Department of
Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine

BIOC 531 Syllabus

BIOCHEMISTRY 531 – GENERAL BIOCHEMISTRY

SYLLABUS FOR SPRING SEMESTER 2019

Course Description and Goals

This course, taught in conjunction with Dental Biochemistry 705, is designed to be a general introduction to biochemical compounds, processes, and concepts for students who have had general and organic chemistry and are interested in a medically-oriented, general biochemistry course. Specific topics such as the biochemistry of various diseased states, enzyme mechanisms, therapeutic use of enzyme inhibitors, effects of drugs on various metabolic pathways, signal transduction, drug biotransformation and drug resistance provide basic biochemical information for preparation for various professional curricula and for MCAT and other entrance type exams. The course consists of four lectures or clinical correlations per week for 4 credit hours.

Course Instructors, Required Textbook, and Syllabi

The instructors for Biochemistry 531 are Dr. Mike Gunther, Course Director, and Dr. Aaron Robart, Dr. Roberta Leonardi, and Dr. Drew Shiemke, all from the Department of Biochemistry, WVU School of Medicine. All four will be readily available to provide student assistance or consultation regarding the course. Students are encouraged to clarify areas of confusion without delay, and to review lecture material daily to “keep up” with the course. A page describing “Some Tips for Studying Biochemistry” is linked to this title as well.

The required textbook for this course is Principles of Biochemistry by Moran, et al. (5th Ed., 2012). The lecture schedule and lecture material to be covered have generally been designed to follow the text, with some change in order. Additional textbooks will be on reserve in the library, if needed, for the few lectures like Blood Clotting that are not covered in Moran.

Also included under "Course Information" on the SOLE page for the course is the schedule of lectures, clinical correlations, and examinations for the semester. The lecture outlines and visual aids which accompany the first 15 lectures are linked to each lecture on the website.  Lectures for the remaining portion of the course will be linked to the SOLE website before they are presented in class.

Examinations

There will be five examinations in this course, which will all carry the same weight toward the final grade. The first four will be given on Friday mornings from 10:00-11:30 a.m..  The last (5th) exam will be given during Finals Week.  NOTE that the lectures covered on each exam are specified in the schedule. PLEASE MARK THESE EXAMINATION DATES DOWN NOW ON YOUR CALENDARS! DUE TO THE LARGE CLASS SIZE, CLASS DIVERSITY, AND ROOM AVAILABILITY, THESE DATES ARE FIXED AND WILL NOT BE CHANGED.

Exams will be in multiple-choice format similar to National Board exams and will be administered electronically using the SOLE site.  Only the answer submitted in the exam program, and no written information or circled answers written on scratch paper, will be counted in grading each exam.

The examinations are not technically cumulative; that is, each exam including the final will cover material primarily from lectures given since the preceding exam, as specified. However, some of the material covered may depend upon recall of information from previous lectures, for example, in the case of Exams 4 and 5 in which integration of metabolism is a major topic. Exams will cover both lecture and clinical correlation material.

Missed exam policy: 

Any excused absence for an examination can be made up with a similar exam as soon as possible after the date of the exam, and in no case beyond one week past the date of the examination.  The student is responsible for arranging the date for any makeup examinations.

Grading Policies

After an exam, a student will have one week, and one week only, to bring any questions regarding that exam’s grade to the faculty member involved. No grade changes will be made after this deadline.

The final grade in Biochemistry 531 will consist of the average performance on the five examinations. No exam grade will be dropped.  In the case of a clear and verifiable emergency which prevents a student from taking an exam, a makeup exam will be made available.

The final letter grades in the course will be assigned according to the following scale:

90-100 - A

80-89 - B

70-79 - C

60-69 - D

< 60 - F

The instructors may make slight, but not less generous, adjustments in this scale at the semester’s end.

Class Attendance

Class attendance is expected of professional students in these professional level courses. Furthermore, class attendance will give you, the student, a distinct advantage in exam preparation for two reasons: exams will be primarily based upon material emphasized in lecture, and some material, esp. clinical correlation material, is not always well-covered in the biochemistry text. Anyone auditing this course is expected to attend all lectures and will sign in/out to certify this.

Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty includes but may not be limited to cheating during an examination, plagiarism, and sharing assignments. Any act of academic dishonesty will result in a grade of “F” for the course.

Recording of Lectures

No videotaping of lectures is permitted.  Sound recording of lectures may be allowed with permission from the instructor involved.  Such recordings are for individual use only by the recorder, and not for circulation, posting, or publication in any form without written approval by the instructor and Course Director.

