Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convener
Rachael Dudaniec
Tutor
Jessica O'Hare
Administration
Caitlin Kordis
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Credit points |
Credit points
10
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
(BIOL1110 or BIOL115) and ((BIOL1310 or BIOL114) or (BIOL1210 or BIOL108) or (BIOL1610 or BIOL116) or (BIOL1620))
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
(STAT1170 or STAT170) or (STAT1371 or STAT171) or FOSE1015
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
BIOL2110, BIOL6110
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Unit description |
Unit description
Genetics occupies a central role in modern sciences, with profound implications for basic and applied research in biology, medicine and agriculture, as well as for a number of philosophical issues in human affairs. This unit offers a balanced approach to teach introductory principles of genetics. It combines sections on classical, molecular and population genetics presented in an integrative way. The practical sessions offer students the possibility of learning essential techniques and skills in modern molecular genetics. |
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:
General Faculty Policy on assessment submission deadlines and late submissions:
Online quizzes, in-class activities, or scheduled tests and exam 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.
Late submissions will be accepted for all assessments in this unit with penalties
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Problem Sets | 5% | No | Open weeks 3,4,6,8,9 |
Practical Report | 25% | No | April 13 |
Seminar Poster | 15% | No | May 4 |
Test | 10% | No | May 14 |
Final Exam | 45% | Yes | Exam Period |
Assessment Type 1: Problem set
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Open weeks 3,4,6,8,9
Weighting: 5%
The problem sets are designed to assist you to understand topics covered in the course and to provide you with feedback on your understanding of those topics. It is essential that you complete the problem sets as the test and the final examination will cover similar topics to the problems. Answers to the problem sets will be provided. A good and reasonable attempt at each of the problem sets is required to obtain the full marks for each problem set (problems will not be individually graded).
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: April 13
Weighting: 25%
A major component of this unit is the preparation of a practical report. This practical report should be presented in the style of a scientific publication and describe the procedures and results from the first two practical sessions. It is recommended that you start drafting your report at the commencement of the first practical session. In these practical sessions you will learn essential skills, including: how to isolate DNA, visualize DNA using gel electrophoresis, perform PCR amplification, and sequence a mitochondrial gene. You will learn to identify unknown DNA samples by comparing their sequences with those available in DNA sequence databases. After this, you will align all the DNA sequences collected and build a phylogenetic tree as a complementary method for species identification. Your report will include the activities undertaken within Practicals 1 and 2 within a scientific paper format, with Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion.
Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: May 4
Weighting: 15%
You are required to design and present a 3-minute scientific conference poster (design as a powerpoint slide with recorded oral presentation) on a topic in genetics that you find exciting, based on a peer-reviewed scientific paper. The grade of your poster assessment will be based on content and presentation and involves peer evaluation.
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: May 14
Weighting: 10%
Your progress during the unit will be assessed with a test that will focus on topics covered during the lectures and practical sessions. This test will require application of genetic principles to solve problems and an ability to describe genetic processes and techniques.
Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Exam Period
Weighting: 45%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)
Students will be tested on their knowledge of course content. The exam will include information from lectures, practical classes and assessment tasks up to and including week 13. The date for your final exam will be available later in the semester.
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
This unit has two online lectures per week. Lectures will be made available at the start of each week on iLearn (via Echo360).
Lecture Week Topic
1 1 Unit Introduction and Basic Revision
2 1 Basic Revision 2: Sex and Reproduction
3 2 Mendelian Genetics
4 2 Sex Determination Patterns of Inheritance
5 3 Allelic variation and gene function
6 3 Linkage and Crossing Over
7 4 Chromosome Number and Structure
8 4 DNA Replication and Synthesis
9 5 Transcription and Translation
10 5 Gene Expression, Mutation and DNA Repair
11 6 Molecular Techniques I
12 6 Molecular Techniques II
13 7 Population Genetics
14 7 Inbreeding and Inbreeding Depression
15 8 Epigenetics
16 8 Evolutionary Genetics
17 9 Quantitative Genetics
18 9 Conservation Genetics
19 10 Genetic Response to Change
20 10 Human Genetics
21 11 Technological Advances and Applications
22 11 Revision 1
23 12 Revision 2
Saturday March 12, 9.00 am (Lab E8A 120/160 in the Biology Building)
This day covers internal pracs 1 and 2
DNA Extraction, Gel Electrophoresis
Problem Set tutorial
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
Finish ~ 4.00pm
Sunday March 13, 9.00 am (Lab E8A 120/160 in the Biology Building)
This day covers internal pracs 3, 4, 5
HWE -single locus and problem solving tutorial
HWE – population analysis
DNA Sequence alignment and data analysis (this part comprises part of your practical report methods and results!)
Practical report guidance
Finish ~ 4.00-5:00pm
The week 9 practical will have online recordings and materials provided, with a scheduled zoom session for Q&A on May 4th, 2-3pm. Zoom sessions will be recorded.
Week Dates Practical
9 Materials available 4th May Problem Solving and Test Preparation (Prac 7)
10 Saturday 14 May Online Test
Saturday May 21, 9.00 am (Labs E8A 120/160 in the Biology Building)
This day covers internal pracs 5, 6, 8.
Finish ~4.00-5:00pm
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.
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
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.
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Unit information based on version 2022.03 of the Handbook