Grade descriptors and other information concerning grading are contained in the Macquarie University Assessment Policy.

All final grades are determined by a grading committee, in accordance with the Macquarie University Assessment Policy, and are not the sole responsibility of the Unit Convenor.

Students will be awarded a final grade and a mark which must correspond to the grade descriptors specified in the Assessment Procedure (clause 128).

To pass this unit, you must demonstrate sufficient evidence of achievement of the learning outcomes, meet any ungraded requirements, and achieve a final mark of 50 or better.

Further details for each assessment task will be available on iLearn.

Students are expected to make themselves available for the final exam, at the date and time set by the University, in line with the Assessment Policy and Procedure.

Word count penalty: 5% of the possible mark will be deducted per 100 words over the word limit for the assessment task. An additional 99 words beyond the limit can be written without penalty.

Sitting the final exam is compulsory in order to be eligible to pass the unit. Any student who does not attempt the final exam will be granted a Fail Absent grade.

If there are legitimate reasons why you are unable to complete an assessment task as specified, you should lodge an application for special consideration through www.ask.mq.edu

Note that some assessments for this unit are conducted online. Therefore, access to a reliable computer and internet connection is essential. Technical difficulties will not be accepted as a reason for special consideration.

Mid-Session Exam

The Mid-session exam will assess all topics covered in lectures, practicals and assigned reading before the mid-semester break. It will be held online at 1pm on Tues. 11/4/2023. It should be noted that this is in the first week of the mid-session recess. The test is "open book" (i.e. you can use resources such as lecture notes, textbooks, web resources, etc.).

Final Exam

This exam will assess only the aspects of the course on vision, plus the Multisensory lecture. Some information from the Introduction and General Principles lecture will also be relevant, as much of this lecture applies to all of the senses. This includes the content covered in lecture 1 and lectures 5-12, all associated assigned reading and practicals.

Online Quizzes

Online quizzes will be administered weekly from week 3 to week 12 and must be completed individually by each student. Although reference materials may be used, it is advised that students also prepare for each quiz by reviewing the relevant material before attempting the questions. The online quizzes will be delivered via the online iLearn webpage for the unit. Students will have precisely one week (from the beginning of the lecture) to complete each quiz. No extensions will be given. Detailed feedback on your performance will be provided when the quiz closes.

Practical Worksheets

Online worksheets, which accompany the practical activities, must be completed and submitted by the end of each of the 4 practical periods (i.e. by midnight Sunday of weeks 4, 6, 10 & 12 respectively).

As a student enrolled in this unit, you will engage in a range of online and face-to-face learning activities, including readings, online modules, and lectures. Details can be found on the iLearn site for this unit.

Technology Used and Required

For this unit, you will need to have access to a computer that can reliably connect to the Internet. This will be essential for completing some assessments (see the section on "Assessment Tasks"), and in accessing the unit's web-page, which can be found at https://ilearn.mq.edu.au. It will also be essential for engaging in online practicals.

Note that for practical #3 students will require anaglyph 3D glasses (either red-blue or red-green). Anaglyph glasses can be purchased from many stores online or can be constructed at home very cheaply.

It is University policy that the University-issued email account will be used for official University communication. All students are required to access their University account frequently.

Required Text

Snowden, R., Thompson, P., & Troscianko, T. Basic Vision: an introduction to visual perception 2^nd Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.

This is a very accessible text that is always popular with students. It introduces technical concepts in an easy-to-grasp fashion and is an excellent introduction to the discipline of visual perception. It will be an indispensable resource for students on this course.

Recommended Text

Mather, G. Foundations of Sensation & Perception, 3^rd Edition. Taylor & Francis Group, 2016.

This text offers broader coverage of perception in general and will be especially useful for topics outside of vision, which Snowden et al. does not cover. It also offers more technical detail than Snowden et al. in certain areas, allowing the conscientious student to deepen their understanding of the topics that are covered in the required text.

Access to Assigned Reading Material

Both the required and the recommended texts are available for purchase, but there are also hard copies available at the library in the main collection as well as those available for download as eBooks. Where availability is limited, students should consider using previous editions of each book which are are just as good for most topics.

Basic Vision, 2nd Edition (2014)

Basic Vision, "Revised" Edition (2012)

[Note: As far as I can see, these are identical, and either could be referred to as the 2nd Edition.]

Basic Vision, First Edition, (2006), available in print only

Foundations of Sensation & Perception, 3rd Edition

Foundations of Sensation & Perception, 2nd Edition

What does it take to do well in this unit?

