Intro to Biology
Workshop on Assignment 1
SCI115 Introduction to Biology Fall 2018
• Prof. Jim Cox, Lead Instructor • Prof. Robin Turner • Prof. Usha Palaniswamy • Prof. Trinna Johnson
Agenda
• Review of Assignment 1 • Overview of Writing Assignments in this Course
• Basics of Assignment 1
• The Approved List of Articles
• Using your own words
• Documenting your sources
• How the Assignment will be graded
• Discussion with the Grading Faculty
• Q & A
Overview of Biotechnology Project
• There are three assignments on the same topic which are roughly 2 pages in length (maybe a little less or a little more)
– Assignment 1 (Week 3): Biotechnology Article – Assignment 2 (Week 5): Biological Basis – Assignment 3 (Week 7): Benefits, Drawbacks and Ethical
Aspects
• The fourth and final paper incorporates edited portions of the previous papers, plus a new section containing your opinion and summation, for 5 to 6 pages in total length – Assignment 4 (Week 9): Biotech paper
Biotechnology Project Points
Assignment Title Week Due Points
Assignment 1 Biotechnology Paper
Week 3 80
Assignment 2 Biological Basis
Week 5 80
Assignment 3 Benefits, Drawbacks and Ethical Aspects
Week 7 80
Assignment 4 Final Biotech Paper
Week 9 150
TOTAL 390
39% of your total grade
Brief Description of Assignments
• Assignment 1: Biotechnology Article – Based on one article about the topic you intend to use for the other
assignments – Summarize the article you’ve chosen and address some additional
issues, per the instructions.
• Assignment 2: Biological Basis – Describe how the technique works and discuss the body of biological
knowledge that your technology is based upon.
• Assignment 3: Benefits, Drawbacks and Ethical Aspects – Analyze the pros and cons, and consider any ethical issues that arise
from the technology
• Assignment 4: Biotech final paper – Pull together a final deliverable using edited pieces from Assignments
1, 2, and 3, along with one final additional section providing your personal viewpoint and summation.
Assignment 1
• This paper is centered around one article (the “target article”) about the topic you intend to use for the other assignments – A topic on DNA-related biotech – See list of instructor-approved articles in the
document SCI115 Articles for Assignment 1.pdf – You can pick your own article, but first check with
your instructors
• You will summarize the article you’ve chosen and address some additional issues, per the instructions.
Four parts to Assignment 1 1. Summary
2. Article/Course
3. Article / Your Life
4. Research Funding
Four parts to Assignment 1 1. Summary
2. Article/Course
3. Article / Your Life
4. Research Funding
Suggestion: you may need to look ahead at what will be covered later in the course to
best address #2
Four parts to Assignment 1 1. Summary
2. Article/Course
3. Article / Your Life
4. Research Funding
For each part of the assignment, we’re looking for
a good solid paragraph of
several sentences, at the very least.
Additional Requirements
• In addition to the target article, you should use at least one (1) additional resource, such as your textbook or another article.
Length
• Instructions call for the total length to be one to two pages
– In words, that’s 300 to 600 words
– If you give us at least one solid paragraph on each part of the assignment, you’ll be over 300 words
– Length is a proxy for
• The level of detail we want you to go into
• The degree to which we want you to elaborate on the parts of the paper
Use standard margins and fonts, as per the instructions
Nobody is fooled by excessively wide margins
1 page of double- spaced text is
about 300 words
Use an Article from Approved List*
• See document SCI115 Articles for Assignment 1.pdf – Each article is less than four years old (after 2014)
– Each article concerns a suitable topic that can serve as the topic for your other three writing assignments
– Each article is written for a general audience of non-scientist readers
– Each article is sufficiently long to give you enough material to work with, but not overly long
*Except by permission of instructor
Using your Own Words
• Pick a target article that you understand
• Read it carefully
• Address each part of the assignment in your own words, as if conveying the information to a colleague
• Steer clear of bad practices
Follow this process
• Read the material thoroughly until you understand it*
• Put the source away while you are writing; work from memory or from notes
• Explain it as if explaining to a fellow student who is not familiar with the material
*If you don’t understand it, find a different target article.
Steer clear of these bad practices
• Cobbling together a series of quotes
• Copying and pasting things into your paper
• Applying word substitution processes to another person’s writing and trying to pass it off as your own work.
If you follow a writing process that emphasizes copying segments of text word-for-word, the final
product will NOT be in your own words
SafeAssign check
If you use quotes…
• Above all don’t over-rely on quotes
• Short quotes are ok
– Just be sure to put them in quotation marks
– Don’t use quotes excessively
– Provide an in-text citation after each quote
USE “STRAYER WRITING STANDARDS” • Like APA, except that it’s
simplified – a lot more streamlined
• Graded by Associate Instructors
– Prof. Trinna Johnson
– Prof. Usha Paliniswamy
– Prof. Robin Turner
• Scores tallied via the Grading Rubric
– There’s a category for every part of the assignment
• If you omit any parts, you lose a large chunk of points
– There are categories, worth just a few points, for feedback on writing and organization
Discussions with Faculty who will be grading your papers.
Additional comments by Instructors about grading; pitfalls to avoid; tips.
SCI115 Introduction to Biology Fall 2018