Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Genetics Lab (Face-to-Face)

BIOL 3065-04

Course: BIOL 3065-04
Credits: 1
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: BIOL
CRN: 30877

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

Instructor Information

Background:
I earned my Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. Back then, my research was focused on Developmental Biology, Genetics, and Cell Signaling, which I approached using the nematode C. elegans. More specifically, I studied how cells communicate with each other during development and in diseases such as cancer. Additionally, I also examined mechanisms by which closely related species evolve distinct responses to similar developmental processes. While I still have an interest in Developmental Biology, my current research focuses on Conservation Biology and Bioinformatics.

Communication policy:
I will do my best to respond to messages within 24 hours during weekdays. I will not typically respond to messages during evenings, weekends, and holidays. 

Office hours:
SCA 202 | MTWRF 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Dr. Marcos Corchado-Sonera | BIOL 3060 – Genetics | Fall 2025

Email:
marcoscorchadosonera@suu.edu

Required Texts

None (handouts will be provided to students).

Course Requirements

Prerequisites:
BIOL 1610 and BIOL 1615 and BIOL 1620 and BIOL 1625 and [(CHEM 1110 and CHEM 1115) or (CHEM 1210 and CHEM 1215)] - Prerequisite Min. Grade: C

Co-requisites:
BIOL 3060

Required Text:
None.

Required Technologies and Resources:
iClicker Student app (https://www.iclicker.com/) for attendance-tracking (free subscription). 

Learning Outcomes

Goals:

This lab course is designed to help students become conversant in the language and application of modern genetics and science in general. The goal of this course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) is to help you to (1) learn genetics lab skills, (2) use scientific practices, (3) generate new understandings of the natural world, (4) contribute to a real research project, (5) develop your collaborative research skills, and (6) learn how iteration (i.e. repetition) is an important part of the research process. I will assess how much you learn over the course of the semester with practicals and at the beginning and: end of the semester. After successfully completing this course, most students should be able to complete several specific learning objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, you should know/understand:
  1. How precision and accuracy influence the results of genetics lab techniques (SUU ELO 11.0)
  2. How the physical characteristics of DNA and RNA cause them to be extracted differently (SUU ELO 11.0)
  3. How to visualize DNA on agarose gels (SUU ELO 11.0)
  4. How Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) works to amplify DNA (SUU ELO 11.0)
  5. How DNA sequencing occurs and what it means. (SUU ELO 11.0)
  6. How DNA barcodes are used to identify organisms and answer research questions. (SUU ELO 11.0)
  7. How scientific practices are used in a genetics lab. (SUU ELO 15.0)
  8. How to effectively engage in a scientific collaboration to develop your skills in working with a group to complete a genetics-based research project. (SUU ELO 15.0)
  9. How the process of scientific discovery is applied in genetics. (SUU ELO 4.0)
  10. How scientists use pilot data to build their research programs. (SUU ELO 4.0)

Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:
  1. Properly use a micropipette and make buffer solutions in the correct concentrations.
  2. Extract DNA from biological samples.
  3. Load an agarose gel and use electrophoresis to move DNA through the gel.
  4. Set up a PCR and measure amplified DNA.
  5. Interpret sequencing data from an external lab facility.
  6. Upload your organism’s DNA sequence to BOLD or BLAST, then taxonomically identify it.
  7. Ask questions related to problems that can be solved with genetic techniques; propose hypotheses; select appropriate genetic methods; gather and analyze genetic data; interpret messy real-world data; and present data to an audience of your peers or non-peers.
  8.  Contribute to team meetings, facilitate the contributions of team members, fulfill your individual contributions outside of team meetings, and foster a constructive team climate to further the collaborative goals of your team.
  9. Identify when your genetic results are sufficiently convincing to draw conclusions and be worthy of contribution to the larger research database for this project.
  10. Create a convincing figure or table.

