Students
CBMS331 – Molecular and Medical Biotechnology
2014 – S2 Day
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Helena Nevalainen
Contact via helena.nevalainen@mq.edu.au
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| Credit points |
Credit points
3
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
CBMS215 and CBMS224
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
The lectures and practicals in this unit are co-taught with CBMS880 and CBMS731 Molecular and Medical Biotechnology. The specific undergraduate learning outcomes for CBMS331 are aimed at introducing the main concepts and current practices in the areas of modern biotechnology relevant to the unit. Practical laboratory reports are an essential part of the learning providing the students an opportunity to show ability to interpret the results and practise scientific writing.
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| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit provides an overview of contemporary biotechnology, emphasising the molecular aspects of this growing field. Several examples will be provided to demonstrate how the basic molecular sciences translate into environmental and industrial applications as well as to better health and wealth. We will discuss functional genomics and proteomics, the use of surrogate hosts for protein production, and the roles of sugars on proteins and cells. Other topics include forensics, stem cells and applications of fluorescence in biotechnology. Students will carry out hands-on laboratory work applying recombinant DNA techniques, visualise organisms and molecules using confocal fluorescence microscopy, assess production capabilities of an industrially exploited fungal cell factory, and analyse the sugars on a commercially available recombinant product.
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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:
- • Carry out experiments following safe laboratory practices • Interpret, analyse, explain and discuss your experimental results in the class • Develop capabilities to deal with unexpected experimental findings • Gain and search for information in order to draw an informed conclusion • Gain project and time management skills to be able to plan and organise experiments and the best way of reporting on the data
- • Analyse experimental results and critically evaluate own data • Think critically and independently and in an interdisciplinary manner • Extract key messages from scientific papers and paraphrase information • Ask questions relevant to the problem in hand
- • Work and communicate in a team e.g. when doing laboratory work • Develop time management skills – ability to prioritise tasks, manage and achieve results on time and within constraints • Take responsibility for your own learning • Ability to work independently • Listen to others • Co-operate with other team members – exchange details, divide up work • Explain concepts, ideas, plans etc to fellow students, tutors and lecturers • Motivate team members • Respect others and conduct ethically
- • Collect and record data by measurement or observation • Collect, record and present data using appropriate tools • Interpret and organise data to present a coherent argument • Search the internet for scientific literature and use relevant databases (e.g. DNA or protein sequence databases) • Judge the reliability of information sources
- • Write summaries • Write a bibliography/reference list • Write scientific documents – abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion • Orally communicate ideas • Effectively take part in arguments and debates
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Final examination | 45% | TBA |
| Practical reports | 35% | 19.9; 14.10 and 28.10 |
| Primer design quiz | 5% | 9 September |
| Fluorescence quiz | 5% | 9 October |
| The Great Debate | 5% | various |
| Continuing assessment | 5% | end of semester |
Final examination
Due: TBA
Weighting: 45%
The final course examination will be 3 hours plus 10 min reading time. The examination will cover all sections of the unit including tutorials and practicals and consists of short answers, problem solving tasks and essay questions. In their answers the students are encouraged to practise critical thinking and expanding on ideas rather than just listing facts and figures with no discussion. Dot point-style answering is not allowed. Take a calculator to the examination.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- • Analyse experimental results and critically evaluate own data • Think critically and independently and in an interdisciplinary manner • Extract key messages from scientific papers and paraphrase information • Ask questions relevant to the problem in hand
- • Write summaries • Write a bibliography/reference list • Write scientific documents – abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion • Orally communicate ideas • Effectively take part in arguments and debates
Practical reports
Due: 19.9; 14.10 and 28.10
Weighting: 35%
These are major reports describing the laboratory experiments in detail with references to literature. The reports must be submitted to iLearn for checking in turnitin by the due date (see below).
