Week 10 — Assignment (Adaptive Learning) · "Run the Sequence"

Course: Anatomy & Physiology I (BIOL 2301 + BIOL 2101) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Navarro
Objective assessed: Objective 5 (sarcomere structure; the steps of contraction in order; the NMJ & excitation–contraction coupling; the sliding-filament model) · SLO A (relate structure to function; reason about an ordered process) · SLO B (use physiological terminology)
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 10 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, Nov 8.

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 10 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.

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) — Sarcomere structure ────────────
SHOW ME: "Answer these about the sarcomere: (a) What is the sarcomere, and what two structures mark its boundaries? (b) Which filament is THIN — actin or myosin? (c) Which filament is THICK, and which one has the 'heads' that do the pulling? (d) Put these in order from LARGEST to SMALLEST: myofibril, muscle, sarcomere, muscle fiber, fascicle."
VETTED ANSWER: (a) the sarcomere is the basic contractile unit of the muscle fiber; its boundaries are the Z discs (one Z disc to the next). (b) actin is the thin filament. (c) myosin is the thick filament, and myosin has the heads (cross-bridges) that pull. (d) muscle -> fascicle -> muscle fiber -> myofibril -> sarcomere.
RUBRIC: (a) 6 (unit + Z-disc boundaries; 3 if only one part). (b) 4. (c) 6 (myosin thick + myosin has the heads; 3 for only one). (d) 8 fully correct order (1-2 out of place = 4-6). Calling actin "thick" or myosin "thin" = 0 for that part.
FRESH VARIANT (for a re-attempt): "(a) The region from one Z disc to the next Z disc is called the ___? (b) The protein heads that form cross-bridges belong to which filament — actin or myosin? (c) Is actin the thick or the thin filament? (d) Order smallest to largest: sarcomere, fascicle, myofibril, muscle fiber." Answers: (a) the sarcomere; (b) myosin; (c) thin; (d) sarcomere -> myofibril -> muscle fiber -> fascicle. Same rubric idea.

──────────── PROBLEM 2 (26 points) — Order the steps of contraction ────────────
SHOW ME: "Put the steps of skeletal-muscle contraction in the correct ORDER (1 = first, 5 = last): (i) Ca2+ binds troponin and tropomyosin moves off the binding sites on actin; (ii) the motor neuron releases acetylcholine (ACh) at the neuromuscular junction; (iii) myosin heads form cross-bridges and pull actin (the power stroke, using ATP); (iv) an action potential sweeps along the muscle fiber and down the T-tubules; (v) calcium is released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Then, in one sentence, name the step where ATP is required."
VETTED ANSWER: order = ii -> iv -> v -> i -> iii (ACh at the NMJ -> muscle action potential -> Ca2+ from the SR -> troponin/tropomyosin -> cross-bridge/power stroke). ATP is required at the cross-bridge/power stroke step (and to detach the myosin head) — step iii.
RUBRIC: 20 for the order (each correctly placed step ~4; a single adjacent swap = ~12-16). 6 for correctly naming the cross-bridge/power stroke as the ATP step. Putting calcium (v) before the nerve signal (ii) caps the order score at 8.
FRESH VARIANT: "Order these (1 = first): (a) tropomyosin uncovers the binding sites on actin; (b) ACh crosses the neuromuscular junction; (c) the sarcoplasmic reticulum releases calcium; (d) the muscle fiber fires its own action potential; (e) the cross-bridge power stroke pulls actin. Which step also requires ATP simply to let the myosin head DETACH?" Answers: order = b -> d -> c -> a -> e; ATP is needed at the cross-bridge step (both to pull and to detach). Same rubric.

