This course provides a comprehensive overview of the key concepts in molecular biology. Topics to be covered include nucleic acid structure and function, DNA replication, transcription, translation, chromosome structure and remodeling and regulation of gene expression in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Extended topics to be covered include methods in recombinant DNA technology, microarrays, and microRNA.
This will be a semester-long assignment, with milestones at various times to help ensure that progress is being made.
Students will be assigned to groups of two or three students each, and each group will have main responsibility for one Wikipedia article, and will act as a peer reviewer for one other group's article. The goal of the assignment is to make a substantive contribution to a Wikipedia article on a topic of Molecular Biology. Each group will choose an article that's in need of work, and your goal is to improve upon the article, within the timeframe of this semester.
Group members should, as much as possible, help each other out with questions about how to do things on Wikipedia. You should strive to communicate the Wikipedia way -- on user talk pages; but (especially before Unit 3) you can use the Blackboard discussion forum if you need to. If, as a group, you still have a question or a problem, don't hesitate to contact the Online Ambassador.
In this first unit, we would like to introduce you to Wikipedia.
Details
In this unit, you will set up a "sandbox", and make a few practice edits.
Details
In this unit, you will learn how to communicate and collaborate with others on Wikipedia.
Graded milestone at the end of this unit worth ten points. We should be able to find your user page through the student list below, see your sandbox page, and verify that you've been communicating on various talk pages.
Grading
Details
In this unit, you'll learn about some important Wikipedia policies and guidelines, as well as how to evaluate an article's quality.
Details
In this unit, you will learn the proper way to cite sources on Wikipedia. You'll also get started finding an article for your group.
Details
In pages under the WikiProject MCB, we will be using the Vancouver System (author-number). You are encouraged to use User:Diberri's Wikipedia template filling tool ( instructions). With this tool, if you have a PubMed ID, you can quickly produce a full citation that you can cut-and-paste into an article. This will not only save you work, but will help to ensure that references are cited in a consistent manner.
* NOTE: the list below are articles that have been recommended by the WikiProject Molecular and Cell Biology, or other sources. However, if you locate an article that you feel needs improvement, you can propose to work on this article. An article that is not on the list below, must be approved by myself and the OA.
In this unit, you will pick an article for your group.
Graded milestone at the end of this unit worth 30 points. Before this unit begins, you will have been assigned to a group. By the end of this unit, your group should have decided on an article for which you will be primarily responsible, and that article should be in your watchlist.
Grading
Details
In this unit, you will get started working on your article.
Details
In this unit, you will continue working on your article.
In this unit, you will continue to work on the article, and prepare a progress report.
Graded milestone at the end of this unit worth 30 points.. By the end of this unit, your group should have prepared a report describing the progress you've made so far.
Grading
Details
This report should be approximately one printed page, single-spaced (~400 - 500 words), and should be written on your group's wikipedia page, under the heading "Unit 9 progress report".
Suggestions for inclusion in this progress report are:
You will be graded as a group on this report, and will also receive a per-individual grade based on your contributions.
In this unit, you'll keep working on your own article, and begin to peer-review the other group's article.
Details
For peer-reviewing,
In this unit, you'll keep working on your article, and continue to peer review.
In this unit, you will keep working and peer-reviewing, and prepare another (short) progress report.
Graded milestone at the end of this unit worth 30 points. By the end of this unit, your group should have prepared another report describing the progress you've made so far.
Grading
Details
This progress report could be shorter or longer than the last -- whatever is appropriate for what you have accomplished, or need to accomplish as a group. In addition to the topics covered last time, also summarize any major suggestions each individual made to the other group as peer-reviewers, and any significant interactions you had with that group. Again, write this on your group's wikipedia page, this time under the heading "Unit 12 progress report".
You will be graded as a group on this report, and will also receive a per-individual grade based on your contributions.
In this unit, you'll keep working on your article.
In this unit, you'll finish your article, and a final progress report.
Final project due, worth 50 points. In addition to finishing up all the work on your article, you should prepare another very short and to-the-point final progress report on your group page, under the heading, "Final progress report".
Grading
Details
The final progress report should be short and to the point—just a quick guide to help us evaluate the improvements to the article. Just summarize in a few bullet points:
Roughly half of the grade will be based on participation and on successfully completing the milestones, and about half on the actual value that is added to the articles (both as primary editors and as reviewers). Some portions of the grade will be assigned to you as individuals, and some as part of a group.
The grading will take these factors into account (but is not necessarily limited to just these):
Please add yourself to this list. Copy the format of the ExampleUser, substituting your own username. Make sure you are logged into Wikipedia before you make the change!
Students will be assigned into groups before the end of unit 5.
Here is a list of articles from which each student group will choose (Units 5 and 6). Reviewer groups will be assigned after all the main editors have been assigned. In the list below, change "x" to your group number, once you've decided on an article.