The three separate reports (P1, 2 and 3) should follow the format:
Introduction (stating aims in the last paragraph)
Materials and Methods (main points and procedures)
Results (with tables and graphs where applicable)
Discussion (reflecting on the results)
References (choose one style and stick to it)
Answers to questions (separate from other text)
Results should consist of tables, diagrams and words in between to tie them together. Presenting tables, graphs, etc. without any explanation is not acceptable. Every table, graph and diagram should be numbered and have a caption, and you should refer to them in the text by their number. Expected length for an average report is about 5-10 double spaced typewritten pages plus figures and tables. Please answer the questions after the actual report text under a heading ‘Answers to questions’ and number your answers.
Practicals 1 and 2 are interconnected and the students are requested to provide one page executive summary linking them together. The summary will be handed in together with the detailed report on Practical 2.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- • Carry out experiments following safe laboratory practices • Interpret, analyse, explain and discuss your experimental results in the class • Develop capabilities to deal with unexpected experimental findings • Gain and search for information in order to draw an informed conclusion • Gain project and time management skills to be able to plan and organise experiments and the best way of reporting on the data
- • Analyse experimental results and critically evaluate own data • Think critically and independently and in an interdisciplinary manner • Extract key messages from scientific papers and paraphrase information • Ask questions relevant to the problem in hand
- • Work and communicate in a team e.g. when doing laboratory work • Develop time management skills – ability to prioritise tasks, manage and achieve results on time and within constraints • Take responsibility for your own learning • Ability to work independently • Listen to others • Co-operate with other team members – exchange details, divide up work • Explain concepts, ideas, plans etc to fellow students, tutors and lecturers • Motivate team members • Respect others and conduct ethically
- • Collect and record data by measurement or observation • Collect, record and present data using appropriate tools • Interpret and organise data to present a coherent argument • Search the internet for scientific literature and use relevant databases (e.g. DNA or protein sequence databases) • Judge the reliability of information sources
- • Write summaries • Write a bibliography/reference list • Write scientific documents – abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion • Orally communicate ideas • Effectively take part in arguments and debates
Primer design quiz
Due: 9 September
Weighting: 5%
The ability to design oligonucleotide primers for DNA amplification is one of the most essential skills in molecular biology. Your brief is to design primers for the isolation of a specific gene. You will be given material to work with and a list of questions to answer. This quiz will require some literature research and must be returned by the due date (see below).
On successful completion you will be able to:
- • Carry out experiments following safe laboratory practices • Interpret, analyse, explain and discuss your experimental results in the class • Develop capabilities to deal with unexpected experimental findings • Gain and search for information in order to draw an informed conclusion • Gain project and time management skills to be able to plan and organise experiments and the best way of reporting on the data
- • Collect and record data by measurement or observation • Collect, record and present data using appropriate tools • Interpret and organise data to present a coherent argument • Search the internet for scientific literature and use relevant databases (e.g. DNA or protein sequence databases) • Judge the reliability of information sources
- • Write summaries • Write a bibliography/reference list • Write scientific documents – abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion • Orally communicate ideas • Effectively take part in arguments and debates
Fluorescence quiz
Due: 9 October
Weighting: 5%
This quiz will feature questions addressing matters discussed in the lectures and a tutorial conducted during Practical 2. You are expected to find and record most of the answers to these questions during the time allocated to the tutorial. The completed paper must be returned by the due date (see below).
