Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Genetics Lab (Face-to-Face)

BIOL 3065-01

Course: BIOL 3065-01
Credits: 1
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: BIOL
CRN: 30874

Course Description

Lab to accompany BIOL 3060. One three-hour meeting per week. A minimum grade of "C" (2.0 or above) must be earned in this course before it can be counted in a biological science major or minor or as a prerequisite for any other biology course. (Fall, Spring, Summer) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Co-requisite(s): BIOL 3060

Required Texts

No textbooks are required for the lab; relevant materials and resources will be provided on Canvas 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students should meet the following objectives:
  1. Appreciate how precision and accuracy influence the results of genetics lab techniques 
  2. Extract and purify DNA from biological samples
  3. Visualize DNA on agarose gels and quantify amounts
  4. Use Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to amplify DNA
  5. Understand how DNA barcodes are used to identify organisms and answer research questions
  6. Analyze next generation sequencing data to make logical conclusions
  7. Work collaboratively to conduct, analyze, and present scientific experiments

Course Requirements

All grades, lab worksheets, and assignment information can be found on Canvas. A brief summary is listed here: 
  1. Pre-Lab Quizzes: Before each ‘wet’ lab, you will complete a short Canvas quiz to ensure that you have read through and understand the basic lab procedure. You have two attempts on the quiz, and your highest score is submitted. You may use the materials provided on Canvas to complete the quiz.
  2. Project Assignments: You will complete three team project assignments based on your chosen research project. You will work as a team to research important background information, investigate the associated methods that you will use, and analyze the data from your experiments. 
  3. Lab Worksheets: Most lab sessions will include a worksheet to construct hypotheses, describe the experimental setup, record results, analyze conclusions, and demonstrate competency of the associated genetic concepts. Lab worksheets are due within 48 hours of the end of the lab session and are completed individually.
  4. Project Presentation: You will prepare a presentation that describes your team’s project, details the results of your analysis, and explores additional avenues of investigation. The presentation should be approximately 5-7 slides in length. You will present your slides to the class at the end of the semester.
  5. Lab Practical: You will complete a comprehensive assessment to demonstrate your understanding of best lab practices, and your ability to explain the main ideas behind the lab procedures.

The total points available will be based on the following assignments; the number of assignments may vary slightly. A summary of each of the assignments follows below.

Assignment | Points | Quantity | Total
Pre-Lab Quizzes | 10 | 6 | 60
Team Project Assignments | 30 | 3 | 90
Lab Worksheets | 20 | 6 | 120
Project Presentation | 100 | 1 | 100
Lab Practical | 50 | 1 | 50

The course grade will be determined by a percentage of total points earned in the assignments and assessments. The anticipated grade distribution is detailed below. Final grades will be re-examined only if there is sufficient evidence of an error in grading or recording. No special extra credit assignments will be considered for individual students, though some extra credit may be made available to everyone throughout the course.

Grade (% of Total Points)
A | 100 - 93 |
A- | 92.99 - 90 |
B+ | 89.99 - 87 |
B | 86.99 - 83 |
B- | 82.99 - 80 |
C+ | 79.99 - 77 |
C | 76.99 - 73 |
C- | 72.99 - 70 |
D | 69.99 - 60 |
F | <60 |

Course Outline

  1. Introduction - Molecular Techniques and Solutions Review
  2. Lab 1 - DNA Extraction (Practice Samples)
  3. Lab 2 - DNA Analysis & Quantification (Practice Samples)
  4. Lab 3 - DNA Extraction (Research Samples)
  5. Workshop #1 - PCR and Primer Design
  6. Lab 4 - Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
  7. Lab 5 - Gel Electrophoresis
  8. Lab 6 - DNA Sequencing Data Analysis
  9. Workshop #2 - BLAST
  10. Project Presentations

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

No accommodations will be made for late Pre-lab Quizzes. Late submissions of the Lab Worksheets, Team Project Assignments, or the Project Presentation will lose 20% per day unless approved before the due date by Dr. Edwards.

Attendance Policy

Attendance at labs is required; contact me in advance if you know you cannot make a lab and we will try to allow you to attend another section; please come on time to avoid wasting others’ valuable time. 

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.