Students are expected to pay close attention to all lectures and to take notes to aid their retention of the material covered. Reading assigned during each lecture should be completed close to the date of the relevant lecture. Review of the material (individually, or in group sessions) in the student’s own time will be essential to consolidate knowledge and enhance understanding. Active participation in practicals is also mandatory. Online practical worksheets are assessed and need to be completed on time. Online quizzes offer the chance to answer questions while using resources such as textbooks and lecture notes. While students who are on top of the material may find the questions relatively easy to answer in a short time period, those whose knowledge is still developing have the opportunity to research their answers over an extended period of time, if necessary. This format is unlike the other assessment tasks, and offers an opportunity for grade enhancement that should not be missed.

It should be noted that according to Senate guidelines, workloads should involve 1 hour per credit point per week. This results in 10 hours per week (including lectures and practicals) for a 10 credit point unit such as this.

Note: Assessment will be based on the successful understanding of the material from lectures, practicals and from the assigned reading. Please note that rote learning alone will not be a successful strategy, as the assessments will test for deeper appreciation of the course material in a variety of formats. Simply remembering the “facts” will not suffice. Students need to demonstrate their understanding of the principles and demonstrate the ability to apply such understanding in new contexts.

What material is examinable?

Obviously, the exact details of the questions to be asked in the examinations will not be released in advance. However, questions will come from topics covered during lectures and practicals. Where additional information on these topics is supplied in the assigned reading, this should also be considered examinable. The examinations will not feature questions on topics not covered during lectures even if they are included in the assigned reading.

Overview

The course will comprise lectures and practicals supported by assigned reading. Although some of the material from these separate components may be related to each other, different concepts and topics will be contained in each. While lectures are useful principally for introducing new concepts and knowledge, practicals allow a hands-on approach to perceptual phenomena and their explanation. They are your opportunity to enhance your understanding further by participating in activities.

Lecture Topics and Assigned Reading:

Weekly lectures will be delivered on Tuesdays from 1-3pm in the Macquarie Theatre, 21 Wally's Walk. Early lectures will concentrate on the low-level mechanisms of perception through a variety of senses, with special attention given to the details of auditory and visual perception. Later lectures will cover higher-level processing, such as the perception of faces and objects, the issue of multisensory integration and the development of perceptual abilities. The lecture schedule set out below is a guide only, and is intended to be flexible. On occasion, more time will be spent on certain topics if additional explanation is required. As such, material from one lecture may overlap into the next, where necessary.

Practicals

The practical program will run from university session weeks 3-6 and 9-12 inclusive. During this period, students will complete a practical in each of 4 separate periods, in weeks 3-4, 5-6, 9-10 & 11-12, as set out on iLearn. Practicals can be accessed online and will be supported by experienced tutors via scheduled Zoom and online chat sessions. These tutors will be your first contact if you have problems with this unit. Their names and contact details can be found in the "Teaching Staff" section. The schedule and topics to be covered are displayed below. The content of the practical classes is identical for all classes. 

Practical Topics:

Social inclusion at Macquarie University is about giving everyone who has the potential to benefit from higher education the opportunity to study at university, participate in campus life and flourish in their chosen field. The University has made significant moves to promote an equitable, diverse and exciting campus community for the benefit of staff and students. It is your responsibility to contribute towards the development of an inclusive culture and practice in the areas of learning and teaching, research, and service orientation and delivery. As a member of the Macquarie University community, you must not discriminate against or harass others based on their sex, gender, race, marital status, carers' responsibilities, disability, sexual orientation, age, political conviction or religious belief. All staff and students are expected to display appropriate behaviour that is conducive to a healthy learning environment for everyone.

The Unit Convenor is a member of the Ally Network and is happy to provide support to members of the LGBTIQ community.

In the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, professionalism is a key capability embedded in all our courses.

As part of developing professionalism, students are expected to attend all small group interactive sessions including clinical, practical, laboratory, work-integrated learning (e.g., PACE placements), and team-based learning activities. Some learning activities are recorded (e.g., face-to-face lectures), however you are encouraged to avoid relying upon such material as they do not recreate the whole learning experience and technical issues can and do occur. As an adult learner, we respect your decision to choose how you engage with your learning, but we would remind you that the learning opportunities we create for you have been done so to enable your success, and that by not engaging you may impact your ability to successfully complete this unit. We equally expect that you show respect for the academic staff who have worked hard to develop meaningful activities and prioritise your learning by communicating with them in advance if you are unable to attend a small group interactive session.

Another dimension of professionalism is having respect for your peers. It is the right of every student to learn in an environment that is free of disruption and distraction. Please arrive to all learning activities on time, and if you are unavoidably detained, please join activity as quietly as possible to minimise disruption. Phones and other electronic devices that produce noise and other distractions must be turned off prior to entering class. Where your own device (e.g., laptop) is being used for class-related activities, you are asked to close down all other applications to avoid distraction to you and others. Please treat your fellow students with the utmost respect. If you are uncomfortable participating in any specific activity, please let the relevant academic know.