On successful completion you will be able to:
- • Carry out experiments following safe laboratory practices • Interpret, analyse, explain and discuss your experimental results in the class • Develop capabilities to deal with unexpected experimental findings • Gain and search for information in order to draw an informed conclusion • Gain project and time management skills to be able to plan and organise experiments and the best way of reporting on the data
- • Collect and record data by measurement or observation • Collect, record and present data using appropriate tools • Interpret and organise data to present a coherent argument • Search the internet for scientific literature and use relevant databases (e.g. DNA or protein sequence databases) • Judge the reliability of information sources
- • Write summaries • Write a bibliography/reference list • Write scientific documents – abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion • Orally communicate ideas • Effectively take part in arguments and debates
The Great Debate
Due: various
Weighting: 5%
For this Debate, the students will be divided into groups of 3-5 people (depending on the total student number) who will be given a topic in the area of biotechnology (drawn out of a hat) which they either have to defend or oppose. The topics will be chosen from those suggested by the students and teaching staff. The groups will know their topic in the previous week so that they can plan ahead their debating strategy. Each debate, chaired by the course convener, will last for 10 minutes followed by questions from the audience. The audience will participate in the assessment by voting for the winning team after each debate. This is a good opportunity to practise ethical voting, i.e. voting based on a successful argument and not e.g. because you are good buddies with some individuals in one of the debating teams. There will be no individual marks but the collective mark goes to everyone in the group.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- • Work and communicate in a team e.g. when doing laboratory work • Develop time management skills – ability to prioritise tasks, manage and achieve results on time and within constraints • Take responsibility for your own learning • Ability to work independently • Listen to others • Co-operate with other team members – exchange details, divide up work • Explain concepts, ideas, plans etc to fellow students, tutors and lecturers • Motivate team members • Respect others and conduct ethically
- • Write summaries • Write a bibliography/reference list • Write scientific documents – abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion • Orally communicate ideas • Effectively take part in arguments and debates
Continuing assessment
Due: end of semester
Weighting: 5%
: A continuing assessment that involves providing a brief answer to 20 questions (from the total of 26 lectures) is set up on iLearn. You are expected to listen to each of these lectures and submit a brief answer to a particular question arising from the lecture, posted on iLearn by the convener by 5 pm on the day of the lecture. Your answers to each week’s lectures must be in by the following Mon 5 pm. Best answers will be displayed on iLearn.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- • Analyse experimental results and critically evaluate own data • Think critically and independently and in an interdisciplinary manner • Extract key messages from scientific papers and paraphrase information • Ask questions relevant to the problem in hand
- • Write summaries • Write a bibliography/reference list • Write scientific documents – abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion • Orally communicate ideas • Effectively take part in arguments and debates
Delivery and Resources
Required and Recommended texts and/or materials
Biotechnology draws from different disciplines and technologies. The recommended textbook will give you a good introduction to these areas and provide further reading and websites for more in depth studies. There are also good questions at the end of each chapter to test your learning.
Textbook: William J. Thieman and Michael A. Palladino (2012): Introduction to Biotechnology, 3rd edition. Pearson Benjamin-Cummings Publishing Company, San Francisco CA.
The book is available at the University Bookshop. Please note that while the book provides an anchor for the studies, plenty of additional and examinable information will be provided in the lectures.
Almost every issue of the mainstream biotechnology journals will contain scientific papers related to the lecture material. Journals such as ‘Biotechnology’ and ‘Trends in Biotechnology’ are subscribed by the MQ Library and a good amount of the relevant journals are accessible through electronic databases such as PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/). Please take some time to browse through the journals for papers that you may find interesting. Getting familiar with the format in which scientific papers are presented will be of great help in your own report writing.
There are also many web resources, but material placed on the web is not necessarily checked for accuracy, so be careful when using it.
Instructions for the laboratory experiments can be downloaded from iLearn. It is essential that you bring the notes with you to each class. Additional material may be provided in the class.
Technology Used
Ability to access the Internet is necessary. General use computers are provided by the University, but it would be advantageous to have your own computer and internet access.
It would be helpful to have a (scientific) calculator to carry out various calculations during practicals. They are also needed when preparing reports and in the final examination. Text-retrieval calculators are not allowed in the final examination. Laboratory reports and essays can be produced using standard Microsoft Office software.
Classes
Timetable: Please check http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/ for the official timetable of the unit.
Lectures: The material presented in the lectures is examinable. Please note that there is no text book coverage for a fair amount of the presented material. Therefore, regular attendance to the lectures and careful listening of the recordings is highly recommended. Lecture topics and dates can be found at the end of this guide. Lectures will be recorded and made available on iLearn. A continuing assessment that involves providing a brief answer to 20 questions (from the total of 26 lectures) is set up on iLearn.
