Students

BIOL8601 – Biology Research Placement

2022 – Full year 2, In person-placement, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lesley Hughes
lesley.hughes@mq.edu.au
Co-convenor (Session 2)
Fleur Ponton
fleur.ponton@mq.edu.au
Contact via (02) 9850 1313
205b Culloden Rd Rm G31
Credit points Credit points
20
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
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
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.

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: Demonstrate professionalism by adhering to all workplace standards, particularly with regard to ethics, occupational health and safety, and legal requirements.
  • ULO2: Plan and implement a research project to address a hypothesis using principles of experimental design and appropriate data collection methods for measuring and assessing biological processes.
  • ULO3: Demonstrate effective time and project management skills by working independently to collect scientific data and by documenting these efforts using a project notebook.
  • ULO4: Communicate research findings to a scientific audience in written form by constructing a coherent, well structured document.
  • ULO5: Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the scientific, social, and legal dimensions of an issue of particular relevance to the conservation sector.

General Assessment Information

All 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.

 

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Scientific Report 50% No 6/11/22
Supervisor Report 25% No 6/11/22
Poster 15% No 29/7/22
Project proposal 10% No 18/3/22

Scientific Report

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 45 hours
Due: 6/11/22
Weighting: 50%

 

Complete the Full Scientific Report in the form of a Scientific Paper

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Plan and implement a research project to address a hypothesis using principles of experimental design and appropriate data collection methods for measuring and assessing biological processes.
  • Demonstrate effective time and project management skills by working independently to collect scientific data and by documenting these efforts using a project notebook.
  • Communicate research findings to a scientific audience in written form by constructing a coherent, well structured document.
  • Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the scientific, social, and legal dimensions of an issue of particular relevance to the conservation sector.

Supervisor Report

Assessment Type 1: Performance
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: 6/11/22
Weighting: 25%

 

Supervisors will provide a report on student performance, progress, abilities acquired and attendance throughout placement.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate professionalism by adhering to all workplace standards, particularly with regard to ethics, occupational health and safety, and legal requirements.
  • Plan and implement a research project to address a hypothesis using principles of experimental design and appropriate data collection methods for measuring and assessing biological processes.
  • Demonstrate effective time and project management skills by working independently to collect scientific data and by documenting these efforts using a project notebook.
  • Communicate research findings to a scientific audience in written form by constructing a coherent, well structured document.
  • Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the scientific, social, and legal dimensions of an issue of particular relevance to the conservation sector.

Poster

Assessment Type 1: Poster
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 29/7/22
Weighting: 15%

 

Develop a poster outlining your project and methodology.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate professionalism by adhering to all workplace standards, particularly with regard to ethics, occupational health and safety, and legal requirements.
  • Plan and implement a research project to address a hypothesis using principles of experimental design and appropriate data collection methods for measuring and assessing biological processes.
  • Demonstrate effective time and project management skills by working independently to collect scientific data and by documenting these efforts using a project notebook.
  • Communicate research findings to a scientific audience in written form by constructing a coherent, well structured document.

Project proposal

Assessment Type 1: Design Task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: 18/3/22
Weighting: 10%

 

Develop a short proposal explaining the work that you will undertake

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Plan and implement a research project to address a hypothesis using principles of experimental design and appropriate data collection methods for measuring and assessing biological processes.
  • Demonstrate effective time and project management skills by working independently to collect scientific data and by documenting these efforts using a project notebook.

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

NA

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.

Changes from Previous Offering

Additional Information

Off-shore students

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

COVID Information and on-campus attendance

On-campus teaching continues to be scheduled for Session 1, 2022. Masks are compulsory 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.

Unit information based on version 2022.02 of the Handbook