Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Kevin Danastas kevin.danastas@mq.edu.au
Credit points	Credit points 10
Prerequisites	Prerequisites 50cp at 1000 level or above including [(BIOL2220 or BIOL247) or (20cp from (BIOL1110 or BIOL115) or (BIOL1210 or BIOL108) or (ANAT1001 or HLTH108) or (ANAT1002 or HLTH109) or (PSYU1104 or PSYC104 or PSYU1101) or (PSYU1105 or PSYC105 or PSYU1102) or (COGS1000 or COGS100))]
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
Unit description	Unit description This Unit considers the structure and function of the nervous system. We begin with an overview of the functional organization of the central and peripheral divisions of the nervous system. We discuss how the selective permeability of the cell membrane gives rise to the electrical properties of excitable cells. We look in detail at the generation, propagation and transmission of neural signals, and examine the important principles of sensory physiology such as transduction, adaptation and stimulus coding. Having covered these basic principles, the unit goes on to explore the somatosensory system, and the nerves and organs that give rise to the special senses (vision, hearing, taste and smell) are also discussed. We next examine the structure and physiology of muscle cells, and the central control of motor function. Lastly, we cover the autonomic nervous system and the neuroendocrine system, both of which regulate numerous physiological processes throughout the body.

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: Explain how neural signals are generated, transmitted and processed in different parts of the nervous system
ULO2: Understand how the nervous and endocrine systems interact
ULO3: Synthesise information taken from the scientific literature about the nervous system and present it to your peers in a concise format
ULO4: Assemble basic electrophysiology recording equipment and perform simple electrophysiological experiments
ULO5: Analyse and interpret the results of simple tests of neural function on human and/or invertebrate animal subjects

General Assessment Information

Requirements to pass this unit

To pass this unit, you must acheive a total mark equal to, or greater than, 50%.

Late Assessment Submission Penalty

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penatly (of the total possible mark of the task will be applied 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 example, an assessment worth 20% is due 11.55 pm on 1 January. Student A submits the assessment at 10 pm, 3 January. The assessment received a mark of 18/20. A 10% deduction is then applied to the total possible mark (20), resulting in the loss of two (2) marks. Student A is then awarded a final mark of 16/20.

For any late submissions of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, please apply for Special Consideration.

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted:

Lab reports and scientific poster - YES, Standard Late Penatly applies

Online quizzes and mid-semester test - NO, unless special consideration is granted

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.

Online quizzes

The three quizzes are 20-minute online quizzes which you may do at home. Each quiz has 12 questions. Quiz questions can be multiple choice, short answer, fill in the blanks or calculations. Only one attempt at each quiz is allowed. Similar to the mid-semester test you will see only one question at a time. You will have only one chance to answer each question. You will answer questions sequentially. You may not go back in the quiz to correct any answers. Think carefully before answering and budget your overall time carefully. You will be expected to use correct spelling and grammar in your answers.

Midsemester Test

This test will include 35 quiz questions to be completed in 50 minutes. Any of the material covered in weeks 1-7 (lectures and practicals) may be included in the mid-semester test. Questions can be multiple choice, short answer, fill in the blanks or calculations. You must complete the test individually. During the test you will see only one question at a time. You will have only one chance to answer each question. You will answer questions sequentially. You may not go back in the quiz to correct any answers. Think carefully before answering and budget your overall time carefully. You will be expected to use correct spelling and grammar in your answers.

Practical classes, lab reports and scientific poster

Through your enrolment and personal timetable, you will be assigned a practical time slot and you are expected to attend all practical classes.

The details of each of the three lab reports and the scientific poster are in the practical notes which can be accessed through iLearn. The completed assignments must be submitted to Turnitin on the due dates given in the table above.

Final exam

The exam is a two hour paper with multiple choice questions, and short answer questions. All the lecture and practical material is examinable.

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Hurdle	Due
Quizzes	9%	No	Consult iLearn for due dates
Lab reports	20%	No	Consult iLearn for submission dates
Scientific poster	6%	No	28th May 11:55pm
Mid-Semester Test	20%	No	30th April 11:55pm
Practice Based task	0%	No	Consult iLearn for classes
Final Exam	45%	No	S1 exam period

Quizzes

Assessment Type ¹: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task ²: 1 hours
Due: Consult iLearn for due dates
Weighting: 9%

These short online tests are designed to help you assess your progress in learning the unit content.