Tutorials and Industry exposure: Attendance at the tutorials and the Industry exposure is compulsory, a medical certificate or other relevant documentation will be required for any absences. Previously announced locations for these activities may change so stay tuned. Tutorial material, which forms part of the material submitted for assessment and/or examination, will be distributed at the beginning of the class.
Laboratory work: Laboratory sessions commence in Week 2; Practical topics and the timetable are listed at the back of this guide. The 4-hour practical sessions will be offered on Tue afternoon from 2-6 pm (Group 1) or Wed morning 9 am-1 pm (Group 2) in E7B349-50. Each student should enrol in one of these sessions and stay within that group throughout the entire semester. Practical laboratory sessions are compulsory and a medical certificate or other relevant documentation will be required for any absences. It should be noted that missing any practical will make the reporting very difficult since some of the practicals continue over several weeks and plenty of data will be generated every week.
Laboratory procedures: This course will involve laboratory work with microorganisms, DNA samples, proteins and sugars. The experimental techniques feature molecular biology, microbial cultivation, fluorescent microscopy, biochemical analyses and mass spectrometry. Note that there are safety requirements concerning the use of these techniques. All students are required to adhere to the guidelines for safe laboratory conduct as detailed below.
1. Study the practical notes so that you understand the experimental procedures. Reading the notes beforehand is highly recommended and will speed up your work.
2. Wear a decent laboratory coat and safety glasses at all times within the laboratory area. Preferably bring your own.
3. Tie back long hair before starting laboratory work.
4. Do not wear open-toe shoes in the laboratory.
5. No eating, drinking, smoking, listening to music, chatting on a mobile phone, surfing the net for fun or applying makeup is allowed in the laboratory.
6. No children, friends or spouses are allowed in the laboratory.
7. Wash your hands and disinfect your work space before commencing work and repeat this after finishing the experiments.
8. Dispose of all microbiological waste in the autoclave bags and place sharps (needles, scalpels etc.) in the sharps container. How to dispose of all other materials is instructed by the tutor.
9. Report ALL accidents and spills immediately.
10. If you don’t know, ASK! We love to explain.
11. Treat all chemicals and reagents with respect and read the labels. Also label your plates, test tubes etc.
12. You will need full concentration in the lab, so do not drink alcohol or use other substances that may interfere with your ability to carry out experiments safely in the classes.
It is recommended that you carry a marking pen (permanent), spatula, scissors and tweezers and a calculator. Perform the experiments in an orderly fashion and clean up afterwards.
You will be required to keep a laboratory book in which the details, results and conclusions of experiments will be recorded. The best format is an A4 ruled notebook that opens flat. This book is to be used in the practicals and notes should allow you to repeat the experiment. Tablets and laptops may be used for note-taking. You are required to write three formal reports on the practical work, which will be a lot less painful experience with good notes in hand. In addition to handing in a hard copy of the reports, all practical reports must be submitted to turnitin available at the unit iLearn site. Submission dates are found on p. 10. Using an iPad, tablet or any other electronic device for making lab notes is not recommended.
Instructions for the laboratory experiments can be downloaded from iLearn
The Great Debate: Attendance to the debate is compulsory. The debate will be carried out in the CBMS Tea room at the time slot allocated for a laboratory class (i.e. 2-6 pm on Tue or 9 am- 1 pm on Wed).
Unit web page
Lecture graphics will be uploaded on CBMS331 iLearn (http://ilearn.mq.edu.au) the daybefore each lecture. The site also provides you with lecture recordings, videos and pictures generated in the practicals.
We will have a General discussion forum with a standing invitation to the students to suggest topics for the great debate and “What’s on your mind’ where students can leave messages and post videos and images related to biotechnology, for further discussion amongst fellow students. We will also set up a small reference library. Announcements will be used to communicate information from the unit convener.
Follow the instructions on the page to log in. If you have trouble logging in, please contact the academic staff, who may then refer you to the University Library Information technology help desk: Phone: 9850-HELP (4357); Freecall: 1800 063 191; Email One Help at ilearn.help @mq.edu.au.
