Mt Hood Community College Biology 101

Instructional Methods

To help the student achieve the objectives outlined above, a variety of techniques will be used including in-class activities, small group discussions and problem solving, homework assignments, in-class problem solving and laboratory experiences. Typically, each topic will be introduced through homework assignments utilizing online or print resources, reinforced and placed in perspective during class, and explored further in laboratory.

Class communication will vary with instructor and may include lectures, demonstrations, case-studies, films, oral and written student-presentations, and use of online tools and other forms. None of these activities will replace classroom contact hours.

Assessment

Completion of course objectives and assigned evaluation according to criteria provided by the instructor will be required. Grading will be in accordance with college standards.

Online Assessment

Assessment of course outcomes is designed to be verified as appropriate using online quizzes and tests; these assessments may be proctored and may require travel to an approved testing center. The same outcomes and grading standards will apply for all instructional formats.

After you have collected data in an experiment, you need to figure out the best way to present that data in a meaningful way. Depending on the type of data, and the story that you are trying to tell using that data, you may present your data in different ways.

DESCRIPTIVE TITLES

All figures that present data should stand alone – this means that you should be able to interpret the information contained in the figure without referring to anything else (such as the methods section of the paper). This means that all figures should have a descriptive title that gives information about the independent and dependent variable. Another way to state this is that the title should describe what you are testing and what you are measuring. A good starting point to developing a title is “the effect of [the independent variable] on the [dependent variable].”

• Here are some examples of good titles for figures:
• The effect of exercise on heart rate
• Growth rates of E. coli at different temperatures
• The relationship between heat shock time and transformation efficiency
  Here are a few less effective titles:
• Heart rate and exercise
• Graph of E. coli temperature growth
• Table for experiment 1

DATA TABLES

The easiest way to organize data is by putting it into a data table. In most data tables, the independent variable (the variable that you are testing or changing on purpose) will be in the column to the left and the dependent variable(s) will be across the top of the table.

GRAPHING DATA

Graphs are used to display data because it is easier to see trends in the data when it is displayed visually compared to when it is displayed numerically in a table. Complicated data can often be displayed and interpreted more easily in a graph format than in a data table.

In a graph, the X-axis runs horizontally (side to side) and the Y-axis runs vertically (up and down). Typically, the independent variable will be shown on the X axis and the dependent variable will be shown on the Y axis (just like you learned in math class!).