Syllabus for Virtual Teaching Assistant BIO 398

  • BIO 398 – Teaching Assistant for Human Anatomy and Physiology. 1-2 credits of upper division Biology may be earned.


QUALIFICATIONS:

  • You must be a student at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
  • You must have completed the course that you are assisting in with a letter grade of “A” or “B.”
  • If you are a transfer student, you must complete at least one semester here at MSU before registering for the TA program.

If you meet the above QUALIFICATIONS:

  • The credits work out to one credit for one lab per week. The maximum you can do in a semester is 2 credits and the maximum that will apply to the Biology major is 4.  These are upper division BIO credits.
  • Time expectations are 3 hours per week for one BIO 398 credit.
  • Being a TA is a win-win situation for teacher and student.  The student becomes more knowledgeable in anatomy and has a “looks good” extra item for applications to graduate programs or jobs. It is certainly a leadership position.  The teacher benefits in mentoring the TA and receiving some help.
  • Once you have chosen a lab, contact Dr. Hays. ([email protected]) Provide your 900 number.  Let her know if you want credit for being a TA.  Dr. Hays will check with that teacher and let you know if the TA position has been approved.
  • If you want credit for the internship, check with Dr. Hays as to how many credits you may earn.  Log into Career Link, which is located in the Student Hub (msudenver.edu/studenthub) towards the bottom of the page.  Use your MSU Denver single sign-on credentials.  In the left hand navigation menu, click Internship Credit.  Fill out the form until all asterisked items in the form are filled out. Refer to these SPECIFIC LEARNING OBJECTIVES when filling out the form.  Here are more instructions for the C2 Hub: Internship Process, self register The form will be signed electronically by typing your name and submitting it.  Approval is needed by student, instructor and Dr. Zajdowicz (Chair of Biology).  Once the approval process is complete, Dr. Zajdowicz will enter an override to allow you to register and notify you that you may now register for the course. Dr.  Zajdowicz is the teacher on record for all TAs and your instructor will submit your grade to Dr. Zajdowicz at the end of the semester.
  • Please feel free to contact Dr. Hays if you have any questions. [email protected]

Key Personnel:

-Faculty Advisor: Dr. Clare Hays,  SI 2032, [email protected], fax is (303) 556-6426

-Classroom to Career Hub – Internships: (303) 615-1333, 325 ADMIN, Email is [email protected] and contact is Cassie Mullin, [email protected]

 


 

GRADES

If you do the Teaching Assistantship for credit, you will receive a letter grade.  The following are the minimum requirements for each grade:

GRADE of “A”

  • Meets all deadlines for required lab work.
  • High degree of accuracy for lab work.  While you are not expected to be an expert on all structures, it needs to be apparent that you have made a good faith effort to prepare for the lab.  PROOFREAD your work.
  • Proactively encourage interaction with students.  Respond to student questions within 1 working day.
  • Observed growth that you develop in teaching/helping the students throughout the semester.

GRADE of “B”

  • Misses one deadline, but no others.
  • High degree of accuracy for lab work.  While you are not expected to be an expert on all structures, it needs to be apparent that you have made a good faith effort to prepare for the lab.  Very few errors are found, indicating that some proofreading occurred.
  • Proactively works with students.  Responds to student questions within 2 working days.
  • Observed growth that you develop in teaching/helping the students throughout the semester.

GRADE of “C”

  • Misses two or three deadlines.
  • Moderate degree of preparedness for labs.
  • Does not respond to student questions/concerns in a timely manner.
  • Little growth as a teacher/mentor during the semester.

GRADE of “D”

  • Misses four deadlines.
  • Little degree of preparedness for labs.
  • Does not respond to student questions/concerns.
  • No growth as a teacher/mentor during the semester.

GRADE of “F”

  • More than five deadlines missed without notifying other TAs or the teacher.
  • No lab preparation.
  • Does not help students with lab material.

 

COLLEGE OF LETTERS, ARTS, AND SCIENCES
SYLLABUS STATEMENTS – Spring 2021

Students are responsible for full knowledge of the provisions and regulations pertaining to all
aspects of their attendance at MSU Denver, and should familiarize themselves with the policies
found in the MSU Denver Catalog. For more information and most recent updates from these
sources, click on the links provided below.

SAFETY DURING THE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 PANDEMIC
MSU Denver is adhering to policies that minimize faculty, staff and student presence on
campus. All teaching, student services and all other business that may be conducted remotely
should continue to be delivered on-line. A small number of courses will be face to face
complying with all mandates for safety: physical distancing, face coverings, and frequent and
thorough hand washing. For a complete list of safety mandates please go to:
https://www.msudenver.edu/safe-return-to-campus/. Students should not expect to find
offices in the Jordan Student Success Building open for business. If students have questions for
the offices of Financial Aid, Admissions, Orientation and the Registrars, they should call 303-
556-5740 to set up virtual meetings on-line.

