Students

BIOL208 – Animal Structure and Function

2014 – S2 External

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Other Staff
Katherine McClellan
Contact via katherine.mcclellan@mq.edu.au
Unit Convenor
James O'Hanlon
Contact via james.ohanlon@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
12cp(P) including (BIOL114(P) and 3cp(P) in BIOL units at 100 level) or admission to GCertBiotech
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit explores the biological diversity in form and function across the major groups of animals. Relationships between structure and function are emphasised using a comparative approach to understand how different animal groups carry out similar life processes. This unit also discusses how structural characteristics and their corresponding function have adapted to specific environments, with particular focus on adaptations that enabled life on land for various taxa. During the practical component of this unit you will gain an intimate appreciation of the diversity in animal morphology, physiology, behaviour and function. This unit is suitable for students interested in whole animal biology or science education, or for students interested in further research or research careers in biological or biomedical fields.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Identify and use correct biological nomenclature
  • Assign animals to the major taxonomic classifications
  • Identify the anatomical traits diagnostic to the major animal groupings
  • link these anatomical traits to the success of different animals in solving problems posed by diverse environments
  • Prepare experimental findings in the format of a scientific publication
  • Read and critically appraise papers from the scientific literature

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Due
Assignment 1 15% TBA
Mid-semester exam 20% TBA
Assignment 2 25% TBA
Final exam 40% TBA

Assignment 1

Due: TBA
Weighting: 15%

You are required to write a popular science article suitable for publication in a natural history magazine. We will provide papers from the primary scientific literature, plus popular science examples, and your goal will be to interpret and report one of these studies and its findings for a popular audience. Further details for this assignment will be provided in class and online. It is the mandatory EARLY ASSESSMENT TASK, due at the start of week 4. The scheduling of this assessment is designed so that you will have some time once the marks are published for this assignmen to withdraw without penalty, should you choose to.

 

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and use correct biological nomenclature
  • Read and critically appraise papers from the scientific literature

Mid-semester exam

Due: TBA
Weighting: 20%

You will be tested on your knowledge of lecture material for weeks 1-7 (practical material will not be examined because external students will have not been exposed to it yet). This will be a 50 min test during Wednesday’s lecture of week 7 for internal students, and at the beginning of the second residential session for external students. The test will be conducted under exam conditions, that is, silently and with no written material, calculators or mobile phones.

 

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and use correct biological nomenclature
  • link these anatomical traits to the success of different animals in solving problems posed by diverse environments
  • Prepare experimental findings in the format of a scientific publication
  • Read and critically appraise papers from the scientific literature

Assignment 2

Due: TBA
Weighting: 25%

You will be required to collect and analyse data (during a lab class) and subsequently prepare a manuscript in the format of a real-world scientific research journal. As with Assignment 1, further details will be provided in class and online. Data collection and analysis will take place during practical classes in week 5 for internal students, and during Residential Session 2 for external students. The assignment is due 5 weeks after the lab class for both internals and externals.

 

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and use correct biological nomenclature
  • Assign animals to the major taxonomic classifications
  • Identify the anatomical traits diagnostic to the major animal groupings
  • link these anatomical traits to the success of different animals in solving problems posed by diverse environments

Final exam

Due: TBA
Weighting: 40%

You will be tested on your knowledge of course content, including information from lectures and practical classes up to and including week 13, plus prescribed reading from your textbook (Hickman et al.) and other sources. The assessment will consist of short- and long-answer essay-style questions. The exam will take place during the formal end-of-year exam period.

 



On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and use correct biological nomenclature
  • Assign animals to the major taxonomic classifications
  • Identify the anatomical traits diagnostic to the major animal groupings
  • link these anatomical traits to the success of different animals in solving problems posed by diverse environments
  • Read and critically appraise papers from the scientific literature

Delivery and Resources

Changes to Unit Delivery

In 2014 BIOL208 will be convened by Dr James O’Hanlon. This will be the first time Dr O’Hanlon has convened the unit after having been involved in the unit delivery since 2007.

