Week 12 — Assignment (Adaptive Learning) · "Beyond Mendel"

Course: Introduction to Biology — General Biology I (BIOL 101) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Castellano
Objective assessed: Objective 6 (incomplete dominance & codominance; multiple alleles & ABO; sex linkage; pedigrees) · SLO A (reason quantitatively about crosses; interpret pedigrees) · SLO B (connect allele combinations to phenotypes)
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 12 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 22.

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 12 of Introduction to Biology (BIOL 101) 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. The numeric answers are pre-computed and fixed; do not change them. Total possible: 100 points across four problems.

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) — Incomplete dominance vs. codominance ────────────
SHOW ME: "(a) In snapdragons, red (RR) crossed with white (WW) gives all pink (RW) offspring. Is this incomplete dominance or codominance, and how do you know? (b) In humans, type AB blood means a person makes both the A antigen and the B antigen at once. Is this incomplete dominance or codominance, and how do you know? (c) In ONE sentence, state the key difference between the two patterns."
VETTED ANSWER: (a) incomplete dominance — the heterozygote is a blend (an in-between phenotype, pink). (b) codominance — both alleles are fully expressed at the same time (A and B antigens both present), not blended. (c) Incomplete dominance produces a new, in-between (blended) phenotype; codominance shows both alleles' phenotypes fully and at once.
RUBRIC: (a) 8 — correct pattern (4) + "blend/in-between" reasoning (4). (b) 8 — correct pattern (4) + "both expressed at once" reasoning (4). (c) 8 — a clear statement of the blend-vs-both distinction. Naming the pattern without reasoning = half credit on (a)/(b).
FRESH VARIANT (for a re-attempt): "(a) A cross of a black chicken and a white chicken gives offspring that are 'erminette' — speckled with DISTINCT black and white feathers (not gray). Incomplete dominance or codominance? (b) A cross of a red four-o'clock flower and a white one gives all PINK flowers. Which pattern? (c) State the key difference in one sentence." Answers: (a) codominance (distinct black AND white feathers = both shown at once); (b) incomplete dominance (pink = a blend); (c) same blend-vs-both distinction. Same rubric.

──────────── PROBLEM 2 (26 points) — ABO blood-type cross (multiple alleles) ────────────
SHOW ME: "A parent with type A blood (genotype Iᴬi) has children with a parent with type B blood (genotype Iᴮi). (a) List the gametes each parent can make. (b) Fill in the Punnett square and give the four offspring genotypes. (c) What fraction of the children are expected to be each blood type — A, B, AB, and O? (d) What is the probability of a type-O child?"
VETTED ANSWER: (a) Type-A parent: Iᴬ or i; type-B parent: Iᴮ or i. (b) Boxes: IᴬIᴮ, Iᴬi, Iᴮi, ii. (c) IᴬIᴮ = AB, Iᴬi = A, Iᴮi = B, ii = O — each 1/4 (so 1/4 A, 1/4 B, 1/4 AB, 1/4 O). (d) P(type O) = 1/4 (25%).
RUBRIC: (a) 4 — both parents' gametes correct. (b) 8 — all four genotype boxes correct. (c) 8 — all four phenotype fractions correct (2 each). (d) 6 — P(O) = 1/4. Partial credit for a correct square with one mislabeled phenotype. If the student says type O is impossible, (c)+(d) cap at 4 total, with teaching that each parent carries a hidden i.
FRESH VARIANT: "A type-AB parent (IᴬIᴮ) has children with a type-O parent (ii). (a) Gametes? (b) Offspring genotypes? (c) Fractions of each blood type? (d) Probability of a type-O child?" Answers: (a) AB parent: Iᴬ or Iᴮ; O parent: i only. (b) Iᴬi and Iᴮi (each 1/2). (c) 1/2 type A, 1/2 type B; no AB, no O. (d) P(type O) = 0 (the AB parent has no i to pass). Same rubric.

