Rose Bio 494 Internship in Biology Syllabus (1-2 credits) Section 1:

 

JMU Instructor: Dr. Christopher Rose

 

Office hours: Mon & Thurs 2:30-5; if I am not in my office, look for me in my lab; email me for an appointment outside of office hours.

 

Office: Bioscience 2022 Lab: Bioscience 2028

Phone: 568-6666 (O)          email: rosecs@jmu.edu

 

Internship Supervisor and address: to be supplied by student in proposal

 

Catalogue description:

 

BIO 494. Internship in Biology (0, 4-8). 1-2 credits. Offered fall, spring and summer.

Students participate in research or applied biology outside this university. Students must contact and obtain approval of a supervising instructor at the off campus location and the department internship coordinator in the term prior to registration. A proposal must be approved prior to registration and a final paper or presentation will be completed. Prerequisites: Biology or biotechnology major with a minimum of 8 biology credit hours and a GPA of 2.5 or higher.

 

Course objectives:

 

The internship allows students to get academic credit for practical hands-on training, skill development and experience in biology-related research, education, outreach or work in a professional setting outside of the university and under the guidance of professionals in a work environment related to biology. Biology-related does not include shadowing health care professionals, rescue squad and EMT work, and any kind of patient care in veterinary clinics, medical clinics, nursing homes, other special care institutions and hospitals, though it can include participating in research done in or in affiliation with hospitals and vet clinics. For veterinary-related internships, the student is referred to BIO 493. For internships that involve shadowing doctors and patient care, the student is referred to the Department of Health Sciences.

 

Learning outcomes:

 

1. hands-on training, skill development and experience in biology-related research, education, outreach or other kinds of work in a professional setting.

 

2. awareness of the logistic, economic and political realities of functioning in a work environment outside of a university.

 

3. professional interactions with people other than professors in a work environment related to biology.

 

Prerequisites:

 

1. Be a declared Bio or Biotech major and a fulltime student.

 

2. Have completed 8 credit hours of biology that provide the necessary background for the internship.

 

3. Have a GPA of 2.5 or greater.

 

4. Have a class schedule indicating time blocks that can be committed to meet the required half or full-day requirement (4 or 8 hours) per week for 15 weeks at the internship location. If done in the summer, 2 weeks of full workdays merits one credit hour.

 

5. Have the on-site supervisor complete and submit a description form describing his/her credentials, the nature of the on-site activities that the student will engage in, and the training, skills and/or experience that the student is expected to gain. Whether this form must be completed for summer internship programs like Operation Wallacea and International Student Volunteers or whether their on-line advertisements provide sufficient information will be at the discretion the biology internship.

 

6. Complete a 2-3 page proposal that receives the signed approval of both the on-site supervisor and the biology internship coordinator. The proposal must itemize and describe the work activities in detail, estimate the expected time allocation to each activity and specify whether a paper or presentation will be produced at the end of the internship. The proposal must be based on input from both the on-site supervisor and the biology internship coordinator. The proposal must be completed and approved with a signature by both the on-site supervisor and the biology internship coordinator prior to registration for the course.

 

The internship will be judged for approval by the biology internship coordinator on the basis of information provided by the on-site supervisor and in the proposal using the following three criteria: will the activities as described be sufficiently enriching in terms of academic, professional, and/or educational training, skills and/or experience to qualify for academic credit, are the activities sufficiently connected with biology to qualify for biology credit, and does the student have adequate background in biology at the time of enrollment to accomplish the first criterion. The biology internship coordinator has the final say in approving the internship and has the right to reject an unworthy proposal or to request revisions that must be agreed to by both the student and on-site supervisor before granting his or her approval. The type and amount of financial compensation that might come with an internship has no bearing on the eligibility of the internship for academic credit.

 

Course place and time: location and meeting times will be scheduled on an individual basis at the start of term by the student and on-site supervisor.

 

Required texts and materials: none

 

Adding/dropping class: Policy and deadlines can be found at http://www.jmu.edu/syllabus/

 

Disabilities: Policy and deadlines can be found at http://www.jmu.edu/syllabus/

 

Attendance and missed performance and missed deadline policies: Students are required to put in a minimum of 4 hours per credit hour per week and missed time must be made up in subsequent weeks. Failure to meet this requirement and to meet deadlines will be subject to a grade penalty. If you have a valid excuse (school-recognized religious observation; official school business; job, court or graduate school interview; sickness with doctorÕs note; death or serious illness in family) for failing to meet this requirement or missing a deadline, contact me by email at least three days before the date in question to arrange how to make up the lost time and/or getting an extension for a deadline.

 

Requirements of the course:

 

1. Participate in 4-5 hours of supervised activity per week per credit hour at the internship location. If done in the summer, the internship requires the equivalent time commitment, e.g., 10 full workdays per credit hour.

 

2. Keep a daily log of your visits, describing the activities carried out (including meetings) and any special lessons learned or problems encountered.

 

3. Complete a 10-page paper or give a 60-minute, Powerpoint-based presentation to the biology internship coordinator after completion of the final day/week of internship activity. This paper or presentation will summarize the activities undertaken and the skills, experience, and expertise acquired from them.

 

Grading:

 

Upon completion of the internship, the biology internship coordinator will ask the on-site supervisor to complete and return an evaluation form documenting the studentÕs performance. The biology internship coordinator will assign a grade of PASS/FAIL based on how well the student met course requirements 1-3, and feedback received from the on-site supervisor. Criteria that the biology coordinator will ask the on-site supervisor to assess might include but not be limited to etiquette or professional behavior, ethical behavior, attendance and punctuality, efficiency in acquiring skills or information, efficiency in accomplishing tasks, participation in meetings, and abilities to communicate, ask questions, trouble shoot, think creatively. The biology internship coordinator will provide a more precise listing of these criteria and their individual grade contributions to the student after approving the proposal and consulting with the on-site supervisor.

 

Inclement weather policies: Missed meetings and lab time will be made up later in the term or at the request of the instructor.

 

Religious observation accommodations: Policy and deadlines can be found at http://www.jmu.edu/syllabus/.

 

Laboratory policy: Students must wear closed-end shoes (no flip flops, sandals or other shoes with open toes or heels) when attending all labs. Most procedures will require the use of safety glasses, lab coats and gloves. All procedures will be done in accordance with government regulations protecting animal rights and welfare. If any student objects to the subject matter or nature of the work, he or she is strongly requested to bring their concern to the instructor's attention at the start of the course (i.e., in the first week of classes). Depending on the circumstances, the student may be advised to reconsider their enrollment in the course. All students are requested to treat all laboratory and field exercises and materials with the respect and maturity befitting serious scientific inquiry.

 

Honor Code: All students are expected to be familiar with and abide by the JMU Honor Code. (http://www.jmu.edu/honor/code.shtml). Forms of academic dishonesty include cheating on tests or homework, lending your work to another person to submit it as his or her own, reporting false data, selling or uploading unauthorized documents from a class, deliberately creating false information on a works cited or reference page; and plagiarism, presenting another personÕs writing, ideas or results as your own, whether intentional or not. Work submitted for this course must be your own and written for this course. To avoid plagiarism in writing, paraphrased and quoted materials must be properly cited in the text and referenced in the bibliography (see above); unnecessary or excessive use of direct quotations will be penalized.