 

Class Schedule

Lecture 1

Tuesday

10:00 – 11:00

C5C T1

Lecture 2

Friday

16:00 – 17:00

C5C T1

Practical session

Thursday

14:00 – 17:00

E8A-120

Practical session

Thursday

14:00 – 17:00

E8A-160

Practical session

Friday

09:00 – 12:00

E8A-120

Practical session

Friday

09:00 – 12:00

E8A-160

Practical session

Friday

13:00 – 16:00

E8A-120 & 160

Residential session 1

Saturday 16th – Sunday 17th August

09:00 – 16:00

E8A-120 & 160

Residential session 2

Tuesday 30th September – Thursday 2nd October

09:00 – 16:00

E8A-120 & 160

Required and Recommended Texts and/or Materials

Required unit materials

The work carried out during practical classes is an integral part of the course. You should therefore maintain a comprehensive notebook which documents all of the work and discussion during the practical sessions. Thus, all notes, records, illustrations and results should be entered into your practical book during class. We recommend you use an A4 ring-binder with lined paper for notes and blank paper for diagrams.

You will need a lab coat and enclosed shoes for every practical class in accordance with standard laboratory safety procedures. Without either of these you will not be allowed entry to the laboratory. You will also need to bring a dissection kit to every practical class which includes:

  • a pair of fine pointed scissors
  • a pair of fine pointed forceps

The U@MQ Shop sells dissecting kits for around $25 (if you are going to buy one, make sure it includes fine pointed scissors forceps). Also, because the refurbished biology teaching labs have full digital capture capabilities for the two microscopes at each workstation, you will be able to save images and screenshots of your work. Please remember to bring a USB flash drive as you won't be able to keep images on the workstation computer's hard drive.

Required textbook

Hickman CP et al. (2013) Integrated Principles of Zoology. 16th Edition. McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 9780073524214

The following texts are also available in the library:

  • Biology of Animals by Hickman et al. (McGraw-Hill)
  • Biology of the Invertebrates by Pechenik (McGraw-Hill)
  • An Introduction to the Invertebrates by Moore (Cambridge)
  • Invertebrate Zoology by Barnes (Saunders College Publishing)
  • Vertebrate Life by Pough et al. (Prentice Hall)
  • Animal Physiology by Eckert (Freeman)

Unit Webpage and Technology used and Required

Online unit delivery

Lecture graphics and iLectures will be available on iLearn (http://learn.mq.edu.au). iLearn is a web-based communication package and can be accessed by most web browsers from inside or outside the University. iLearn and email will be the primary methods of communication in this subject. You are expected to use iLearn for:

  • Regularly checking subject announcements;
  • Downloading lecture, laboratory and reference materials;
  • Checking your grades.

How do you log in? The URL for the iLearn login page is: http://learn.mq.edu.au/.

You must log in to iLearn each time you use it. Your user name is your student number, and your password is your myMQ student portal password, provided upon enrolment (unless you've changed it). 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://student.mq.edu.au/ses/ for information on how to get assistance.

If you are having problems logging on, that is, 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 1 800 674 357 (outside Sydney)

Unit Schedule

Please refer to iLearn for full Lecture and Practical schedule.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy  http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html

Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Assignment submission

 All assignments must be handed in according to the Faculty of Science procedures. Internal students should submit their assignments to the unit assignment box in the reception area of the Science Faculty Centre (E7A Room 101, on the ground floor at the western end of the building). The Office is open 8.30 am - 5.30 pm Mon-Fri. You can submit assignments outside of these hours using the after-hours assignment box located outside of Building E7A. External students are not required to submit a hardcopy but should instead email their assignments (with electronic coversheet) directly to the unit convener (darrell.kemp@mq.edu.au), and upload to TURNITIN.

 A coversheet must be attached to each assignment with the declaration signed and dated. The Faculty uses personalized and bar-coded assignment coversheets, which you can generate and download for your assignment from the web location:

http://web.science.mq.edu.au/new_and_current_students/undergrad/assignments_and_coversheets/

Hard copies of the assignment coversheet will also be available from the science centre.