──────────── PROBLEM 3 (26 points) — Sex linkage (X-linked recessive cross) ────────────
SHOW ME: "Red-green colorblindness is X-linked recessive (Xᴬ = normal, Xᵃ = colorblind). A carrier mother (XᴬXᵃ) has children with an unaffected father (XᴬY). (a) List each parent's gametes. (b) Fill in the Punnett square and give the four offspring (genotype + whether each is a son/daughter and affected/carrier/normal). (c) What fraction of the SONS are colorblind? What fraction of the DAUGHTERS are colorblind? (d) Can any of their sons be an unaffected 'carrier'? Explain in one sentence."
VETTED ANSWER: (a) Mother: Xᴬ or Xᵃ; father: Xᴬ or Y. (b) XᴬXᴬ (daughter, normal), XᴬY (son, normal), XᴬXᵃ (daughter, carrier), XᵃY (son, colorblind). (c) Sons: 1/2 colorblind. Daughters: 0 colorblind (1/2 are carriers). (d) No — a son has only one X, so he is affected (XᵃY) or not (XᴬY); there is no male carrier. (Bonus context, not required: across all children, 1/4 are affected, all male.)
RUBRIC: (a) 4 — both parents' gametes correct (father gives Xᴬ OR Y). (b) 10 — all four offspring correct in genotype and category (sons vs. daughters; carrier vs. affected). (c) 8 — sons 1/2 (4) and daughters 0 (4). (d) 4 — "no, a son has one X" reasoning. Calling a son a "carrier" loses (d) and is corrected with the one-X logic.
FRESH VARIANT: "Hemophilia is X-linked recessive (Xᴴ = normal, Xʰ = hemophilia). A normal-vision... (use: a non-hemophiliac carrier mother XᴴXʰ) has children with a father who HAS hemophilia (XʰY). (a) Gametes? (b) Four offspring (genotype + son/daughter + status)? (c) Fraction of sons affected? Fraction of daughters affected? (d) Can a daughter be affected here, and why?" Answers: (a) mother: Xᴴ or Xʰ; father: Xʰ or Y. (b) XᴴXʰ (daughter, carrier), XᴴY (son, normal), XʰXʰ (daughter, AFFECTED), XʰY (son, affected). (c) sons: 1/2 affected; daughters: 1/2 affected. (d) Yes — a daughter can be XʰXʰ (one Xʰ from the carrier mom, one from the affected dad), so she is affected. Same rubric.

──────────── PROBLEM 4 (24 points) — Read the pedigree (SLO A) ────────────
SHOW ME: "Read this pedigree, described in words. GENERATION I: an unaffected father (I-1) and an unaffected mother (I-2). GENERATION II, their children: an AFFECTED son (II-1), and two UNAFFECTED daughters (II-2 and II-3). Answer: (a) Is the trait dominant or recessive? How do you know? (b) Is the trait more likely autosomal or X-linked? Give your reasoning. (c) What is the mother's (I-2's) genotype if the trait is X-linked recessive — and what is the chance a future son is affected?"
VETTED ANSWER: (a) Recessive — two unaffected parents produced an affected child, so each parent carried a hidden recessive copy. (b) X-linked recessive is well supported — the only affected individual is male, consistent with an X-linked recessive trait passed from a carrier mother to her son. (Autosomal recessive is also formally possible from this small pedigree, but the all-male affected pattern points to X-linked; full credit for naming X-linked recessive with sound reasoning, or for noting both possibilities with the male-skew as the deciding clue.) (c) If X-linked recessive, mother I-2 is an obligate carrier (XᴬXᵃ); a future son has a 1/2 chance of being affected.
RUBRIC: (a) 8 — "recessive" (4) + the two-unaffected-parents-→-affected-child reasoning (4). (b) 8 — X-linked recessive (or both-possible with male-skew as deciding clue) (4) + reasoning that the affected individual is male / mother is the carrier (4). (c) 8 — mother is XᴬXᵃ carrier (4) + future son 1/2 affected (4). Saying the son inherited it from his father loses points and is corrected (a son's X comes from his mother).
FRESH VARIANT: "GENERATION I: an AFFECTED father (I-1) and an unaffected mother (I-2). GENERATION II: ALL of their children — two sons and two daughters — are affected, AND in GENERATION III every generation continues to show affected individuals with at least one affected parent. (a) Dominant or recessive? Why? (b) What pattern does 'appears in every generation, every affected child has an affected parent' suggest? (c) If it's autosomal dominant and the affected parent is heterozygous (Aa) crossed with an unaffected (aa) partner, what fraction of children are affected?" Answers: (a) dominant — it appears in every generation and affected children always have an affected parent. (b) a dominant inheritance pattern (vertical transmission). (c) 1/2 of children affected (Aa × aa → 1/2 Aa). Same rubric (map (c) to the 8-point slot for the genotype/probability step).

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, but the genetics must be right — a blended/both-shown mix-up, a wrong fraction, or a "male carrier" is an error to mark and teach.
• Say specifically what I got right, then TEACH the gap — explain the correct reasoning (draw the Punnett square in text if it helps) 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, and keep the fixed numbers (P(pink)=1/2; P(type O)=1/4; 1/2 of sons colorblind; 0 of daughters; future son 1/2).

