Week 14 — Assignment (Adaptive Learning) · "From Gene to Protein"

Course: Introduction to Biology — General Biology I (BIOL 101) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Castellano
Objective assessed: Objective 7 (the central dogma; transcription; the genetic code; translation) · SLO A (interpret a sequence through a defined process) · SLO B (connect a nucleotide sequence to the protein it builds)
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 14 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, Dec 6.

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 14 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. Total possible: 100 points across four problems. All sequences and codon meanings below are pre-verified against the standard genetic code — use them exactly; do not improvise a different sequence or amino acid.

A SMALL CODON TABLE (standard genetic code — give it to me with any problem that needs translation):
AUG = Methionine (Met), start · GCU/GCC/GCA/GCG = Alanine (Ala) · UAU/UAC = Tyrosine (Tyr) · CCU/CCC/CCA/CCG = Proline (Pro) · GGU/GGC/GGA/GGG = Glycine (Gly) · UUU/UUC = Phenylalanine (Phe) · GAA/GAG = Glutamate (Glu) · GUU/GUC/GUA/GUG = Valine (Val) · UAA/UAG/UGA = STOP.

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) — Transcribe the gene ────────────
SHOW ME: "Transcribe this DNA template strand into mRNA. Write the mRNA 5'→3'. DNA template (3'→5'): TAC GGA CCT ACT. (Remember the transcription pairing rules, and watch the base that changes between DNA and RNA.)"
VETTED ANSWER: mRNA = AUG CCU GGA UGA. (Base by base: TAC→AUG, GGA→CCU, CCT→GGA, ACT→UGA. DNA A→U, T→A, G→C, C→G.) There must be no T in the mRNA — RNA uses uracil (U).
RUBRIC: 24 total. 18 for the correct mRNA (AUG CCU GGA UGA) — deduct ~4–5 per wrong/mis-paired codon. 6 for using U instead of T throughout (no stray T anywhere). If the student writes any T in the RNA, cap the U-rule 6 points at 0 and note the swap.
FRESH VARIANT (for a re-attempt): "Transcribe this DNA template (3'→5') to mRNA (5'→3'): TAC AAA GGG ATC." Answer: mRNA = AUG UUU CCC UAG (TAC→AUG, AAA→UUU, GGG→CCC, ATC→UAG). Same rubric (no T; correct pairing).

──────────── PROBLEM 2 (24 points) — Translate the message ────────────
SHOW ME: "Using the codon table, translate this mRNA into its chain of amino acids (its protein). mRNA (5'→3'): AUG CCU GGA UGA. Read in threes from the start codon and stop at the stop codon." (Give me the codon table.)
VETTED ANSWER: AUG→Met, CCU→Pro, GGA→Gly, UGA→STOP. Protein = Met – Pro – Gly (the stop codon ends translation and is NOT an amino acid).
RUBRIC: 24 total. 6 per correctly translated amino-acid codon for the three coding codons (Met, Pro, Gly = 18). 6 for correctly treating UGA as STOP and NOT listing it as an amino acid. Reading the frame wrong (regrouping the bases) caps the amino-acid points at 6.
FRESH VARIANT: "Translate this mRNA: AUG UUU CCC UAG." Answer: AUG→Met, UUU→Phe, CCC→Pro, UAG→STOP → protein = Met – Phe – Pro. Same rubric.

──────────── PROBLEM 3 (26 points) — Place the steps & locations ────────────
SHOW ME: "(a) Put these in the correct order of the central dogma, from the stored information to the finished worker: protein, mRNA, DNA. (b) Which process makes mRNA from DNA, and WHERE in the cell does it happen? (c) Which process builds the protein from mRNA, and WHERE does it happen? (d) Name the cell structure that reads the mRNA and assembles the protein."
VETTED ANSWER: (a) DNA → mRNA → protein. (b) Transcription, in the nucleus. (c) Translation, in the cytoplasm. (d) the ribosome (with tRNA bringing amino acids).
RUBRIC: (a) 8 — correct order. (b) 6 — "transcription" (3) + "nucleus" (3). (c) 6 — "translation" (3) + "cytoplasm" (3). (d) 6 — "ribosome." Saying translation happens in the nucleus, or swapping transcription/translation, loses the matching points.
FRESH VARIANT: "(a) Order: amino-acid chain, gene (DNA), messenger RNA. (b) During transcription, which base does RNA use in place of thymine? (c) Is the anticodon on the mRNA or the tRNA? (d) In which step is a protein actually built?" Answers: (a) gene (DNA) → messenger RNA → amino-acid chain; (b) uracil (U); (c) the tRNA; (d) translation. Same point split (8/6/6/6).

──────────── PROBLEM 4 (26 points) — One typo, one disease (SLO B) ────────────
SHOW ME: "Sickle-cell anemia comes from a single base change in the hemoglobin gene. Use the codon table. (a) Normally the mRNA codon is GAG. What amino acid is that? (b) A single base change makes the codon GUG. What amino acid is that now? (c) In 3–5 sentences a non-scientist friend could follow, explain how this ONE base change travels through the central dogma to change one amino acid, and why changing one amino acid can break the protein and cause the disease." (Give me the codon table.)
VETTED ANSWER: (a) GAG = Glutamate (Glu). (b) GUG = Valine (Val). (c) Plain-language chain: a single base changes in the DNA; during transcription that changes the mRNA codon from GAG to GUG; during translation the ribosome then adds valine instead of glutamate — one wrong amino acid. Because a protein's job depends on its shape, that one swap makes hemoglobin clump and warps red blood cells into a sickle shape, which causes the disease (blocked blood flow, pain, anemia).
RUBRIC: (a) 5 — Glu. (b) 5 — Val. (c) 16 — names the chain in order (DNA change → mRNA codon GAG→GUG via transcription → wrong amino acid via translation = 8), connects the wrong amino acid to the broken protein/shape (4), and connects the broken protein to the disease/trait (4). Plain-language clarity expected; minor wording flexible.
FRESH VARIANT: "(a) A codon reads UAU — what amino acid? (b) A single base change makes it UAA — what is UAA? (c) In 3–5 sentences, explain what a 'nonsense' mutation like this does: how does changing one base to a STOP codon affect the protein, and why is that a problem?" Answers: (a) UAU = Tyrosine (Tyr); (b) UAA = a STOP codon; (c) the base change turns an amino-acid codon into a stop signal, so during translation the ribosome stops early and releases a shortened, usually nonfunctional protein — losing the rest of the amino acids that the protein needs to work. Same rubric shape (5/5/16): 5 for Tyr, 5 for "stop codon," 16 for explaining early termination → truncated, nonfunctional protein.

