http://www.umanitoba.ca/afs/plant_science/courses/PLNT4600/
| Class Participation |
20% |
| Mini Reports (3 @ 10% each) | 30% |
| Term Paper |
35% |
| Oral Examination | 15% |
|
Grade Point |
Percentage |
Letter Grade |
comments |
|
4.5/5 |
90% |
A+ |
synthesis, ability to put things together from different parts of the course, original and creative thinking |
|
4.0/5 |
80% |
A |
|
|
3.5/5 |
70% |
B+ |
learning concepts or inferring them from the context; ability
to draw inferences from data |
|
3.0/5 |
60% |
B |
|
|
2.5/5 |
50% |
C+ |
basic and factual knowledge of information covered in class |
|
2.0/5 |
40% |
C |
|
|
1.5/5 |
30% |
D+ |
|
|
1.0/5 |
20% |
D+ |
Class Participation:
Marks for participation will be based on preparation (ie having done
any assigned readings and related materials), contribution of ideas
and critical analysis, preparation for discussion. By the first week of
February, each student will receive an interim evaluation on their
class
participation so far, with suggestions for improvement, if needed.
Mini-Reports: The goal of Mini-reports is to research a highly focused question, and to present your results in a web-based presentation. Reports should include tables, charts, figures, graphs etc. to convey the information in as concise a way as possible. Hypertext links to related web sites are encouraged. These are primarily a means of bringing raw data to the class for discussion. Examples of questions:
Find statistics on worldwide carbon sinks (eg. forests, agriculture, phytoplankton). Which ones are growing, and which ones are stable, and which ones are decreasing (eg. are forests increasing or decreasing in area, worldwide)?
What are some examples in which plants have been used for bioremediation (eg. removing heavy metals from soils). Examples of both GMO and non-GMO applications are acceptible.
How widely used is the BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) toxin in transgenic and organic crops (eg. which crops, how much acerage). Are there any data on the effects of BT crops or application of BT, on insect populations in agricultural areas?
The reports are done as
presentation files (eg. PowerPoint, OpenOffice), but we will spend a
class period going through the presentation and discussing it. Be
prepared to present
your
findings, and briefly summarize the main conclusions that can be drawn
from your data, and to answer questions. See Presentation Hints for more
information. Sample evaluation form.
Term Paper: Paper
should be around10 pages standard sized font. Your paper should examine
an issue or challenge that has the potential of being addressed by a
biotechnology approach. Your paper should clearly delineate the
issue or challenge providing appropriate background, address what the
biotechnology approach would be and how it would address this issue.
The paper may also examine if there are more conventional means to
address the issue or challenge and provide a comparative analysis of
any perceived problems by the different approaches. See Paper Hints for more information. Sample evaluation form.
Oral examination: Each
student will be given a final oral exam lasting 20 min.
Questions may relate to any topic area covered in the course. The
purpose of the question period is not just to test retention of
information, but more importantly, to test the ability of the student
to extemporaneously put together pieces of information that help answer
a question, ie. to think on your feet. Sample
evaluation form.