Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Fleur Ponton fleur.ponton@mq.edu.au
Credit points	Credit points 10
Prerequisites	Prerequisites
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
Unit description	Unit description This unit provides foundation skills required for working in medical and life sciences laboratories. Skills will be learnt in the context of current global health issues including antimicrobial resistance and malaria, health reporters such as immunity and haematology and approaches to disease diagnosis. Students will acquire hands-on laboratory skills, including aseptic technique for microbiology, use of microscopes and spectrophotometers, extraction of bioactive molecules, and data collection and analyses. Students will hear from medical and life science researchers who will provide context for the weekly skills topics and information on the diverse employment areas in medical science. Students also begin to acquire skills in interpreting and citing scientific literature and developing a foundation in communication skills and scientific writing.

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: Articulate and practice appropriate health, safety and ethical standards relevant to medical science
ULO2: Describe global health issues of significance to society today using appropriate scientific terminology
ULO3: Develop and demonstrate competencies in standard laboratory techniques (e.g. dilutions, aseptic technique, imagery and measurement, labelling, diagnostic sample preparation)
ULO4: Describe and practice scientific methods from generating hypotheses and predictions to designing experimental procedures, and undertaking data collection
ULO5: Develop competency in working individually or as a team in the laboratory and tutorials

General Assessment Information

Requirements to Pass this Unit

To pass this unit you must:

Attempt all assessments, and
Participate in, and undertake all the activities for, a minimum of 7 of the 9 weekly workshops, and
Achieve at least 50% in the final examination

Hurdle assessments

Practice-based task (5%)

Development of knowledge and skills requires continual practice at authentic problems in a laboratory-based setting. This unit has weekly laboratory classes and you must demonstrate your progress in developing and communicating knowledge and skills in a minimum of 7 of the 9 classes. This is a hurdle assessment meaning that failure to meet this requirement may result in a fail grade for the unit. Students are permitted up to two absences: additional absences will require a Special Consideration to be applied for (see below).

Mid-term and Final exams (85%)

You must attend and attempt both the mid-term and final exams (Practised-based exam and quiz test). This is a hurdle assessment meaning that failure to meet this requirement may result in a fail grade for the unit.

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.

Assessments: 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.

Weekly practice-based tasks: To pass the unit you need to demonstrate ongoing development of skills and application of knowledge in 7 out of 9 of the weekly practical classes. If you miss a weekly practical class due to a serious, unavoidable and significant disruption. Make up classes will be available at the end of term 1 and term 2.

Note that a Special Consideration should only be applied for if you miss more than three of the weekly practical classes.

Descriptions of Assessment Activities and other information

Competence with skills, data analyses, interpretation and general knowledge in medical sciences are the main forms of assesment in BIOL1620.
Detailed information for each assessment and marking criteria are outlined under the assessment tab in iLearn.
Assessments, including quizzes, are your own work.
Assessments in this class will be done in class, hence late submissions will not be accepted.

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Hurdle	Due
Mid-term quiz test	15%	No	Week 1-12
Lab Prep Activities	10%	No	Week 7
Final practice-based exam	30%	No	Week 7
Weekly Practical Classes	5%	Yes	Week 13
Final quiz test	15%	No	Week 13
Mid-term practice-based exam	25%	No	Week 7

Mid-term quiz test

Assessment Type ¹: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task ²: 15 hours
Due: Week 1-12
Weighting: 15%

The mid-term exam has a quiz-based section where students will be tested on their knowledge.