Unit Schedule
CBMS331 Molecular and Medical Biotechnology, lecture topics 2014
Two one-hour lectures per week, on Tue at 12-1 pm and Fri from 1 -2 pm in E6A102
The many faces of biotechnology- the big picture
1. Course introduction - contribution of biotechnology to modern life (HN) Tue 5.8
Molecular aspects of biotechnology revisited
- The toolbox for genetic engineering- making a recombinant protein (HN) Fri 8.8
- Genetic engineering- power tools and considerations (HN) Tue 12.8
- Biotechnology pipeline- linking the ‘omics’ (HN) Fri 15.8
- Protein secretion and quality control (HN) Tue 19.8
- Protein secretion, the way out (HN) Fri 22.8
7. Basic concepts in Synthetic biology (LB) Tue 26.8
8. Modern approaches into protein engineering (AS) Fri 29.8
Making recombinant products
9. Microbes as cell factories (HN) Tue 2.9
10. Cell cultures and transgenic animals (HN) Fri 5.9
11. What about transgenic plants (HN) Tue 9.9
12. The art of making a biotech product on a large scale (HN) Fri 12.9
Fluorescence in biotechnology
13. Fluorescence instrumentation and applications in biotechnology (DB) Tue 16.9
14. Flow cytometry as a tool in biotechnology (MO) Fri 19.9
BREAK 20.9. – 6.10.
Sweet biotechnology
15. Basic aspects of protein glycosylation (NP) Tue 7.10
16. Biological functions of protein glycosylation (NP) Fri 10.10
Medical biotechnology
17. DNA as evidence in forensic science (HN) Tue 14.10
18. The promise of biopharmaceuticals (HN) Fri 17.10
19. Bioinformatics and combinatorial chemistry in drug design (SR) Tue 21.10
20. Basics of stem cells (BH) Fri 24.10
21. Application of stem cell technology to joint repair (BH) Tue 28.10
22. Medical biotechnology and bioengineering (MM) Fri 31.10
23. Application of proteomics to cancer research (MM) Tue 4.11
Nanobiotechnology
24. A quick peak into nanotechnology (HN) Fri 7.11
25. Development of nanoparticles (JD) Tue 11.11
26. Course summary (HN) Fri 14.11
Please note that there may be changes to the visiting lecturers; these changes will be announced on iLearn Announcements.
Lecturers:
HN- Prof Helena Nevalainen, MQ CBMS (helena.nevalainen@mq.edu.au)
LB- Dr Louise Brown, MQ CBMS (louise.brown@mq.edu.au)
AS- Dr Anwar Sunna, MQ CBMS (anwar.sunna@mq.edu.au)
DB- Ms Debra Birch, MQ, Biological Sciences (debra.birch@mq.edu.au)
MO- Dr Martin Ostrowski, MQ, CBMS (martin.ostrowski@mq.edu.au)
NP- Prof Nicolle Packer, MQ CBMS (nicki.packer@mq.edu.au)
SR- Prof Shoba Ranganathan, MQ CBMS (shoba.ranganathan@els.mq.edu.au)
BH- Dr Ben Herbert, Regeneus Ltd (benjamin.herbert@mq.edu.au)
MM- A/Prof Mark Molloy, MQ CBMS and APAF (mark.molloy@proteome.org)
JD- A/Prof Jin Dayong, MQ CBMS (jin.dayong@mq.edu.au)
Practical sessions
The 4 hour practical sessions will be offered on Tue afternoon from 2-6 pm in E7B349-50 (Group 1) or Wed morning 9 am-1 pm in E7B350 (Group 2). Each student should enrol in one of these sessions and stay within that group throughout the entire semester. Please note that practicals and tutorials are compulsory and you will need a Doctor’s certificate or other relevant documentation to justify an absence.
