Students

BIOL1620 – Foundation in Medical Sciences

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
Fleur Ponton
biol1620@mq.edu.au
Unit Coordinator
Michelle Power
biol1620@mq.edu.au
First Year Teaching Coordinator
Kate Barry
biol1620@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit provides foundation skills required for working in a medical science laboratory. Skills will be learnt in the context of current global health issues including antimicrobial resistance and malaria, health reporters such as immunity and haematology and approaches to disease diagnosis. Students will acquire hands-on laboratory skills, including aseptic technique for microbiological and DNA analyses, use of microscopes, and data collection and analysis. Students will hear from medical scientists and medical researchers who will provide context for the weekly skills topics and information on the diverse employment areas in medical science. Students also begin to acquire skills in interpreting and citing scientific literature and developing a foundation in communication skills and scientific writing.

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: Articulate and practice appropriate health, safety and ethical standards relevant to medical science
  • ULO2: Describe global health issues of significance to society today using appropriate scientific terminology
  • ULO3: Develop and demonstrate competencies in standard laboratory techniques (e.g. dilutions, aseptic technique, imagery and measurement, labelling, diagnostic sample preparation)
  • ULO4: Describe and practice scientific methods from generating hypotheses and predictions to designing experimental procedures, and undertaking data collection
  • ULO5: Develop competency in working individually or as a team in the laboratory and tutorials

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

  • Competence with skills, data analyses and interpretation, and preparation of scientific reports are the main forms of assessment in BIOL1620. 
  • Attendance at practical sessions is a required to pass this unit.
  • Detailed information for each assessment and marking criteria are outlined under the assessment tabs in iLearn. 
  • All assessments are submitted via Turnitin which evaluates your assessment against that of other students in this years course and previous years, literature, websites etc. Turtitn then provides a similarity score that is used a a measure of plagiarism (see Academic Integrity policy in tab below). 
  • Assessments (including quizzes) are your own work.

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

LECTURES: BIOL1620 comprises weekly lectures that cover hot topics in Health and Disease. While we understand that clashes may prevent you from attending lectures we find that students who attend lectures get the best out of the subjects. Lecturers are guests and represent the best in their fields, they are taking time out of their work to talk to you, so please do your best to attend the lectures.

TUTORIAL AND PRACTICAL CLASSES: It is compulsory to attend the weekly block classes which  begin with a tutorial followed by the practical session. A role will be taken to record attendance and to identify your participation in these classes. 

Unit Schedule

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

The unit schedule/topics and any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19. Please consult iLearn for latest details, and check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status

Week Lecturer Topic
1 Michelle Power & Fleur Ponton Introduction 
2 Ian Johnson Neurodegenerative disease research
3 Noushin Nasiri Variable technologies for health applications
4 Joanne Jamie Indigenous plants and medicinals
5 Sarah White The science of talk
6 Nathan Hart Cognition and 
7 Guest lecturer TBA
8 Michelle Power Antimicrobial resistance
9 Wendy Rogers Health Ethics
10 Esther Lim Genomics and personalised medicine
11 Michelle Power Emerging Infectious Disease
12 Panel discussion GAMSAT experience - TBC

 

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:

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 since First Published

Date Description
13/02/2020 Staff change