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 (accept "methionine" or "Met").
• 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). If I put a T in my RNA or shifted the reading frame, name it specifically.
• 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 14 ASSIGNMENT — From Gene to Protein
Student: [name] | Date: ___
Problem 1 (Transcribe the gene): a/24 — [one line]
Problem 2 (Translate the message): b/24 — [one line]
Problem 3 (Steps & locations): c/26 — [one line]
Problem 4 (One typo, one disease): d/26 — [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 means the coach grades the same way for every student and every chatbot, so checks are quick.
• Pre-computed answers (independently re-verified, 0-error): Problem 1 mRNA = AUG CCU GGA UGA (variant AUG UUU CCC UAG); Problem 2 protein = Met–Pro–Gly (variant Met–Phe–Pro); Problem 4 GAG = Glu, GUG = Val. All sequences were re-derived by a Python check against the standard genetic code.
• 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.

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 14 Assignment — From Gene to Protein (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. Castellano's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"

Traditional variant — for comparison. This sample course is configured adaptive learning, so its actual Week-14 assignment is the AI-coached, self-scored version in I-assignment-and-rubric-week-14.md. This file shows the same Week-14 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 7 (the central dogma; transcription; the genetic code; translation) · SLO A (interpret a sequence through a defined process) · SLO B (connect a nucleotide sequence to the protein it builds)
Worth 100 points · Assignments group = 15% of the grade

The Assignment

Molecular biology comes down to one relay: DNA → RNA → protein. In four short parts, you'll transcribe a gene, translate the message, place the steps and their locations, and trace how a single base change causes a disease. 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.

Use this codon table for translation:

AUG = Methionine (Met), start · GCU = Alanine (Ala) · UAU = Tyrosine (Tyr) · CCU = Proline (Pro) · GGA = Glycine (Gly) · UUU = Phenylalanine (Phe) · GAG = Glutamate (Glu) · GUG = Valine (Val) · UAA / UAG / UGA = STOP.

Part 1 — Transcribe the gene (24 pts). Transcribe this DNA template strand into mRNA. Write the mRNA 5′→3′: DNA template (3′→5′) TAC GGA CCT ACT. (Apply the transcription pairing rules — and watch the base that changes between DNA and RNA.)

Part 2 — Translate the message (24 pts). Using the codon table, translate the mRNA from Part 1 (AUG CCU GGA UGA) into its chain of amino acids (its protein). Read in threes from the start codon and stop at the stop codon.

Part 3 — Place the steps & locations (26 pts). (a) Put these in the correct order of the central dogma, from stored information to finished worker: protein, mRNA, DNA. (b) Which process makes mRNA from DNA, and where in the cell does it happen? (c) Which process builds the protein from mRNA, and where does it happen? (d) Name the cell structure that reads the mRNA and assembles the protein.

Part 4 — One typo, one disease (26 pts). Sickle-cell anemia comes from a single base change in the hemoglobin gene. (a) Normally the mRNA codon is GAG — what amino acid is that? (b) A single base change makes the codon GUG — what amino acid is that now? (c) In 3–5 sentences a non-scientist friend could follow, explain how this one base change travels through the central dogma to change one amino acid, and why changing one amino acid can break the protein and cause the disease.

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-14.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 sequences and amino-acid calls below are pre-computed and independently re-verified against the standard genetic code (Python check, 0 errors).

• Part 1: DNA template (3′→5′) TAC GGA CCT ACT → mRNA (5′→3′) AUG CCU GGA UGA. Base by base: TAC→AUG, GGA→CCU, CCT→GGA, ACT→UGA. There is no T in the mRNA — RNA uses U.
• Part 2: AUG CCU GGA UGA → AUG=Met, CCU=Pro, GGA=Gly, UGA=STOP → protein = Met – Pro – Gly (the stop codon ends translation and is not an amino acid).
• Part 3: (a) DNA → mRNA → protein. (b) Transcription, in the nucleus. (c) Translation, in the cytoplasm. (d) the ribosome (tRNA delivers the amino acids; the codon is on the mRNA, the anticodon on the tRNA).
• Part 4: (a) GAG = Glutamate (Glu). (b) GUG = Valine (Val). (c) Model: one base changes in the DNA; transcription copies that change into the mRNA codon (GAG → GUG); translation then adds valine instead of glutamate — one wrong amino acid. Because a protein's function depends on its shape, that single swap makes hemoglobin clump and warps red blood cells into a sickle shape → blocked blood flow, pain, anemia. (One base matters because codons are read three-at-a-time, in a fixed frame.)

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 14 Assignment — From Gene to Protein (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-14-assignment-rubric"
provenance       = "~ Prof. Castellano's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"