Students
BIOL7920 – Topics in Evolution
2020 – Session 1, Weekday attendance, North Ryde
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, any references to assessment tasks and on-campus delivery may no longer be up-to-date on this page.
Students should consult iLearn for revised unit information.
Find out more about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and potential impacts on staff and students
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit convenor
Darrell Kemp
Contact via email
E8A-275
TBA
Writing workshop convenor
Ken Cheng
Kate Barry
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MRes
|
| Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
| Unit description |
Unit description
Students will formulate a novel research question within a well-defined topic area, conduct a comprehensive review of the primary literature, synthesise this material to address their research question, and present their findings in oral and written forms. The best reviews will unite evidence from disparate areas to generate novel ideas and hypotheses. This unit provides an opportunity for students to learn about an area of scientific research that they may be unfamiliar with at the outset. The intention is to give students an opportunity to gain exposure to a research area that is completely unrelated to their masters research project. It also provides an opportunity for students to learn about the latest work in a wide variety of research areas through discussions and oral presentations presented by their peers. In the past, some literature reviews by students have been published in refereed scientific journals. |
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:
- ULO1: Demonstrate advanced skills in oral presentation of a scientific argument
- ULO2: Develop skills in scientific writing
- ULO3: Synthesise primary scientific literature
- ULO4: Construct a scientific argument
- ULO5: Source and frame evidence to critique a scientific argument
Assessment Tasks
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
Assessment details are no longer provided here as a result of changes due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Students should consult iLearn for revised unit information.
Find out more about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and potential impacts on staff and students
General Assessment Information
Submission of work
All three written assessment tasks (proposal, abstract & final review) must be submitted electronically via the relevant TURNITIN link located in iLearn.
Academic honesty
All written work must be in the student’s own words. Assessments submitted via Turnitin will be subjected to plagiarism detection. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Penalties for plagiarism range from loss of marks to awarding of a zero, depending upon the level of plagiarism, and reporting to the Faculty Disciplinary Committee.
Due dates, extensions, penalties and special consideration
Overdue assessment tasks will attract a penalty at the rate of 5 % of the total mark allocated for the task per day past the due date. Weekend days are included in this calculation. The penalty will be capped at 75 %, which means that once your submission is more than 15 days overdue you can earn up to a maximum of 25 % of the assessment grade. The date and time of your submission will be taken as registered by TURNITIN.
Deadlines for assessments are not negotiable except under circumstances when you have experienced a serious and unavoidable disruption. In such instances, you should formally lodge a disruption to studies notification via ASK@MQ. University policy and procedure in regard to disruptions is given in the links below, but please note in particular:
- To be eligible for special consideration, you must notify the University of a serious and unavoidable disruption within five (5) working days of the commencement of the disruption;
- Such requests must be lodged for the specific assessment task for which you experienced disruption. Special consideration cannot be granted retrospectively (i.e., beyond the 5-day window of each assessment due-date);
- Unit staff will NOT be held responsible for assessing special consideration unless a disruption notification is formally lodged via ASK@MQ.
Delivery and Resources
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
Any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19.
Please check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status
This unit requires you to organize your activities and work independently for the most part. There are scheduled meetings in weeks 1 & 2, writing assistance workshops in weeks 3 & 4, and a seminar presentation session after the mid-semester break.
All activities will be conducted in E8C-212.
The schedule of contact hours is:
|
Week |
Date |
Activity |
Staff |
|
1 |
25 Feb |
Initial meeting, explanation of unit objectives & examples of synthesis topics/questions. |
Darrell Kemp |
|
2 |
3 Mar |
Follow-up meeting, discussion of topics/questions |
Darrell Kemp + others TBA |
|
3 |
10 Mar |
Writing workshop I |
Ken Cheng + others TBA |
|
4 |
17 Mar |
Writing workshop II |
Ken Cheng + others TBA |
|
8 |
28 Apr |
Seminar presentations (attendance is compulsory) |
Darrell Kemp |
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy (Note: The Special Consideration Policy is effective from 4 December 2017 and replaces the Disruption to Studies Policy.)
Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/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/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
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 help you improve your marks and take control of your study.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
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
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Changes from Previous Offering
A/Prof Darrell Kemp replaces A/Prof Andrew Barron as unit convenor in 2020. This unit has run to a tried-and-tested formula over many years. It formerly served as a key component of the Honours program prior to Macquarie's transition to the MRes degree. There are no major changes to the unit this year. On the basis of feedback received in recent years, the initial contact sessions will stress more clearly how this unit contributes to your development of skills and knowledge in the MRes program.