Welcome to Bio 40 at Chaffey College

Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology – Fall 2025 (BIOL-40-41988)

Course Description

An intensive course designed to prepare students for upper division courses in cell and molecular biology. This course covers the principles and applications of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell structure and function, biological molecules, homeostasis, cell reproduction and its controls, molecular genetics, classical/Mendelian genetics, cell metabolism including photosynthesis and respiration, and cellular communication. The philosophy of science, methods of scientific inquiry and experimental design are foundational to the course. Laboratory includes experimental design, a variety of techniques (e.g. microscopy, spectrophotometry, electrophoresis), and data analysis.

Nitty Gritty

• Instructor: Dr. Senanu Spring-Pearson
• Class times: MW 8:00-9:15 in BL-101
• Lab times: Wed 9:30-12:20 in BL-101
• Optional office hours (via Zoom): By Appointment. I’m also usually available to stay after class on Monday.
• Course website: https://senanu.github.io/b40/ which is linked through Canvas.
• E-mail: senanu.springpearson@chaffey.edu
• Phone: 909-652-7876 (please use email instead)
• Final exam: Monday 12/8/2025 8:45am-11:15am

Student Learning Outcomes

• Inheritance Principles: Demonstrates an understanding of the principles governing genetic inheritance, molecular genetics, and how these factors contribute to biological diversity and organismal traits.
• Cellular and Molecular Biology: Demonstrates an understanding of fundamental life processes at the cellular and molecular level.
• Laboratory Safety Protocols: Demonstrates the ability to follow safety guidelines and procedures to prevent accidents and ensure a safe working environment.
• Laboratory Equipment: Demonstrates the ability to operate various laboratory instruments such as microscopes, spectrophotometers, centrifuges, PCR machines.
• Scientific Analysis: Uses analytical tools and methods to process and analyze experiment data to determine whether the results support or refute the hypothesis.
• Implements Solutions: Applies appropriate strategies to implement reasoned and/or feasible solutions.

Required Text:

Freeman et al., 2020. Biological Science, 6th, 7th, 8th ed. Pearson. This is a big, heavy, expensive book, but it will be invaluable to you as a budding biologist. This is also the book that you will continue to use through the introductory biology classes at Chaffey and so is worth investing in. Previous editions are only slightly different, so you are welcome to use those for this class.

New textbooks may be bought with a code to Pearson’s online learning content. You are welcome to use those, but none of it will be required for this class.

Classroom Cell phone policy

I have found that students are often distracted by the presence and use of cell phones in class. I therefore ask that you silence your phones and place them in your bag. If we need calculators or timers in lab, I’ll provide those for you or allow limited use of phones. Otherwise, please keep them completely out of sight.

Course Design for this “flipped classroom”

For the “lecture” portion of this course, we will be using a model known as a ‘flipped classroom’. Rather than you coming to class, hearing me lecture, then going away and reading the book and studying, we will reverse the order!

For each chapter, I have recorded short mini-lectures that you should watch, then read the chapter, complete the reading guide, and finally attend class. Doing this should enable you to have a reasonably good understanding of the material before class – then you can ask questions to clear up topics that you struggled with.

With this approach, your understanding of the material should be at its peak at the end of the class period, and you’ll only have to review material (as opposed to learn it) after class and before exams.

More about reading guides

Reading guides will be due at 8:00am the day of the class period after they are assigned and distributed. This 8:00am time is firm and intentional. If you are unable to attend class, you may print them from the website and turn them in on Canvas. When you turn it in online, you must turn them in as a single PDF file. You should anticipate, and plan for, having a reading guide due before every class period. There will practically be no exceptions to this. Canvas will not accept late reading guides.

Reading guides in this course are designed to encourage (OK, ‘force’) you to read actively, so that you fully understand the material. The best way to do this will be to fill it in a hard copy with a pen or pencil. I will provide these copies the day they are assigned. The second best way to do this would be to type answers in the boxes. However, note that although you can print your work, you won’t be able to save it. This is intentional. In the past, I have found that students simply copy and paste answers from textbooks or the web, rather than trying to do the assignments thoughtfully and completely. As a result, they give up on the active learning component. Therefore, I will not provide a save-able pdf or anything like that. If you want to spend the time to make one and fill it out, that is your choice (you won’t lose points for doing so but you’d probably be better off spending that time learning and understanding the material).

The reading guides are mostly for you to use in your learning process. I will ask you to turn them in for each chapter we cover and will give you credit for having done them. I may glance at a question or two to help me assess your learning and make sure that your answers are of a high standard. You will get full credit for a completed or almost-completed reading guide and your grade will be pro-rated below that depending on how much you get done. The reading guides are important and are an easy way for you to get points. Don’t pass up that opportunity.

Course Websites:

I will post all materials to this course website and link to it from Canvas. Generally, I will provide hard copies of reading guides and lab material. If you miss class, please print the material from this website.

Although you may want to fill in the reading guides online, I encourage you to write on hard-copies. In my experience, students who try to do the reading guides on their computers tend to copy-paste material and that defeats the purpose of learning actively. Additionally, many questions will require you to draw diagrams, and copying/pasting pictures is not appropriate.

Other course sites

We will be using the statistical programming language R for data analysis. In life sciences, it has become a very standard tool for analyzing data, so my goal is that you will learn at least enough so that by the end of the course you are no longer scared of computer programming. R can be used a number of ways, including online. You will be given instructions for how to sign up or download it later.

