Information on Spring 2021

All spring 2021 courses, including labs, are online. This page will be updated regularly with general details about the courses offered by the Biology Department. For more specific details about individual courses, contact the course instructor(s).

Biology Department Contact List (pdf)
Biology Department Advising Schedule (pdf)
Course Descriptions for Biology Majors (pdf)
Undergraduate Major Worksheet, B.S. in Biology (pdf)
Undergraduate Major Worksheet, B.A. in Biology (pdf)
Biology Minor Requirements (pdf)
Student Concern Form (docx) - Fill out this form if you have a concern about a course that requires the attention of the Biology Department chair.

Statement on Biology Research Courses in the Time of COVID

The biology undergraduate research courses are listed for spring 2021. Many labs are closed because of COVID, and those that are open are restricted to graduate students and professional research staff. CUNY has not published a date when undergraduates will be allowed in research labs. Therefore, undergraduate student research is likely to be library-based for most of the semester.

The research courses are: BIOL 5000-5002, BIOL 5003W, BIOL 5010-5013, and BIOL 5014W.

You may register for these courses if there is a sponsoring faculty member. Eligible faculty are listed on the Faculty page. The sponsoring faculty member must send an e-mail to the chair stating willingness to sponsor and stating the title of the project.

Policy Statement on Spring 2021 Courses

The spring 2021 semester will be online for all courses except BIOL 3004. We are aware this instructional mode can be stressful and brings new worries, but also new opportunities. The faculty in the Biology Department pledge to work hard to accommodate student needs for learning—we also expect students to work with us.

Here are some guidelines:

1. Course Policies

As usual, individual course policies, including attendance, schedules, grade calculation rubrics, etc., will be listed in the course syllabus. Please read the syllabus before e-mailing questions.

2. "Synchronous"

Most courses are being offered as "synchronous," which means instructors expect students to be available at specific times to engage in discussions, workshops, lab exercises, and quizzes. The advantage of synchronous learning is that students interact with each other and with the instructor, both key elements for understanding the course material. With synchronous courses:

The instructor may take attendance, award marks for attendance, or penalize students for unexcused absences. Absentee and participation policies and details about grading will be described in the course syllabus.
We are aware that Internet access and connectivity issues occur, usually at the most inconvenient time. Instructors will continue to make allowances for legitimate reasons. If you have connectivity issues during an exam, quiz, or presentation, take a screenshot and e-mail it to your instructor within 24 hours with an explanation.
BIOL 3004 will be hybrid: Each student is expected to attend three on-campus sessions. We are working hard to ensure the safety of these sessions, which will be later in the semester.

3. Cameras and Online Courses

Most courses will require the use of a camera to facilitate discussions and ensure fairness on exams. By signing up for these courses, you have given your consent for camera use. If there are exceptions to this policy, they are noted in the course syllabus. Requests for personal exemptions from the camera requirement must be sent via e-mail.

4. Exam Policies

We are aware that issues of copying, consultation, and other forms of cheating are easier with online examinations. Even a small number of people cheating is an unacceptable affront to the honest work that the majority of students do to learn the course material. To minimize this problem, here are several policies:

It is the right and duty of the instructor to schedule exams and quizzes (except for the final exam, which is scheduled by the college). Exams must be taken in the time limits specified for each exam.
Absence from an exam will be treated as described in the course syllabus, and any make-up exam policy will also be described in the course syllabus.
It is the right and duty of the instructor to determine the format and content of all course exams.

5. Assignments

All assignments will be due at the specified time. Extension requests will be considered by the instructor, and may or may not be granted at the instructor's discretion.

6. Emergency Situations

We understand that emergency situations after the withdrawal date might make it impossible to complete a course. Under these circumstances, a grade of INC (incomplete) may be issued in some courses. However, some courses (especially lab courses) do not lend themselves to offering make-up activities, meaning that some students may still fail the course despite the best intentions of the department. In such cases, you should petition Brooklyn College's Committee on Course and Standing for a retroactive grade of W, which carries no implication of failure and no GPA penalty.

7. Appeals Policy of the Biology Department

We will consider appeals only after you have raised the issue with the course instructor and received what you consider to be an inadequate reply or have had no reply within seven days after contacting the instructor. Some additional considerations:

Appeals regarding timing conflicts of exams may be considered only if there is evidence of the conflict being based on academic issues.
We will not consider appeals about exam scheduling, format, or content. Those are determined only by the instructor.
We will consider exam-grading appeals only if you can demonstrate that your answers were incorrectly marked.

If you wish to file an appeal, fill out the Biology Department appeal form (docx).

We will not consider appeals from the dean, provost, president, parent, chancellor, mayor, governor, or other officials unless the Biology Department appeal form has been filled and submitted.

Updated: January 19, 2021