Practicals: 1. Genetic transformation of the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei
- Fluorescent labelling of fungal cell membranes and cellular localisation of the recombinant DsRed 1 protein
- Analysis of N-linked glycans on native human lactoferrin glycoprotein isolated from human and bovine milk
Practical 1 Genetic transformation of the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei
Tue 12.8. Plate conidia for bombardment
Wed 13.8. Coat microparticles with DNA and shoot
Tue 19.8. Count transformants and restreak on PDA-HygB plates
Wed 20.8. Streak transformant conidia for DNA isolation
Codon optimisation tutorial
Tue 26.8. Isolate chromosomal DNA from transformants for PCR
Wed 27.8. Design primers for PCR to check the transformants
Tue 2.9. Check the quality of chromosomal DNA
Wed 3.9. Run PCR on transformants
Primer design quiz handed out and discussed in the class
Tue 9.9. Check PCR products by agarose gel electrophoresis and take
Wed 10.9. photographs
Wrapping up Practical 1
Practical 2 Fluorescent labelling of fungal cell membranes and cellular localisation of the DsRed1 protein
Tue 16.9. Staining of the DsRed-expressing transformants and the
Wed 17.9. non-transformant with an ER specific dye
Inspection of specimens using confocal microscopy
Fluorescence quiz and tutorial
Executive summary tutorial
Practical 3 Analysis of N-linked glycans on the native human lactoferrin glycoprotein isolated from human and bovine milk
Tue 7.10. Sample preparation of native and recombinant lactoferrin
Wed 8.10. Release of oligosaccharides by enzyme treatment
Wrapping up Practical 2
Tue 14.10. Purification and analysis of oligosaccharides by liquid
Wed 15.10. chromatography-mass spectrometry and interpretation of
data
Wrapping up Practical 3
Tue 21.10. The Great Debate I, CBMS Tea room
Wed 22.10.
Tue 28.10. The Great Debate II, CBMS Tea room
Wed 29.10.
Tue 4.11. or Industry exposure, CBMS Tea room
Wed 5.11.
Note that the dates of the above activities are interchangeable
For CBMS731 only (audience welcome):
Tue 11.11. Seminar presentations, E7B 346
Wed 12.11.
Attendance to the lectures is not compulsory but is strongly encouraged. Some lectures will be supported by video material also made available on iLearn.
All practicals, the industry exposure and the Great Debate are compulsory to all students; the student can be failed for non-attendance.
Learning and Teaching Activities
Lectures
Laboratory practicals
Quizzes
Great debate
Continuing assessment
Unit web site blog
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/
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
- • Carry out experiments following safe laboratory practices • Interpret, analyse, explain and discuss your experimental results in the class • Develop capabilities to deal with unexpected experimental findings • Gain and search for information in order to draw an informed conclusion • Gain project and time management skills to be able to plan and organise experiments and the best way of reporting on the data
- • Analyse experimental results and critically evaluate own data • Think critically and independently and in an interdisciplinary manner • Extract key messages from scientific papers and paraphrase information • Ask questions relevant to the problem in hand
- • Work and communicate in a team e.g. when doing laboratory work • Develop time management skills – ability to prioritise tasks, manage and achieve results on time and within constraints • Take responsibility for your own learning • Ability to work independently • Listen to others • Co-operate with other team members – exchange details, divide up work • Explain concepts, ideas, plans etc to fellow students, tutors and lecturers • Motivate team members • Respect others and conduct ethically
- • Collect and record data by measurement or observation • Collect, record and present data using appropriate tools • Interpret and organise data to present a coherent argument • Search the internet for scientific literature and use relevant databases (e.g. DNA or protein sequence databases) • Judge the reliability of information sources
- • Write summaries • Write a bibliography/reference list • Write scientific documents – abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion • Orally communicate ideas • Effectively take part in arguments and debates
Assessment tasks
- Final examination
- Practical reports
- Primer design quiz
- Fluorescence quiz
- The Great Debate
Learning and teaching activities
- There are three hands-on practicals that are required to be reported in writing
- Two quizzes that are introduced in the class but that will require study at home
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
- • Analyse experimental results and critically evaluate own data • Think critically and independently and in an interdisciplinary manner • Extract key messages from scientific papers and paraphrase information • Ask questions relevant to the problem in hand
- • Write summaries • Write a bibliography/reference list • Write scientific documents – abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion • Orally communicate ideas • Effectively take part in arguments and debates
Assessment tasks
- Final examination
- Practical reports
- Primer design quiz
