Assessment details

Details of assessments will be provided on iLearn and in class.

Unit completion

To pass this unit students need to achieve a minimum grade of 50%, attempt and submit all assessments, and gain at least 45% in the final examination.

Assignment submission

All assignments will be digitally submitted through the appropriate Turnitin submission link on iLearn. No hardcopy / paper submissions are needed. All assessments need to be written in the students own words.

Extensions and penalties

10% of the mark allocated for the assignment will be deducted per day that any work is submitted late.

The deadlines for assignments are not negotiable. If you have a serious and unavoidable disruption to your studies and require an extension please submit a Disruptions to Studies notification via Ask.mq.edu.au with supporting documentation, and a Professional Authority Form completed by your health care professional. All applications for an extension must be sought before the due date unless this is absolutely impossible. If you anticipate any potential problems speak to the unit convenor early.

Academic dishonesty

All assessments need to be written in the students own words. The penalties imposed by the University for plagiarism are serious and may include expulsion from the University. ANY evidence of plagiarism WILL be dealt with following University policy. Penalties for plagiarism range from a loss of marks to awarding of a zero depending on the level of plagiarism and reporting to Faculty disciplinary committee.

Required unit materials

The work carried out during practical classes is an important and integral part of the course. You must read, download and either print the prac notes to bring to each class, or bring them on a laptop or tablet.

You will also need a practical notebook with unlined pages that you will use to draw organisms, record data and observations from field and laboratory classes. We recommend you use an A4 bound notebook with alternate unlined pages for drawing (i.e. a botany notebook). Loose pages are not suitable. You may also bring your own dissecting kits to class, although some equipment will also be provided.

You will need enclosed shoes for every practical class in accordance with standard laboratory safety procedures. Without which you will not be allowed entry to the laboratory.

Recommended readings

There are a number of books (also available in the library) that cover various aspects of BIOL316:

• Ruppert EE, Fox RS & RD Barnes (2004) Invertebrate zoology: a functional evolutionary approach. 7th ed. Sunders College Publishing (3 copies available in Special Reserve)
• Ponder W & D. Lunney (1999) The Other 99%: The Conservation and Biodiversity of Invertebrates. Transactions of the Royal Zoological Society of NSW. Surrey beattie & Sons, Chipping Norton
• Pechenik, J.A. Biology of the invertebrates. 6th ed. Boston, Mass.: McGraw-Hill, 2010.
• Anderson, D.T. (Ed). Invertebrate zoology. 2nd ed. South Melbourne, Vic.: Oxford University Press, 2001
• Moore, J. Introduction to the invertebrates. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
• Romoser, W.S. & Stoffolano, J.G. The science of entomology. 4th ed. Boston, Mass.: WCB McGraw-Hill, 1998.
• Choe, J.C. & Crespi, B.J. (Eds). The evolution of mating systems in insects and arachnids. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
• Herrera, C.M. & Pellmyr, O. Plant-animal interactions: an evolutionary approach. Oxford: Blackwell Science, 2002.

UNIT WEBPAGE, TECHNOLOGY USED AND REQUIRED

Website

Lecture graphics (slides as PDFs) and iLectures will be available on iLearn http://ilearn@mq.edu.au iLearn is a web-based computer mediated communication package and can be accessed by most web browsers from inside or outside the University. iLearn and email will be the principle method of communication in this subject. You will need stable access to the internet to access iLearn.

We expect you to use iLearn to:

• Regularly check subject announcements
• Access weekly reading and videos
• Download lecture materials
• Download laboratory materials
• Download reference materials
• Check your grades

How do you log in? The URL for the iLearn log in page is: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au/. You will need to log in to iLearn each time you use it. Your user name is your student number. 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).

Assignment submission

All assignments will be digitally submitted through a Turnitin submission available in iLearn.

Timetable

Lecture topics*

** Lecture topics may change to accommodate guest lecturer's schedules

Practical schedule

On-Campus Session Schedule

Two new pracs are being developed (effects of parasites on behaviour, butterfly dissection / ant morphology). Poster assessment has been removed and replaced by an early assessment quiz in week 3, this is so that unit assessments align with Department guidelines for number and timing of assessments in a unit.