Students

BIOL1610 – Biology in Practice

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
Technical Officer
Negin Farzadian
Unit Coordinator
Kate Barry
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit is offered on a pass/fail basis. This unit is a skills-based unit that aims to ensure students have the required laboratory, safety, field and practical skills that are essential for studying biology. These skills are the basis for all units offered in the Department of Biological Sciences. The unit consists of a mixture of lectures, tutorials and practicals. Students will acquire hands-on skills for working in the field and the laboratory, including the use of microscopes, data collection, analysis and graphing, aseptic techniques, skills for microbiological and molecular work, and accessing, interpreting and citing scientific literature. This unit is designed to accompany another 1000 level biology unit and the choice of unit will depend on the student's program.

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 the importance of health and safety in biological sciences (lab and field)
  • ULO2: Develop and demonstrate competencies in standard laboratory techniques (e.g. dilutions, aseptic plating, imagery and measurement, labelling)
  • ULO4: Describe and practice scientific methods from generating hypotheses and predictions to designing experimental procedures, and undertaking data collection
  • ULO3: Demonstrate competency in data collation, basic statistical analyses and representation by appropriate graphs
  • ULO5: Develop competency in working individually or as a team in tutorials, in the laboratory and in the field

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

TUTORIALS and LAB-BASED PRACTICALS will be held weekly from Week 1 until Week 11

  • each week there is a 1-hour tutorial followed by a 2.5-hour practical (3.5 hours in total)

THIS IS A PASS/ FAIL UNIT, NO GRADES (P, CR, D, HD) ARE GIVEN 

UNIT COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS

  1. Submit all assessments and attempt all exams
  2. Participate in all practicals and tutorials

To pass BIOL1610 the above requirements need to be fulfilled and an overall mark of 50/100 (50%) needs to be achieved. Failure to fulfil these requirements will lead to a Fail grade for this unit.

A "Skills Achieved" portfolio certificate will be provided through iLearn as students achieve skills during the mid-semester and final exams. A student's skills portfolio certificate can be used in support of CV building.

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

Tutorials.

A 1 hour tutorial class is presented each week (this is the first 1 hour of your practical slot)). Tutorials are formulated around both independent and team activities that focus on problem solving and development of resource inquiry and writing skills. Students are encouraged to bring their computer to tutorials to assist with search activities or the use of spreadsheet software (e.g. Excel (TM)). There are pre-tutorial activities where students must come prepared to their class. Tutorial classes are fixed and cannot be changed once selected. Tutorial attendance and participation is compulsory and attendance will be taken during each class (this is a hurdle requirement). Due to University policy on Workplace Health and Safety, access to all laboratory classes (where the tutorials will be given) will be closed 10 minutes after the start time. Late entries will not be permitted under any circumstances. 

Practicals.

A 2.5 hour practical is presented each week (straight after the 1-hour tutorial) and in the majority of cases there is a short pre-prac activity to complete prior to entering the class. As the unit is focused on a student's handling of basic equipment in the lab/field, and development of technical and analytical skills, students will be expected to maintain an ePracbook. 

  • Students MUST WEAR ENCLOSED FOOTWARE to all practical sessions.
  • Lab coats are not compulsory.
  • All other personal protection such as gloves and safety glasses will be supplied as required by our approved risk assessment procedures.
  • There are no dissections of animals in BIOL1610, however, we do handle insects and take the ethical handling of all organisms very seriously.
  • Students that have a medically-assessed allergy to gloves (latex, plastics, nitrile), pollen or crustaceans, or have a disability should make staff aware in advance so that alternative equipment and activities for certain practicals can be prepared to ensure completion of the unit. Contact: biol1610@mq.edu.au and in the subject line use the flag: Confidential Prac Allergy Notification.
  • Due to University policy on Workplace Health and Safety, access to all laboratory classes will be closed 10 minutes after the start time. Late entries will not be permitted under any circumstances. 
  • Practical attendance and participation is compulsory and an attendance roll will be taken (this is a hurdle requirement).

Exams.

BIOL1610 has two practical exams (Week 7 and Week 13). Practical exams will be held in the regular practical laboratories and will cover the following:

  • Week 7 Prac Exam will cover Tutorial, Pre-prac activities and Practical experiences or material covered in the first 6 weeks of the term. Students will be tested on equipment use or need to answer technique or analytical questions.
  • Final Prac Exam will cover Tutorial, Pre-prac activities, and Practical material or experiences across the whole semester. Students will be tested on equipment use or need to answer technique or analytical questions.

Special Consideration.

If you require an assignment extension or miss an exam due to illness/misadventure, please submit a request for special consideration via ask.mq.edu.au. If you miss a prac for any reason, please do not submit a formal request via ask.mq, but instead email the first year teaching coordinator via biol1610@mq.edu.au to discuss your options.

 

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

1-hour tutorial followed by a 2.5-hour practical

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
23/02/2020 Added extra info about schedule
13/02/2020 Staff change