JOYCE FERNANDES INTRODUCTION TO LONG WRITING ASSIGNMENT
The CourseIntroduction to Cell Biology (ZOO 203) is a course that builds on six semester hours of basic college biology. It aims to introduce students to basic concepts of cell structure and function, which are the necessary foundation for more advanced courses such as Developmental Biology (ZOO 302), Animal Physiology (ZOO 305) and other higher-level courses. Although the enrollment is primarily Zoology majors, a small number of non-majors take the course to fulfill requirements for a thematic sequence. I worked on redesigning an assignment from this course when I attended the Center for Writing Excellence/CELT Workshop on Improving Student Writing in Content Courses.
The AssignmentDuring the course of the semester, students work in groups on the assignment, CELLS AND DISEASE, which I have broken up into two parts. In the first part, students find information on a specialized cell, addressing specific attributes of cell-structure, the organization of its parts, and the relevance to cell function. For this assignment, students use basic texts, popular science magazines, and websites. This part of the assignment is presented as a paper and is shared with the class through PowerPoint presentations, which are also made available on Blackboard. In the second part of the assignment, having identified a diseased condition that affects their specific cell, students work individually to understand what aspects of cell structure and function are altered in the diseased condition. For this assignment, students will use popular science articles and scientific review articles as well as primary research articles.
Why I Chose This AssignmentThis assignment spans the entire semester and closely follows the sequence of lecture material. Students work in groups and are encouraged to think beyond classroom concepts. Their focus on a specialized cell and its diseased condition enables an understanding of the connection between textbook knowledge and its relevance to the world outside. The learning objectives of this assignment are in keeping with the goals of the Miami Plan, namely, critical thinking, understanding contexts, engaging with other learners, and reflecting and acting.
JOYCE FERNANDES LONG WRITING ASSIGNMENT FOR STUDENTS ZOO 203/Introduction to Cell Biology/Fernandes Long Assignment: Cells and Disease You will work in groups of 4-5 on a semester-long assignment, focusing on one specialized cell. Identify your cell by first thinking about a disease condition that affects this cell. Before attempting to understand the cell biological basis of the disease, your goal will be to get to know the healthy cell and its attributes. The assignment therefore will be divided into two distinct parts:
CELLS AND DISEASE, Part I: How well do I know my cell? (60 points)CELLS AND DISEASE, Part II: What went wrong with my cell? (40 points)
Part I: How well do I know my cell? (50 points)
The goal of this part of the assignment is to obtain detailed information about a specialized cell in the context of lecture material. You are expected to address the following:
NOTE: 2 page minimum, double spaced, for each of the above. Use figures liberally to supplement your writing.
Resources: You will be required to use three resource categories listed below. You may choose to use texts, magazines and journals other than those that are listed below, as long as they pertain to your assignment. Use at least one resource from all three categories. A MANDATORY LIBRARY INSTRUCTION WILL BE HELD ON FRIDAY AUGUST 29 DURING CLASS.
Note: Some books are on reserve at Brill
Find appropriate references using keywords in a database search. Or go to the library and look up the indexes of appropriate journals for keywords. Examples of journals:
Note: Be sure you know the difference between popular science articles and research articles, and between reviews and research articles
Format of assignment: Your will communicate your assignment in two ways a) A 15-20 page paper (excluding references): Each of the sections should have a clear title. The content should be presented in your own words, keeping in mind that your peers are the target audience. Grading will be based on content, organization, clarity of presentation, and peer evaluations. See the section on grading criteria for further details.
b) PowerPoint Presentation: The purpose of this exercise is to develop an abbreviated format to share your work with your peers. Group Presentations will be held in the first week of December, and will be posted on blackboard. Grading will be based on peer evaluations.
Deadlines: August: Identify your cell; Know the co-ordinates for your group members; come up with a way to work together. Turn in a short paragraph about your reasons for choosing your particular cell. First two weeks in September: Library research; Identify the resources you will use Third week of September: Provide an outline of your assignment, with individual responsibilities. List the resources to be used. Sample outlines will be posted on Blackboard. Begin writing down your thoughts on the task at hand. 2nd week of October: Draft of assignment is due. 4th week of October: Assignment due.
Part II: What went wrong with my cell? (40 points)
Goals of the assignment
Learning Objectives
The assignmentA. Using Popular Science resources (Scientific American, Science News, American Scientist, Newspapers, Newsmagazines) identify a diseased condition of your CELL. Then discuss the following questions:
In the context of your previous assignment, what are the cellular abnormalities associated with this disease? (is a metabolic pathway affected, is cell communication affected, etc). Is there a way to combat this disease? What is the cellular basis of this (drug) action?
