Difference between revisions of "20.109(F16): Assignments"

Overview

You will complete three experimental modules over the course of the semester. The modules differ in both conceptual and technical content, and in the ways that your learning will be assessed. Although your lab work will be done in pairs, most assignments will be submitted individually (as summarized below) and should reflect your personal understanding. Please review the 20.109 statement on collaboration and integrity for details concerning academic honesty in our class. You are highly encouraged to ask the teaching faculty any questions you have about what constitutes appropriate collaboration.

• Individual assignments (60% of grade):
  • All lab notebooks, quizzes, and homeworks (unless otherwise noted in directions)
  • Module 2 System engineering report
  • Module 2 Journal club presentation
• Team assignments (40% of grade):
  • Module 1 DNA engineering summary (draft and revision)
  • Module 1 DNA engineering business proposal presentation
  • Module 3 Biomaterials engineering mini-report
  • Module 3 Research proposal presentation

We appreciate that time management can be a difficult skill to develop, and that learning takes place on many time-scales. However, assignments turned in at wildly disparate times create additional logistical burdens for the teaching faculty. Therefore, late work (both daily and culminating assignments) will be penalized 1/3 of a letter grade for each day it is late and will not be accepted after a week. We strongly recommend that you plan ahead and and schedule time to complete your work when possible.

We provide equal access to subject 20.109 for students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Please see the teaching faculty as soon as possible regarding needed accommodations.

We spend a lot of time together and get to know each other well. Everyone in the 20.109 family needs the support of their peers and instructors. If you find yourself in a situation where more guidance would be appreciated – for example, if you are dealing with a personal or medical issue that is impacting your ability to attend class, complete work, or take an exam – consider visiting Student Support Services (S³). The deans in S³ will verify your situation, and then discuss with you how to address the missed work. We will not excuse coursework or provide extensions without verification from S³. Student Support Services may be reached in 5-104 or at 617-253-4861, and also has walk-in hours Monday-Friday 9:00-10:00am.

Major assignments

All major assignments will be submitted via email to bioeng20.109@gmail.com.

Daily work

In addition to the assignments listed above you will complete

• Laboratory notebooks (5% of final grade)
  • You will record your data in electronic notebooks. Your Evernote pages will be evaluated by the teaching assistant once per module.
  • Notebook due dates (M1D7, M2D7, M3D5), days that may be collected, and evaluation criteria are described |here.
• Quizzes (extra credit on final grade)
  • At the beginning of each lab session (1:05-1:10pm) you will be given a 1-question 5-minute quiz. Quiz grades will count toward extra credit on your final 20.109 grade.
  • Quizzes have two main purposes: (1) To refresh your memory about the long-term experiment you are performing, and (2) To provide you with an opportunity to show your technical knowledge decoupled from your communication skills.
  • Quizzes are based on the previous lab session(s): both lecture and lab content are fair game. Questions will concern fundamentals rather than details. For example, you might be asked to interpret a piece of data, define a major concept, or perform a short calculation.
• Homework assignments (10% of final grade)
  • Like quizzes, homeworks are intended to keep you up to date with the material. Most of them will directly prepare you for major assessments (e.g., making a draft figure for a report) or lab work (e.g., performing a calculation in advance). Associated points/weighting will vary widely.
  • The assignments can be found on the "Homework" page and are linked to the "Schedule" page.
  • Assignments should be submitted as hardcopies at the beginning of lab. A select few assignments must also be submitted on Stellar in order to receive feedback from the writing instructors and are marked as such.
  • You can work with your lab partner, friends, and teaching assistants on homework but you will hand in individual assignments unless otherwise specified.
• Participation and blogging (5% of final grade)
  • As a student in 20.109, you are expected to be an active participant in a scientific community. Your student colleagues, the teaching faculty, and especially your lab partner are all your collaborators. They rely on you for timely posting of your data, and for your unique and thoughtful contributions during class.
  • One third of your participation grade will be directly assigned by the teaching faculty, who will consider: whether you asked and/or answered questions during lecture, whether you engaged with opportunities to improve your understanding/communication/etc, and whether you promoted a considerate and collaborative class environment.
  • One third of your participation grade will reflect your attendance to lectures.
  • To determine the other third of your participation grade, you will write brief reflective blog posts on a few aspects of your 20.109 experience throughout the semester at the 20.109 Class Blog. These blog posts are assigned to provide you practice writing for an open online community and will be counted separately from other homework. Considering all of the miscommunicated science we see in the media, it is important to learn how to effectively communicate your thoughts about both good and not-so-good aspects of your scientific experience. You must complete 3 blog posts. The due date schedule and further explanation of both mandatory and optional reflective posts is linked |here.