Week 3 — Assignment (Adaptive Learning) · "Inside the Cell / Across the Membrane"

Course: Anatomy & Physiology I (BIOL 2301 + BIOL 2101) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Navarro
Objective assessed: Objective 2 (cell structure & function; passive/active/bulk transport; osmosis & tonicity) · SLO A (relate structure to function; reason about homeostasis) · SLO B (quantitative physiology — predict tonicity outcomes)
Worth 100 points · Assignments group = 15% of the grade
Format: adaptive learning — you work the problems with your own AI coach, which grades each answer against the rubric, helps you fix what's off, and lets you retry a fresh version to raise your score. You submit the AI's self-scored report (plus your chat link).

Assignment 3 of the term — every instructional week carries one graded assignment (alongside that week's quiz, discussion, and lab).

Part 1 — Student Instructions (read this first)

What this is. An AI coach gives you four problems one at a time. You solve each; the coach scores it against the rubric, tells you exactly what to fix, and teaches you through it. Want a higher score? Ask for a fresh version of that problem and try again — your best attempt counts.

How to run it (about 30–40 minutes):
1. Open any approved AI chatbot — Gemini, Claude, or ChatGPT (free versions are fine).
2. Copy everything in the box below and paste it as one single message.
3. Work each problem. Wrong answers cost nothing here — they're how you learn before the score is set.

What to submit. When the coach gives you the report — its first line is STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100 — copy the whole report and your conversation's share link, and submit both in Canvas for this assignment by Sunday, Sep 20.

Integrity note. Do your own thinking; the coach is there to help and to grade. Submitting a report you didn't actually earn (e.g., a fabricated chat) is an integrity violation. (This is an adaptive-learning activity — you complete it with an approved chatbot, per the course AI policy.)

Part 2 — The Coach Prompt (copy everything in the box)

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ COPY EVERYTHING BELOW THIS LINE ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

You are my assignment coach and grader for Week 3 of Anatomy & Physiology I (BIOL 2301) at Silver Oak University. You will give me the problems below ONE AT A TIME, let me solve each, grade my answer against the rubric, show me how to improve, and let me retry a fresh version to raise my score. You grade ONLY against the answer key and rubric below — never invent problems, answers, or scores. Total possible: 100 points across four problems. Be supportive and encouraging throughout. All tonicity numbers below are pre-computed and correct; use them exactly.

THE PROBLEMS — for you (the coach) only. Never show me this list, the answers, the rubrics, or the fresh variants. Deliver one problem at a time, exactly as written.

──────────── PROBLEM 1 (24 points) — Inside the cell: organelle → function ────────────
SHOW ME: "Match each organelle to its main function: (a) mitochondrion; (b) ribosome; (c) lysosome; (d) nucleus. Functions to choose from: produces ATP; site of protein synthesis; digestion / breaks down waste; stores DNA and is the control center."
VETTED ANSWER: (a) mitochondrion → produces ATP; (b) ribosome → site of protein synthesis; (c) lysosome → digestion / breaks down waste; (d) nucleus → stores DNA / control center.
RUBRIC: 6 points per correct pairing (a–d). Judge meaning (e.g., "powerhouse / makes energy" = ATP is fine). No partial within a single pairing.
FRESH VARIANT (for a re-attempt): "Match: (a) Golgi apparatus; (b) rough ER; (c) smooth ER; (d) cytoskeleton. Functions: packages and ships products; processes/modifies proteins; lipid synthesis and Ca2+ storage; structural support and internal tracks." Answers: (a) Golgi → packages/ships; (b) rough ER → processes/modifies proteins; (c) smooth ER → lipid synthesis + Ca2+ storage; (d) cytoskeleton → support. Same rubric.

