Check Exactly One:
 

Total Number of Credits in Program:
(if "change in" is checked - even if credits remain the same)
 

Program Title: Biology – Cell Biology and Physiology (BA/BS/BSE)

Sponsor(s):       Lance Urven, Waechter-Brulla, Woller, Mesner, Clokey
Department(s): Biological Sciences
College(s):        Letters and Sciences

Other Programs Affected: Chemistry

Effective Term: Spring, 2001
 

Submit the following:

I. Exact description of request

This request in line 2 is in keeping with the accommodations for a new course, 630-252 (Biotechnology Laboratory Methods), and other associated changes in 630-141 (General Botany) and 630-142 (General Zoology) previously described in the course proposal for 630-252. It will improve the Biological Sciences performance in meeting goal 1.1 of its newly adopted mission: "Offer up-to-date courses relevant to the needs of modern Biology that demand high standards of academic performance; preparing biology students for success in post-baccalaureate programs and in a global job marker". This revision is part of our initiatives to meet Goal 2 established in the Department of Biological Sciences Annual Report, "Continue to review departmental course offerings and our emphases in order to strengthen our program". It specifically addresses Goal 7, "Provide hands-on experiences in teaching laboratories that expose students to modern techniques used in research laboratories"

The request in line 7 will clarify departmental graduation requirements as part of our initiatives to meet goal 1.3of the Biological Sciences Department’s Mission Statement: Offer well-informed and accurate academic advising to students in the Biological Sciences majors, Combined Science/Business major, General Science- Broadfield Biology major, and selected pre-health professional advising tracks; delivered in supportive and constructive advising sessions.

III. Rationale

The rationale for Line 2 is described originally in the course proposal for Biology 630-252, and is copied here.

The addition of 630-252, Biotechnology Laboratory Methods will assure a uniform and regularly updated collection of laboratory techniques used in Genetics, Cell Biology, and Physiology research are taught to students in the Cell Biology and Physiology Emphasis in the Biology major, and offered to students in other Biology Emphases.

Introduction to Cell Biology currently has 2 lectures/2 hours lab per week for three credit hours. It will cede its laboratory component to this course, and become three lectures/ week, consistent with the format of the other sophomore level course gateway course in the Biology programs, Introduction to Ecology. The new lab course will meet three contact hours per week, one more than the former Introduction to Cell Biology labs, but in keeping with the departmental trend for labs in majors’ courses, and in keeping with standard practice in the Chemistry and Physics Departments at UWW and biology departments at most universities. incorporate biotechnology lab techniques previously taught in Introduction to Cell Biology, as well as other techniques previously taught to only a few students in the upper division biology elective, Molecular Biology. Biotechnology Laboratory Methods will be required for students in the Cell Biology and Physiology emphasis, and serve as an additional elective for selection in the Ecology /Field Biology and the General Biology emphases. In summary, these changes will allow (1) increased breadth of coverage in lectures in the Introduction to Cell Biology course, (2) retain and expand Introduction to Cell Biology lab exercises by moving them into the new independent Biotechnology Laboratory Methods course required in the Cell Biology/ Physiology emphasis, and (3) provide a one-credit course (Biotechnology Laboratory Methods) as an elective for Ecology /Field Biology and the General Biology

Line 7 clarifies the number of elective credits in the major and accounts for the requests to teach a new course for non-majors, general education credit, and to re-number 630-300, already in the list of courses not accepted for majors’ credit, to 630-200.
 
 

IV. Cost implications

Budget impact of Line 2 is described in the 630-252 course proposal, and is copied below for your convenience. Line 7 is simply an administrative clarification, and has no budget implication.

Laboratory exercises are relatively expensive compared to other forms of instruction, due to the cost of capital equipment and supplies, as well as the 2:1 or 3:1 contact hours: credit hour for laboratories. Currently, we are teaching two hours of lab in each section of Introduction to Genetics and Introduction to Cell Biology. In the accompanying proposals, we suggest adding one contact hour per week to Introduction to Genetics, for a total of 8 contact hours per week. Transfer of those labs to the new Biotechnology course will account for 2 sections of Biotechnology per semester. We anticipate student demand for three sections of Biotechnology by spring of 2002. The additional faculty time will be derived from reducing General Zoology and General Botany from five credits (three lectures, four hours lab/week) to four credits (three lectures, three hours lab/week) removing one contact hour per section per semester. With six sections of General Zoology and General Botany/ semester, the net savings will amount to six contact hours, enough to cover the third section of Biotechnology and the extra lecture/week in Introduction to Genetics and Introduction to Cell Biology. Capital equipment is already in place to support these courses from Laboratory Modernization and National Science Foundation Grants of recent years, and supply costs should be roughly equal to that used in the laboratories 630-252 will replace. These curricular and scheduling adjustments should allow this course to be taught at little or no more expense than the current system, with considerably better learning gains in cognitive and skill areas for students.