- Fluorescence quiz
- The Great Debate
- Continuing assessment
Learning and teaching activities
- There are 26 lectures in the unit
- There are three hands-on practicals that are required to be reported in writing
- Two quizzes that are introduced in the class but that will require study at home
- Two student groups will debate against each other
- Continuing assessment concerns answering 20 questions on the content of the lectures on line
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
- • Carry out experiments following safe laboratory practices • Interpret, analyse, explain and discuss your experimental results in the class • Develop capabilities to deal with unexpected experimental findings • Gain and search for information in order to draw an informed conclusion • Gain project and time management skills to be able to plan and organise experiments and the best way of reporting on the data
- • Analyse experimental results and critically evaluate own data • Think critically and independently and in an interdisciplinary manner • Extract key messages from scientific papers and paraphrase information • Ask questions relevant to the problem in hand
- • Work and communicate in a team e.g. when doing laboratory work • Develop time management skills – ability to prioritise tasks, manage and achieve results on time and within constraints • Take responsibility for your own learning • Ability to work independently • Listen to others • Co-operate with other team members – exchange details, divide up work • Explain concepts, ideas, plans etc to fellow students, tutors and lecturers • Motivate team members • Respect others and conduct ethically
- • Collect and record data by measurement or observation • Collect, record and present data using appropriate tools • Interpret and organise data to present a coherent argument • Search the internet for scientific literature and use relevant databases (e.g. DNA or protein sequence databases) • Judge the reliability of information sources
- • Write summaries • Write a bibliography/reference list • Write scientific documents – abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion • Orally communicate ideas • Effectively take part in arguments and debates
Assessment tasks
- Final examination
- Practical reports
- Primer design quiz
- Fluorescence quiz
- The Great Debate
- Continuing assessment
Learning and teaching activities
- There are 26 lectures in the unit
- There are three hands-on practicals that are required to be reported in writing
- Two quizzes that are introduced in the class but that will require study at home
- Two student groups will debate against each other
- Continuing assessment concerns answering 20 questions on the content of the lectures on line
- Voluntary blogging on topics related to biotechnology
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
- • Carry out experiments following safe laboratory practices • Interpret, analyse, explain and discuss your experimental results in the class • Develop capabilities to deal with unexpected experimental findings • Gain and search for information in order to draw an informed conclusion • Gain project and time management skills to be able to plan and organise experiments and the best way of reporting on the data
- • Analyse experimental results and critically evaluate own data • Think critically and independently and in an interdisciplinary manner • Extract key messages from scientific papers and paraphrase information • Ask questions relevant to the problem in hand
- • Work and communicate in a team e.g. when doing laboratory work • Develop time management skills – ability to prioritise tasks, manage and achieve results on time and within constraints • Take responsibility for your own learning • Ability to work independently • Listen to others • Co-operate with other team members – exchange details, divide up work • Explain concepts, ideas, plans etc to fellow students, tutors and lecturers • Motivate team members • Respect others and conduct ethically
- • Collect and record data by measurement or observation • Collect, record and present data using appropriate tools • Interpret and organise data to present a coherent argument • Search the internet for scientific literature and use relevant databases (e.g. DNA or protein sequence databases) • Judge the reliability of information sources
- • Write summaries • Write a bibliography/reference list • Write scientific documents – abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion • Orally communicate ideas • Effectively take part in arguments and debates
Assessment tasks
- Final examination
- Practical reports
- Primer design quiz
- Fluorescence quiz
- The Great Debate
Learning and teaching activities
- There are 26 lectures in the unit
- There are three hands-on practicals that are required to be reported in writing
- Two quizzes that are introduced in the class but that will require study at home
- Two student groups will debate against each other
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
- • Carry out experiments following safe laboratory practices • Interpret, analyse, explain and discuss your experimental results in the class • Develop capabilities to deal with unexpected experimental findings • Gain and search for information in order to draw an informed conclusion • Gain project and time management skills to be able to plan and organise experiments and the best way of reporting on the data