This course provides a comprehensive overview of the key concepts in molecular biology. Topics to be covered include nucleic acid structure and function, DNA replication, transcription, translation, chromosome structure and remodeling and regulation of gene expression in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Extended topics to be covered include methods in recombinant DNA technology, microarrays, and microRNA.
This will be a semester-long assignment, with milestones at various times to help ensure that progress is being made.
Students will be assigned to groups of two or three students each, and each group will have main responsibility for one Wikipedia article, and will act as a peer reviewer for one other group's article. The goal of the assignment is to make a substantive contribution to a Wikipedia article on a topic of Molecular Biology. Each group will choose an article that's in need of work, and your goal is to improve upon the article, within the timeframe of this semester.
Group members should, as much as possible, help each other out with questions about how to do things on Wikipedia. You should strive to communicate the Wikipedia way -- on user talk pages; but (especially before Unit 3) you can use the Blackboard discussion forum if you need to. If, as a group, you still have a question or a problem, don't hesitate to contact the Online Ambassador.
In this first unit, we would like to introduce you to Wikipedia.
Details
In this unit, you will set up a "sandbox", and make a few practice edits.
Details
In this unit, you will learn how to communicate and collaborate with others on Wikipedia.
Graded milestone at the end of this unit worth ten points. We should be able to find your user page through the student list below, see your sandbox page, and verify that you've been communicating on various talk pages.
Grading
Details
In this unit, you'll learn about some important Wikipedia policies and guidelines, as well as how to evaluate an article's quality.
Details
In this unit, you will learn the proper way to cite sources on Wikipedia. You'll also get started finding an article for your group.
Details
In pages under the WikiProject MCB, we will be using the Vancouver System (author-number). You are encouraged to use User:Diberri's Wikipedia template filling tool ( instructions). With this tool, if you have a PubMed ID, you can quickly produce a full citation that you can cut-and-paste into an article. This will not only save you work, but will help to ensure that references are cited in a consistent manner.
* NOTE: the list below are articles that have been recommended by the WikiProject Molecular and Cell Biology, or other sources. However, if you locate an article that you feel needs improvement, you can propose to work on this article. An article that is not on the list below, must be approved by myself and the OA.
In this unit, you will pick an article for your group.
Graded milestone at the end of this unit worth 30 points. Before this unit begins, you will have been assigned to a group. By the end of this unit, your group should have decided on an article for which you will be primarily responsible, and that article should be in your watchlist.
Grading
Details
In this unit, you will get started working on your article.
Details
In this unit, you will continue working on your article.
In this unit, you will continue to work on the article, and prepare a progress report.
Graded milestone at the end of this unit worth 30 points.. By the end of this unit, your group should have prepared a report describing the progress you've made so far.
Grading
Details
This report should be approximately one printed page, single-spaced (~400 - 500 words), and should be written on your group's wikipedia page, under the heading "Unit 9 progress report".
Suggestions for inclusion in this progress report are:
You will be graded as a group on this report, and will also receive a per-individual grade based on your contributions.
In this unit, you'll keep working on your own article, and begin to peer-review the other group's article.
Details
For peer-reviewing,
In this unit, you'll keep working on your article, and continue to peer review.
In this unit, you will keep working and peer-reviewing, and prepare another (short) progress report.
Graded milestone at the end of this unit worth 30 points. By the end of this unit, your group should have prepared another report describing the progress you've made so far.
Grading
Details
This progress report could be shorter or longer than the last -- whatever is appropriate for what you have accomplished, or need to accomplish as a group. In addition to the topics covered last time, also summarize any major suggestions each individual made to the other group as peer-reviewers, and any significant interactions you had with that group. Again, write this on your group's wikipedia page, this time under the heading "Unit 12 progress report".
You will be graded as a group on this report, and will also receive a per-individual grade based on your contributions.
In this unit, you'll keep working on your article.
In this unit, you'll finish your article, and a final progress report.
Final project due, worth 50 points. In addition to finishing up all the work on your article, you should prepare another very short and to-the-point final progress report on your group page, under the heading, "Final progress report".
Grading
Details
The final progress report should be short and to the point—just a quick guide to help us evaluate the improvements to the article. Just summarize in a few bullet points:
Roughly half of the grade will be based on participation and on successfully completing the milestones, and about half on the actual value that is added to the articles (both as primary editors and as reviewers). Some portions of the grade will be assigned to you as individuals, and some as part of a group.
The grading will take these factors into account (but is not necessarily limited to just these):
Please add yourself to this list. Copy the format of the ExampleUser, substituting your own username. Make sure you are logged into Wikipedia before you make the change!
Students will be assigned into groups before the end of unit 5.
Here is a list of articles from which each student group will choose (Units 5 and 6). Reviewer groups will be assigned after all the main editors have been assigned. In the list below, change "x" to your group number, once you've decided on an article.