COGS202 Unit Overview

Professor Anina Rich  is the Convenor of the course, with Dr Nathan Caruana as Head Tutor. The course is taught through lectures and tutorials with support from web-based resources such as iLearn, including the online discussion board. Prof Rich will be giving multiple lectures and coordinating the main content of the unit. Dr Caruana will oversee the tutorials, many of which are research-intensive laboratory sessions.

In lectures, we will cover key content areas such as perception, action, attention, emotion, social cognition, memory, language. The lectures will include interactive activities using the Active Learning Platform within iLearn, which you will access on your own internet-enabled device. If you are unable to bring a device to the lecture, you will still be able to engage with these activities. We will also have discussion points, demonstrations of methods, and opportunities for questions.

The tutorials are a combination of research-intensive laboratory sessions, scientific method and writing training, and content review. They are designed to consolidate your learning from the lectures and learn other key skills required to complete the assessments, giving you research training in collecting, analysing and interpreting behavioural and neural data. The tutorials and assessments will support development of scientific written communication skills and an understanding of important aspects of experimental design and practice.

Attending both lectures and tutorials is crucial for doing well in COGS202. The iLearn discussion board allows students to discuss topics in greater depth, to provide peer support, and to access additional learning resources and examples. There are opportunities to get feedback during the course including through the weekly online quizzes and the major Experimental Report; you can also get feedback on your understanding of key concepts during tutorials through interactions with your tutor.

Delivery

The timetable for lectures & tutorials can be found on the University web site at: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/

Lectures are held weekly (1.5 hours), starting in Week 1 Please check http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/ for time and location. Lecture recordings are available via Echo360 in iLearn. Lectures will include interactive activities.

Tutorials are held weekly (1.5 hours), starting in Week 1. Please check eStudent for the time and location of your tutorial.

Due to restrictions on the availability of resources in the laboratory and to health and safety regulations you should attend the tutorial to which you have been assigned. Although students might be able to occasionally attend a different tutorial, most classes are likely to be full, in which case those not attending their assigned tutorial will be asked to leave. Under these circumstances, no special provisions will be made for attendance at an alternative tutorial class.

Requests for tutorial changes: Changes to tutorials need to be done online via eStudent only. After week 2, no further changes will be made unless supporting documentation about the reason for changing is provided and there is space in the tutorial you wish to enrol in. Please note that changes to tutorials cannot be made by the unit convenor or tutor.

Textbook

Purves D. et al. (Eds.) (2013) PRINCIPLES OF COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE, Second edition. MA, USA: Sinauer Associates, Inc.

This is an excellent textbook for learning the fundamentals of cognitive neuroscience in a relatively accessible way, with linked online support resources. It has all the essential reading for the course and is the basis of the weekly online quiz material, as well as forming part of the mid-semester and final exams.

Additional reading

Additional supplementary material for each lecture will be listed on the unit iLearn page. This reading is listed as optional but typically supports areas of lectures that are either not covered in the textbook or provide additional insights into the material.

Access to Assigned Reading Material

The required text is available for purchase at The Coop Bookshop at Macquarie University, in addition to the copies available at the library.

iLearn

You will need access to a computer that can reliably connect to the internet to access the unit's iLearn page. Through iLearn you will be able to access the interactive activities (Active Learning Platform) during lectures, lecture recordings (Echo360), additional readings, and feedback and marks for the assessment tasks. You are also required to submit one of the assessment tasks (Experimental Report) via iLearn, using the Turnitin submission tool. Please allow time to familiarise yourself with how to access iLearn and how to submit a Turnitin assignment.

The Experimental Report experiment changes each year.

Who can I ask if I have questions about the unit?

Your tutor can answer most of the questions that you may have about the unit, including questions about the unit in general and specific questions about the tutorials. If you experience difficulty in this unit, you should approach your tutor first. You can get in touch with your tutor before or after your tutorial, via email, or via the dialogue tool on iLearn. Contact details for tutors can be found at the top of this unit guide. Please note that your tutor is your first point of contact for any of these questions.

For content questions, please ask your tutor first, then if s/he is unable to answer, contact the relevant lecturer (contact details at the top of this unit guide). If you still do not have an answer, only then contact the unit convenor via email. You can make an appointment via email to see Prof. Rich during her allocated consultation hours (Wednesdays 12.30-2.30pm; other times possible by appointment).

Do I need to look at iLearn? (short answer: Yes!)