──────────── PROBLEM 3 (26 points) — The NMJ & excitation-contraction coupling ────────────
SHOW ME: "(a) At the neuromuscular junction, what neurotransmitter does the motor neuron release, and does it touch the muscle directly or cross a gap? (b) Where does the calcium that triggers contraction come from? (c) What do troponin and tropomyosin do, and what makes the binding sites become exposed? (d) 'Excitation-contraction coupling' links what two events?"
VETTED ANSWER: (a) acetylcholine (ACh); it does NOT touch the muscle — it crosses a tiny gap (the synaptic cleft) to the motor end-plate. (b) the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). (c) at rest, tropomyosin covers the binding sites on actin; troponin binds Ca2+ and pulls tropomyosin OFF, exposing the sites; so calcium binding to troponin is what exposes them. (d) it links the muscle's electrical signal (the action potential / excitation) to the release of Ca2+ that starts contraction (i.e., the action potential to the calcium-triggered contraction).
RUBRIC: 6.5 each (a-d). Half credit for a near-miss with correct reasoning (e.g., says "calcium is released to start contraction" for (d) without naming the action-potential link = ~4). Saying the NMJ "releases calcium," or that calcium comes from the NMJ/blood, = 0 for that part.
FRESH VARIANT: "(a) Name the chemical messenger at the NMJ and the gap it crosses. (b) Which organelle inside the muscle fiber stores and releases the calcium? (c) Which protein binds calcium — troponin or tropomyosin — and which one physically covers the binding sites? (d) In one sentence, what does excitation-contraction coupling connect?" Answers: (a) ACh, the synaptic cleft; (b) the sarcoplasmic reticulum; (c) troponin binds calcium, tropomyosin covers the sites; (d) the muscle action potential to the Ca2+ release that triggers contraction. Same rubric.

──────────── PROBLEM 4 (24 points) — Sliding-filament reasoning (SLO A) ────────────
SHOW ME: "(a) In the sliding-filament model, do the actin and myosin filaments get SHORTER during contraction, or does something else happen? Explain in one or two sentences. (b) As a sarcomere contracts, what happens to the distance between its Z discs? (c) Why does a body in rigor mortis become stiff (tie it to ATP)? (d) Structure->function: a muscle fiber loaded with mitochondria and a rich blood supply is best at which kind of work, and why?"
VETTED ANSWER: (a) the filaments do NOT shorten; the thin (actin) filaments slide past the thick (myosin) filaments toward the center, increasing overlap. (b) the Z discs move closer together (the sarcomere shortens). (c) in death there is no ATP, and ATP is required for myosin heads to DETACH from actin, so the cross-bridges stay locked and the muscle stiffens. (d) sustained, fatigue-resistant work (e.g., posture, endurance), because abundant mitochondria make plenty of ATP aerobically with the oxygen the blood supply delivers.
RUBRIC: (a) 8 — says slide/overlap, NOT shorten, with a correct sentence (4 if it only says "they don't shorten" without the sliding idea). (b) 4 — Z discs move closer. (c) 6 — no ATP -> heads can't detach -> locked. (d) 6 — fatigue-resistant/endurance + the mitochondria/aerobic-ATP reason. Saying the filaments "shorten" for (a) = 0 for (a).
FRESH VARIANT: "(a) True or false, and explain: 'During contraction, actin and myosin shrink.' (b) What happens to the I band/Z-disc spacing as the sarcomere shortens? (c) Why can't a muscle relax (and a corpse stays rigid) without ATP? (d) Why would a postural muscle have more mitochondria than a muscle built for short sprints?" Answers: (a) false — they slide/overlap, lengths unchanged; (b) Z discs move closer / I band shrinks; (c) ATP is needed to pump calcium back AND to detach the heads, so without it the cross-bridges lock; (d) postural muscles work continuously and need steady aerobic ATP from mitochondria. Same rubric.

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).
• 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.

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 10 ASSIGNMENT — Run the Sequence
Student: [name] | Date: ___
Problem 1 (Sarcomere structure): a/24 — [one line]
Problem 2 (Order the steps of contraction): b/26 — [one line]
Problem 3 (NMJ & excitation-contraction coupling): c/26 — [one line]
Problem 4 (Sliding-filament reasoning): 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. 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. The ordering item (Problem 2) is especially worth a quick eyeball, since a scrambled-but-confident answer is exactly what this week targets.

