- Course name
- CHM437S Bioinorganic Chemistry
- Institution
- University of Toronto
- Instructor
- Deborah Zamble
- Subject
- Bioinorganic chemistry
- Course dates
- 2015-01-05 – 2015-04-30
- Approximate number of student editors
- 15-20
Course Overview
CHM437S is a lecture-based course that will explore the fundamental principles of bioinorganic chemistry and examine how they are applied in specific examples from our world. We will touch on many of the inorganic elements that are used in biology, but our focus is on the transition metals. Topics covered include the occurrence, distribution, and roles of the essential inorganic elements in nature; the structure and function of naturally occurring ligands; physical methods used to study bioinorganic biomolecules; uptake, regulation, and insertion into metalloproteins; and the discussion of examples including both redox and non-redox metalloenzymes, electron transfer proteins and energy-coupled processes, metallodrugs, etc.
- Course goals
By the end of the semester, students should be able to:
- Recognize how the fundamental principles of inorganic chemistry apply to bioinorganic systems.
- Appreciate the challenges of using metals in biological systems and discuss how Nature meets these challenges in general and by citing specific examples.
- Understand how specialized methods are used to study bioinorganic systems and what kind of information they provide.
- Discuss the chemistry and biology of specific bioinorganic systems.
- The wiki assignment
Metals are everywhere in biology. It has been estimated that roughly a third of all proteins require at least one metal cofactor, and metals are also used as structural components, in signalling pathways, in the immune system, as clinically administered drugs, and so on. In addition, the field of bioinorganic is very broad and multidisciplinary, drawing in scientists from diverse areas such as inorganic synthesis, biological chemistry, microbiology and geology. So it is impossible for one course to cover all of the topics in this area! For this reason, this course has included a student-driven research project since it was first offered by Prof. Morris. Typically, each student picks a specific bioinorganic molecule and does an in-depth study to learn what is known about this molecule. The student then prepares a presentation to teach what they have learned to the rest of the class. This part of the assignment is still in place because the oral presentation is a valuable experience in communication, allows you to perform a detailed analysis of one aspect of interest on a bioinorganic system, and provides the opportunity for interesting questions and discussions with the class.
Over the past few years, Wikipedia has become more common as a reference, often showing up as the first item upon searching the internet. Initially, I would tell the class that Wikipedia is not an appropriate reference, but this statement is not true anymore. There is a wealth of information here, and much of it is peer-reviewed. Furthermore, it has become a valuable source of information for who knows how many people. However, much of the scientific information is incomplete, and the peer reviewers may not be scientists. This is where we can contribute. You do all of the work to put together a narrative about a bioinorganic system, and usually the presentations are at an impressive level of understanding and depth. Also, although there are some good Wikipedia articles on some bioinorganic systems, many are not represented. So this year, part of your assignment will be to prepare a Wikipedia article. I will prepare a list of interesting biomolecules for which there is nothing (or very little) on Wikipedia for you to chose from. There are many examples of pages that are present but incomplete, so if there is a topic that you are particularly interested in learning about but it is not on my list, please come to talk to me with your proposal.
This assignment will be fun but not easy, especially if you are new to working on Wikipedia. It is a different style of scientific communication from what we are used to. It is a real online encyclopedia, so there are rules that we have to follow such as how to write the article and the format you must use, ensuring there are appropriate citations, keeping the content and tone appropriate for the general audience, as well as other issues. In addition, once you go live you and your work will become a part of the global online community.
Timeline
Week 1 : Wikipedia essentials
- In class
- Overview of the course
- Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
- Handout: Editing Wikipedia (available in print or online from the Wiki Education Foundation)
Week 2 : Editing basics
- In class
- Basics of editing
- Anatomy of Wikipedia articles, what makes a good article, how to distinguish between good and bad articles
- Tips on finding the best articles to work on for class assignments
- Handouts: Using Talk Pages handout and Evaluating Wikipedia brochure
- Assignment (due Week 3)
- Create an account and then complete the online training for students. During this training, you will make edits in a sandbox and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia.
- Create a User page, and then click the "enroll" button on the top left of this course page.
- To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself to any Wikipedians helping your class (such as a Wikipedia Ambassador), and leave a message for a classmate on their user talk page.
- Milestones
- All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.
Week 3 : Exploring the topic area
- In class
- Handouts: Choosing an article and How to get help
- Assignment (due Week 4)
- Critically evaluate an existing Wikipedia article related to the class, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's talk page.
Week 4 : Using sources and choosing articles
- In class
- Handouts: Citing sources on Wikipedia and Avoiding plagiarism on Wikipedia
- Assignment (due Week 5)
- Your instructor has created a list of potential topics for your main project. Choose the one you will work on.
- For next week
- Instructor evaluates student's article selections, by Week 5.
Week 5 : Finalizing topics and starting research
- In class
- Discuss the range of topics students will be working on and strategies for researching and writing about them.
- Assignment (due Week 6)
- Compile a bibliography of relevant reliable sources and post it to the talk page of the article you are working on. Begin reading the sources.
Week 6 : Drafting starter articles
- In class
- Talk about Wikipedia culture and etiquette, and (optionally) revisit the concept of sandboxes and how to use them.
- Q&A session with instructor and/or Wikipedia Ambassadors about interacting on Wikipedia and getting started with writing.
- Assignment (due Week 7)
- If you are starting a new article, write an outline of the topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia lead section of 3–4 paragraphs in your sandbox. Wikipedia articles use "summary style", in which the lead section provides a balanced summary of the entire body of the article, with the first sentence serving to define the topic and place it in context. The lead section should summarize, very briefly, each of the main aspects of the topic that will be covered in detail in the rest of the article. If you are improving an existing article, draft a new lead section reflecting the content the article will have after it's been improved, and post this along with a brief description of your plans on the article’s talk page.
- Begin working with classmates and other editors to polish your lead section and fix any major issues.
- Continue research in preparation for writing the body of the article.
- Milestones
- All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.
Week 7 : Moving articles to the main space
- In class
- Handout: Moving out of your sandbox
- Assignment (due Week 8)
- Move sandbox articles into main space.
- Optional: For new articles or qualifying expansions of stubs, compose a one-sentence “hook,” nominate it for “Did you know,” (see detailed instructions) and monitor the nomination for any issues identified by other editors. Wiki Education Foundation staff and/or Wikipedia Ambassadors can provide support for this process.
- Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.
Week 8 : Building articles
- Workshop in class or outside of class
- Demo uploading images and adding images to articles.
- Share experiences and discuss problems.
- Handouts: "Uploading images" and "Evaluating Wikipedia article quality" (handed out originally earlier in the course)
- Assignment (due Week 9)
- Expand your article into an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of the topic.
- Select two classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. (You don’t need to start reviewing yet.)
Week 9 : Getting and giving feedback
- In class
- As a group, have the students offer suggestions for improving one or two of the students' articles, setting the example for what is expected from a solid encyclopedia article.
- Assignment (due Week 10)
- Peer review two of your classmates’ articles. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
- Copy-edit the two reviewed articles.
- Milestones
- All articles have been reviewed by others. All students have reviewed articles by their classmates.
Week 10 : Responding to feedback
- In class
- Open discussion of the concepts of neutrality, media literacy, and the impact and limits of Wikipedia.
- Assignment (due Week 11)
- Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback.
- Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.
Week 11 : Class presentations
- In class
- Students give in-class presentations about their experiences editing Wikipedia.
- Assignment (due Week 12)
- Add final touches to your Wikipedia article.
Week 12 : Due date
- Milestones
- Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading.