Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor and Lecturer Fei Liu fei.liu@mq.edu.au Contact via email fei.liu@mq.edu.au By Appointment Lecturer Ian Jamie ian.jamie@mq.edu.au Contact via email ian.jamie@mq.edu.au By Appointment Lecturer Andrew Piggott andrew.piggott@mq.edu.au Contact via email andrew.piggott@mq.edu.au By Appointment
Credit points	Credit points 10
Prerequisites	Prerequisites
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
Unit description	Unit description Foundations of Chemical and Biomolecular Sciences 1 introduces students to the principles and practical aspects of the molecular sciences, from the smallest of chemical substances through to the molecules of life - the biomolecules. This unit does not assume prior knowledge of chemistry or biology and is ideal for any student that wants to understand the atomic and molecular world within and around them. It will commence with the language of chemistry by introducing atoms and molecules and elements and compounds and using representative inorganic and organic compounds, including biomolecules, to show how their structures, functions and reactions are described. It will build on this language to allow prediction of the reactivity, behaviour and function of different classes of compounds, with a focus on acids and bases and organic compounds including biomolecules. Contemporary applications will be highlighted to show the role of chemical and biomolecular sciences in our lives, now and in the future, including in helping to achieve a sustainable environment, understanding health and disease, and advancing new molecular technologies. Practical and tutorials at the 5 days of compulsory on campus sessions reinforce learning throughout this unit.

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: Use the language and principles of chemical science to explore the composition and properties of matter and discuss how molecular sciences are important in our lives.
ULO2: Name and write (or describe) the chemical structures for representative inorganic and organic compounds, including peptides, carbohydrates and nucleic acids.
ULO3: Analyse the chemical structure of chemical compounds to predict their function, reactivity and physical properties.
ULO4: Calculate the physical quantities that characterize chemical composition, including solids and solutions, as well as chemical reactions.
ULO5: Demonstrate laboratory skills used for the preparation, separation and analysis of chemical compounds, including an understanding of general laboratory safety procedures.
ULO6: Record and analyse scientific data, as well as communicate conclusions using the basic elements of scientific report preparation.

General Assessment Information

Attendance at practical and tutorial (SGTA) classes--these are hurdle requirements:

You must attend and participate in all practical classes to pass the unit (at least three out of four practical classes with approved special consideration due to unavoidable disruptions).
You must aim to attend and participate in all weekly tutorial (SGTA) classes but can pass the unit with attendance in ten out of twelve tutorial/SGTA classes without the need for special consideration approval. Any additional absence beyond 2 missed tutorials will require an approval with special consideration due to unavoidable disruptions, and if you have missed more than 4 tutorials (even with special consideration approvals) you should consider attempting this unit at another time. The details of how to register for these weekly tutorial (SGTA) classes will be on the unit's iLearn web site. Please note that participation in the SGTA sessions on site given on the university’s timetable is optional (not compulsory and not contributing to your mark), and your registration into a session will require confirmation in the first two weeks of the semester (details on iLearn).
Please note that if you miss a practical class or tutorial class, we are not required to offer you a make-up class. Only with a special consideration approval and class availability will we consider a make-up request.

Tutorial/SGTA Quizzes (20%):

During tutorials (also called SGTA sessions) you will be required to join Mastering Chemistry (see the unit iLearn site for details) and complete a set number of questions, which will be based on the lecture material, text book and practice question sets available on iLearn. Your final tutorial/SGTA quiz mark will be the average of 10 best individual quiz marks out of 12 possible ones. In addition, you may be assigned further work to complete if the outcome of your tutorial/SGTA assessment is not satisfactory. This will be done automatically via Mastering Chemistry using a method called Adaptive Learning (details on iLearn). Please also note that while the weekly Tutorial/SGTA participation is a hurdle (you must engage with the activity), this participation hurdle is not part of the 20%. Only your performance on the weekly Mastering Chemistry tutorial/SGTA quizzes will contribute to this 20%, and given this quiz performance is not a hurdle, there will not be other chances to re-attempt if you fail.

Practical class exercises (20%):

Four practical classes worth 5% each. The pre-practical quizzes (online, 30%), performance in the practical (10%), the practical report (submitted at the end of the practical; 40%), and the post-practical exercises (online, 20%) will be used to calculate the final mark for each practical class. Please also note that while the practical participation is a hurdle, your performance on the practical class exercises is not a hurdle. As such there will not be other chances to re-attempt if you fail these exercises.

Mid-session test (20%)-hurdle requirement:

The 1hr mid-session test will be held online (open book) in week 7 (on Saturday Sept 11^th), as this will allow failing students to withdraw without academic penalty. Note that the last day to withdraw without academic penalty is in week 8, 28 September 2021.
Because the mid-semester test is a hurdle assessment, you will need to get >=40% to meet the hurdle. In the event that you make a serious first attempt at the mid-semester test, you will be provided with one more opportunity to sit a new test in the mid-semester break (to be determined) to meet the hurdle. If you miss the second opportunity without a special consideration approval you will have failed this hurdle and thus this unit. The faculty defines a serious attempt as a mark of 10% below the hurdle, which in this instance is a mark between >=30-40%. You will NOT be given a second attempt to pass the mid-semester test if you get below 30% in your first attempt.
Students that are unable to sit the test in week 7 will require a special consideration approval from ask.mq.edu to be able to sit the test as soon as possible.

Final Exam (40%):

The final examination will be a two-hour written examination (plus ten minutes' reading time), consisting of multiple choice and long answer questions. The final examination will cover all sections of the unit (lectures, lab practicals, workshops and assignments) and is designed to address specific understanding of all the concepts presented within the course.

Because the final exam is a hurdle assessment, you will need to get >=40% to meet the hurdle. In the event that you make a serious first attempt at the final exam, you will be provided with one more opportunity to sit the supplementary exam to meet the hurdle. Information on Supplementary exams:

If you receive a special consideration due to unavoidable disruption for the final exam, a supplementary exam will be scheduled in the interval between the regular exam period and the start of the next session. By making a special consideration for the final exam you are declaring yourself available for a resit during the supplementary examination period and will not be eligible for a second special consideration approval based on pre-existing commitments. Please ensure that you are familiar with the policy prior to submitting an application.

Your marks will be displayed on ilearn. It is your responsibility to regularly verify that the records displayed at iLearn (Tools->Grades) are correct.

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Hurdle	Due
Tutorial and Practical Participation	0%	Yes	Weekly tutorial; pracs in wk 4, mid-semester break, wk 10
Mid Semester Test	20%	Yes	Week 7, Sept 11th
Final Examination	40%	Yes	University examination period
Practical Class Exercises	20%	No	Week 4-5; mid-semester break; week 10-11
Tutorial Quizzes	20%	No	Weekly

Tutorial and Practical Participation

Assessment Type ¹: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task ²: 0 hours
Due: Weekly tutorial; pracs in wk 4, mid-semester break, wk 10
Weighting: 0%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

You must attend and participate in all practical classes. You must attend and participate in at least nine tutorial classes.