Suggested Keywords: (Your cell) and disease
B. Using Scientific Research databases (Medline, Biological Abstracts), find a review article from a Scientific Research Journal on the diseased condition of your cell. Briefly summarize what you learned from this article.
Guidelines for this section:
Format of assignment: This part of the assignment will be turned in as individual papers (4-5 pages long). Group members may write about the same disease or about different ones. Make sure that you use journals that can be accessed online. Be sure to cite the resources you used.
Grading criteria will be similar to Part-I
Deadlines: Last week of November: Draft is due First week of December: Assignment is due Grading Criteria for Long Assignment
For a sample assignment, see the course website on Blackboard.
JOYCE FERNANDES LONG WRITING ASSIGNMENT FOR STUDENTS ZOO 203/Introduction to Cell Biology/Fernandes Long Assignment: Cells and Disease You will work in groups of 4-5 on a semester-long assignment, focusing on one specialized cell. Identify your cell by first thinking about a disease condition that affects this cell. Before attempting to understand the cell biological basis of the disease, your goal will be to get to know the healthy cell and its attributes. The assignment therefore will be divided into two distinct parts:
CELLS AND DISEASE, Part I: How well do I know my cell? (60 points)CELLS AND DISEASE, Part II: What went wrong with my cell? (40 points)
Part I: How well do I know my cell? (50 points)
The goal of this part of the assignment is to obtain detailed information about a specialized cell in the context of lecture material. You are expected to address the following:
NOTE: 2 page minimum, double spaced, for each of the above. Use figures liberally to supplement your writing.
Resources: You will be required to use three resource categories listed below. You may choose to use texts, magazines and journals other than those that are listed below, as long as they pertain to your assignment. Use at least one resource from all three categories. A MANDATORY LIBRARY INSTRUCTION WILL BE HELD ON FRIDAY AUGUST 29 DURING CLASS.
Note: Some books are on reserve at Brill
Find appropriate references using keywords in a database search. Or go to the library and look up the indexes of appropriate journals for keywords. Examples of journals:
Note: Be sure you know the difference between popular science articles and research articles, and between reviews and research articles
Format of assignment: Your will communicate your assignment in two ways a) A 15-20 page paper (excluding references): Each of the sections should have a clear title. The content should be presented in your own words, keeping in mind that your peers are the target audience. Grading will be based on content, organization, clarity of presentation, and peer evaluations. See the section on grading criteria for further details.
b) PowerPoint Presentation: The purpose of this exercise is to develop an abbreviated format to share your work with your peers. Group Presentations will be held in the first week of December, and will be posted on blackboard. Grading will be based on peer evaluations.
Deadlines: August: Identify your cell; Know the co-ordinates for your group members; come up with a way to work together. Turn in a short paragraph about your reasons for choosing your particular cell. First two weeks in September: Library research; Identify the resources you will use Third week of September: Provide an outline of your assignment, with individual responsibilities. List the resources to be used. Sample outlines will be posted on Blackboard. Begin writing down your thoughts on the task at hand. 2nd week of October: Draft of assignment is due. 4th week of October: Assignment due. Part II: What went wrong with my cell? (40 points)
Goals of the assignment
Learning Objectives
The assignmentA. Using Popular Science resources (Scientific American, Science News, American Scientist, Newspapers, Newsmagazines) identify a diseased condition of your CELL. Then discuss the following questions:
In the context of your previous assignment, what are the cellular abnormalities associated with this disease? (is a metabolic pathway affected, is cell communication affected, etc). Is there a way to combat this disease? What is the cellular basis of this (drug) action? Suggested Keywords: (Your cell) and disease B. Using Scientific Research databases (Medline, Biological Abstracts), find a review article from a Scientific Research Journal on the diseased condition of your cell. Briefly summarize what you learned from this article.
Guidelines for this section:
Format of assignment: This part of the assignment will be turned in as individual papers (4-5 pages long). Group members may write about the same disease or about different ones. Make sure that you use journals that can be accessed online. Be sure to cite the resources you used.
Grading criteria will be similar to Part-I
Deadlines: Last week of November: Draft is due First week of December: Assignment is due Grading Criteria for Long Assignment
For a sample assignment, see the course website on Blackboard.
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