Animal Behavior Laboratory (Biology 3012) :: Syllabus
Instructors: Vikram K. Iyengar
Office Hours: Mondays 12:00pm – 1:00pm, or by appointment
Phone: 519-8081 (office)
email: vikram.iyengar@villanova.edu (I prefer email messages over voice mail)
Course website: http://webct.villanova.edu/SCRIPT/Spr10_BIO_3011_001/scripts/serve_home
(we will use the lecture website for both lecture and lab course files)
Teaching Assistant: Brian Bigelow brian.bigelow@villanova.edu
Office Hours: by appointment in Mendel G74
Lab time & place: Tuesday or Thursday, 1:00pm – 3:50pm Mendel Hall, Room 088
Suggested items: (1) Pechenik, J. 2007. A Short Guide To Writing About Biology.
Sixth Edition, Longmans.
(2) USB stick (“pen drive”) to save and transfer files
Other references that may be helpful for planning projects and writing reports (in Falvey):
Brown, L., and Downhower J.F. 1988. Analyses in behavioral ecology: a manual for lab and field. Sinauer Associates.
Lehner, P.N. 1996. Handbook of ethological methods, second edition. Garland STPM Press.
Martin, P., and Bateson, P. 2007. Measuring Behaviour: an introductory guide, third edition. Cambridge University Press.
Course Objectives and Expectations
This laboratory course seeks to introduce students to (1) observation and description of animal behavior in lab and field; (2) construction of hypotheses in behavioral ecology and derivation of testable predictions; (3) collection of behavioral data; (4) quantitative and statistical analysis of those data; and (5) interpretation and presentation of findings in written and oral forms. An additional goal of the course is to give students a sense of the diversity of animal behavior through use of videos, field exercises, and off-campus trips. Students will also be expected to develop their abilities to discuss their observations and interpretations of behavior.
Please make every effort to arrive promptly, because some weeks we will be jumping in the vans and going to off-campus locations (e.g., Philly Zoo) and we don’t want to lose precious lab time waiting for stragglers.
Attendance at all laboratories is required and will factor in grading. Anyone who has to miss a laboratory session should see us during office hours or at the end of lecture to explain their absence in advance of the relevant lab session. Your active participation during lab sessions is expected. If you’re not present, you can’t participate – and there’s no way to make up for the lost opportunity to contribute.
A considerable portion of the course will involve projects done by small groups of students and individuals. Depending on the nature of each project, students may need to schedule blocks of out-of-class time to prepare experimental setups, make observations, and conduct data analysis. Later on, some lab periods will be freed up to allow time for your course projects.
This course will be different in structure from many other Biology labs you may experience at Villanova. Its primary emphasis will be on semi-independent projects: students in teams will conduct research studies, analyze results, report those results to the rest of the class in both written and oral form, and receive feedback from peers and the instructors. All written assignments should be typed/word-processed, 12 pt. font, 1” margins, and double-spaced, with each page numbered. All papers in the course must be submitted electronically as an email attachment in Microsoft Word (LastNameAssignment.doc). Note: We expect you to have run spell/grammar-check and carefully proof-read all submitted written material, as you will be evaluated on your ability to communicate clearly (which includes proper grammar, spelling and punctuation).
You will be working on Mac computers with Office 2008 during the lab period – however, you will want to save files in such a way that you can work with them on any personal or public-access PC. First, although Office 2007 (for PCs) is available, most PC computers still have Office 2003. Thus, for all Microsoft Office files created during lab, you should click “Save As” and select the “97-2003” option. Second, given the slight differences between Macs and PCs, it is essential to save the files appropriately so that you can access them anywhere. To this end, you need to add file extensions to every file (“.doc” for Word 2003/2004 files; “.ppt” for PowerPoint 2003/2004 files, “.jmp” for JMP data files and “.jrn” for JMP journal files).
The major assignments are as follows:
1) Raven Worksheet – written as a group Due date: January 26 or 28 7% of grade
Each team, having conducting this project collaboratively, will jointly prepare and complete one worksheet (downloaded from WebCT). All team members will receive the same grade.
2) Fish Worksheet – written as a group Due date: February 2 or 4 7% of grade
Each team, having conducting this research project collaboratively, will jointly prepare and complete one worksheet (downloaded from WebCT). All team members will receive the same grade.
3) Bird Feeding Worksheet – written individually Due date: February 18 or 20 7% of grade
Each student will individually complete one worksheet (downloaded from WebCT). Although data will be collected in teams, each individual should conduct the statistical analyses required to complete the worksheet. Worksheets will be due two days after lab.
4) Crayfish Lab Report – written individually Due date: February 23 or 25 20% of grade
Each student will individually write a complete lab report (about 6 pages, not including figures, tables, and references) on the crayfish experiment. Each report should contain Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion and Literature Cited sections. The goal of this assignment is to provide you feedback on the degree to which you are on the right track in terms of writing mechanics, format specifications, citation style, etc. Although we expect the team members to consult with one another on data collection, statistical analyses and graphs, each individual should write his/her own complete research report without direct help from group members or classmates on the writing process. Please see the handout and advice on WebCT for details on our expectations, and feel free to talk to us about the assignment at any time.
