Notice
As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group activities on campus, and most will keep an online version available to those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.
To check the availability of face-to-face and online activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.
Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor
Lesley Hughes
Contact via (02) 9850 8195
14 Eastern Rd, Room 267
Convenor
Melanie Bishop
Contact via (02) 9850 4075
14 Eastern Road, Room 205
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Credit points |
Credit points
20
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
(20cp from (BIOL8610 or BIOL861) or BIOL873 or (BIOL8740 or BIOL874) or (BIOL8750 or BIOL875) or (BIOL8770 or BIOL877) or (BIOL8870 or BIOL887)) and permission by special approval
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit enables the student to acquire biological research experience by undertaking an independent research project under academic supervision, or in conjunction with a private or public organisation within the conservation sector. The research topic may be flexible, but in most cases it will be aligned with the objectives of an academic staff member involved in research, or the external conservation organisation. Students must organise their project and supervisor well before commencing this unit. |
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Note on assessment of Scientific Report: This will be a staged process with the Introduction and Methods comprising 15% of the mark, due 4/6/21. The full report, comprising Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion and References will comprise 35% of the mark and will be due 26/11/21. it is expected that students will use the feedback on the first stage to revise the Introduction and Methods as appropriate.
Extensions, penalties and special consideration
Late submissions of assessments will attract a penalty of 5% of the total marks allocated to the exercise per day. That is, if an assessment is out of 20, 1 mark out of 20 will be deducted for every day late. You may hand in your work after the due date and escape penalty only if you have an acceptable reason (usually a medical certificate). Discuss your problem with the Unit Convenor as early as possible before the due date.
Information on applying for Special Consideration for disruption to studies can be found here: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration
Assignment submission, grading and return
All assignments will be submitted and graded online and must be submitted via Turnitin.
Turnitin is a powerful online tool for the detection of plagiarism. It works by comparing the text of a submitted document (i.e., your assignment) with the work of your current classmates, other courses at Macquarie, as well as published material in books, journals and on the web.
To submit your assignment via turnitin:
1. Visit the Assessments tab in iLearn, look for the turnitin header and select the relevant assessment item
2. Click on the Submit Paper tab.
3. Select your Student Name
4. Enter a Submission Title.
5. Click Browse and select the file you would like to submit.
6. Click Add Submission.
Grading
All assessments for this unit will be marked according to the rubrics provided in the Assessments folder of ilearn. This unit and its assessments are moderated according to departmental and university requirements. For example, where assessments are marked by multiple people, all agree on the marking process and marks are compared to ensure consistency. All summative assessments are moderated, with the major assessment also moderated by an academic external to the unit.
Plagiarism
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 a zero, depending upon the level of plagiarism, and will be reported to the Faculty Disciplinary Committee.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Supervisor Report | 25% | No | 26/11/21 |
Scientific Report | 50% | No | 26/11/21 |
Poster | 15% | No | 26/7/21 |
Project proposal | 10% | No | 15/3/21 |
Assessment Type 1: Performance
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: 26/11/21
Weighting: 25%
Supervisors will provide a report on student performance, progress, abilities acquired and attendance throughout placement.
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 45 hours
Due: 26/11/21
Weighting: 50%
Complete the Full Scientific Report in the form of a Scientific Paper
Assessment Type 1: Poster
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 26/7/21
Weighting: 15%
Develop a poster outlining your project and methodology.
Assessment Type 1: Design Task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: 15/3/21
Weighting: 10%
Develop a short proposal explaining the work that you will undertake
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
As this unit is a research placement there will be no regular classes. However a welcome and information session will be conducted online by the convenors early in Semester 1 at a time and day to be advised via ILearn. A recording of this session will be made available.
Students are strongly advised to set up a regular meeting time with their supervisor, at least fortnightly. Students are also required to develop a time line of activities as part of the Proposal Assessment to ensure timely completion of the unit.
The research component is expected to take at least 240 hours, not including the written assessments.
The poster assessment task will comprise an electronic submission of the poster itself (due in Week 1 of Semester 2), plus an online oral presentation on a day and time to be advised via iLearn.
Unit web page
It is absolutely essential that you log in on a regular basis.
To access the online unit, go to https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/ and type in your Macquarie OneID Username and password.
New to iLearn? Check out the quick guides at https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/tools-and-resources/ilearn/ilearn-quick-guides-for-students
Experiencing difficulties? Visit: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/service-desk
Unit Communications
Lesley Hughes will be the first point of contact in Semester 1 and Melanie Bishop will be the first point of contact in Semester 2. If you have a general question of relevance to all students please post on the IiLearn discussion board. Enquiries of a more specific or personal nature should be communicated via email to the relevant convenor.
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct
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
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
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.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
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
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.
Unit information based on version 2021.02 of the Handbook