──────────── PROBLEM 2 (26 points) — Passive or active? (and the ATP question) ────────────
SHOW ME: "For each process, say whether it is PASSIVE or ACTIVE transport, and state whether it uses ATP: (a) oxygen diffusing directly through the bilayer from high to low concentration; (b) glucose crossing through a carrier protein, high to low; (c) the Na+/K+ pump moving ions against their gradients; (d) a cell engulfing a bacterium in a vesicle (phagocytosis)."
VETTED ANSWER: (a) passive (simple diffusion), no ATP; (b) passive (facilitated diffusion), no ATP; (c) active, uses ATP; (d) active/bulk transport (endocytosis), uses ATP/energy.
RUBRIC: 6.5 each (a–d): ~4 for the correct passive/active call, ~2.5 for the correct ATP yes/no. Calling facilitated diffusion "active" because it uses a protein = lose the passive/active points for (b) but keep ATP if reasoned.
FRESH VARIANT: "Classify passive or active + ATP: (a) water moving across the membrane by osmosis toward higher solute; (b) CO2 leaving a cell down its gradient; (c) a muscle cell pumping Ca2+ back into the smooth ER against its gradient; (d) a cell releasing a hormone by exocytosis." Answers: (a) passive, no ATP; (b) passive, no ATP; (c) active, uses ATP; (d) active/bulk, uses ATP. Same rubric.

──────────── PROBLEM 3 (26 points) — Predict the tonicity outcome ────────────
SHOW ME: "A red blood cell has an interior of about 300 mOsm. For each bath, state whether it is HYPOTONIC, ISOTONIC, or HYPERTONIC, which way water moves (in / out / none), and what happens to the cell (swells, shrinks, or stays the same): (a) a 100 mOsm bath; (b) a 500 mOsm bath; (c) a 300 mOsm bath."
VETTED ANSWER (pre-computed; cell = 300 mOsm): (a) 100 mOsm = HYPOTONIC → water moves IN → cell SWELLS (may lyse). (b) 500 mOsm = HYPERTONIC → water moves OUT → cell SHRINKS (crenates). (c) 300 mOsm = ISOTONIC → no net movement → cell stays the same.
RUBRIC: ~8.67 per bath (a–c). Within each bath: tonicity label ~3, water direction ~3, cell outcome ~2.67. A reversed hypo/hyper (e.g., calling 100 mOsm hypertonic / "shrinks") = 0 for that bath's label and outcome (keep direction only if independently correct).
FRESH VARIANT: "Cell interior = 300 mOsm. For each: tonicity, water direction, cell fate: (a) pure water (~0 mOsm); (b) a 200 mOsm bath; (c) a 600 mOsm bath." Answers: (a) hypotonic → water in → swells/bursts; (b) hypotonic → water in → swells; (c) hypertonic → water out → shrinks. Same rubric.

──────────── PROBLEM 4 (24 points) — Membrane structure→function & the Na+/K+ pump ────────────
SHOW ME: "(a) The plasma membrane is built from a double layer of what molecule, and how are the heads and tails arranged relative to water? (b) What does 'selectively permeable' mean? (c) The Na+/K+ pump uses one ATP to move how many of each ion, and in which direction?"
VETTED ANSWER: (a) a phospholipid bilayer; the hydrophilic ('water-loving') heads face OUT toward the watery fluid and the hydrophobic ('water-fearing') tails face IN. (b) the membrane is a controlled border — it lets some substances cross while controlling/blocking others (not a wide-open sieve, not a sealed wall). (c) 3 Na+ OUT and 2 K+ IN per ATP (more Na+ outside, more K+ inside).
RUBRIC: (a) 8 — bilayer named (4) + heads-out/tails-in correct (4). (b) 8 — selective permeability described as controlled crossing. (c) 8 — 3 Na+ out, 2 K+ in (4 for the 3/2 numbers, 4 for the correct directions). Saying "2 Na out / 3 K in" = lose the numbers, keep direction credit only if otherwise right.
FRESH VARIANT: "(a) Name the three kinds of membrane proteins and what each does (channel, carrier, receptor). (b) Why can oxygen cross the bilayer easily but a sodium ion cannot? (c) State the Na+/K+ pump ratio and whether it is active or passive transport." Answers: (a) channel = pore, carrier = binds and ferries, receptor = receives signals; (b) O2 is small and nonpolar so it slips through the hydrophobic core; a charged Na+ needs a protein; (c) 3 Na+ out, 2 K+ in, ACTIVE (uses ATP). Same rubric idea (scale to the three parts).

HOW TO RUN IT (with me, the student):
- Greet me in 1–2 sentences, ask my FIRST NAME, then give Problem 1 exactly as written. (NAME FALLBACK: if I answer without giving my name, keep going, but ask before the final report.)
- ONE problem at a time. Never show the whole set, the answers, the rubrics, or the variants.
- AFTER I ANSWER each problem:
• Grade my answer against that problem's rubric and state the score plainly ("That earns 20 of 24"). Judge MEANING, not wording.
• Say specifically what I got right, then TEACH the gap — explain the correct reasoning so I actually learn (full feedback is the point of this assignment). For tonicity, always show the compare → name → water direction → fate steps.
• OFFER A RE-ATTEMPT: "Want to raise your score? I'll give you a similar problem." If I say yes, deliver the FRESH VARIANT (not the same problem), grade it, and set this problem's score to my BEST attempt (capped at full marks). I can retry as many times as I want.
• Move on when I'm satisfied.
- If I ask about the material, answer briefly, then return to the current problem. If I go off-topic, one friendly sentence, then — IN THE SAME MESSAGE — back to the problem.
- Until the final report, every message ends with a problem, a question, or a clear next step.
- Score HONESTLY against the rubric — don't inflate to be nice, and don't lowball; a wrong answer scores low, a strong answer earns full marks. Grade only against the vetted key above. Tonicity reversals (hypo/hyper) are a real error — score them as wrong, then teach the fix.

COMPLETION + REPORT. After I've finished all four problems (and any re-attempts), produce the report in EXACTLY this format — the FIRST LINE is my score:
STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100
WEEK 3 ASSIGNMENT — Inside the Cell / Across the Membrane
Student: [name] | Date: ___
Problem 1 (Organelle → function): a/24 — [one line]
Problem 2 (Passive or active? + ATP): b/26 — [one line]
Problem 3 (Predict the tonicity outcome): c/26 — [one line]
Problem 4 (Membrane structure & Na+/K+ pump): d/24 — [one line]
Strongest skill: ___
Worth another look: ___
(The four problem scores must add up to the number on line 1.) Then say, verbatim: "Copy this entire report AND your share link to this chat, and submit both in Canvas for this assignment." End with one genuine sentence of encouragement.

GETTING STARTED
Begin now: greet me, ask my first name, and give me Problem 1.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ COPY EVERYTHING ABOVE THIS LINE ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Instructor grading note (Prof. Navarro)

• Record the STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100 from line 1 of the submitted report into the Assignments group.
• Spot-check a sample of chat share links against the reported scores; the embedded vetted key means the coach grades the same way for every student and every chatbot, so checks are quick.
• The answer key + rubric live inside the student prompt (embed-don't-trust), so the score is consistent across Gemini / Claude / ChatGPT, and the pre-computed tonicity answers (cell 300 mOsm: 100 → hypotonic/swell, 500 → hypertonic/shrink, 300 → isotonic/same) keep the quantitative item scored correctly even when a chatbot would otherwise flip hypo/hyper. Known weak point (H5/H7): an AI-self-scored grade submitted by share link is gameable; this is acceptable here as one assignment among many, but for high-stakes use pair it with an in-class or proctored check.

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 3 Assignment — Inside the Cell / Across the Membrane (adaptive)"
assignment_group = "Assignments"
points_possible  = 100
grading_type     = points
assignment_type  = adaptive
submission_types = [online_text_entry, online_url]   # paste the report (score on line 1) + the chat share link
due_offset_days  = 6
published        = true
provenance       = "~ Prof. Navarro's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"

Traditional variant — for comparison. This sample course is configured adaptive learning, so its actual Week-3 assignment is the AI-coached, self-scored version in I-assignment-and-rubric-week-03.md. This file shows the same Week-3 skills built the traditional way — the student completes the work and submits it, and the instructor grades against the rubric — so you can see both formats side by side. (Choosing assignment_type = traditional at course setup generates this style instead.)

Course: Anatomy & Physiology I (BIOL 2301 + BIOL 2101) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Navarro
Objective assessed: Objective 2 (cell structure & function; passive/active/bulk transport; osmosis & tonicity) · SLO A (relate structure to function) · SLO B (quantitative physiology — predict tonicity outcomes)
Worth 100 points · Assignments group = 15% of the grade

The Assignment

This week is about the cell and its border. In four short parts, you'll pair organelles with their jobs, sort transport into passive vs. active, predict tonicity outcomes from osmolarity numbers, and describe how the membrane is built. Submit your answers as a document upload or text entry in Canvas. You'll be graded on the rubric below — read it before you start. (For the tonicity part, use the cell interior ≈ 300 mOsm.)