WITHDRAWAL FROM A COURSE
The Withdrawal (W) notation is assigned when a student officially withdraws from a course via
the Student Hub after the drop deadline (census date) and before the withdrawal deadline
posted in the Academic Calendar. Deadlines differ proportionally for courses offered during
part of a semester, including late-start and weekend courses. Students should refer to the
Student Detail Schedule via the Student Hub to review drop and withdrawal deadlines for
individual courses. Students who withdraw from a course are responsible for the full tuition and
fees for that course. After the withdrawal deadline, students may not withdraw from a course
and will be assigned the grade earned based on the course syllabus. A student-initiated
withdrawal will appear as an “F” on the student’s academic record in any case of academic
misconduct resulting in a permanent “F”. For more information see “Grades and Notations” in
the Academic Policies and Procedures section of the current Catalog, as well as the Financial
Aid/Withdrawals page.

ADMINISTRATIVE WITHDRAWAL
The Administrative Withdrawal (AW) notation is assigned when a student, or representative,
requests to be withdrawn from a course due to unforeseen or extenuating circumstances
beyond the student’s control. When the “AW” notation is assigned, no academic credit is
awarded. The course remains on the student’s academic record with an “AW” notation and
counts toward the student’s attempted hours. The course is not calculated in the student’s

GPA
or quality points. Students may request an administrative withdrawal from the Office of the
Registrar after the withdrawal deadline posted in the Academic Calendar. Deadlines differ
proportionally for courses offered during part of a semester, including late-start and weekend
courses. Students should refer to the Student Detail Schedule via the Student Hub to review
drop deadlines for individual courses. For more information see “Administrative Withdrawal”
in the current Catalog.

INCOMPLETE POLICY
The Incomplete notation may be assigned when a student is achieving satisfactory progress in a
course and is not able to complete all class assignments due to extenuating circumstances, such
as documented illness, military leave, disability, internships that fall outside traditional
semester timeframes, or circumstances beyond their control. If a student has completed, at a
minimum, a majority of course work and/or course contact hours, a student may request an
Incomplete after the Withdrawal Deadline posted in the Academic Calendar. Deadlines differ
proportionally for courses offered during a part of the semester, including late-start and
weekend courses. Students should refer to the Spring 2021 Part of Term dates published by
the Office of the Registrar to review withdrawal deadlines for individual courses. Departments
may have additional standards and/or criteria. Students should consult with their faculty
member and department to determine additional requirements.
The incomplete notation is composed of an “I” (noted on the students transcript) as well as the
student’s default grade (A, A-, B+, B, etc.), the grade the student has earned when they leave
the class out of the total points of the class (the grade the student will earn if no additional
work is submitted). Incomplete work must be completed within the subsequent long semester
(fall or spring) or earlier, at the discretion of the faculty member. In the event of extended
extenuating circumstances, the completion date for incomplete work may be extended for an
additional long semester, at the discretion of the faculty member. If the incomplete work is not
completed, the “I” notation will convert to the default grade submitted by the faculty member.
Determination of eligibility does not guarantee that an incomplete will be granted. Students
who meet the qualifications may request an incomplete from the faculty member who is
teaching the course. The decision to grant an incomplete is up to the faculty member or at the
department chair’s discretion, if the faculty member is not available.
The decision to grant an incomplete as an accommodation based on a student’s disability shall
be made by the faculty member or the department chair, if the faculty member is not available,
in consultation with the Director of the Access Center.
If an incomplete is granted, the student and faculty member must fill out and sign an
Incomplete Agreement Form to clarify what outstanding work the student should complete
within the designated timeframe. Departments may have additional standards and/or criteria.
Students should consult with their faculty member and department to determine additional
requirements.
Graduating seniors may not graduate with an “I” on their MSU Denver academic record if:
• The course in which the “I” was assigned is required for graduation, or
• The default grade assigned for that course would result in an overall GPA less than 2.00.
The “I” notation may not be given for a self-paced course. If a student does not complete a selfpaced course within the semester that they enrolled in the course, they must re- enroll in the
course in order to complete it. In this case, the student will pay tuition and fees. The
Incomplete Policy is listed in the Grades and Notations section of the catalog.

