Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Human Physiology Lab (Face-to-Face)

BIOL 2425-03

Course: BIOL 2425-03
Credits: 1
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: BIOL
CRN: 12672

Course Description

Lab to accompany BIOL 2420. One two-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 2420 Registration Restriction(s): Intensive English Program majors may not enroll Equivalent Course(s): BIOL 2423

Required Texts

Labs are posted on Canvas. Each week, either: 1) print a copy of the Lab Handout and Lab Report or 2) download both onto an electronic device to use in lab. Every student must have a copy of both available to use while in lab.

Learning Outcomes

In this course, you will:
1.) gain further understanding of physiological concepts presented in the lecture
2.) apply physiological concepts in experimental situations
3.) learn and practice physiological measurement techniques

Course Requirements

Course grades will be based on the following:
• 11 weekly Lab Reports worth 10 points each (50% of final grade)
• 10 weekly lab quizzes worth 10 points each (50% of final grade)

All grades will be entered in the Grades tab on Canvas, enabling you to keep track of your grades and always be able to see your current course grade. The following grading scale is used in this course:

Letter Grade
A (100‐92.45%) 
A‐ (92.44‐89.45%) 
B+ (89.44‐86.45%) 
B (86.44‐82.45%) 
B‐ (82.44‐79.45%) 
C+ (79.44‐76.45%) 
C (76.44‐72.45%)
C‐ (72.44‐69.45%)
D+ (69.44‐66.45%)
D (66.44‐62.45%)
D‐ (62.44‐59.45%)
F (59.44‐0%)

When and how do Lab Report assignments need to be submitted?
  • All Lab Report assignments should be submitted on Canvas in the Assignments tab BEFORE the next lab meeting. An IA (Instructional Assistant) will grade these assignments, typically within 1-2 weeks.
How are Quizzes completed and what are their format?
  • Quizzes will be given in-person at the beginning of lab, typically lasting ~10-15 minutes. Quizzes are always on the previous week’s lab material (primarily the text in the Lab Handout). Questions can range from fill-in-the-blank to open-ended explanatory questions. Your quiz will be graded, typically within 1 week, and returned to you in the next lab. You can click on the assignment in Canvas to see a list of specific topics that will be on the quiz.
Is extra credit offered in this course?
  • Yes. You get extra credit for attending the first day of lab. There will also be other opportunities for extra credit announced throughout the semester where you will have options of what to do to get the points. DO NOT email the instructor asking for additional personal extra credit at any time during the semester.
Can I use electronic devices in lab?
  • Not on quizzes, but you may use electronic devices to view the Lab Handout or complete the Lab Report. Using an electronic device on a quiz is prohibited and is considered a violation of academic integrity.

Course Outline

Doing well in this course begins with coming to lab prepared, on-time, ready to work, and using lab time effectively.

Lab will always begin with a lab quiz on the previous lab week’s material. The instructor will then give a quick overview of the lab you are to complete, as well as give any additional instructions not already printed on your Lab Handout.

In this lab, you will learn and reinforce the specialized terminology, physiology, and functions of structures within the following body systems/topics:
Homeostasis, Physiological Control Mechanisms, Neurons and Membrane Potentials, Central Nervous System, Peripheral Nervous System, Autonomic Nervous System, Special Senses, Muscle Physiology, Endocrine Physiology, Digestive Physiology, Cardiovascular Physiology, Immune/Lymphatic Physiology, Respiratory Physiology, Urinary Physiology, and Reproductive Physiology.

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

Can I turn in assignments late?
  • No. All assignments must be submitted on time for credit. However, if there are extenuating circumstances, your instructor reserves the right to give permission for an assignment to be accepted late.
If I arrive to lab late, can I still take the Quiz?
  • Depends on how late you are. You should enter lab, quickly take a seat, and complete the quiz in the time remaining. You will not be given extra time.
If I must miss lab, can I make it up?
  • Because of the nature of the labs, only computer simulation labs can be made up at a later time if you end up having to miss. You will need to get permission from the instructor to make up any of these types of labs, after which you will then schedule a time to make it up and take the quiz. Please see the Attendance Policy section below for what to do if you have to miss.

Attendance Policy

  • You are required to attend lab every week it is scheduled. Missing more  than 2 labs will result in an automatic F for this course.
  • If you must miss lab, you will need to email the instructor IN ADVANCE to schedule a time for you to take that week’s quiz, preferably during office hours ASAP or within three business days. Be sure to include in your email when you are available to come by her office. You can then email another lab instructor to ask to attend their lab session at a different time during the week to use the resources in the lab.

Workload Expectation

Keep in mind that you get two separate grades for lecture and lab, but they should really be thought of as a single course. In order to be successful in any course, you should expect to spend 2-3 hours outside of class/lab either studying or completing ­­­­assignments for every hour you spend in the classroom/lab every week. At 4 cumulative credit hours between lecture and lab, this means you should be spending 8-12 hours outside of class/lab time taking notes, studying, or working on assignments for physiology every week.

AI Policy

As far as we have seen with generative AI like ChatGPT (or even when doing a general search online), it sometimes has correct/incorrect information. So as usual, the lab manual/course textbook are the best places to find correct information outside of class. When searching online or using generative AI, you will want to use various sources and compare the information to ensure it is true. Generative AI is likely not going away, so please make sure you know how and when to use it properly. If you have questions about this, please talk to your instructor.

Please note that to get credit, all assignments you submit in this course should be your own work; if you use generative AI to help you with completing assignments, you should still put information in your own words and not just copy/paste from the internet. Copy/pasting from another source without putting it in your own words risks you violating academic integrity.

Academic Misconduct

I take academic misconduct VERY seriously. If you are caught cheating in any of my courses, or violating academic misconduct in another way, I will take actions as outlined in SUU’s Academic Misconduct Policy #6.33. This includes documenting the instance with the Office of Student Affairs and could result in any one or more of the following penalties: a warning, a zero on the assignment, an F in the course, documentation on your transcript next to this course that you violated academic misconduct, and expulsion from the University.

●     CHEATING IS DEFINED by SUU Policy #6.33 as: Unauthorized use or attempted use of materials, devices, information, notes, study aids, Artificial Intelligence, fellow Students, or other assistance during any academic assessment such as examinations, in or out of class assignments, or other forms of assessment. Cheating is a type of Academic Misconduct.”
●     PLAGIARISM IS DEFINED by SUU Policy #6.33 as: The intentional or unintentional appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words, without giving appropriate credit. Plagiarism includes the unattributed verbatim or nearly verbatim copying of sentences and paragraphs from another's work, which materially misleads the reader regarding the contributions of the author. It does not include the limited use of identical or nearly-identical phrases which describe a commonly-used methodology. Plagiarism is a type of Academic Misconduct.
●     COMPLICITY IS DEFINED by SUU Policy #6.33 as: Assisting or attempting to assist another person in any act of Academic Misconduct. Complicity includes, but is not limited to, allowing other Students to copy one’s own work, paying for resources or assistance, providing material of any kind that may be misleading to Faculty, and providing unauthorized information about any assessments to other Students or uploading any information/work created by Faculty to any website without the written consent of Faculty to do so. Complicity is a type of Academic Misconduct.

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.