Some people missed my groupletter last week, so this time there
are two of them. I hope you enjoy them.
This time again the groupletter goes to the general list,
because I hope this letter is of general interest again.
But lets come to the reason of this letter. The next group
Thymine meeting in the MOO and the Protein self assignment.
Yesterday I had a really great meeting in the MOO with
John W. (thanks John) and Salim. We went through the first
few points off the assignment in detail, but I want to
spread now what we really learnt out of it.
A meeting like it is planned next week cannot solve all
the problems people have with the assignment and from my
view should not try to do so.
In our meeting yesterday it took us more than 1 1/2 hour
just to clear the first 4 points off the assignment with
just 3 people attending, 2 of them with questions.
So I would think a way which really works is, that next week
thrusday we will discuss general topics of the assignment
and what is even more important, we should start to organize
meetings of 3-4 students together or 2-3 students with a
consultant or tutor.
In this meetings the real problems could be discussed in detail.
So it should be possible to get some rewsults for the own
assignment during this meetings.
Learning together and exchanging knowledge is more economic
than if everyone do it just for themselves. Me for example
have quite some knowledge about structures, crystallography
and hydrogen bonding. The source code of my pdb file was
therefor starightforward for me.
But using Rasmol it's still some nice picture on the screen
without much meaning and about the underlying bioligy I
don't have a clue.
So meeting in small gorups would be a way to overcome
this problems. Having tutors and consultants attending
at some of them would also give Birbeck a good feedback,
what have people already done, were are the real problems
they have.
Another important point people wrote back to me while
organizing Bio-Moo mettings is an agenda. Most people
would like to get one before the meeting to know better
what they could expect and if it is worth going there.
The problem here is, that often before a meeting it
isn't sure who is really responsible for it. So
here are a few points which I think should be
discussed on the meeting.
Feel free to use this points and delete or add
other points to send an official agenda around.
The people would like it:
1. Is there a need for small group meetings in the
Bio-Moo to help each other doing the assignment.
2. How could this meetings be organized. Gropupwise
with the toutor organizing, each one individual ??
3. Is there already a feedback about the most common
problems encountered during the assignment.
4. Is it possible to send parts of the assignment
to tutors or consultants, so that they could check
them or give advice if wrong.
5. What does it mean, the submitted assignment will
be a 'similar' one. I was thinking the personal one
I got is the one I should submit ?
6. What does Birbeck expect from us to send them.
7. What is if parts of my assignment are wrong. Could
I correct them.
I think this is enough from my side. Jacky could you
make out of this and hopefully some other feedback
an agenda, because it seems for me, you are the
person in charge of the meeting.
Thanks for everyone who has read until here. Now some
points for Thymine only:
Next T-Meeting:
I think the assignment-meeting should be worth to go,
also it conflicts with the times I wanted to meet.
Therefore I have set our next meeting jsut in front
of the assignment meeting:
Next group T-Meeting thursday 14th of march, 16.40
GMT.
Agenda:
1. Who is still active in Thymine, who has dropped.
2. Homepage : Thank to Chris. Do we want any
improvements ??
3. Could we organize small meetings to help each other
in the MOO.
4. Who could help which questions of the assignment.
I could help for points 1-10. Who is a specialist for
the other points.
5. Do we want some improvements in our room in the MOO.
6. Whoever likes should go now to the inter-group meeting
on the assignments.
So I hope to meet everybody next week in the MOO.
Feedback to this letter is appreciated.
JensJL