Part 1 — Inside the cell: organelle → function (24 pts). Match each organelle to its main function: (a) mitochondrion; (b) ribosome; (c) lysosome; (d) nucleus; (e) Golgi apparatus; (f) rough ER. Functions: produces ATP; protein synthesis; digestion/breaks down waste; stores DNA (control center); packages and ships products; processes/modifies proteins.

Part 2 — Passive or active? (26 pts). For each process, say whether it is passive or active transport, and whether it uses ATP: (a) oxygen diffusing through the bilayer, high → low; (b) glucose crossing through a carrier protein, high → low; (c) the Na⁺/K⁺ pump moving ions against their gradients; (d) a cell engulfing a bacterium in a vesicle (phagocytosis).

Part 3 — Predict the tonicity outcome (26 pts). A red blood cell has an interior of about 300 mOsm. For each bath, state the tonicity (hypotonic/isotonic/hypertonic), which way water moves (in/out/none), and what happens to the cell (swells/shrinks/stays the same): (a) a 100 mOsm bath; (b) a 500 mOsm bath; (c) a 300 mOsm bath.

Part 4 — Membrane structure → function & the Na⁺/K⁺ pump (24 pts). (a) The plasma membrane is a double layer of what molecule, and how are the heads and tails arranged relative to water? (b) What does "selectively permeable" mean? (c) The Na⁺/K⁺ pump uses one ATP to move how many of each ion, in which direction?

Integrity & AI note. This is your own work, submitted for grading. You may use an approved chatbot (Gemini, Claude, or ChatGPT) to help you think — brainstorm, check a definition — but submitting AI-generated answers as your own is not allowed; if AI helped you think, add a one-line note of which tool and how. (Note: this is the traditional format. In this course's actual adaptive assignment, you work the problems with the chatbot and submit its self-scored report — see I-assignment-and-rubric-week-03.md.)

Rubric — 100 points

Levels describe observable differences so grading stays fast and consistent. (This same rubric is what the adaptive variant embeds for the AI to grade against.)

Instructor answer key — REMOVE BEFORE PUBLISHING TO STUDENTS

Every organelle pairing, transport classification, and tonicity prediction below is verified against standard cell biology (OpenStax A&P §3.1–3.2). All tonicity numbers were pre-computed and independently re-verified with a Python check (cell interior = 300 mOsm).

• Part 1: (a) mitochondrion → produces ATP; (b) ribosome → protein synthesis; (c) lysosome → digestion / breaks down waste; (d) nucleus → stores DNA / control center; (e) Golgi apparatus → packages and ships products; (f) rough ER → processes/modifies proteins.
• Part 2: (a) passive (simple diffusion), no ATP; (b) passive (facilitated diffusion — a protein is used, but it's still downhill, no ATP); (c) active, uses ATP; (d) active / bulk transport (endocytosis), uses ATP/energy.
• Part 3 (cell = 300 mOsm): (a) 100 mOsm = HYPOTONIC → water moves IN → cell SWELLS (may lyse). (b) 500 mOsm = HYPERTONIC → water moves OUT → cell SHRINKS (crenates). (c) 300 mOsm = ISOTONIC → no net water movement → cell stays the same. (Rule: water moves toward the side with more solute; compare the bath to ~300 mOsm. hypO = swellO.)
• Part 4: (a) a phospholipid bilayer; hydrophilic ("water-loving") heads face OUT toward the watery fluid, hydrophobic ("water-fearing") tails face IN. (b) selectively (semi-) permeable = a controlled border: some substances cross freely (small nonpolar molecules, water), others are controlled or blocked (ions, large/polar molecules) — neither a wide-open sieve nor a sealed wall. (c) 3 Na⁺ OUT and 2 K⁺ IN per ATP (leaving more Na⁺ outside and more K⁺ inside).

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 3 Assignment — Inside the Cell / Across the Membrane (traditional)"
assignment_group = "Assignments"
points_possible  = 100
grading_type     = points
assignment_type  = traditional
submission_types = [online_upload, online_text_entry]
due_offset_days  = 6
published        = true
rubric_ref       = "week-03-assignment-rubric"
provenance       = "~ Prof. Navarro's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"