Each practical laboratory session in BIOL262 will be assessed via an online, multiple choice quiz on iLearn. The questions for each quiz will be based directly on the worksheets completed during each of the practical laboratory sessions. As such, you should not attempt any of the quizzes without having first completed the associated prac.

The prac quizzes can be accessed via the Weekly Topic Sections or the Activities Block on the main page of the BIOL262 iLearn site. Each quiz is marked out of 20 and you will have 20 minutes to answer all questions. The number of questions will vary from week to week. You may only attempt each quiz once.

Assignment 1 will provide you with the opportunity to assess how evolutionary biology, and science generally, is presented in the popular media. Almost all of you will have read an article in a newspaper or on a blog about a new scientific discovery. But how often have you ever followed up on the report and delved into the peer-review literature to read the scientific paper the article was based upon. Scientific findings can sometimes be misrepresented, and this assessment will allow you to identify the accuracy of media in respect to its reporting of evolutionary science.  

Instructions

You are to identify stories in the popular media focused on evolutionary biology and assess the overall accuracy of the reporting. It is up to you to identify which articles have an evolutionary angle and which articles are focused on ‘general biology’.  I will not respond to anyone asking me to tell them whether an article is suitable. Part of the assignment is your ability to identify evolutionary concepts.

An archive of relevant news articles has been compiled on iLearn. These are available in the Assessment section. You are to select one of these articles to report on. You must also find two additional articles of your own. PLEASE DO NOT SHARE ARTICLES (the point is to find your own). These articles should come from the ‘less sophisticated’ end of the news market (i.e. tabloids). DO NOT USE stories from CNN, BBC, ABC Online, Nature.com, ScienceNOW, New Scientist or similar. Articles from these sources will not be assessed.

For each article you will need to track down the peer-reviewed publication that is the focus of the news report. This will require some detective work on your part. Even in nearly all of the most dummed-down articles they will mention either the name of the scientist, the university the work was done at, or perhaps the journal it was published in. That information should enable you to track down the original paper. It is possible that some media stories are not focused on work that is actually published in peer-reviewed literature. In that case you will have to find an alternate story.

You must produce a written report on each of your articles. Start each report on a new page. Your assignment must be word processed using a 12 pt font with double spacing throughout. Hand written assignments won’t be accepted.  Structure each report using the numbered sections listed below:  

1. Give the title of the news article

2. For each news article, insert a pdf or jpg of the article into your report.

3. Give the full citation of the scientific article that the story is based upon. You must use the Harvard Referencing style for this citation. See the separate handout on the Harvard Referencing Style on the iLearn page.

4. Ensuring that you do not copy the abstract of the article, write a 200 word description of the contents of the scientific paper and their main conclusion.

5. Write a 50 word description of the concept from evolutionary biology that the scientific article is focused on.

6. In 200 words, list any factual errors in the news article (point form is fine)

7. Rate both the accuracy of the news story and the quality and importance of the scientific paper, both out of 10.

Marking Criteria

Total mark out of 60 (20 marks per article).

Identification and evaluation of the significance of the peer reviewed publication, the evolutionary concepts discussed and any factual errors in the news article. (12 marks)

Logical organisation, formatting, sentence structure and style/grammar/spelling. Submissions must be in your own words. Note that the word limits are non-negotiable (+10% is not acceptable). Failure to adhere to the guidelines will be penalised harshly. You have been warned. (6 marks),

Correct citation of sources using the Harvard Referencing (2 marks)

Submission Details

A printed copy of your assignment must be submitted to the Science Centre by 2pm Friday 28^th March.  It must also include a signed Faculty of Science cover sheet (http://web.science.mq.edu.au/new_and_current_students/undergrad/assignments_and_coversheets/). As part of the submission requirements for Assignment 1, all BIOL262 students must also submit their work to Turnitin, an anti-plagiarism detection tool. The link to Turnitin can be found in the Assessment Topic Section on the main page of the BIOL261 iLearn site. Students who do not submit their work to Turnitin will not have their work marked until they do so. Please do not submit your assignment cover sheet with your assignment to Turnitin.

The mid-session exam will cover material from all lectures and practical laboratory sessions in weeks 1-6. This exam will be conducted as an open-book online multiple-choice quiz accessed through iLearn,

Instructions

The mid-session exam can be accessed via the Assessment sections on the main page of the BIOL262 iLearn site. The exam is marked out of 100 and you will have 1 hour to answer all questions. You will get one opportunity to answer each question and one opportunity to undertake the exam.

Submission Details 

The exam will be available for a limited period on Monday the 28^th of April (10am – 11.59pm). It can be conducted in your own time, but once started will remain open for only 1 hour. Any questions not completed after this time will be marked as incorrect. The exam will not be reopened at a later date and computer or internet issues will not be acceptable grounds to resit the exam. It is up to you to ensure you have a suitable internet connection prior to commencing the exam (if in doubt, it is suggested you utilise the university network to complete the exam). 

Assignment 2 (the Major Assignment) will provide you with a further opportunity to become familiar with the way scientific ideas are communicated by reading a series of primary scientific papers on a hotly debated topic in evolutionary biology. You are required to formulate your own ideas and conclusions regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the data presented in published papers.