You will be assessed on the previous outcomes with:
  1. Notebook entries and lab practicals.
  2. Notebook entries and lab practicals.
  3. Notebook entries and lab practicals.
  4. Notebook entries and lab practicals.
  5. Notebook entries and lab practicals.
  6. Notebook entries, research poster, and a class presentation.
  7. Class presentation, research poster, and teamwork assignments.
  8. Teamwork assignments.
  9. Notebook entries, teamwork assignments, and research poster.
  10. Research poster.

Assessments

Assignments: 
Your grades and assignment information will all be found on Canvas. Some assignments will be turned in on Canvas, so please meet with me if you're unsure how to submit your work through Canvas. The total points available will be based on the following course assignments. The number of assignments may vary slightly.

Canvas Safety Contract and Quiz:
This is a simple Canvas quiz demonstrating that you understand the safety rules for the course, and simply signing your name online to indicate that you will keep those rules.

Practicals:
These questions are asking for written descriptions of your understanding of best lab practices. Practical 1 is early in the semester, so you can demonstrate that you are ready to proceed with lab work. Practical 2 is at the end of the semester, to demonstrate that you have learned proper genetics lab practices and can explain the main ideas behind the things we do.

Teamwork Assignments:
You will complete three teamwork assignments that will help you to learn about genetics, develop competency as a scientist, become part of a scientific community, and work with a team to create a genetics research presentation. 
● Teamwork assignments 1 and 2: forming a research team and using primary literature. Work with your team to review research papers related to the background and methods of your research. 
● Teamwork assignment 3: working with a team to analyze next-generation sequencing data. Work with your team to clean and format sequencing data and generate figures.

Notebook Entries:
These are summaries of what you did during lab. You will grade your lab mates’ notebooks using a rubric on key lab days.

Research Poster and Presentation:
This is a summary of what you have researched this semester, which you will present to the class at the end of the semester.

Assignment  | Points  | Quantity  | Total
Pre/Post-test, safety quiz + contract  | 25  | 1  | 25 
Practical 1  | 25  | 1  | 25 
Teamwork Assignments  | 40  | 3  | 80 
Research Notebook Entries  | 50  | 5  | 250 
Research Poster Draft  | 50  | 1  | 50 
Research Poster Final  | 100  | 1  | 100 
Practical 2  | 50  | 1  | 50 

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

Late/Makeup Work: 
All assignments are due on the assigned date/time. Assignments turned in late will be subject to a 10% reduction in points immediately (this reduction begins the minute the assignment is late, i.e., if the assignment is due at 10:00 am, at 10:01 am you will lose 10% of the points associated with that assignment) and 10% lost for every 24 hours thereafter. After 10 days, the assignment will no longer be accepted. If you need to turn in an assignment late due to extenuating circumstances, i.e., university-sponsored travel, illness, ADA accommodation, etc., please get in touch with me at least 3 days before the due date to discuss the issue and work together to find a solution (when possible – obviously some things like hospitalizations prevent this). Please note that I do not guarantee I can provide an accommodation for every assignment.

Grading

Policy:
You must earn a minimum grade of “C” (2.0 or above) in this course for it to be counted in a biological science major or minor or as a prerequisite for any other biology course. See the percentage/letter grade scale below.

Number grade  | Letter grade  | Minimum percent
4.0  | A  | 93.0
3.7  | A-  | 90.0
3.3  | B+  | 86.0
3.0  | B  | 83.0
2.7  | B-  | 80.0
2.3  | C+  | 76.0
2.0  | C  | 73.0
1.7  | C-  | 70.0
1.3  | D+  | 66.0
1.0  | D  | 63.0
0.7  | D-  | 60.0
0.0  | F  | 0.0

Attendance Policy

Attendance:
Attendance in this course is taken seriously. Please read the following statement carefully to avoid setbacks. Timely arrival is important; showing up late is disrespectful to your fellow students and me. If you know you are going to be late frequently, please get in touch with me so we can discuss options for full participation.

iClicker:
The iClicker student app is used to take attendance in this course. This means that students need to check into iClicker each class (this can be done through your phone). If you can’t log into iClicker, you will need to notify me before class ends. Any notifications made after class will not be considered, and the student will receive no participation points for that day.

