20.109(S12): Assignments

Overview

You will perform three series of experiments (called “modules”) over the course of the semester. The modules differ in both intellectual and experimental content, and in the ways that your learning will be assessed. Links to the experiments and assignments are provided below.

Although your lab work will be done in pairs, you must submit individual written work (for both daily homeworks and major assignments) and give individual journal club presentations. You will close out the course by developing and presenting a novel research idea as a two-person team. Please read the 20.109 statement on collaboration and integrity for more detail about academic honesty in our class. You are encouraged to ask the teaching faculty should a question arise as to what constitutes collaboration, plagiarism, etc.

We appreciate that time management can be a difficult skill to develop, and that learning takes place on many time-scales. However, assignments being turned in at wildly disparate times creates 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 late and will not be accepted after a week. We strongly recommend that you plan ahead and space out your work when possible.

We will endeavour to 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.

Major Assignments

Module	Topic	Assignment	% of Final Grade	Links to Description and/or Evaluation
1
2
3

Daily Work

In addition to the assignments listed above there will be

Communication Guidelines and Resources

This part of the page is way more important than it looks! Time and time again, students have told us that they wish they had read these guidelines sooner, and that it would have saved them a lot of trouble. We understand that it can be difficult to apply abstract ideas to your writing (and presentation) practice right off the bat. So besides reading these guidelines now, revisit them often as you start to draft parts of your reports and presentations.

Guidelines for writing up your research

• General instruction for how to write your lab report and research article.

Guidelines for oral presentations

• How to give a good oral presentation.

And in case you missed these links above, see also

Guidelines for maintaining your lab notebook

• How to maintain a good lab notebook.

Statement on collaboration and integrity

• Academic integrity guidelines specific to 20.109.