General Biology Course Assignment and Grading Syllabus

Course Assignment and Grading Overview

This document provides a structured outline of assignments, quizzes, exams, and grading policies for a General Biology college course. It details weekly tasks, point values, and instructions for calculating final grades.

Assignment Schedule and Point Distribution

The course is organized into weekly modules, each with specific assignments and assessments. Timely submission is required to avoid being dropped from the class. Extra credit opportunities are also available.

Week	Assignment	Total Points
1 (8/18-8/25)	Check in email (must submit otherwise will be dropped from class)	-----
1	All You Need To Know Quiz (must submit otherwise will be dropped from class)	20
1	Name That Tune (extra credit)	10
2 (8/25-9/2)	Online Etiquette quiz	20
2	Bio DQ	20
3 (9/2-9/8)	Check for Understanding-Theory-vs-Law	15
3	Scientific Method Scenarios	20
4 (9/8-9/15)	Find the Places Worksheet (extra credit)	25
4	Chapter 2 Worksheet	20
5 (9/15-9/22)	Chapter 3-Intro to Cell's Video and Questions	20
6 (9/22-9/29)	Chapter 4 Worksheet-Genes and Inheritance	10
6	Chapter 5 Worksheet-Mitosis and Meiosis	20
7 (9/29-10/6)	Chapter 6 Worksheet	10
7	Test on Chapters 4-6	100
8 (10/6-10/9)	Darwin's Social Media Page	20
8	Check for Understanding-Natural and Artificial Selection Assignment	20
8	Check for Understanding-Cladograms	20
9 (10/13-10/20)	Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria	35
10 (10/20-10/27)	Check for Understanding-Fungi and Plants	20
10	Chapter 9 worksheet	20
11 (10/27-11/3)	Test on Chapters 7-9	100
12 (11/3-11/10)	DQ-Biodiversity	20
13 (11/10-11/17)	Human Body System Assignment	50
13	Ecology
13	Ecology Assignment	25
15 (12/1-12/7)	Final DQ	20
15	Comprehensive Final Exam (12/1/25-12/7/25 by 5:00 p.m. EST)	100
Total		837

Grading Calculation Instructions

To determine your final grade, follow these steps:

1. Input your actual scores for each assignment into the "Your total points earned" column.

2. Add together all your points or the points from the total points earned column.

3. Divide your total points earned by the total points possible (e.g., 425/560).

4. Multiply the answer by 100 to get your score as a percentage.

Sample Assignment Sheet

Date	Assignments	Date Collected	Total Points	Points Earned	Category
9/3	A-Z list	9/9	26	26	CW
9/10	Lab #2	9/19	34	34	Lab
9/14	---	---	---	---	---
9/30	Exam 1	---	100	55	Test
9/28	Lab #3	---	85	75	Lab
11/18	Exam 2	---	100	85	Test
11/30 & 12/3	Lab Practical	---	85	85	Lab
Total points			560	425	75%

Key Terms and Concepts

• Assignment: A task or activity to be completed by students, such as quizzes, worksheets, or projects.

• Quiz: A short assessment to test knowledge on a specific topic.

• Worksheet: A set of questions or exercises related to a chapter or concept.

• Discussion Question (DQ): A prompt requiring a written response, often used to encourage critical thinking and participation.

• Test/Exam: A formal assessment covering multiple topics or chapters.

• Extra Credit: Optional assignments that can increase a student's total points.

• Comprehensive Final Exam: An assessment covering all material from the course.

Important Policies

• All assignments (except the final exam) are due one week from their original release date by 11:59 p.m. (EST).

• Failure to submit required assignments may result in being dropped from the class.

• Extra credit assignments can help improve your overall grade.

Example: Calculating Your Grade

Suppose you earned 425 points out of a possible 560 points:

• Divide: $\frac{425}{560} = 0.76$

• Multiply by 100: $0.76 \times 100 = 76\%$

• Your course score would be 76%.

Additional info: The assignments listed cover foundational topics in General Biology, including the scientific method, cell biology, genetics, evolution, biodiversity, human body systems, and ecology. This structure is typical for an introductory college-level biology course.