You should check the iLearn web site at regular intervals for announcements, online quizzes, lecture slides, examples of relevant phenomena in picture, video and sound files and other supplementary learning materials. It also features a discussion board on which you may converse with other students about course material, or any other legitimate business related to COGS202. The iLearn site also has the Active Learning Platform activities for during the lecture and the links to echo360, which will have the lecture recordings. The feedback and marks for the assessment tasks are also delivered via iLearn. It is recommended that you visit this site regularly and make full use of the facilities.

What does it take to do well in COGS202?

You are expected to pay close attention to all lectures and to take notes to aid your retention of the material. Although Echo360 will be invaluable when attendance is physically impossible, it is recommended that you attend all lectures in person, particularly as we incorporate interactive activities, discussion and demonstrations within the lectures. Review of the material (individually, or in group sessions) in the your own time will be essential to consolidate knowledge and enhance understanding.

Required reading should be completed before the relevant lecture - the online quizzes are designed to help you keep up with this reading. These online quizzes offer the chance to answer questions while using resources such as the textbook. This open book format is unlike formal examinations, and offers an opportunity for grade enhancement that should not be missed.

You also need to attend and engage with the tutorials, completing all the activities and making the most of the opportunities to develop research skills and consolidate understanding of the lecture and tutorial content. 

Please note that according to Senate guidelines, workloads should involve 3 hours per credit point per week. This results in 9 hours per week (including lectures and tutorials) for a 3 credit point unit such as COGS202.

Note: Assessment will be based on the successful understanding of material from lectures, tutorials and from the required reading. Please note that rote learning alone is unlikely to be a successful strategy, as the assessments will test for deeper appreciation of the course material in a variety of formats. Simply remembering the “facts” will not suffice. You need to demonstrate your understanding of the principles, and demonstrate the ability to apply such understanding in new contexts.

What material is examinable?

Questions on the mid-semester exam will come from topics covered during lectures, required readings and tutorials from the preceding weeks. The additional information in the supplementary reading is not directly examined but is likely to deepen and support your understanding of key concepts described in the lecture. The final exam will be cumulative, covering content from lectures, required readings and tutorials from the whole course.

How do I upload my assignment via iLearn?

You are required to submit your Experimental Report via iLearn, using the Turnitin submission tool. Please use the following step-to-step guide on how to submit a Turnitin assignment. 

What if I need an extension, medical leave and/or have a disruption to my studies?

The way the written assignment is structured should assist you in preparing the Experimental Report in time for the deadline. If you have an unavoidable situation where you need an extension, please note that it is your responsibility to notify the University of a disruption to your studies. Your tutor and convenor cannot give you an extension or special consideration - all requests for extensions, medical leave and/or disruption to studies should be made prior to the due date for the assignment directly via the University’s online Ask MQ system (as outlined in the Special Consideration Policy).

It is the right of each student to learn in an environment that is free of disruption and distraction. Please arrive to all classes on time, and if you are unavoidably detained, please enter the lecture theatre or tutorial as quietly as possible to minimise disruption, using the back entrance if possible. Although some lectures will have discussion sections or questions during lectures, talking between students while the lecturer is talking is disruptive and is strongly discouraged. Phones, pagers, and other electronic devices that produce noise and other distractions must be turned off prior to entering class. Where your own device (e.g., laptop) is being used for class-related activities such as accessing the Active Learning Platform activities, you are asked to close down all other applications to avoid distraction to you and others.

COGS202 is a study of the brain. We therefore will be using images and videos of human brains and dissections, as well as discussing patients with brain damage and animal research. It is also a research-intensive course, involving delicate experimental equipment and data collection from other students. Please treat both the equipment and your fellow students with the utmost respect. If you are uncomfortable participating in any specific activity, please let your tutor know.

Social inclusion at Macquarie University is about giving everyone who has the potential to benefit from higher education the opportunity to study at university, participate in campus life and flourish in their chosen field. The University has made significant moves to promote an equitable, diverse and exciting campus community for the benefit of staff and students. It is your responsibility to contribute towards the development of an inclusive culture and practice in the areas of learning and teaching, research, and service orientation and delivery. As a member of the Macquarie University community, you must not discriminate against or harass others on the basis of their sex, gender, race, marital status, carers' responsibilities, disability, sexual orientation, age, political conviction or religious belief. All lecturers, tutors and students are expected to display appropriate behaviour that is conducive to a healthy learning environment for everyone. The Unit Convenor is an active supporter of equity and diversity at Macquarie University, including being a member of the Ally network, and is happy to provide additional support if needed.