Absences:
Laboratory courses are as much about the experience of being in the lab as they are about the content you will learn. Attendance in this course is taken seriously. Please read the following statement carefully to avoid setbacks. An unexcused absence will result in a zero for all work assigned that day. Timely arrival is important; showing up late is disrespectful to your fellow students and me. Therefore, if you arrive at the lab 5 minutes or more past the start time, you will only receive 50% of the possible points for the day’s assignments. If you know you are going to be late frequently, please get in touch with me so we can discuss options for full participation. You should also plan on being in the lab the entire three hours; leaving the lab early, unless allowed by me, will result in a point deduction equal to the percentage of time missed. 

Examples of excused absences:
● Covid-19-related absences ● Medical emergencies ● Accidents ● Inclement weather (snow storms, floods, etc.) ● Interviews for jobs, internships, med school, etc. ● Conferences related to academia ● University-sponsored absences for student athletes ● Military leave ● Jury duty

Examples of unexcused absences:
● Family/personal trips and vacations ● Job shifts ● Attending another professor’s lecture or office hours ● Sleeping in/forgetting about class 

Course Outline

Week | Thurs | Fri | Lab | Start of Lab | End of Lab

1 | Aug 28 | Aug 29 | No Lab (First Week of Classes) | No Work Due | No Work Due

2 | Sep 4 | Sep 5 | Lab 1: Pre-course learning assessment Introduction to the Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) in Genetics - Introduction to research notebooks - Start Teamwork Assignment #1 | No Work Due | Pre-Assessment + CURE SurveySafety Quiz + Contract

3 | Sep 11 | Sep 12 | Lab 2: Review of lab skills, significant figures, and making solutions | Teamwork Assignment #1 | Molecular Techniques and Solutions Worksheet

4 | Sep 18 | Sep 19 | Lab 3: DNA isolation with practice sample Practical #1 | No Work Due | Research Notebook #0 (Lab 3)

5 | Sep 25 | Sep 26 | Lab 4: Visualization of DNA (gel electrophoresis) | No Work Due | Research Notebook #1 (Lab 4)

6 | Oct 2 | Oct 3 | Lab 5: DNA extraction & quantification with research samples Start Teamwork Assignment #2  | No Work Due | Research Notebook #2 (Lab 5)

7 | Oct 9 | Oct 10 | Lab 6: Introduction to PCR with research samples | Teamwork Assignment #2 | Research Notebook #3 (Lab 6)

8 | Oct 16 | Oct 17 | No Lab (Fall Break) | No Work Due | No Work Due

9 | Oct 23 | Oct 24 | Lab 7: Gel electrophoresis of PCR Samples | No Work Due | Research Notebook #4 (Lab 7)DNA Ladder Graph

10 | Oct 30 | Oct 31 | Lab 8: Primer Design Workshop | No Work Due | Primer Design Worksheet

11 | Nov 6 | Nov 7 | Lab 9: Translating next generation sequencing data using Ranacapa Start Teamwork Assignment #3 - Analyze practice data using Ranacapa - Analyze research data using Ranacapa | No Work Due | No Work Due

12 | Nov 13 | Nov 14 | Lab 10: Research Poster Draft - Practical #2 - Complete a draft of the research poster | Teamwork Assignment #3 | Research Poster Draft

13 | Nov 20 | Nov 21 | Lab 11: Research Poster Student presentations | Research Poster (Final Version) | No Work Due

14 | Nov 27 | Nov 28 | No Lab (Thanksgiving Week) | No Work Due | No Work Due

15 | Dec 4 | Dec 5 | Lab 12: BIOL 3060 Final Exam Review | No Work Due | No Work Due

16 | Dec 11 | Dec 12 | No Lab (Final Exams Week) | No Work Due | No Work Due

Course Fees

No additional course fees are required for this course.

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.