5) Project Proposal – oral presentation as a group Due date: March 9 or 11 15% of grade
Each team will investigate a topic in animal behavior and design a simple study that will address a specific question. You will have time to discuss your team’s plans and construct a typed, detailed outline of your proposal during the lab period on February 23 – by the end of class that day, we will make suggestions and then give you a “green light” to start getting equipment, organisms, etc. Although you will have some time on February 2, we strongly suggest you start discussing project ideas with your group ASAP, especially if you anticipate needing to specially order organisms, equipment, etc. Don’t wait!!
The team will jointly prepare one research proposal, which they will then present orally (using PowerPoint) to the class; the general format of the proposal should follow advice in Pechenik (2007), chapter 10. During our lab session on March 9, each team’s oral presentation will be approximately 10-12 minutes, and should give a complete picture (background, questions, methods, anticipated statistics) of the experiment. Other students will also have an opportunity to critique the proposed project and make suggestions for improvement. All team members will receive a single grade for this phase.
Your project must be designed so that it can be completed between March 16 and April 13 – you should plan to leave yourself several days for analysis and write-up at the end. If two or more students wish to work on the same study system, they must coordinate their plans so that there is sufficient distinctiveness, as judged by the instructors, between the individual projects. Again, it is very important to get started immediately on project plans, especially if the biology of the organisms creates time constraints.
6) Project Written Report and Oral Presentation (group) Due date: April 20 or 22 30% of grade
Each team will conduct the second phase of their research; this work can begin as soon as necessary, and even before the final version of the proposal is submitted if necessary. Each team will collectively gather data to test predictions and perform the appropriate statistical analyses. Having conducting this research project collaboratively, each team will jointly prepare and complete one written lab report (please download the report template from WebCT), again following guidelines in Pechenik (2007), chapter 9. The text of the individually written report should be 6-9 pages (~ 2000 words), not counting tables, figures, or references; for organization and style, follow guidelines in Pechenik (2007), chapter 9, and for format details, follow the journal Animal Behaviour. Each group will also give a 12-15 minute oral presentation (in PowerPoint) during the lab period. Details to follow.
As with all collaborative (group) projects, each team member will receive the same grade, with possible minor adjustment by us based on our perception of variation among group members in effort and contribution to the final product. Please see the handout and advice on WebCT for details on our expectations.
7) Attendance, Participation, Attitude, etc. 14% of grade
The rest of your grade will be based on required attendance, active participation (including constructive input on the plans and presentations of your classmates), positive attitude, and completion of other ‘minor’ activities and exercises. Details to follow.
GRADING
Raven Worksheet, written as a group 7 % Week of January 26
Fish Worksheet, written as a group 7 % Week of February 2
Bird Worksheet, written individually 7 % Week of February 16
Crayfish Lab Report, written individually 20 % Week of February 23
Project Proposal, oral presentation as a group 15 % Week of March 9
Project Report and Presentation (group) 30 % Week of April 20
Attendance, Participation, Attitude, etc. 14 % The Entire Semester
Final grades will be assigned based on a standard plus/minus scale:
A (93-100 %) C+ (77-79.99 %)
A- (90-92.99 %) C (73-76.99 %)
B+ (87-89.99 %) C- (70-72.99 %)
B (83-86.99 %) D (60-69.99 %)
B- (80-82.99 %) F ( < 60%)
Academic Integrity
We
expect all students to adhere strictly to the College’s principles of
academic honesty throughout this course. We regret to say that we have had to
enforce these policies and fail students in courses for violation of these
principles of academic (and scientific) integrity. These have included
violations such as falsifying data and plagiarism. Thus, please adhere to
these guidelines as you conduct your projects: take careful notes as you
collect data (we may ask for your data notebook at any time), completely
cite all review literature sources (provide complete bibliographic
information), and save records of your work (don’t submit a final draft
of a paper without keeping some evidence of your early drafts or outlines.
Also, the work you do for this course should be only for this course;
submitting the same work for multiple classes (without the explicit
agreement of instructors from all courses involved) is a violation of
College policies. The College’s policies pertaining to all Academic Integrity
issues will be strictly adhered to and the appropriate penalty will be assessed
at the discretion of the instructors. There will be no exceptions to this
policy, and violation
of any element of the Code on any assignment or activity will result in an F
for the entire course and initiation of formal disciplinary procedures. Be sure that you know all of
the relevant definitions and policies – if you have any questions regarding
these issues, please ask us to clarify our instructions.
Below is an outline of the factors we will take into consideration in assigning your final grade on papers and lab exercises, with a comparable grading scale applied to other assignments. [Adapted from materials distributed in Writing Across the Curriculum seminar, Villanova University, April 1994, directed by D. Anselmi, B. Wall, and D. Zannoni, Trinity College.]
Grade: C
Paper satisfactorily (but minimally) meets expectations of the assignment. It directly addresses a question or issue relevant to the scope of the course, with adequate reliance on appropriate biological literature sources. It presents a logical argument with a clear statement of your central objectives; develops an argument that incorporates accurately reported information from primary literature sources; and reaches a clearly explained conclusion that follows logically from that argument. The argument is developed by an organized sequence of main points and supported by specific details and examples. The text is readable and relatively free of errors in syntax, grammar, spelling, usage, punctuation, and requested format.
Grade: B
Paper fulfills all of the requirements of a “C” paper and, in addition, presents a central argument that is well thought out and shows careful analysis of hypotheses and evidence in the biological literature. The argument demonstrates original and critical thought in synthesis and analysis. Points of interpretation are soundly and thoroughly argued. Supporting evidence is strong and extensive. Text contains few errors.
Grade: A
Paper fulfills all of the requirements of a “B” paper and, in addition, presents an argument that is outstanding in its clarity, logic, rhetorical skillfulness, and originality. It demonstrates that you have a thorough understanding of the paper’s topic and an ability to apply and communicate that understanding through excellent writing.
Grade: D
Paper makes an attempt to address the issue or question posed, but has one or more serious problems: it lacks a central thesis; it fails to develop a consistent, logical, well-organized argument; details are inaccurate or few; the text is difficult to read because of multiple errors.
Grade: F
Paper contains no central question or problem, or it makes no attempt (or a fake attempt) to address a stated question. The paper fails to develop an argument of any sort. The text is filled with errors. The paper shows little or no indication that the author attempted to meet the expectations of the assignment, or to follow directions.
A paper that contains any plagiarized material, that fails to incorporate adequate acknowledgment of all sources, or that otherwise violates the standards of academic integrity established by the University, Department, and instructors will receive a grade of “F” — and trigger disciplinary procedures that can result in failure (F) for the entire course … and even expulsion from the University.
Many people, including students and professional biologists, share a concern for the use to which animals are put in the context of teaching. In this course it will be necessary to carry out one or more exercises that make use of preserved or live animals. Such use of animals in teaching is an integral part of the biology experience and as such has been designed to fit in with the overall aims and goals of the course. For this reason, students generally will not be excused from participating in those laboratories involving the student in the study of living or preserved animals. If you object to these types of exercises, please see the Chair of the Department of Biology immediately to discuss your concerns and be prepared to consider other course options.
You may be required to perform dissections or observations on preserved specimens. These animals have been obtained from reputable supply houses that follow regulated guidelines for the humane sacrifice and preparation of the animals. In some other cases the lab exercise may involve the use of freshly euthanized animals. You need not participate in euthanizing the animals yourself; all such animals have been euthanized in accordance with regulations designed to minimize their suffering. Although some may regard certain animals (such as mammals) as being more “important” or more worthy of protection than others, all animals have intrinsic value and they should be treated accordingly. In this lab we recognize and respect the value of all living things.
The preceding section about dissection and euthanasia of living animals should not be relevant for this course. Overall, the emphasis in the preceding section on structure and function is peripheral to our primary focus. The Animal Behavior Laboratory focuses more on why animals behave the way that they do, and less so on how that behavior happens. Consequently, we will not have much need for dissection or other invasive approaches necessary for evaluating form and function. Instead, we will focus mainly on the behavior of intact, living animals. Our “use” of the animals will involve mainly observation and experimental manipulation of behavior to investigate hypotheses about function.
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Date |
Lab Topic |
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January 12, 14 |
*** No Lab – First Week *** |
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January 19, 21 |
Introduction and Bird Song Analyses using Raven |
|
January 26, 28 |
Something’s Fishy: IFD and t-tests Raven Worksheet due |
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February 2, 4 |
Formation of groups for independent projects Jeopardy Review Session (for lecture) Fish Worksheet due |
|
February 9, 11 |
Anger Management: Aggression, Regression & ANOVAs in Crayfish |
|
February 16, 18 |
Gone to the Birds: Feeding Preferences and Chi-square Analyses Bird Feeding Worksheet (due two days after lab) |
|
February 23, 25 |
Work on project proposals – group meetings to discuss ideas, project outline, order animals, prepare oral presentation, etc. Crayfish Lab Report due |
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March 2, 4 |
*** No Lab – SPRING BREAK *** |
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March 9, 11 |
Project Proposals – oral presentations using PowerPoint |
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March 16, 18 |
Work on Projects |
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March 23, 25 |
Jeopardy Review Session (for lecture); Work on Projects |
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March 30, Apr 1 |
Work on Projects |
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April 6, 8 |
Work on Projects; Advice on Data Analyses and Graphing |
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April 13, 15 |
PHILADELPHIA ZOO – field trip! (one van may depart early) |
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April 20, 22 |
Project Report and Presentation due |
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April 29, 30 |
Jeopardy Review Session (for lecture) |