Students

MOLS8001 – Selected Topics in the Molecular Sciences

2023 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Paul Haynes
paul.haynes@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to GradDipBiotech or GradCertLabAQMgt or GradDipLabAQMgt or MBiotech or MBioBus or MLabAQMgt or MRadiopharmSc or MSc or MScInnovationChemBiomolecularSc
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit will focus on special topics in Molecular Science. Topics may include biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology and genomics, medicinal chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry and analytical chemistry; and focus on processes in molecular sciences. Topics will be chosen to encourage students to explore the different disciplines in the Molecular Sciences and to develop knowledge and skills in analysis and investigation.

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: Acquire a coherent and advanced knowledge of the principles and concepts within the discipline area
  • ULO2: Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of research principles and methods
  • ULO3: Synthesize and analyse information from a variety of sources
  • ULO4: Identify and provide solutions to complex problems with intellectual independence
  • ULO5: Articulate clearly a coherent argument in written, oral and technical communication skill as relevant to the specific needs of the discipline
  • ULO6: Think critically and make informed and logical judgement on the arguments of others to arrive at reasonable and meaningful arguments and positions, and formulate and apply ideas to new contexts
  • ULO7: Demonstrate the ability to apply accumulated knowledge and skills to make decisions in the context of professional practice and/or scholarship

General Assessment Information

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 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
Assessment Portfolio 100% No 7 June 2023 or earlier as specified,

Assessment Portfolio

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 100 hours
Due: 7 June 2023 or earlier as specified,
Weighting: 100%

Assessment tasks and weighting to be determined by supervisor for project/activity based units or as listed in unit guides where components of other units are being undertaken; and approved by Unit Convener.

Minimum 3 tasks required, with a maximum of 60% weighting for any one task. Tasks can vary, eg scientific report, essay (3000 words), exam. Workload must be appropriate for 10cp unit.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Acquire a coherent and advanced knowledge of the principles and concepts within the discipline area
  • Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of research principles and methods
  • Synthesize and analyse information from a variety of sources
  • Identify and provide solutions to complex problems with intellectual independence
  • Articulate clearly a coherent argument in written, oral and technical communication skill as relevant to the specific needs of the discipline
  • Think critically and make informed and logical judgement on the arguments of others to arrive at reasonable and meaningful arguments and positions, and formulate and apply ideas to new contexts
  • Demonstrate the ability to apply accumulated knowledge and skills to make decisions in the context of professional practice and/or scholarship

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

MOLS8001 Unit structural outline for 2023

MOLS8001 is a flexible unit of independent study which can be completed via two different pathways:

  1. The student may be placed into the class of a different unit within the discipline that is not generally part of their programme, and required to complete some or all of that unit’s requirements. This requires prior consultation with the program director and unit convenors to ensure negotiated requirements are completed successfully. Some examples of units which are available are included below, but other units may also be suitable. Students will be given access to the iLearn site of the alternative unit being attempted.  Students should consult timetables.mq.edu.au and the iLearn site of the alternative unit for details of lectures, other activities, practical classes and assessment tasks.
  2. The student may be required to complete a broad literature review on a particular topic, and submit a draft of a manuscript in a format compatible with submission for publication to a particular journal. This requires prior consultation with an academic supervisor who will aid in design of the literature review topic. There is no set timetable of activities for this offering, as it requires independent study in consultation with the supervisor. Students should also consult the School of Natural Sciences website where they can find a list of academic staff with links to their research profiles (https://www.mq.edu.au/faculty-of-science-and-engineering/departments-and-schools/school-of-natural-sciences).

In all cases, the requirements for a 10 credit point unit specify that it should be equivalent to a minimum of 150 hours of work for a student in a semester. The unit will be marked and graded. Students completing the requirements in a different unit will be marked and graded within that cohort. Students completing a literature review will receive a grade based on marking against a rubric and assessment of all submissions within the cohort by the unit convenor and other designated markers.

If you are enrolled in this unit and do not know which of the two options above you will be doing, please contact your program director.

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

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

Changes to the Special Consideration Policy

Please note, changes to the special consideration policy/procedure were approved by Senate on 24 May 2022. The most significant changes are the use of statements of fact rather than other documentation and the inclusion of "circumstances or events which are anticipated but unable to be changed".  These changes took effect for S2 2022.

https://policies.mq.edu.au/document/view.php?id=136&version=2

Special Considerations are checked by the central assessment team. If the SC meets the appropriate criteria, then it must be accepted by the team and will be forwarded to the unit convenor to action. If the SC doesn’t meet the appropriate criteria, it is rejected and does not go to the unit convenor. It is the role of the central assessment team to accept or reject SCs. It is the role of the unit convenor to recommend the remedy. SCs need to be actioned by UCs within 5 working days.

Unit information based on version 2023.02 of the Handbook