- • Analyse experimental results and critically evaluate own data • Think critically and independently and in an interdisciplinary manner • Extract key messages from scientific papers and paraphrase information • Ask questions relevant to the problem in hand
- • Collect and record data by measurement or observation • Collect, record and present data using appropriate tools • Interpret and organise data to present a coherent argument • Search the internet for scientific literature and use relevant databases (e.g. DNA or protein sequence databases) • Judge the reliability of information sources
Assessment tasks
- Final examination
- Practical reports
- Primer design quiz
- Fluorescence quiz
Learning and teaching activities
- There are three hands-on practicals that are required to be reported in writing
- Two quizzes that are introduced in the class but that will require study at home
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
- • Analyse experimental results and critically evaluate own data • Think critically and independently and in an interdisciplinary manner • Extract key messages from scientific papers and paraphrase information • Ask questions relevant to the problem in hand
- • Collect and record data by measurement or observation • Collect, record and present data using appropriate tools • Interpret and organise data to present a coherent argument • Search the internet for scientific literature and use relevant databases (e.g. DNA or protein sequence databases) • Judge the reliability of information sources
- • Write summaries • Write a bibliography/reference list • Write scientific documents – abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion • Orally communicate ideas • Effectively take part in arguments and debates
Assessment tasks
- Practical reports
- Fluorescence quiz
- The Great Debate
Learning and teaching activities
- There are three hands-on practicals that are required to be reported in writing
- Two student groups will debate against each other
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
- • Carry out experiments following safe laboratory practices • Interpret, analyse, explain and discuss your experimental results in the class • Develop capabilities to deal with unexpected experimental findings • Gain and search for information in order to draw an informed conclusion • Gain project and time management skills to be able to plan and organise experiments and the best way of reporting on the data
- • Analyse experimental results and critically evaluate own data • Think critically and independently and in an interdisciplinary manner • Extract key messages from scientific papers and paraphrase information • Ask questions relevant to the problem in hand
- • Write summaries • Write a bibliography/reference list • Write scientific documents – abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion • Orally communicate ideas • Effectively take part in arguments and debates
Assessment tasks
- Final examination
- Practical reports
- Primer design quiz
- Fluorescence quiz
- The Great Debate
- Continuing assessment
Learning and teaching activities
- There are three hands-on practicals that are required to be reported in writing
- Two quizzes that are introduced in the class but that will require study at home
- Two student groups will debate against each other
- Continuing assessment concerns answering 20 questions on the content of the lectures on line
- Voluntary blogging on topics related to biotechnology
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 outcome
- • Carry out experiments following safe laboratory practices • Interpret, analyse, explain and discuss your experimental results in the class • Develop capabilities to deal with unexpected experimental findings • Gain and search for information in order to draw an informed conclusion • Gain project and time management skills to be able to plan and organise experiments and the best way of reporting on the data
Assessment tasks
- Final examination
- The Great Debate
- Continuing assessment
Learning and teaching activities
- There are 26 lectures in the unit
- Two student groups will debate against each other
- Continuing assessment concerns answering 20 questions on the content of the lectures on line
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 outcome
- • Carry out experiments following safe laboratory practices • Interpret, analyse, explain and discuss your experimental results in the class • Develop capabilities to deal with unexpected experimental findings • Gain and search for information in order to draw an informed conclusion • Gain project and time management skills to be able to plan and organise experiments and the best way of reporting on the data
Assessment tasks
- Final examination
- The Great Debate
- Continuing assessment
Learning and teaching activities
- There are 26 lectures in the unit
- There are three hands-on practicals that are required to be reported in writing
- Two student groups will debate against each other
- Continuing assessment concerns answering 20 questions on the content of the lectures on line