Accommodations

Students who need special accommodation through DPS must talk to me about the accommodations necessary. I will strictly honor any arrangements you have made through DPS (such as 1.5 time for exams).

Grading

Exams and Quizzes

Each exam will consist of a combination of true/false, multiple-choice, short answer, but mostly short essay questions. The final exam will be cumulative!

Make-up exams, attendance, and punctuality

In general, there will be no make-up exams. In the case of serious illness, please contact me to see what arrangements can be made.

Although there are no make-up exams, I realize that life sometimes throws curve-balls and gets in the way of exams! So, all students who have been absent for 5 or fewer class periods may substitute their final exam grade for their lowest exam grade if it improves their overall grade. If you miss an exam, you will receive a 0, but that will be the lowest score and can be replaced by your final score if your attendance has been satisfactory. Note that it is a very un-wise strategy to rely on this — the final is cumulative and will be challenging. However, it does mean that you don’t need to break into a serious panic if you do miss a single exam. There are no make-ups for the final exam — it must be taken at the scheduled time.

I expect you to be in class each period. If you miss more than 5 periods, you will forfeit the benefit of replacing your lowest exam grade with your final exam grade. If you arrive late or leave class early, this will count as a ‘Late’. You may be late twice without penalty, after which coming late will count as an absence. Please plan accordingly with regard to the time it takes to get onto campus and find parking.

Withdrawing from course

It is the student’s responsibility to drop the course if you stop attending. Failure to do so may result in a grade of ‘F’. Incompletes are only given in special circumstances when students meet all requirements as defined by the college. If you are thinking about dropping the course, please speak to me so I can help you make an informed decision.

Grade disputes

If you disagree with the grade on any assignment or exam, you must inform me of your concerns within 1 week of me returning the exam to the class. No re-grading will be done after a week.

Scores

Grade scale

• 90-100% = A
• 80-90% = B
• 70–80% = C
• 60-70% = D
• <60% = F

Academic integrity and generative AI

Unethical behavior including copying other students work will not be tolerated. Students will receive zero points for the assignment and perhaps the course and will be referred to the Dean of Student Services, according to college policy. Because I dislike arguing with students about whether to be lenient or not regarding academic integrity, my policy is simply to refer such students to the Dean with all documentation. If you want to avoid this fate (you should!), simply make sure all the work you turn in is your own.

Many of the assignments we do in class will be collaborative and I encourage you to work together with your teammates. When you work together, you will undoubtedly have very similar answers. However, the work that you turn in should be your own work and be presented in your own words, even if you have collaborated on it. You need to be particularly careful about this for work you do on a computer, as it is easily copied. Each student should take care to not copy others’ work as well as to safeguard their own work from being copied. Both students may be penalized for copied work. Cheating and plagiarism is a big, huge deal in college. Scientists who copy have lost their jobs and reputations. Students who copy have been suspended or expelled from colleges.

In keeping with the policy that all work you turn in must be your own, use of generative AI for assignments is not allowed. One of the goals of this class is for you to learn how to write scientific reports, and use of AI defeats this purpose. Additionally, I don’t like spending my time grading papers that students didn’t take the time to write. I will require that you sign a form stating that your work is, in fact, your own.

Communication

The students that regularly receive the highest grades are those that engage and communicate with their instructors. I encourage you to ask questions in and out of class and talk to me about your work, the material, or anything else pertinent.

Assignments

You will be turning in many small assignments as well as your reading guides. Late assignments won’t be accepted.

Full lab reports will be turned in using Canvas. I will give you rubrics for lab reports. You will also be responsible for editing and proofreading your classmates’ lab reports. You will be given credit for submitting drafts completed and on time and for the extent to which your editing has the potential to help your classmate.

Late papers will be deducted 20% of the possible points per calendar day, including later in the day on the due date.

Keys to Success:

• Commitment: School is your job and is probably the best job you could have right now!
• Come to class: The easiest way to learn the material and earn points is to attend class. Don’t waste that opportunity!
• Participate: If you are actively involved in learning and asking/answering questions in class, you will assimilate and understand the course content much better than if you sit passively.
• Leave enough time for study: You should plan to spend about 2-3 hours before and after class reading and studying material from lecture for every hour of lecture. Yes, this means at least 5 hours per week!
• Review frequently: You forget less and less material after each time you study it, so review material regularly. Study in groups: Group study is much more fun and effective than studying on your own.
• Organization: Keep good notes. Make and use flash cards. Plan your time.
• Preparation: Read the material before class. Then, re-read all or portions of it after class. Do the reading guides carefully and thoughtfully.
• Goals: Get your work done on time. Don’t procrastinate. Follow a reasonable schedule.
• Health: Schedule work and play. Don’t take more courses than your home life can handle.
• Keep up: Don’t get behind — it’ll be really difficult to catch up on old material while you’re trying to stay up-to-date on the newer material. Let me say it again: Don’t get behind, don’t get behind, don’t get behind!

More Important Dates

• 8/22 Last day to add the class
• 9/1 Last day to drop without a ‘W’
• 10/24 Last day to drop the course with a ‘W’
• 12/8 8:45-11:15am Final exam.

Useful Chaffey College Resources