Unit description  This unit enables the student to acquire biological research experience by or performing a small independent or group research project under academic supervision. The topic may be flexible, but in most cases, it will be aligned with the objectives of an academic staff member involved in research. A new on campus ecological monitoring site will be available for projects. Enrolling students must contact the unit convenor at or before the beginning of the semester to help identify a research topic and academic supervisor.

Unit Objective  The objective of this unit is to provide experience in biological research relative to the fields of biodiversity, conservation, marine management, marine science and wildlife biology.

Teaching and learning strategy Projects will be developed under the supervision of a nominated academic. The assessments in this unit are designed to provide you with skills that are applicable across broad based disciplines, and enable you to gain knowledge on relative to your project area. The research component will provide skills specific to the area of your project.

Learning outcomes By the end of this unit you should have acquired a working knowledge of research in the biological sciences. This training will help you identify your area of research interest, begin to develop laboratory skills and improve your abilities in several areas of scientific communication.

Workload Expectations BIOL860 is a four credit point unit and requires a workload commitment of 150 hours. We expect that this time will be divided into 1) 118 hours of laboratory experience and 2) 30 hours for assessments. You will therefore be in the lab/field for 8-10 hours a week over the semester.

Extensions and penalties The deadlines for assignments are not negotiable. A medical certificate or documents outlining other serious, extenuating circumstances can be used to submit an assignment after the due date without penalty (10% marks loss per day). Applications for special consideration must be sought through the science faculty, via filing a Disruptions to Studies Notification through ask.mq.edu.au.

Website iLearn and email will be the principle method of communication in this subject. How do you log in? The URL for the iLearn is: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/. Your user name is your student number and the password your oneID. For further details go to http://mq.edu.au/iLearn/student_info/index.htm. If you are having trouble accessing your online unit due to a disability or health condition, please go to the Student Services Website at http://sss.mq.edu.au/equity/about for information on how to get assistance. If you cannot log in after ensuring you have entered your username and password correctly, you should contact Student IT Help, Phone: (02) 9850 4357 (in Sydney) or 1 800 063 191 (outside Sydney).

Policies Macquarie has policies and procedures in the area of learning and teaching. Approved policies and associated guidelines and procedures can be found at Policy Central: http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/. There you will find the University’s policy and associated procedures on:

• Assessment
• Academic Honesty (plagiarism)
• Special consideration

The penalties imposed by the University for plagiarism are serious. ANY evidence of plagiarism WILL be dealt with following University policy with All plagiarism offences will be reported to Faculty disciplinary committee.