BEST GRADE STANDS
A student’s grades for repeated courses will be removed from GPA calculations up to 18
semester hours, regardless of the original grade earned. If a student repeats more than 18
credit hours, the student may designate which of the course grades are removed from GPA
calculations (up to 18 semester hours). Only the best grade and its associated credit will be
calculated in the GPA and earned hours totals. Other attempts for the course will appear on the
official academic record but will be annotated to indicate they do not count for academic credit
or GPA calculation. This policy applies only to courses taken at MSU Denver, and it does not
apply to courses designated as repeatable toward degree requirements. For more information,
see “Best Grade Stands” in the current Catalog.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
As students, faculty, staff and administrators of Metropolitan State University of Denver, it is
our responsibility to uphold and maintain an academic environment that furthers scholarly
inquiry, creative activity and the application of knowledge. We will not tolerate academic
dishonesty. We will demonstrate honesty and integrity in all activities related to our learning
and scholarship. We will not plagiarize, fabricate information or data, cheat on tests or exams,
steal academic material, or submit work to more than one class without full disclosure. For
further information see “Academic Integrity Standards” on the Dean of Students website.

SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
See the MSU Denver website for information regarding Sexual Misconduct and Title IX policy.
For more information, refer to the Student Code of Conduct 2020-2021 manual.

ACCESS CENTER – ACCOMMODATING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
The Metropolitan State University of Denver is committed to providing an accessible and
inclusive learning environment for all students, including those with disabilities. Students with
a diagnosed condition/disability which may impact their access, performance, attendance, or
grades in this class should contact the Access Center, located in the Plaza Building, Suite 122,
303-615-0200. The Access Center is the designated department responsible for coordinating
accommodations and services for students with disabilities. Students will need to provide an
Accessibility Notification Letter obtained from the Access Center to their faculty to activate
their accommodations. Information pertaining to a student’s disability is treated in a
confidential manner. This “Required ADA Syllabus Statement” along with additional
information are available on the Access Center website:
Accessibility and Disability Accommodations
The Metropolitan State University of Denver is committed to providing an accessible
and inclusive learning environment for all students, including those with disabilities.
Students with a diagnosed condition/disability which may impact their access,
performance, attendance, or grades in this class should contact the Access Center,
located in the Plaza Building, Suite 122, 303-615-0200.
The Access Center is the designated department responsible for coordinating
accommodations and services for students with disabilities. Students will need to
provide an Accommodation Notification Letter obtained from the Access Center to their
faculty to activate their accommodations. Information pertaining to a student’s
disability is treated in a confidential manner. Further information is available by visiting
the Access Center website www.msudenver.edu/access.

CLASS ATTENDANCE
Attendance during the first week of class is required. It contributes greatly to teaching and
learning. Some departments determine a student’s enrollment in a course based upon
attendance during the first week of class. Consult the department for more information about
the attendance policy for the class that you are attending. Students who drop classes are
financially responsible for those classes in accordance with withdrawal/refund policies. . . .
Students at MSU Denver who, because of their sincerely held religious beliefs, are unable to
attend classes, take examinations, participate in graded activities or submit graded assignments
on particular days shall, without penalty, be excused from such classes and be given a
meaningful opportunity to make up such examinations and graded activities or assignments
provided that proper notice and procedures are followed. For further information, see the Class
Attendance policies page.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION POLICY
Use of MSU Denver email services should follow standards of normal academic and
professional ethics, and is governed by University policies and applicable law. Inappropriate use
may result in revocation of access to University computing systems, and could result in
disciplinary action pursuant to the Student Handbook, Faculty Handbook, and Staff Handbook.
For more information, see the Electronic Communication policy page.

RESOURCES
The College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences is committed to, and cares about, all students. To help
you manage personal challenges and basic needs security, the university offer several
resources. Any student who has difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat
every day, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live, and believes this may affect their
performance in the course, is urged to contact the Dean of Students (303-615-0220), the Gender
Institute for Teaching and Advocacy (303-615-2052), or our CLAS office (303-615-0600).

CAMPUS-WIDE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS:
In the event the Auraria campus experiences inclement weather, a natural disaster, or any type
of campus emergency, it is the responsibility of each student to understand any evacuation
and/or “lockdown” guidelines if an emergency is declared. More information can be found at
the Emergency Preparedness webpage:
Please use the following to familiarize yourself with these guidelines:
• Please familiarize yourself with this Auraria Campus Emergency Procedures reference
sheet (also located in each classroom).
• MSU Denver will communicate an emergency event through RAVE notifications (text,
email, voicemail). Please visit the RAVE webpage to register, review, and/or update your
information.
• If you need to report an emergency, you can:
o dial 911 from a campus phone
o Dial 303-556-5000 from a cell phone
o Text-a-Tip to 720-593-8477
• Attend campus-wide trainings and/or consult with your instructor if you have any other
questions about what to do in an emergency

NOTE: If you have any difficulty accessing the links in this document, please inform the instructor.