Research Abstract

Assessment Type ¹: Summary Indicative Time on Task ²: 16 hours Due: 10/4/23 Weighting: 10%

A short abstract to summarise your presentation, as if you were presenting it at an international scientific conference.

On successful completion you will be able to:

• Communicate scientific research and issues in conservation to various target audiences in verbal and written form
• Identify how research in conservation biology influences environmental management practices and assess how effectively this is undertaken
• Demonstrate a capacity for undertaking literature-based research into key topics in conservation biology and synthesising the current state-of-knowledge

Weekly Online Quizzes

Assessment Type ¹: Quiz/Test Indicative Time on Task ²: 30 hours Due: Weekly Weighting: 24%

On the day following most lectures (excluding final lecture), a quiz will become available on iLearn (worth ~2%) that you will have 7 days to complete. The online exercises will consist of short answers and multiple-choice questions that revise the topic of each lecture (including tutorial discussions), encourage thinking and research skills, in alignment with the Austral Ark textbook chapters. The exercises may involve consulting peer-reviewed literature discussed in lectures, external websites, and chapters within Austral Ark. The schedule for the availability and due dates of each online quiz will be available on iLearn. Note: quizzes become available before 5pm the day after each lecture and will close 7 DAYS LATER at 5pm.

On successful completion you will be able to:

• Describe theoretical concepts in conservation biology and current conservation issues in Australia and abroad
• Communicate scientific research and issues in conservation to various target audiences in verbal and written form
• Demonstrate a capacity for undertaking literature-based research into key topics in conservation biology and synthesising the current state-of-knowledge

Research Presentation

Assessment Type ¹: Presentation Indicative Time on Task ²: 30 hours Due: 17/4/23 Weighting: 26%

Your task is to give a presentation (using powerpoint slides with audio only) to provide a RESEARCH UPDATE AND SYNTHESIS on a conservation issue of interest, integrating scientific literature published in the last FIVE years around your topic. You are required to choose a topic of conservation interest in Australia or New Zealand/ Oceania. The topic you choose may, e.g., be in relation to a threatened/invasive species, a threatened habitat, or threatening processes such as fire, disease spread or human disturbance.

On successful completion you will be able to:

• Communicate scientific research and issues in conservation to various target audiences in verbal and written form
• Identify how research in conservation biology influences environmental management practices and assess how effectively this is undertaken
• Demonstrate a capacity for undertaking literature-based research into key topics in conservation biology and synthesising the current state-of-knowledge

Popular science article

Assessment Type ¹: Essay Indicative Time on Task ²: 50 hours Due: 15/5/23 Weighting: 40%

You will write a popular science article for The Conversation (see https://theconversation.com/au). To do this, you will choose a recently (less than 1 year old) published scientific paper from a journal within conservation biology. The chosen journal article may focus on conservation issues occurring in any part of the world (i.e. not restricted to Australia or New Zealand).

On successful completion you will be able to:

• Describe theoretical concepts in conservation biology and current conservation issues in Australia and abroad
• Evaluate literature on conservation issues within peer-reviewed scientific literature and present them in the popular media
• Demonstrate a capacity for undertaking literature-based research into key topics in conservation biology and synthesising the current state-of-knowledge

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

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 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. 

Lectures will be pre recorded and available via ECHO. Tutorials will be face-to-face and online. All resources will be available via ilearn.