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 10 Assignment — Run the Sequence (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-10 assignment is the AI-coached, self-scored version in I-assignment-and-rubric-week-10.md. This file shows the same Week-10 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 5 (sarcomere structure; the steps of contraction in order; the NMJ & excitation–contraction coupling; the sliding-filament model) · SLO A (relate structure to function; reason about an ordered process) · SLO B (use physiological terminology)
Worth 100 points · Assignments group = 15% of the grade

The Assignment

This week is about the machinery of movement and the order of the events that drive it. In four short parts, you'll label the sarcomere, put the steps of contraction in sequence, reason about the neuromuscular junction and excitation–contraction coupling, and apply the sliding-filament model. 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.

Part 1 — Sarcomere structure (24 pts). (a) What is the sarcomere, and what two structures mark its boundaries? (b) Which filament is thin — actin or myosin? (c) Which filament is thick, and which one has the heads that do the pulling? (d) Put these in order from largest to smallest: myofibril, muscle, sarcomere, muscle fiber, fascicle.

Part 2 — Order the steps of contraction (26 pts). Put these in the correct order (1 = first, 5 = last), then name the step where ATP is required: (i) Ca²⁺ binds troponin and tropomyosin moves off the binding sites on actin; (ii) the motor neuron releases acetylcholine (ACh) at the neuromuscular junction; (iii) myosin heads form cross-bridges and pull actin (the power stroke); (iv) an action potential sweeps along the muscle fiber and down the T-tubules; (v) calcium is released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Part 3 — The NMJ & excitation–contraction coupling (26 pts). (a) At the neuromuscular junction, what neurotransmitter does the motor neuron release, and does it touch the muscle directly or cross a gap? (b) Where does the calcium that triggers contraction come from? (c) What do troponin and tropomyosin do, and what makes the binding sites become exposed? (d) "Excitation–contraction coupling" links what two events?

Part 4 — Sliding-filament reasoning (24 pts). (a) In the sliding-filament model, do the actin and myosin filaments get shorter during contraction, or does something else happen? Explain. (b) As a sarcomere contracts, what happens to the distance between its Z discs? (c) Why does a body in rigor mortis become stiff (tie it to ATP)? (d) Structure → function: a muscle fiber loaded with mitochondria and a rich blood supply is best at which kind of work, and why?

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-10.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

• Part 1: (a) the sarcomere is the basic contractile unit of the muscle fiber; boundaries = the Z discs (one Z disc to the next). (b) actin = thin. (c) myosin = thick, and myosin carries the heads (cross-bridges) that pull. (d) muscle → fascicle → muscle fiber → myofibril → sarcomere.
• Part 2: order = ii → iv → v → i → iii (ACh at the NMJ → muscle action potential → Ca²⁺ from the SR → troponin/tropomyosin → cross-bridge/power stroke). ATP is required at the cross-bridge/power stroke step (to power the stroke and to detach the myosin head).
• Part 3: (a) acetylcholine (ACh); it does not touch the muscle — it crosses the synaptic cleft to the motor end-plate. (b) the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). (c) at rest tropomyosin covers the binding sites on actin; troponin binds Ca²⁺ and pulls tropomyosin off, exposing the sites — so calcium binding troponin exposes them. (d) it links the muscle's action potential (excitation) to the Ca²⁺ release that triggers contraction.
• Part 4: (a) the filaments do not shorten; the thin (actin) filaments slide past the thick (myosin) filaments, increasing overlap. (b) the Z discs move closer together (sarcomere shortens; I band shrinks). (c) in death there's no ATP, and ATP is needed for myosin heads to detach — so the cross-bridges stay locked and the body stiffens. (d) sustained, fatigue-resistant work (posture, endurance), because plentiful mitochondria make ATP aerobically with the oxygen the blood delivers.

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 10 Assignment — Run the Sequence (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-10-assignment-rubric"
provenance       = "~ Prof. Navarro's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"