BIO 360    Ecology

Frequently Asked Questions

"What is the best way to take notes and study for this class?"
Here are some general tips that I have found usefully on developing good study habits and on notetaking .

"Are there Powerpoint lectures available online for BIO 360?
The text of all powerpoint lectures are available nearly verbatim in the skeletal lecture notes.  The actual powerpoint presentations are not available.

"How do I get to the course reserves for the lab?"
Go to the NCSU course reserves website at http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/rbr/.  Type BIO360 (for the class or lab) in the "Course" category of "search by course" number section, and then click the button labelled "Search by course".  Please note that there are multiple pages of reserves, and you may have to click to the next page to find the appropriate references.  Also note that there are a number of books that are on reserve in the library, but are not e-reserves.


FAQ's specifically for registration

"I have tried to register in BIO 360, but TRACS tells me that the class is restricted.  Can I get into this class?"
BIO 360 is a required course for many Biology and Zoology students.  Because of the place the course occupies in the BIO and ZO major sequence, it is critical that these majors have a reasonable opportunity to fit the course into their schedules.  Since BIO and ZO majors typically take the course earlier in their programs than students from other majors, they have lower registration priority generally and would encounter difficulty with registering for BIO 360 if we did not hold seats for them early on.  This is why we restrict those seats to BIO and ZO majors for the first part of the registration period.  We lift this restriction in mid-November after al current BIO and ZO freshmen have had a reasonable opportunity to register.  Typically there are seats that remain open through registration and until the start of spring semester.


"The lab section I want or need is full.  Is there any way that I can get into that section?"
Some lab section times fill up early on.  Because the lab only holds so many studentsand we only have equipment for that number of students, my policy is not to overload any given lab section.  Therefore, 'full' really is full.  Overloading is also not fair to those students who enrolled in that section early and would have to wait longer to use limited equipment and find it harder to get the assistance they need from the Graduate Teaching Assistant (T.A.).  

What to do if you can't get the lab section you want or need?  Until the end of the first week of classes, work through the TRACS system.  My experience is that these scheduling problems are typically resolved well before classes begin as people enrolled change their schedules.

"Can I sign up for the lecture but not the lab?"
BIO360L is a required corequisite for BIO360, and there are no exceptions.  Please make sure to sign up for both the lecture and the lab.