BNFO 300 |
Course at a Glance (Strategies): Group Discussion and Collaboration |
Fall 2014
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Group discussion in class
You will spend considerable time in class in small groups figuring out how to do problems or perform an experiment. This will work best if you look over the problems and experiments beforehand. This will allow you to bring something to the group. You needn't be an expert at all aspects of the problems, but come as an expert in something. If you do, the group will become stronger than any individual. If you don't, people may not want to play with you. Group discussion outside of class There are two major ways of making a scientific area more interesting:
An important part of scientific collaboration is service as a critic. You do a kindness to your collaborator if you read a summary or proposal and point out what the author may be too close to see. You will have opportunity to perform such a service, offering critiques of your colleagues summaries and research proposals. You may object that you don't know enough to critique another's work regarding molecular biology. There's some truth in this, but only a little. You have two great resources to draw upon: your naivete and your honesty. Together, they allow you to serve your colleagues in a valuable way that I cannot, since it is difficult for me to put aside what I already know. You can say, "I don't understand what you mean when you say X." Since you and others like you are the primary audience for the summaries and proposals, confessing that you do not understand something points out a deficiency in the communication, one that might not be apparent to the author. How to find and communicate with others
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