Status report: 40 points (20 team, 20 individual)

Progress report:40 points (20, 20)

Poster Presentation:20 points (10, 10)

Final Presentation:90 points (45,45)

Poster: 50 points (50, 0)

Draft of manuscript: 40 points (40, 0)

Final manuscript: 100 points (100, 0)

Two seminar reports: 10 points each

Mentor's input: 100 individual points

Total  = 500 points

Grading Scale:

4.0 = 450 - 500

3.5 = 425 - 449

3.0 = 400 - 424

2.5 = 375 - 399

2.0 = 350 - 374

1.5 = 325 - 349

1.0 = 300 - 324

0 = <300

ATTENDANCE POLICY: Attendance is mandatory and will be taken at each session.  Since most sessions will involve presentations by class members, it is common courtesy to show up and be respectful.  If you arrive late, please slip in during the break between one group and the next. More than two absences will result in automatically failing the course.

ACADEMIC HONESTY: As with all courses at Wilkes, students are expected to adhere to the academic honesty policies outlined in the Wilkes Student Handbook. Any student found to be in violation of any policy will be subject to disciplinary action that may involve a reduced grade or expulsion from the course.

Since you will be carrying out work that may be disseminated to a wider scientific or lay audience, students will be expected to adhere to appropriate scientific conduct. In particular, students will properly cite all published sources (including those in print and online media), collect data with scrupulous honesty, and honestly report their findings. In no case should students fabricate results, merely to have something to present. Students found to be in violation of those standards will receive disciplinary action as determined by the Wilkes Biology Department.

ABOUT TEAMWORK (from Dr. Klemow):

You will normally participate in your project with 1-3 other classmates. Working as part of a team reflects changes in the culture of science over the past twenty years. At a professional level, team members often have complementary experience that allows them to tackle questions that no single scientist can address.

In BIO 391-392, participants in a team will likely have differing skills that they can bring to the effort. However, as students, each member will have his / her own aptitude and motivation for the project at hand. Often, challenges will arise regarding responsibilities and accomplishments. Recognizing those dynamics, students will be graded both on their own performance and on the quality of the group effort.

Should a dispute arise among members of a team, all participants will be encouraged to resolve the issue on their own. Should efforts to solve the issue internally not be successful, students should see the faculty mentor. In those cases where the mentor cannot successfully resolve the issue, the course instructor will intervene as a last resort and apply a remedy, which may involve reconstituting the team.

WORKING WITH YOUR MENTOR (from Dr. Klemow):

All students will pursue projects with a faculty mentor (or in some cases with more than one mentor). A successful relationship will involve open and clear communication with your mentor, typically achieved through regular meetings.

The primary role of the mentor is to provide guidance during all phases of the project, based on his / her expertise. To that end, they serve as consultants. While some mentors are more hands-on than others, the ultimate responsibility for the success or failure of the project lies with the student team. Mentors will not be expected to be materially involved in the day-to-day execution of the project.