Grade descriptors and other information concerning grading are contained in the Macquarie University Assessment Policy, available at https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/assessment.

All final grades are determined by a grading committee, in accordance with the Macquarie University Assessment Policy, and are not the sole responsibility of the Unit Convenor.

Students will be awarded a final grade and a mark which must correspond to the grade descriptors specified in the Assessment Procedure (clause 128).

To pass this unit, students must demonstrate sufficient evidence of achievement of the learning outcomes, meet any ungraded requirements including professionalism and achieve a final mark of 50 or better.

Further details for each assessment task will be available on iLearn.

Student Professionalism

In the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, professionalism is a key capability embedded in all our courses. As part of developing professionalism, students are expected to attend all small group interactive sessions including tutorials, as well as clinical- and laboratory-based practical sessions.

Students are expected to attend a minimum of 80% of all small group interactive sessions. If you are unable to attend a small group activity, please refer to the iLearn site regarding further action.

Similarly, as part of developing professionalism, students are expected to submit all work by the due date. Applications for assessment task extensions must be supported by appropriate evidence and submitted via www.ask.mq.edu.au. For further details, please refer to the Special Consideration Policy available at https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration.

Late Submission

Late submissions will receive a 5% per day penalty including weekends and public holidays. If you submit the assessment task 10 days or more beyond the due date, without an approved extension, you will be awarded a maximum of 50% of the overall assessment marks. For example:

Delivery

The research placements make up the majority of contact hours within this unit. These placements may include work within the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences laboratory (when COVID restrictions allow it) or work with other teams within other settings within the Faculty. The remaining contact hours are delivered through a co-location model with the Research Placement Units offered within the Masters of Research (MEDI7041 and MEDI7042). Learning activities, outcomes and assessments differ between the different cohorts but co-locating these units allows candidates to participate in peer activities relevant to research engagement such as research discussions, presentations and critique.

Resources

Technology

Completion of online training and learning activities throughout the unit will require you to have access to a tablet, laptop or similar device. If you do not have your own device you may borrow one from the University library.

Required Unit Materials

For placements in laboratories within the Macquarie Medical School you are required to wear closed shoes that cover the whole foot and a laboratory gown/coat (provided) whilst in the laboratory venue.

Online training modules and laboratory inductions

If you need access to the laboratory you will be required to complete online training modules and a face-to-face laboratory induction.

Recommended Readings

Details of recommended readings will be provided by supervisors in the host research group. You should use this material to actively seek further reading through searching the current literature (e.g. research articles and reviews) using tools such as PubMed, Scopus, and/or GoogleScholar. This material should supplement and extend your understanding of the research topic, and assist in preparation of assessed material.

Research Documentation

You should keep a laboratory book or research diary for documentation of your day-to-day work, including details such as experimental methods, observations, results, analysis, and conclusions. This document will be assessed within your Research Engagement assessment task. This document serves as an important written record in research and may be used to guide future work in your host group and will remain the property of the research group at the end of the placement.

Week 1: You will nominate your list of preferred research projects from a provided booklet. You will be notified of your allocated research project.

Weeks 2-11 (excluding session break): You will work on a research project under the supervision of a research team. You may be required to undertake online laboratory and/or ethics training modules to commence your project.

Week 2, 4 and 9: You will have classes or workshops scheduled to help develop the skills required for your assessment tasks.