Students

BIOL7770 – Topics in Australian Marine Science

2022 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, Other

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Jane Williamson
jane.williamson@mq.edu.au
Caitlin Kordis
caitlin.kordis@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MRes
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
BIOL8770 - Topics in Australian Marine Science Session 1, Online-scheduled-weekday
Unit description Unit description

This unit introduces students to current research undertaken in various disciplines of marine science in Australia. It is a multi-institutional unit taught at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) with contributions from the four University partners of SIMS. Lectures and tutorials will be taught by leading researchers in marine science. Topics cover physical and biological oceanography, climate change, molecular ecology, aquaculture, marine biology and marine geosciences. In practical classes, students will analyse and interpret remote-sensing data from the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), which provides comprehensive information on the biological and physical processes of Australia's coastal and oceanic waters. This gives students hands-on experience in working with and analysing big data sets. Students can attend lessons either at SIMS or fully online.

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: Understand the diversity of open access data and instrumentation for data collection
  • ULO2: Formulate and test hypotheses within a scientific framework
  • ULO3: Access and managing data, including those from large datasets
  • ULO4: Produce and present data visually
  • ULO5: Evaluate and synthesise a variety of expert opinions within marine science

General Assessment Information

Written assignments on Practical Modules (60%)

You are required to hand in written assignments based on the results of exercises completed as part of the practical modules. These will be submitted as an electronic report before the beginning of the practical class the week following the module's conclusion, or as instructed by the lecturer. Reports will include graphs and figures as well as interpretation of your results in the broader context of the topic. Most practical modules are worth 10%. Note: some of the modules may be assessed over multiple weeks and will be worth 20% (Physical Oceanography module). The results of the IMOS practical (Week 1) are not assessed.

Exam (40%)

The exam is worth 40% of your total mark. More details will be forthcoming closer to the date.

 

General Faculty Policy on assessment submission deadlines and late submissions: 

Online quizzes, in-class activities, or scheduled tests and exams must be undertaken at the time indicated in the unit guide. Should these activities be missed due to illness or misadventure, students may apply for Special Consideration.

All other assessments must be submitted by 5:00 pm on their due date. Should these assessments be missed due to illness or misadventure, students should apply for Special Consideration.

Assessments not submitted by the due date will receive a mark of zero unless late submissions are specifically allowed as indicated in the unit guide or on iLearn.

If late submissions are permitted as indicated in the unit guide or on iLearn a consistent penalty will be applied for late submissions as follows: 

A 12-hour grace period will be given after which the following deductions will be applied to the awarded assessment mark: 12 to 24 hours late = 10% deduction; for each day thereafter, an additional 10% per day or part thereof will be applied until five days beyond the due date. After this time, a mark of zero (0) will be given. For example, an assessment worth 20% is due 5 pm on 1 January. Student A submits the assessment at 1 pm, 3 January. The assessment received a mark of 15/20. A 20% deduction is then applied to the mark of 15, resulting in the loss of three (3) marks. Student A is then awarded a final mark of 12/20.

Off-shore students

Off-shore students must email the convenor as soon as possible to discuss study options.

COVID Information and on-campus classes

On-campus teaching continues to be scheduled for Session 1, 2022. Masks are compulsory for all classes in indoor spaces and social distancing will be implemented wherever possible. Students will also be required to sanitise surfaces before and after use.

Students are requested to minimise the risk of spreading COVID to themselves and others in accordance with the university and NSW Health guidelines: https://www.mq.edu.au/about/coronavirus-faqs and https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/stay-safe.

Any further requirements or changes to units in relation to COVID will be communicated to students via iLearn.

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Written assignments 60% No TBA
Test exam 40% No 19/5/22

Written assignments

Assessment Type 1: Professional writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 60 hours
Due: TBA
Weighting: 60%

 

You will submit 6 written assignments based on the results of exercises completed as part of the practical modules.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand the diversity of open access data and instrumentation for data collection
  • Formulate and test hypotheses within a scientific framework
  • Access and managing data, including those from large datasets
  • Produce and present data visually
  • Evaluate and synthesise a variety of expert opinions within marine science

Test exam

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: 19/5/22
Weighting: 40%

 

You will sit a written test exam at the conclusion of the unit. The test format can include multiple-choice questions and short answers.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand the diversity of open access data and instrumentation for data collection
  • Formulate and test hypotheses within a scientific framework
  • Access and managing data, including those from large datasets
  • Produce and present data visually
  • Evaluate and synthesise a variety of expert opinions within marine science

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Practical classes

The practical classes will introduce you to the IMOS – Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System, a national infrastructure facility that collects marine data from Australia’s coasts and oceans. These data are made publicly available and used by scientists to explore and monitor biological and oceanographic processes in the coastal and marine environment. In practical classes you will analyse and interpret remotely-sensed data from IMOS, which provides comprehensive information on the biological and physical processes of Australia’s coastal and oceanic waters. Practical classes are run at SIMS.

Seminars

The seminar series is built around the most current research questions in Australian marine science. Scientists from a number of disciplines will present their research and the most important research questions in their field in a 1 hour seminar. Seminar topics cover physical and biological oceanography, climate change, molecular ecology, aquaculture, marine biology and marine geosciences. Seminars are given at SIMS.

How to get to SIMS and where to park

You can travel to SIMS by public transport or by car.  For the most up to date information on public transport please check http://www.transportnsw.info/

If you decide to drive to SIMS please ensure you arrive at class on time. A map of how to get to SIMS is available on the SIMS website www.sims.org.au.  Parking is available at an hourly rate or if you have a valid national parks sticker you can park for free in designated areas.  Alternatively you can park up in Headland Park, Georges Heights and walk down through the bushtrack. See the course convenor if you need further information.

Unit Schedule

The unit schedule is available on iLearn and through SIMS.  Please check this regularly for updates and changes.

Policies and Procedures

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.

Student Code of Conduct

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

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

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

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.

Assumed Knowledge

This course is data-intensive. You will be downloading, manipulating, and analysing datasets with many thousands of observations. As a result, you need to be proficient in the use of software programs such as Microsoft Excel and basic statistics. We provide below a list of the minimum assumed knowledge to allow you to get the most out of the course. If you are not comfortable with these topics, please spend some time working through the online tutorials we have outlined below.

Sort and Filter Data: https://support.office.microsoft.com/en-au/article/Watchonlineffb9fcb0-b9cb-48bf-a15c-8bec9fd3a472

Doing Calculations and writing formulas in Excel: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-a-simple-formula-in-excel-11a5f0e5-38a3-4115-85bc-f4a465f64a8a

Averaging Data: https://support.office.microsoft.com/en-au/article/Watch-online-6cced0beca49-41c8-a3f2-cb89e566ab90

Plotting in Excel: https://support.office.microsoft.com/en-au/article/Watchonline-4d95c6a5-42d2-4cfc-aede-0ebf01d409a8

Pivot Tables: https://support.office.microsoft.com/en-au/article/Watchonline-7810597d-0837-41f7-9699-5911aa282760

Descriptive statistics - In particular, understanding the mean, standard deviation, standard error, and the normal distribution. Many videos can be found here: https://www.khanacademy.org/math/probability/descriptive-statistics

Unit information based on version 2022.02 of the Handbook