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 12 ASSIGNMENT — Beyond Mendel
Student: [name] | Date: ___
Problem 1 (Incomplete vs. codominance): a/24 — [one line]
Problem 2 (ABO blood-type cross): b/26 — [one line]
Problem 3 (Sex-linkage cross): c/26 — [one line]
Problem 4 (Read the pedigree): 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. Castellano)

• 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 (with fixed, pre-computed fractions) 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. All four problems' numbers are pre-computed and independently re-verified (P(pink) = 1/2; AB/A/B/O each 1/4 so P(O) = 1/4; 1/2 of sons colorblind, 0 of daughters, future son 1/2). 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 12 Assignment — Beyond Mendel (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  = 5
published        = true
provenance       = "~ Prof. Castellano's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"

Traditional variant — for comparison. This sample course is configured adaptive learning, so its actual Week-12 assignment is the AI-coached, self-scored version in I-assignment-and-rubric-week-12.md. This file shows the same Week-12 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: Introduction to Biology — General Biology I (BIOL 101) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Castellano
Objective assessed: Objective 6 (incomplete dominance & codominance; multiple alleles & ABO; sex linkage; pedigrees) · SLO A (reason quantitatively about crosses; interpret pedigrees) · SLO B (connect allele combinations to phenotypes)
Worth 100 points · Assignments group = 15% of the grade

The Assignment

This week extended Mendel to the patterns real families see: blends, co-expression, multiple alleles, and sex linkage. In four short problems, you'll classify two inheritance patterns, work an ABO blood-type cross, work a sex-linkage cross, and read a pedigree. Show your Punnett squares — the reasoning earns the credit. 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 — Incomplete dominance vs. codominance (24 pts). (a) In snapdragons, red (RR) × white (WW) gives all pink (RW). Is this incomplete dominance or codominance, and how do you know? (b) In humans, type AB blood means a person makes both the A and B antigens at once. Which pattern is this, and how do you know? (c) In one sentence, state the key difference between the two patterns.

Part 2 — ABO blood-type cross (26 pts). A parent with type A blood (Iᴬi) has children with a parent with type B blood (Iᴮi). (a) List each parent's gametes. (b) Fill in the Punnett square and give the four offspring genotypes. (c) What fraction of children are expected to be each blood type — A, B, AB, O? (d) What is the probability of a type-O child?

Part 3 — Sex-linkage cross (26 pts). Red-green colorblindness is X-linked recessive (Xᴬ = normal, Xᵃ = colorblind). A carrier mother (XᴬXᵃ) has children with an unaffected father (XᴬY). (a) List each parent's gametes. (b) Give the four offspring (genotype + son/daughter + affected/carrier/normal). (c) What fraction of sons are colorblind? Of daughters? (d) Can a son be an unaffected "carrier"? Explain in one sentence.

Part 4 — Read the pedigree (24 pts). Read this pedigree, described in words. GENERATION I: an unaffected father (I-1) and an unaffected mother (I-2). GENERATION II (their children): an affected son (II-1) and two unaffected daughters (II-2, II-3). (a) Is the trait dominant or recessive? How do you know? (b) Is it more likely autosomal or X-linked? Reason it out. (c) If the trait is X-linked recessive, what is mother I-2's genotype, and what is the chance a future son is affected?

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-12.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

All numbers below are pre-computed and independently re-verified (a Python check re-derives every fraction and prints PASS): P(pink) = 1/2; ABO A×B gives AB/A/B/O each 1/4 so P(O) = 1/4; carrier-mom × unaffected-dad gives 1/2 of sons colorblind, 0 of daughters affected (1/2 carriers), 1/4 of all children affected.

• Part 1: (a) incomplete dominance — the heterozygote (pink) is a blend / in-between. (b) codominance — both alleles fully expressed at once (A and B antigens). (c) Incomplete dominance = a new, blended, in-between phenotype; codominance = both alleles' phenotypes shown fully and at the same time.
• Part 2: (a) type-A parent → Iᴬ or i; type-B parent → Iᴮ or i. (b) boxes IᴬIᴮ, Iᴬi, Iᴮi, ii. (c) IᴬIᴮ = AB, Iᴬi = A, Iᴮi = B, ii = O — each 1/4 (1/4 A, 1/4 B, 1/4 AB, 1/4 O). (d) P(type O) = 1/4. Each parent carried a hidden recessive i.
• Part 3: (a) mother → Xᴬ or Xᵃ; father → Xᴬ or Y. (b) XᴬXᴬ (daughter, normal), XᴬY (son, normal), XᴬXᵃ (daughter, carrier), XᵃY (son, colorblind). (c) sons: 1/2 colorblind; daughters: 0 colorblind (1/2 carriers). (d) No — a son has only one X, so he is affected (XᵃY) or not (XᴬY); there is no male carrier. (Context: across all four children, 1/4 are affected, all male.)
• Part 4: (a) recessive — two unaffected parents had an affected child, so each carried a hidden copy. (b) X-linked recessive is well supported because the only affected individual is male (passed from a carrier mother); autosomal recessive is formally possible from so small a pedigree, but the male-skew is the deciding clue. (c) mother I-2 is an obligate carrier (XᴬXᵃ); a future son has a 1/2 chance of being affected. (The son's single X comes from his mother — not his father.)

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 12 Assignment — Beyond Mendel (traditional)"
assignment_group = "Assignments"
points_possible  = 100
grading_type     = points
assignment_type  = traditional
submission_types = [online_upload, online_text_entry]
due_offset_days  = 5
published        = true
rubric_ref       = "week-12-assignment-rubric"
provenance       = "~ Prof. Castellano's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"