC Pipeline login (not your course login). Once logged in, you will have full access to a vast collection of journals including Science and Nature (although the current year is not available for Nature and the last two years for Science . . . but earlier articles are available as full-text). There are many other journals available. A wealth of information is available and you can do an advanced search that can allow you to focus on specific areas of the exam questions. Wikipedia I am always asked about Wikipedia as a resource . . . there is no good answer. The articles are written by a wide variety of people and receive little review. Some articles are quite scholarly and some are completely trash. Check your facts. Remember, you are responsible for inaccurate statements on assignments, not the author of a Wikipedia article. However, ANY resource can be used as long as you list it in your References section at the end of the assignment. Wikipedia is one website and counts as one source. |
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