Confidentiality/Copyright Notice

Patient information will only be used for instructional purposes/advancement through the WVU School of Dentistry's curricular/clinical programs. This information must be held in strict confidence. Any other use/disclosure of a patient's personal/protected health information or other confidential matters is in direct violation of policy. Violation of patient privacy rights or revealing confidential information will be handled in accordance with WVU, HSC, UHA, & SOD policy and procedures and all applicable Federal/State laws.

Students are not permitted to download or transport identifiable patient information to computers/networks which reside or are transported outside the school. Note: Students will receive specific training regarding privacy and confidentiality, including all applicable requirements mandated by state law and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Any student who violates these legalized patient protection procedures may be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.

You should presume that all course materials (handouts, textbooks, PowerPoint presentations, etc.) are protected by valid copyright(s); thus, specific permission from the rights holder(s) is required before any duplication or dissemination of such materials can take place. Any violation will be handled in accordance with applicable WVU, HSC, UHA, & SOD policy and Federal/State Copyright Laws.

SALE OF COURSE MATERIAL STATEMENT:  All course materials, including lectures, class notes, quizzes, exams, handouts, presentations, and other course materials provided to students for their courses are protected intellectual property.  As such, the unauthorized purchase or sale of these materials may result in disciplinary sanctions under the student conduct code.  https://studentconduct.wvu.edu/policies-and-procedures

Inclusivity Statement

The West Virginia University community is committed to creating and fostering a positive learning and working environment based on open communication, mutual respect, and inclusion.

If you are a person with a disability and anticipate needing any type of accommodation in order to participate in your classes, please advise your instructors and make appropriate arrangements with the Office of Accessibility Services.

More information is available at the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as well.

Campus safety Statement

The WVU Police are committed to creating and maintaining a safe learning environment for all students, faculty, and staff.  Part of this mission includes educating the campus community on how to respond to potential campus threats, such as the threat of an active shooter on campus or other suspicious behaviors.  Fortunately, WVU Police offer training – both online and in-person – on how to handle a variety of campus safety scenarios. All students are encouraged to visit the WVU Police (https://police.wvu.edu/) webpage, in particular the content under the Active Shooter (https://police.edu.training/) training program.  Students are also encouraged to report any suspicious behaviors on campus using the Report a Threat (https://police.wvu.edu/emergency-management/threat-assessment) portion of the webpage.  Additional materials on campus safety prepared by WVU Police, including special safety tips and training, will also be provided on our eCampus page.

Sexual Misconduct Statement:

West Virginia University does not tolerate sexual misconduct, including harassment, stalking, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, or relationship violence [BOG Governance Rule 1.6].  It is important for you to know that there are resources available if you or someone you know needs assistance.  You may speak to a member of university administration, faculty, or staff; keep in mind that they have an obligation to report the incident to the Title IX Coordinator. (https://titleix.wvu.edu/staff)

If you want to speak to someone who is permitted to keep your disclosure confidential, please seek assistance from the Carruth Center, 304-293-9355 or 304 293-4431 (24-hour hotline), and locally within the community at the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center (RDVIC), 304-292-5100 or 304-292-4431 (24-hour hotline).

For more information, please consult WVU’s Title IX Office (https://titleix.wvu.edu/confidential-resources).

Severe Weather Statement: 

In the event of inclement or threatening weather, everyone should use his or her best judgment regarding travel to and from campus. Safety should be the main concern. If you cannot get to class because of adverse weather conditions, you should contact me as soon as possible. Similarly, if I am unable to reach our class location, I will notify you of any cancellation or change as soon as possible (by 9 o'clock/1 hours before class starts), using (MIX email) to prevent you from embarking on any unnecessary travel. If you cannot get to class because of weather conditions, I will make allowances relative to required attendance policies, as well as any scheduled tests, quizzes, or other assessments.  Classes that are cancelled due to adverse weather will be covered (usually) through provision of a Camtasia recording of that material prepared by the instructor or by other provision of the intended notes to the students; the students will remain responsible for any material covered in a class cancelled due to adverse weather.

Student evaluation of Instruction Statement

Effective teaching is a primary mission of West Virginia University.  Student evaluation of instruction provides the university and the instructor with feedback about your experiences in the course for review and course improvement.  Your participation in the evaluation of course instruction is both strongly encouraged and highly valued.  Results are strictly confidential, anonymous, and not available to the instructor until after final grades are released by Admission and Records.  Information about how you can complete this evaluation will be provided by your instructor.