Requirements to Pass this Unit

To pass this unit you must:

• Attempt all assessments, and
• Achieve a total mark equal to or greater than 50% and achieve at least 50% in the final examination.

 

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 7^th day (including weekends). After the 7^th 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. 

 

Commentary Article

Assessment Type ¹: Professional writing Indicative Time on Task ²: 6 hours Due: Week 3 Weighting: 5%  

You are required to write a short commentary article on a published paper dealing with genetic variation and conservation. This will require a short literature search to identify a relevant paper from among the leading journals in conservation genetics (incl. Science, Nature, PNAS, PLOS biology, Evolution, Molecular Ecology, Conservation Biology, Conservation Genetics + many others). You should then familiarize yourself with the paper and its methodologies and write a commentary in the style of those appearing in the ‘Perspectives’ section of the journal Science. This is an early assessment task, with assessment criteria weighted for participation and genuine effort (given the early stage of unit material delivery).You will submit this assignment via TURNITIN.

 

On successful completion you will be able to:

• Explain why and how genetic factors have key importance in conservation biology
• Explain the importance of genetic diversity, and identify the phenomena that influence and maintain genetic diversity in populations
• Identify and apply appropriate statistical formulae to solve questions in conservation and evolutionary genetics
• Apply conservation genetic theory in order to propose management strategies for both wild and captive populations
• Synthesise and evaluate information on contemporary topics in conservation and evolutionary genetics

Seminar

Assessment Type ¹: Presentation Indicative Time on Task ²: 8 hours Due: Week 9 Weighting: 15%

 

You are required to give an oral presentation supported by slides using Powerpoint or similar. The topic can be based on one to several topical research paper(s) in conservation/ecological genetics. Conference presentations are a primary means of communicating knowledge in science, and these sessions will be conducted in the manner of a formal scientific conference. Time limits will be strictly enforced, and will constitute part of the assessment criteria for this task.

 

On successful completion you will be able to:

• Explain why and how genetic factors have key importance in conservation biology
• Explain the importance of genetic diversity, and identify the phenomena that influence and maintain genetic diversity in populations
• Identify and apply appropriate statistical formulae to solve questions in conservation and evolutionary genetics
• Apply conservation genetic theory in order to propose management strategies for both wild and captive populations
• Synthesise and evaluate information on contemporary topics in conservation and evolutionary genetics

Problem Tests

Assessment Type ¹: Quiz/Test Indicative Time on Task ²: 16 hours Due: Week 6 and Week 9 Weighting: 30%

 

Students will submit two mathematical problem sets based tutorial work.

 

On successful completion you will be able to:

• Explain why and how genetic factors have key importance in conservation biology
• Explain the importance of genetic diversity, and identify the phenomena that influence and maintain genetic diversity in populations
• Identify and apply appropriate statistical formulae to solve questions in conservation and evolutionary genetics

Final Examination

Assessment Type ¹: Examination Indicative Time on Task ²: 38 hours Due: TBA Weighting: 30%

 

You will be tested on your knowledge of course content, including information from all lectures and tutorials, plus prescribed reading from the textbook (Frankham et al.) and other sources made available on ilearn. Check online (www.mq.edu.au) for scheduling updates towards the end of the teaching session.

 

On successful completion you will be able to:

• Explain why and how genetic factors have key importance in conservation biology
• Explain the importance of genetic diversity, and identify the phenomena that influence and maintain genetic diversity in populations
• Identify and apply appropriate statistical formulae to solve questions in conservation and evolutionary genetics
• Apply conservation genetic theory in order to propose management strategies for both wild and captive populations
• Synthesise and evaluate information on contemporary topics in conservation and evolutionary genetics

Scientific Report

Assessment Type ¹: Report Indicative Time on Task ²: 34 hours Due: Week 11 Weighting: 20%

 

You are required to prepare a scientific manuscript based on the data analysed in the computer lab tutorial. Your manuscript should structured according to the author instructions for ‘original articles’ in the journal Evolution:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/%28ISSN%291558-5646/homepage/ForAuthors.html

This will be submitted via TURNITIN. Further information, discussion and resources (including a marking rubric) will be provided prior to and during the computer lab tutorial.

 

On successful completion you will be able to:

• Explain why and how genetic factors have key importance in conservation biology
• Explain the importance of genetic diversity, and identify the phenomena that influence and maintain genetic diversity in populations
• Identify and apply appropriate statistical formulae to solve questions in conservation and evolutionary genetics
• Apply conservation genetic theory in order to propose management strategies for both wild and captive populations
• Synthesise and evaluate information on contemporary topics in conservation and evolutionary genetics

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

Lectures will be given live online (via zoom) with recordings available via ECHO. Tutorials will be face-to-face and online. Resources will be made available via ilearn.