Macquarie University uses a standards-based assessment system and, as such, satisfactory performance in all aspects of the unit assessment is required to pass the unit overall. This unit contains hurdle assessments which must be completed to the specified standard in order to pass the unit overall irrespective of the final total mark.

Quizzes

Due: Weekly SGTA

Weighting: 25%

This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

The key way to develop physics engineering skills is through solving problems based on the topics being studied.  We dedicate 2 hours per week to SGTA classes, where you learn physics engineering skills in a supportive environment with academic staff and peers to help you.  During the sessions, in weeks 1-6, 8-13, you will be provided with a set of problems based on the week's lecture topics.  You work through these and then, to reinforce and test your learning, at the end of each SGTA class you will complete a 10-minute quiz based on one of the assigned problems.  These quizzes will be marked by your instructors and returned with feedback.  This feedback, and more general feedback to the SGTA class, is designed to help you develop your skills so read / listen and think about what it means.  

Your best 8 quiz scores will contribute a total of 25% to your final mark.  The quizzes are a hurdle requirement; you must complete at least 8 in order to be eligible to pass the unit overall. No catch-up quizzes are offered. If you have an unavoidable commitment, you may be able to attend a different SGTA class for that week: please email PHYS1510@mq.edu.au to seek advice. 

Mid-session Exam

Due: Timetabled Week 7 SGTA class

Weighting: 10%

Hurdle: No

A mid-session exam will be held in your timetabled Week 7 SGTA class – please attend the correct one.  This 50-minute exam will cover content from Weeks 1-5 inclusive.  Further details will be provided in lectures leading up to this date.

Laboratory Work 

Due: During class. See the lab schedule on iLearn for dates.

Weighting: 25%

This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

Satisfactory completion of laboratories is a hurdle requirement. You must attend all ten laboratory sessions in your timetabled timeslot.  The first lab session is in Week 1 of the session and includes work health and safety information. Students may also be assigned to lab groups, lab books will be handed out, and computer access will be checked. This must be attended by all students regardless of whether this is their first Physics unit or not. It will be shorter than the other sessions, but attendance is absolutely mandatory – you can’t do subsequent lab sessions if you don’t attend the introductory one. The next 9 lab sessions involve experimental work and will be assessed. You must obtain a mark of at least 40% for each of the laboratory sessions in order to pass the unit. 

Preparation is required for each of the lab sessions 2-10. You will find the Prelab activities in the Laboratory Resources section of iLearn. Your prelab work will account for some of the marks for each laboratory session.

If you miss a session or fail to achieve at least 40% for any lab session, you must complete a “Request to schedule a Catch-up laboratory session” form, which can be found on iLearn. See iLearn for full details about catch-up classes and when they are scheduled. No more than 3 catch-ups are allowed for missed labs or lab hurdles, except where Special Consideration has been approved. If you fail to attend the catch-up class you are booked into, then that will count as another missed lab.

Final Examination

Due: During the Examination Period 

Weighting: 40%

This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

You are expected to present yourself for examination at the time and place designated in the University Examination Timetable (http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/exam/).  

The final examination will be two hours long and will cover all content of the unit (Weeks 1-12). The examination is closed book. Resource sheets of relevant equations and physical constants will be provided.

The use of calculators in examinations for this unit is permitted, but calculators with a full alphabet keyboard or text storage facility are not allowed.

The final examination is a hurdle requirement. You must obtain a mark of at least 40% in the final exam to be eligible to pass the unit. If your mark in the final examination is between 30% and 39% inclusive, you may be given a second and final chance to attain the required level of performance; the mark awarded for the second exam towards your final unit mark will be capped at 40%, and you will be allowed to sit the second exam only if this mark would be sufficient to pass the unit overall.

All classes (lectures, SGTAs, and labs) commence in week 1 of the session on campus.

Textbook

We will make close use of Fundamentals of Physics, 1st Australian & New Zealand Edition, Halliday et al. from Wiley.  Electronic and physical copies can be obtained at https://www.wileydirect.com.au/buy/fundamentals-of-physics-australian-new-zealand-edition/. The library also has copies available.

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. Your best 8 SGTA quiz marks will count for the assessment, so if you miss 1 or 2 SGTAs you do not need to apply for Special Consideration. 

Laboratory Sessions

The laboratory component is an essential component of your studies and so counts for an appreciable fraction of your final assessment. You will be introduced to some of the basic skills and techniques required of practicing physicists, scientists, and engineers. You will be issued with a Laboratory Notebook, provided with instructional material in the form of Laboratory Notes which can be found in the Laboratory Resources section of iLearn, and assisted in the laboratory by a team of demonstrators. For each laboratory session, except in Week 1, you are required to complete some preparatory work (Pre-Lab) before attending your nominated Lab session. To figure out which Prelab to do, please consult the Laboratory Schedule on iLearn.

Location: The two laboratories for 1000-level physics are both in 14 SCO:

• 14SCO Room 114 (Ground floor at the North-East corner of the building)
• 14SCO Room 254 (First floor, north-facing side of the atrium)

Please check iLearn to see where your lab class will take place.

Laboratory Safety: You are required to follow all safety guidelines given in the first Lab session, your lab notes, and the lab staff. Food and drink cannot be consumed in the lab, and students without suitable covered footwear will be refused admission.  Labs are scheduled for on-campus delivery only. 

Attend all your Lab classes: To pass the unit you need to demonstrate ongoing development of skills in all of the lab classes. If you miss a weekly practical class due to a serious unavoidable and significant disruption contact your convener ASAP as you may be able to attend another class that week. 

COVID-19  

For the latest information on the University's response to COVID-19, please refer to the following website: https://www.mq.edu.au/about/coronavirus-faqs.

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, directly to the teaching staff, or via other mechanisms.

A foundational skills quiz has been added to the unit to enable students to self-assess their preparation for the unit in the early weeks of the session. Some modifications of the content and teaching approach have been made, seeking to increase student engagement. Clarification of Special consideration has been added.