Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convener Jaco Le Roux biol1110@mq.edu.au Unit Administrator Jessica O'Hare biol1110@mq.edu.au Jessica O'Hare jessica.ohare@mq.edu.au
Credit points	Credit points 10
Prerequisites	Prerequisites
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
Unit description	Unit description This unit deals with the nuts and bolts of life on earth. Throughout the unit there is a single unifying theme - that all of the processes that give rise to life are derived from DNA. We show students that DNA controls life by acting as a blueprint for the construction of proteins, and that those proteins build cells which act as the basic structural and functional units of all life. To demonstrate these processes to students, we start by talking about the structure and function of DNA to show how it can act as a simple code for the construction of proteins. Students are then shown how proteins are constructed from the DNA code, and how those proteins can be used to build and maintain cells. Having established these basic principles, the unit then goes on to explain how cells construct multicellular organisms during development, and how the proper functioning of those organisms is maintained by regulating cellular activity. We also demonstrate that the DNA code is essentially immortal because it can be copied from generation to generation, from cell to cell.

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: Define how biological information is encoded in the structure of the genetic molecule, DNA
ULO2: Describe how large macromolecules, such as nucleic acids and proteins are constructed from simpler building blocks
ULO3: Explain how eukaryotic cells are constructed, in terms of the structure and functions of organelles
ULO4: Describe how genetic information is transmitted through the generations, and the evolutionary process
ULO5: Discuss modern applications of genetics and genomics
ULO6: Analyse scientific data and use the basic elements of scientific writing to write reports

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Submission Penalty

From 1 July 2022, Students enrolled in Session based units with written assessments will have the following university standard late penalty applied. Please see https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/assessments for more information.

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7^th day (including weekends). After the 7^th day, a grade of '0' will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11:55 pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern.

For any late submission of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted

In this unit, late submissions will accepted as follows:

All assessments - YES, Standard Late Penalty applies

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Hurdle	Due
Mid-semester test	15%	No	20/09/2022
Practical quizes	10%	No	Weekly (Mondays @12pm)
Database project	10%	No	Sep 5, Oct 17, Nov 7 2022 (@5pm on all due dates)
Paper dissection	25%	No	03/10/2022
Final exam	40%	No	Formal exam period (exact date TBA)

Mid-semester test

Assessment Type ¹: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task ²: 13 hours
Due: 20/09/2022
Weighting: 15%

The mid-semester test will consist of multiple choice questions covering all lecture material up discussed to that point. The test will be conducted online under timed conditions.