Instructions

Each student enrolled in BIOL262 is expected to choose and submit ONE Major Assignment from the topics provided. The topics for this year, as well as the questions you need to address can be found on the iLearn page in the Assessment section.

Your assignment should be word processed using a 12 pt font with double spacing throughout, and should not exceed 1500 words (this is approximately equivalent to 4-5 double spaced A4 pages for text in 12 pt font and 2.5 cm margins). Hand written assignments will not be accepted.

Make sure you carefully read both questions and all the associated core papers for your chosen topic. Your assignment must precisely and completely address the questions posed.

An accurate word count should be included at the end of the assignment (after the references). Note that the word limit is non-negotiable (+10% is not acceptable). Failure to adhere to the guidelines will be penalised harshly. You have been warned.

You MUST include figures, graphs and/or tables in your assignment. Figures are vital as supporting evidence for your arguments and point of view. Make sure all figures, graphs, tables etc are referred to in the text and are included at relevant places in the text – do not lump them all together at the end of the assignment. The word limit does not include supporting figures, graphs or tables.

A set of core papers for the assignment topics are available on iLearn (under the Assessment section). It is always a good idea to carefully read each of the core papers several times so that you can come to grips with the main thrust(s) each one presents. The core papers are meant to provide a starting point for your reading, but are not intended to be comprehensive. You are expected to access other relevant primary scientific literature sources outside of the core papers (at least 10-15+ publications).

Use only primary reference sources from scientific texts and journals. Avoid using secondary (and usually dated) sources such as encyclopedias or Readers Digest type material. Don’t use Wikipedia (an online reference encyclopedia) as a reference source. Although this site has improved in recent years, it still has plenty of factual errors. Since Wikipedia merely summarises conclusions and does not present evidence, it is a classic example of a secondary source.

Primary source = a paper published in a peer reviewed, international scientific journal that presents raw scientific data collected in the field or the lab, interpretation of results and conclusions. Primary sources are written by the scientists who undertake the original investigation/experimentation. There are lots of primary sources (especially scientific journals) in the Library and you can search through topics using keyword searches in bibliographic databases on the Library website.

Secondary source = a review or compilation of the research performed by someone other than the author. Examples of secondary sources include textbooks, popular science magazines (e.g. New Scientist), newspapers, Readers Digest and most web sites (e.g. Wikipedia). While some secondary sources can provide accurate information, they often only present the conclusions and not the raw data or evidence that the conclusions are based on. The reader therefore has no way of checking the data to see if alternative interpretations or conclusions can be reached. Secondary sources can also include material that is out of date, misinterpreted, or simply wrong.

To successfully complete this task you will need to rigorously assess and evaluate the data/evidence presented in each paper and to frame your answer to the questions posed based on supporting evidence and data from the literature. Keep in mind that I want YOUR critical evaluation/synthesis of the topic, not someone else’s. Don’t fall into the trap ofsimply summarising the conclusions or interpretations of the authors of the core papers. Your job is to critically evaluate the evidence provided in support of the various interpretations. With only 1500 words you will need to be concise and to the point. Students who provide only a summary/overview of the topic will be receive a poor mark. See the handout on Summary vs. Synthesis on the iLearn page for more information.

Make sure all the information sources you use are cited in the text in the appropriate manner. A full reference list in alphabetical order should be included at the end of your assignment. Only sources cited in the main text of your assignment should be included in the reference list. You MUST use the Harvard Referencing Style when writing your assignment (see the separate handout on the Hardvard Referencing Style available on iLearn). This means that the use of footnotes or numbered reference citations (Oxford referencing style) should be completely avoided. The reference list is not included in the word limit.

Direct copying from the work of others (including other students) is plagiarism. Your assignment must be entirely in your own words and represent your own ideas and conclusions. Failure to adhere to this requirement will result in a loss of marks. In extreme cases, the University has a very strict policy relating to plagiarism which may involve failure in the unit.

Marking Criteria

The Major Assignment will be marked out of 100. Marks for the Major Assignment will be given for:

1.        Precise and complete answering of the posed questions through a detailed scientific evaluation and synthesis of relevant evidence/data from the primary scientific literature. (60 marks)

2.       Readability, logical organisation, formatting, sentence structure, style, grammar and spelling. (20 marks)

3.       Relevance, clarity and acknowledgement of all figures, graphs and tables. Figures MUST be used to support your views in the Major Assignment. (10 marks)

4.        Complete reference list and the correct and comprehensive citation of all sources using the Harvard Referencing System. (10 marks)

Submission details

A printed copy of your assignment must be submitted to the Science Centre by 2pm Friday 23^rd May.  It must also include a signed Faculty of Science cover sheet (http://web.science.mq.edu.au/new_and_current_students/undergrad/assignments_and_coversheets/). As part of the submission requirements for Assignment 2, all BIOL262 students must also submit their work to Turnitin, an anti-plagiarism detection tool. The link to Turnitin can be found in the Assessment Topic Section on the main page of the BIOL261 iLearn site. Students who do not submit their work to Turnitin will not have their work marked until they do so. Please do not submit your assignment cover sheet with your assignment to Turnitin.

The final exam will cover material from all lectures and practical laboratory sessions (weeks 1-13).

The final exam will be completed as part of the formal examination period at the end of the semester. The exam is marked out of 100 and you will have 3 hours to answer all questions.