Students

MOLS3003 – PACE: Molecular Sciences Project

2023 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-infrequent, On location

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Koushik Venkatesan
koushik.venkatesan@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
30cp from CHEM or BMOL units at 3000 level
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This PACE unit is aimed at providing students with specialisations in Chemistry, Advanced Chemistry, Advanced Biomolecular Science, and Chemical and Biomolecular Sciences with work experience in the Molecular Sciences. The work experience involves participating in research with industry and/or key partners on projects in the chemistry or biomolecular science areas under the supervision of Macquarie staff and experts from industry and community-based agencies. The projects conducted in the course of completing this unit must be relevant to the Molecular Sciences and carried out with a partner approved by the Unit Convenor. The projects are devised so that individuals, or small teams of students with a blend of skills that cut across the proposed project needs, are able to undertake a research project in chemistry and/or biomolecular science areas. The projects will be done under the supervision of both Macquarie staff and experts from approved partners. The nature and composition of the projects are to be determined by the groups in concert with the external partners and advice from internal advisors; however, they are always research-based and focused on areas of relevance to the partners. Visit Employability Connect for important information on 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: Design a research project in the context of a PACE activity with active engagement with a relevant partner
  • ULO2: Produce a professional report of the size and complexity required of workers in the field
  • ULO3: Create and maintain a group for the duration of the PACE activity, including delegating tasks and accepting tasks from colleagues/group members and taking some responsibility for aspects of group management
  • ULO4: Present information to a diverse audience in a confident and professional manner.
  • ULO5: Reflect on the PACE activity, including the ethical, social, personal and intellectual aspects of the activity.
  • ULO6: Demonstrate a sense of social, environmental and ethical awareness.

General Assessment Information

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%

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  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.

Written Assessments: If you experience circumstances or events that affect your ability to complete the written assessments in this unit on time, please inform the convenor and submit a Special Consideration request through ask.mq.edu.au.

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted 

Assessment items: Provate Blog, Detailed project proposal, project report and reflective praxis – YES, Standard Late Penalty applies 

Assessment project presentation: NO, unless Special Consideration is Granted

  • Assessment Criteria - It will be based on the use of rubrics for all assessments.
  • Submission of Assessments - Submission of detailed project proposal, project report and reflective praxis will be through Turnitin.
  • Marking of Assessments - Marks and feedback for each assessment will be provided individually by email within two-weeks after the submission deadline. 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
A private blog 20% No week 3, week 5, week 7, week 9 and week 11
Detailed project proposal 20% No 25/08/2023
Project report 40% No 30/10/2023
Project Presentation 10% No week 12 and week 13
Reflective Praxis 10% No 3/11/2023

A private blog

Assessment Type 1: Log book
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: week 3, week 5, week 7, week 9 and week 11
Weighting: 20%

 

The first assessment is a private blog of their PACE experience which spans the semester. This private blog also provides a means of monitoring of student progress across the semester as the blog will be monitored by the teaching staff in the unit across the course of semester with feedback provided at three points during the semester.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Design a research project in the context of a PACE activity with active engagement with a relevant partner
  • Create and maintain a group for the duration of the PACE activity, including delegating tasks and accepting tasks from colleagues/group members and taking some responsibility for aspects of group management
  • Reflect on the PACE activity, including the ethical, social, personal and intellectual aspects of the activity.

Detailed project proposal

Assessment Type 1: Plan
Indicative Time on Task 2: 8 hours
Due: 25/08/2023
Weighting: 20%

 

The second assessment task, Detailed project proposal, is a key component of the because students of the unit are required to interact with their partners (and convenor where appropriate) to produce a project proposal. The purpose of this assessment is to require students to actively interact with the partner to agree on a project that can be executed within the context of the PACE experience.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Design a research project in the context of a PACE activity with active engagement with a relevant partner
  • Demonstrate a sense of social, environmental and ethical awareness.

Project report

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 30/10/2023
Weighting: 40%

 

The third assessment is a project report which encompasses the practical aspects of communicating and analyzing their project in the context of real world research encompassing the scientific disciplines of chemistry and biomolecular sciences. This will often be the first time that students have engaged in a research project where they may not necessarily know the outcomes of the work that they are performing together with the partners. They will be challenged to think in different ways as they come to grips what it means to work in these scientific disciplines.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Produce a professional report of the size and complexity required of workers in the field
  • Present information to a diverse audience in a confident and professional manner.

Project Presentation

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: week 12 and week 13
Weighting: 10%

 

The fourth assessment is an example of communicating science in action. Students use creative media (e.g. Prezi, Powerpoints with animation and voice-over, video, etc.) to showcase a Graduate Capability (in theory and practice) and the way in which this relates to their discipline. Doing so effectively within 5 minutes is an excellent test of a students ability to apply communicating science theory delivered in the unit, and it helps students grasp what the Graduate Capabilities really mean to them, personally and professionally. The presentation is a component of the wrap up/debrief at the end of semester.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Present information to a diverse audience in a confident and professional manner.

Reflective Praxis

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: 3/11/2023
Weighting: 10%

 

To synthesise all of the learning objectives and outcomes in this unit, the final assessment is a Reflective Praxis, which involves the student critically reflecting upon what they have learned in the unit, and the experience gained through their PACE activity. It is at this time that the student will also re-visit their pre- and post-unit profile surveys, all their assessments and the unit theoretical content. Further, the Unit Convenor will cross-examine this written work with the partner supervisors feedback.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Reflect on the PACE activity, including the ethical, social, personal and intellectual aspects of the activity.

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

  • The project will take place either in the research laboratories of the project supervisors at MQ or at organisations where the students will be hosted. In the case where no space is available in research laboratories, the projects can be carried out in the teaching laboratories
  • The SGTA lectures will be delivered face to face.

A number of online resources will be provided on the iLearn site to help the students carry out the task and fulfil the learning objectives of the unit.

Week 1 classes

The SGTA and the project actvities will commence in Week 1.

Methods of communication

We will cummunicate with you via your university email and through announcements on iLearn. Queries to convenors can either be place on the iLearn discussion board ot 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 2023.02 of the Handbook