Assignment submission via TURNITIN

 TURNITIN is a powerful online tool for detecting plagiarism. It compares the text of a submitted document (i.e., your assignments) with the work of all current classmates, past students, as well as published material in books, journals and on the web. As part of our commitment to academic honesty at Macquarie, you are required to submit your assignments to TURNITIN in this unit. You will be able to submit to TURNITIN via the moodle links in iLearn (links for doing this are embedded in the content for the weeks when each task is due; e.g. week 4 for Assignment 1). Refer to “Academic Honesty” (below) for more information regarding plagiarism policy and penalties.

Extensions, penalties and special consideration

 Late assignments will attract a penalty at the rate of 5 % of the total mark allocated for the assignment per day past the due date. The deadlines for assignments are not negotiable. You will only escape penalties if you can produce a valid medical certificate or a letter with appropriate supporting documents outlining serious extenuating circumstances. All applications for special consideration or extension must be sought before the due date unless this is impossible, and from the co-conveners, Dr. Anne Wignall and Dr. James O’Hanlon. Please note than an Assignment will be considered late if both the required hardcopy (or emailed copy for external students) AND the TURNITIN submission are not received prior to the advertised due date/time.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Identify and use correct biological nomenclature
  • Prepare experimental findings in the format of a scientific publication
  • Read and critically appraise papers from the scientific literature

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 1
  • Mid-semester exam
  • Assignment 2
  • Final exam

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Identify and use correct biological nomenclature
  • Assign animals to the major taxonomic classifications
  • Identify the anatomical traits diagnostic to the major animal groupings
  • link these anatomical traits to the success of different animals in solving problems posed by diverse environments
  • Prepare experimental findings in the format of a scientific publication
  • Read and critically appraise papers from the scientific literature

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 1
  • Mid-semester exam
  • Assignment 2
  • Final exam

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Identify and use correct biological nomenclature
  • Assign animals to the major taxonomic classifications
  • Identify the anatomical traits diagnostic to the major animal groupings
  • link these anatomical traits to the success of different animals in solving problems posed by diverse environments
  • Prepare experimental findings in the format of a scientific publication
  • Read and critically appraise papers from the scientific literature

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 1
  • Mid-semester exam
  • Assignment 2
  • Final exam

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • link these anatomical traits to the success of different animals in solving problems posed by diverse environments
  • Prepare experimental findings in the format of a scientific publication
  • Read and critically appraise papers from the scientific literature

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 1
  • Mid-semester exam
  • Assignment 2
  • Final exam

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • link these anatomical traits to the success of different animals in solving problems posed by diverse environments
  • Prepare experimental findings in the format of a scientific publication
  • Read and critically appraise papers from the scientific literature

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 1
  • Mid-semester exam
  • Assignment 2
  • Final exam

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • link these anatomical traits to the success of different animals in solving problems posed by diverse environments
  • Prepare experimental findings in the format of a scientific publication
  • Read and critically appraise papers from the scientific literature

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 1
  • Mid-semester exam
  • Assignment 2
  • Final exam

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Identify and use correct biological nomenclature
  • Prepare experimental findings in the format of a scientific publication
  • Read and critically appraise papers from the scientific literature

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 1
  • Mid-semester exam
  • Assignment 2
  • Final exam

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Identify and use correct biological nomenclature
  • Assign animals to the major taxonomic classifications
  • Identify the anatomical traits diagnostic to the major animal groupings
  • link these anatomical traits to the success of different animals in solving problems posed by diverse environments
  • Prepare experimental findings in the format of a scientific publication
  • Read and critically appraise papers from the scientific literature

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 1
  • Mid-semester exam
  • Assignment 2
  • Final exam

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Identify and use correct biological nomenclature
  • Assign animals to the major taxonomic classifications
  • Identify the anatomical traits diagnostic to the major animal groupings
  • link these anatomical traits to the success of different animals in solving problems posed by diverse environments
  • Prepare experimental findings in the format of a scientific publication
  • Read and critically appraise papers from the scientific literature

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 1
  • Mid-semester exam
  • Assignment 2
  • Final exam

Changes since First Published

Date Description
10/07/2014 updates lecture & prac days and times