Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Cadaver Practicum (Face-to-Face)

BIOL 3230-01

Course: BIOL 3230-01
Credits: 2
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: BIOL
CRN: 31058

Course Description

Supervised maintenance and dissection of human cadavers. Enrollment must be approved by instructor. Four hours work required per week. Course is repeatable for multiple credits up to a maximum of four. 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)] Prerequisite(s): BIOL 2320 and (BIOL 2325 or BIOL 2323) and instructor permission - Prerequisite Min. Grade: C Repeatable for Add’l Credit? Yes - Total Credits: 4 

Required Texts

Dissecting manuals and anatomy atlases will be provided for use in the lab. You should use anything that you have to review detailed anatomy of the human body, including your lab manuals and resources from your anatomy courses.


Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes provided by the instructor:

1.) To gain factual knowledge (terminology, classifications, methods).
-To learn the procedures for caring for, handling, and dissecting cadavers.
-To become familiar with the various dissecting tools and their proper use.

2.) To develop specific skills, competencies, and points of view needed by professionals in the field most closely related to this course.
-To gain experience to aid in post-graduate coursework in medical fields.
-To become familiar with procedures for dissecting a cadaver, as described in dissecting manuals.
-To learn procedures such as skinning, fat removal, isolation of muscles and other body parts.

3.) To learn to apply course material (to improve thinking, problem solving, and decision-making).
-To review gross human anatomy.

4.) To acquire skills in working with others as members of a team.
-Your dissection teams are responsible for preparing the cadavers for use in BIOL 2325.

Course Requirements

It is assumed that you are entering this course with an excellent understanding and recollection of Human Anatomy. It is recommended that you review your human anatomy each week. If you do not know what structures are in the area you’re dissecting, you run the risk of damaging them. If you continually come to class without knowing the structures that you need to look for, it will lower your grade, significantly affect the success of the others in the class, and the success of students in the human anatomy labs. Be prepared! Do not ever dissect a human body without knowing exactly what it is that you’re dissecting.  

Treat the cadaver with RESPECT! It is a privilege and honor to be able to dissect a human cadaver. 

COURSE ASSESSMENT:
Grading is based on your attendance and participation in the lab, teamwork, communication skills, dissection skills, and completion of weekly assignments on time. No late work will be accepted.

Class Attendance is mandatory: You are expected to attend all labs. Excessive absences WILL lower your grade.

**2 or more unexcused labs will result in an automatic F for this course.**

The only type of excused absence is one sanctioned by university activities such as sports or academic field trips. Excused absences require a letter from a coach/instructor prior to the absence. If an emergency arises and you miss a lab session, a certificate signed by a certified medical professional with diagnostic AND prescriptive powers (M.D., D.O., N.P., P.A.) or a documented family emergency provided within one day of return to campus are the ONLY acceptable excuses for missing that day unless prior arrangements are made. Students that miss lab due to any other reason will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. See me if you fall into this category. 

If you miss a lab, you will be asked to do some out of class dissection. You are in this course not only for your educational benefit, but also because the entire Human Anatomy program is relying on you to prepare the cadavers for their semester. If you are not here to dissect, there will be a dramatic widespread effect from this.

Student Participation: All students are expected to be prepared to take part in dissections and to make positive contributions to the class. The more active and focused you are in lab, the better your grade will be.

Weekly Reflection papers: These short papers are due at the end of your dissection period, before you leave the lab for the day. No late papers will be accepted. These assignments are worth 5 points each. Their goal is to help focus your activities and assess your performance so that you can form a plan for how to proceed in future dissection periods. These reflection papers will not take more than 5 minutes to complete. The lowest scoring paper will be dropped from your grade at the end of the semester.

Weekly Participation Points: Each student will receive up to 5 participation points on the following:
·       Timeliness (on time? Late?)
·       Engagement with team members during dissecting
·       Focus on dissection during lab
·       Dissection Progress(this isn’t dissecting more or fast, it means evidence of thoughtful and useful dissection)
·       Contribution towards housekeeping activities (instrument gathering, lab care, clean up, etc…)
The lowest scoring daily participation grade will be dropped at the end of the semester.

End of semester writing projects: Short end of the semester self and team reflection papers will be turned in the last week of classes. These short writing assignments will be worth a total of 100 points.

GRADING SCALE: A straightforward average of the total points earned out of total points possible will be used to assign a percentage grade, and then the following letter grades will be assigned to the percentage that you earn: 

A= 92.45-100%
A-= 89.45-92.44%
B+= 86.45-89.44%
B= 82.45-86.44%
B-= 79.45-82.44%
C+= 76.45-79.44%
C= 72.45-76.44%
C-= 69.45-72.44%
D+= 66.45-69.44%
D= 62.45-66.44%
D-= 59.45-62.44%
F= less than 59.44%

THERE IS NO STATISTICAL CURVING OF GRADES.

Course Outline

This schedule is subject to change at any time based on my discretion.

 Tentative Lab Schedule  
 Week/Dates: Lab Topic
 Week 1: Sep 1: Labor Day, no class.
 Week 2: Sep 8: Hand out syllabus, meet and examine cadavers .
 Week 3: Sep 15: Intro videos, first cuts, skinning.
 Week 4: Sep 22: Skin, muscle isolation and preparation.
 Week 5: Sep 29: Muscle isolation and preparation.
 Week 6: Oct 6: Must have all muscles from Lab 5 Anatomy Manual isolated, Muscle isolation and preparation Lab 6.
 Week 7: Oct: 13 Fall Break, no lab this week.
 Week 8: Oct 20: Must have all muscles from Lab 6 Anatomy Manual isolated Muscle isolation and preparation. 
 Week 9: Oct 27: Begin nervous system isolation, Anatomy Practical #1, labs 1-6.
 Week 10: Nov 3: Finish nervous system isolation, heart, and great vessel isolation.
 Week 11: Nov 10: Finish heart and great vessel isolation. Begin to isolate respiratory system, digestive system, urinary system organs.
 Week 12: Nov 17: Finish all dissections, clean up lab, get final assignments.
 Week 13: Nov 24: Thanksgiving week, no classes.
 Week 14: Dec 1: Turn in Final Assignments, Human Anatomy Practical #2, labs 7, 9-13.
 

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

Grading is based on your attendance and participation in the lab, teamwork, communication skills, dissection skills, and completion of weekly assignments on time. No late work will be accepted.

Attendance Policy

You are expected to attend all labs. Excessive absences WILL lower your grade.

**2 or more unexcused labs will result in an automatic F for this course.**

 The only type of excused absence is one sanctioned by university activities such as sports or academic field trips. Excused absences require a letter from a coach/instructor prior to the absence. If an emergency arises and you miss a lab session, a certificate signed by a certified medical professional with diagnostic AND prescriptive powers (M.D., D.O., N.P., P.A.) or a documented family emergency provided within one day of return to campus are the ONLY acceptable excuses for missing that day unless prior arrangements are made. Students that miss lab due to any other reason will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. See me if you fall into this category. 

 If you miss a lab, you will be asked to do some out of class dissection. You are in this course not only for your educational benefit, but also because the entire Human Anatomy program is relying on you to prepare the cadavers for their semester

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.