BOT4404 Phycology lectures: A short quiz will be given at the beginning of five of the classes. These quizzes will cover topics of the last two classes each. The lowest quiz will not count towards the final grade. If you miss a quiz, this quiz will count as zero points, but you can assign the missed quiz as the one granted. The remaining 4 quizzes count as 50% of the final grade. Quizzes start at 9.00 a.m. sharp and a maximum of 15 minutes is assigned to each quiz. Late students have to make up their missed time; no extension or quiz-taking after the lecture for late students.
A final exam comprising multiple choice and short answers will count for the other 50% of the final grade. Complementary material not included in the textbook but discussed during the classes or provided as handout or online might be subject of examinations. Attending the classes regularly will provide substantial advantage towards examinations. No extra credit projects, no make-up examinations. Grades are not negotiable.

BOT4404L Phycology Lab: Final grades for the lab course will be computed by the following performances and achievements:

• Performance during the lab work (15%)
• Quality of data (15%)
• Oral presentation of group results (25%)
• Written lab report on field study, lab experiment, and study of provided specimens (25%)
• Final lab exam (20%)

Whereas lab performance and the final lab exam are individual tasks, grading for the other achievements are group gradings, i.e. all members of one "research team" will gain the same grade for their group achievements. Since scientific work today is almost always performed in working groups, this lab course shall provide a hands-on experience in this regard as well. Thus, it remains the group's responsibility to organize work load sharing among their group members and to keep motivation up in all group members. Instructor intevenance will be limited to severe cases of disproportional contributions among group members only.
Each student has to provide a written lab manual. Each student and each group is free to decide whether the lab report on the Biscayne Bay field study and the lab experiment on algal growth shall be a joint preparation or not. The study of provided specimens (diversity of algae) is an individual task, though, that has to be included in the individual lab report. This part cannot be replaced by group performance.
The final lab exam will comprise multiple-choice and short-answer questions on the practical issues of this course. Therefore, the applied and demonstrated methodology will be the focus of this exam, whereas the theoretical background of phycology will be topic of the final exam of the lecture class. The final exam will be held on the last lab course day.
Missing a lab class without severe reason and without the approval of the student's research group or persistent late-coming will result in substantial reduction in the "performance during lab work" grading. Remember that there will be only a total of 6 lab classes!