Students

BIOL1320 – Biological Basis of Behaviour

2023 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Martin Whiting
martin.whiting@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

BIOL1320 is a suitable introductory science course of interest for all students, designed for the 'free' zone. Canvassing a range of topics relevant to today's society in a manner accessible to all students, this journey teaches students the skills to communicate to a general audience. In contents, it offers an integrative approach to the amazing world of behaviour. Basic mechanisms are covered, together with function and evolution. Lecture topics include explanations of behaviour, evolution, evolutionary origins of behaviour, basic neuroscience, perception, learning, brain and behaviour, and topics in animal behaviour. Lectures culminate with some reflections on the lives of humans in our modern world and the role of culture in human evolution.

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: Describe the basic functioning of the nervous system in animals, including the senses
  • ULO2: Explain the principles of evolution by natural selection and sexual selection
  • ULO3: Demonstrate an understanding of basic concepts and principles in genetics, epigenetics, perception, learning, human evolution, explanations in animal behaviour, and the topics on the nature of science, ethics, study skills, animal behaviour and on evolution and human behaviour presented in the unit
  • ULO4: Apply knowledge and skills to collect, analyse, and interpret scientific data including those presented in graphic form
  • ULO5: Extract key points from scientific papers and other forms of presentation and accurately communicate these to a general audience
  • ULO6: Comment critically on scientific papers and other forms of presentation with regard to life on our planet today

General Assessment Information

Requirements to pass the unit

To pass this unit you must attain a mark of at least 50%

Late Assessment Submission Penalty 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark of the task) will be applied for each day a written report or presentation assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. The submission time for all uploaded assessments is 11:55 pm. A 1-hour grace period will be 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, please apply for Special Consideration. 

Special Consideration

The Special Consideration Policy aims to support students who have been impacted by short-term circumstances or events that are serious, unavoidable and significantly disruptive, and which may affect their performance in assessment. If you experience circumstances or events that affect your ability to complete the assessments in this unit on time, please inform the convenor and submit a Special Consideration request through ask.mq.edu.au.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Visualising data 5% No 20/08/2023
Essay 30% No 16/10/2023
Practice Based task 4% No No due date
quizzes in textbook 26% No 8 quizzes: 7,14,21,28 Aug, 4,25 Sept, 3,16 Oct
final examination 35% No Exam period

Visualising data

Assessment Type 1: Quantitative analysis task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: 20/08/2023
Weighting: 5%

 

You will collect data during a practical and graph that data.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply knowledge and skills to collect, analyse, and interpret scientific data including those presented in graphic form

Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 16/10/2023
Weighting: 30%

 

Commentary summarising a scientific article and topic, including incorporating other sources of primary literature.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply knowledge and skills to collect, analyse, and interpret scientific data including those presented in graphic form
  • Extract key points from scientific papers and other forms of presentation and accurately communicate these to a general audience
  • Comment critically on scientific papers and other forms of presentation with regard to life on our planet today

Practice Based task

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: No due date
Weighting: 4%

 

Demonstration of practical laboratory skills and knowledge of protocols, and the submission of practical tasks

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe the basic functioning of the nervous system in animals, including the senses
  • Explain the principles of evolution by natural selection and sexual selection
  • Demonstrate an understanding of basic concepts and principles in genetics, epigenetics, perception, learning, human evolution, explanations in animal behaviour, and the topics on the nature of science, ethics, study skills, animal behaviour and on evolution and human behaviour presented in the unit
  • Apply knowledge and skills to collect, analyse, and interpret scientific data including those presented in graphic form
  • Extract key points from scientific papers and other forms of presentation and accurately communicate these to a general audience
  • Comment critically on scientific papers and other forms of presentation with regard to life on our planet today

quizzes in textbook

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 8 quizzes: 7,14,21,28 Aug, 4,25 Sept, 3,16 Oct
Weighting: 26%

 

quiz questions in each chapter of the e-textbook

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe the basic functioning of the nervous system in animals, including the senses
  • Explain the principles of evolution by natural selection and sexual selection
  • Demonstrate an understanding of basic concepts and principles in genetics, epigenetics, perception, learning, human evolution, explanations in animal behaviour, and the topics on the nature of science, ethics, study skills, animal behaviour and on evolution and human behaviour presented in the unit

final examination

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 28 hours
Due: Exam period
Weighting: 35%

 

examination in the final exam period

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe the basic functioning of the nervous system in animals, including the senses
  • Explain the principles of evolution by natural selection and sexual selection
  • Demonstrate an understanding of basic concepts and principles in genetics, epigenetics, perception, learning, human evolution, explanations in animal behaviour, and the topics on the nature of science, ethics, study skills, animal behaviour and on evolution and human behaviour presented in the unit

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

Week 1 classes

On Monday 24 July the course convenor will be present in person to provide an overview of the course. This lecture will be recorded. All subsequent lectures will be online and interactive, incorporating multimedia. There are no pracs in week 1. Pracs commence in week 2.

Methods of communication

Lectures will be online and interactive, incorporating multimedia. Pracs are in person (face-to-face). See iLearn for more details including details on the course book (an eBook).

We will communicate with you via your university email and through announcements on iLearn. Queries to convenors can either be placed on the iLearn discussion board or sent to the unit convenor via the contact email on iLearn.

COVID Information

For the latest information on the University’s response to COVID-19, please refer to the Coronavirus infection page on the Macquarie website: https://www.mq.edu.au/about/coronavirus-faqs. Remember to check this page regularly in case the information and requirements change during semester. If there are any changes to this unit in relation to COVID, these will be communicated via iLearn.

 

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

We value student feedback to be able to continually improve the way we offer our units. As such we encourage students to provide constructive feedback via student surveys, to the teaching staff directly, or via the FSE Student Experience & Feedback link in the iLearn page.

Student feedback from the previous offering of this unit was very positive overall, with students pleased with the clarity around assessment requirements and the level of support from teaching staff. As such, no change to the delivery of the unit is planned, however we will continue to strive to improve the level of support and the level of student engagement.

Unit information based on version 2023.05 of the Handbook