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Instructions for the
Study-Group Assignment Biology
121, Section
123 Ecology, Genetics, &
Evolution September 2006 |
You will be assigned into
study-groups The study groups organize and
plan for questions The day of question-assignment While working on the
question... Closing thoughts, observations,
and advice |
The
study-group assignment can be a very enjoyable and fulfilling
experience, but it does impose upon the student the need for a high degree of
attention to detail, as well as the meeting of deadlines and acquisition of
information, and a commitment to teamwork and cooperation. This document
provides a date-marked, step-by-step outline of how to proceed.
NOTE: the links above are for quick-finding
later! Please read through the whole document thoroughly first.
1.
Get to know the questions available. Even before the time comes to be assigned to
groups, or for groups to select questions, all students are expected to look
over the set of Study-group Questions, posted
here. Familiarity with the questions will make your subsequent
decision-making easier.
2.
You will be assigned into study-groups of four, by student ID number to
ensure a thoroughly random mix of students; you are not permitted to form
your own group, since everyone should be given an equal opportunity to work
with familiar/unfamiliar group colleagues.
Assignment will occur as soon as the Drop/Add deadline for registration changes
(19 Sept.) has passed, so we have the most complete and stable class list
possible to work from. The target group-assignment date is the lecture period
on Wednesday 20 September,
when you will be assigned in a roll-call procedure to groups which I label with
a two-letter code.
Therefore, please be sure to attend class on that day, or let WG
know by email no
later than 9AM Wednesday 20 September that you are part of the course-list, but will be unable to attend.
Once your group of four has been set, and all four of you are known to each
other, you may leave the lecture room.
3.
The study-groups then organize, and think about questions - once assigned, you should
all exchange email, telephone, or other contact information immediately, to
facilitate organization. Then your group should meet at the earliest
opportunity to decide which of the posted questions you would like to pursue
for your study-group work.
Assemble a prioritized short list
on which you all agree (at least 4-6 questions recommended), in case your first
preference is taken before you can select it; remember that no more than 2 groups are allowed to
work (independently) on any given question.
4.
Procedure for the day of question-assignment – you will be given one week following
group-assignment to agree on a set of preferred questions (see previous
instruction). Your opportunity to have a question officially assigned to you
will occur in the lecture period on Wednesday 27 September. Two-letter group codes will be drawn in random
order, and a spokesperson for the called group must be prepared to give an immediate
question selection; if no selection
is suggested within a minute or two, that group loses its turn, and
must wait (until after all other groups have had their turns) to select a
leftover question.
Since some groups may be forced to choose new questions “on the fly”, it is
important that all group members attend class on the selection day.
Groups unable to choose when called at that lecture, and any groups
unrepresented on the day, will select in person at WG’s office, next
office-hour period.
Once your group has been assigned to a question, you may leave the lecture
room.
5.
While working on your question – as soon as you have been assigned a question, it
is a good idea to begin to divide up the research work among you, and decide
how and when you intend to communicate about your progress.
You are encouraged to ask anything necessary during your research period
(clarification of the question, the merit of alternative approaches to answers,
etc.) at office hours. You may wish
to use Internet sources for initial probing of the question, but be advised
that serious research requires the
use of serious sources: books and journals (reputable e-journals, and
university or government-agency websites, are quite acceptable here).
You are not expected to hand in any formal written material, but you
must be prepared to substantiate your research with sources in detail if
requested. Here
is a page of advisory notes which may help you during your work on this
assignment.
[See point 8 below for other bits of advice on how to
proceed.]
6.
Assessment arrangements – each group is assessed at a 15-minute group interview with WG, by
appointment.
Groups which had the advantage of selecting early in the random sequence
of question-assignments must accept an early date of evaluation-interview;
groups which selected later have the option of progressively later
evaluation-interview times.
Signing-up for interview times will begin shortly after questions are assigned,
either in person by sending a group-member to visit me during office
hours, or by email. A chart of possible timeslots will be posted on my
Biology 121 webpage, and will be updated as it is filled. You must
select a time when all members of your group can be present at
WG’s office.
You are not required to give
speeches or a highly formal presentation; you are required to demonstrate general understanding of how to
address your question, and issues surrounding your question. I expect all group
members to provide evidence of their comprehension of the material, at least by
participating in answering any further questions I may ask.
7.
How you are assessed – part of the grade (10 out
of the total 15%) will
be based on a group-score I assign after the assessment appointment (how
evenly distributed was your understanding?; how clear were the ideas
presented?), and the other part of the
grade (the remaining 5 of the total 15%)
will be based on your assessment of each other (how much did each person
contribute to understanding?; how helpful was the person?; how
punctual/reliable?). The student-student assessment part may be as confidential
or as “group-public” as you
prefer.
Your assessment of group members must be made on paper, using the form below or a close facsimile thereof. (Assessments
require student numbers and signatures as well as names.) Assessment forms may
be handed in at lectures, or in office hours, or
slipped under my office door, or left in my mailbox in the
Zoology departmental mailroom (Biol.Sci. rm.2370).
All assessments for your group
must be handed in no later than Monday 27 November 2006, or all group
members will score an automatic zero.
8. Closing thoughts, observations, and
advice – you may find that you associate so well
with your newfound group colleagues that you will benefit further from their
company as you prepare for examinations. After all, you trust their judgment
now, and you have given them reason to trust yours, and you were all meant to
be learning the same lecture material…
Some groups meet frequently as they develop their ideas on a question, and
other groups meet only infrequently. Some questions require a lot of discussion
and debate, others merely a lot of background reading. Some groups contain
creative people who come up with novel and eccentric ways of demonstrating
their knowledge at assessment (in the past I’ve seen dramatic playlets, and
musical performances, as well as debates and comedic skits!), while other
groups come across as merely formulaic answerers of straightforward technical
questions.
Thus there is no single right way of approaching a question, and even
when two groups come to discuss the same question I have found that
their interpretations vary to a surprising degree. Do not fret over being “right”,
instead focus on the deeper issues involved in the question and/or on
interesting outcomes of application of the question’s reasoning. You are
unlikely to be “wrong” unless you ignore the question completely… if in doubt,
it’s up to your group to ask for any needed further guidance.
Have fun with the assignment!
When preparing to print the form, Select text from this line down to
the last line – then “Print Selected Text”, should work!
Within-Group Assessment Form for Study-Group Work
BIOLOGY 121, Section 123
September – December 2006
This
is the assessment of: ___________________________________,
student #______________, group code__________
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We,
the assessors, are: (NAMES IN
FULL] |
STUDENT NUMBERS |
SIGNATURES (must be
provided!) |
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We have discussed the
above-named person’s work , and think this person deserves a mark of __________%.
This form is valid only if it is filled out completely, on paper, with all signatures
and student numbers, and submitted to WG no later than Monday 27 November 2006.
Only forms with original handwriting (not photocopied) can be accepted.
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Any version of this form, whether a direct download-print version or a handwritten facsimile, will be considered official if it carries all the information requested.