Requirements to Pass this Unit

The unit consists of three components:

Quantitative Analysis Task - Principles of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences - 20%

Practical Competency - Practice-based task - 30%

Final Examination - 50%

To successfully pass this unit, you are required to:

1. Achieve a minimum total unit mark of 50%.

2. Complete the hurdle activities (Practical Competency) to a satisfactory standard, as outlined below.

Practical Competency (Practice-Based task) (30%): Your average score over the five practicals must be 50% (= 15% of your unit mark) or greater to meet the hurdle threshold. The practical assessment comprises:

• Prelab exercises - 5%

• In-lab execution and the “prac report” - 10%

• Postlab exercises - 15%

These practical classes are designated as hurdle assessments for several reasons:

• Hands-on Experience: Laboratory classes provide essential hands-on experience that cannot be replicated through theoretical study alone. This practical exposure is crucial for understanding chemical concepts and techniques.

• Skill Development: These classes help you to develop critical laboratory skills, including accurate measurement, data analysis, bench skills, and the use of specialised equipment. These skills are fundamental for any aspiring chemist and/or biomolecular scientist and are best learned through direct practice.

• Safety Training: Laboratory work involves handling potentially hazardous materials and equipment. Mandatory practical classes ensure that you receive proper safety training, understand risk management, and can conduct experiments safely.

• Application of Theory: Practical classes bridge the gap between theory and practice. They allow you to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world scenarios, reinforcing your understanding and retention of the material.

• Problem-Solving Abilities: Laboratory experiments present unexpected challenges. By working through these problems, you enhance your critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, which are valuable skills in any career.

• Collaboration and Communication: Laboratory classes require teamwork and effective communication. These experiences help to prepare you for collaborative work environments and help you develop interpersonal skills.

• Assessment of Competence: Hurdle assessments ensure that all students meet a minimum standard of competence in practical skills. This is essential for maintaining the integrity and quality of the chemistry program. • Accreditation Requirements: The Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) mandates practical laboratory classes as part of the accreditation process for chemistry programs. This ensures that the program meets professional standards and adequately prepares students for careers in chemistry. Prelab questions must be completed with a minimum score of 60% prior to your practical classes. Failure to meet this requirement will result in denial of entry to the laboratory. These questions are designed to ensure you have adequately prepared for the laboratory class, including understanding the associated risks and safety issues, and becoming familiar with the apparatus and techniques to be used. The prelabs will be done online via iLearn Quizzes and will be due at least 48 hours before the start of your lab class, i.e. if you have a 2 pm class on Tuesday the prelab will be due at 2 pm Sunday prior to your class and if you have a 2 pm class on Wednesday, the prelab will be due at 2 pm Monday prior to your class. The practical report will be completed during the lab class and submitted to your demonstrator before you leave that class.

• Part of your practical report mark will be based on your preparation and observed level of safety.

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Ensure you have all necessary PPE, including a lab coat, safety glasses, and enclosed shoes. This is crucial for your safety and the safety of others.

• Laboratory Notes: Bring your laboratory manual or notes into the practical session, those include the experimental procedures and safety guidelines.

• Understanding Safety Protocols: Familiarise yourself with the laboratory's safety rules and emergency procedures. Know the location of safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, eye wash stations, and first aid kits.

• Knowledge of the experiment: Review the experiment's background, objectives, and procedures. Understand the theory behind the experiment and the steps you will be performing.

• Materials and equipment: Ensure you have all the necessary materials and equipment for the experiment. Check that all equipment is in working order and that you know how to use it properly.

• Time Management: Plan your time effectively to ensure you can complete the experiment within the allotted class period. This includes setting up, conducting the experiment, and cleaning up.

• Mental Preparedness: Approach the lab with a focused and attentive mindset. Be ready to engage actively with the experiment and follow instructions carefully

• Safety Conduct: Demonstrate the ability to conduct yourself in a safe manner.

• Ethical Conduct: Demonstrate the ability to conduct yourself in an ethical manner.

• Engagement: Showing a high level of engagement with the activities.

• The postlab exercises for all the practicals will be due by Monday Week 12 midnight submitted in iLearn.

• If you miss a Practical class you are NOT entitled to automatically rescheduling or a make-up class. Such an opportunity may be offered, if possible, provided sufficient notice is given and special consideration requests) is lodged using https://connect.mq.edu.au. You should also immediately contact the Unit Convenor, A/Prof. Koushik Venkatesan (koushik.venkatesan@mq.edu.au). If possible, you may be provided the opportunity to attend another practical class in the same block of prac classes.  

• You may only attend the practical classes for which you are enrolled, as shown in your eStudent timetable.

Final grade: 

• Your final grade will be based on the mark from the aggregation of the individual assessments (Quantitative Analysis Task, Practical Competency and Final Examination).

PRACTICALS

The practicals consists of three components:

• Prelab exercises - 5%

• Inlab execution and the “prac report” - 10%

• Postlab exercises - 15%

​Due: Prelab exercises to be submitted 48 hours prior to the start of the lab. weighting: 5%. in-lab "prac report" needs to be submitted within the lab time. weighting: 10%. Postlab exercises to be submitted in week 12. Weighting: 15%. You must attend all 5 of the practical sessions. If you cannot you must submit a special consideration request. 

The prepractical (prelabs) safety exercises, performance in the practical, the practical report, and the in-lab/ post-practical exercises will be used to calculate the final practical mark.  The assessment tasks start off simple and build on skills and knowledge developed throughout the course.

Prepracticals exercises for all practicals must be submitted online in iLearn 48 hours PRIOR to your scheduled practical class. See iLearn for dates for online submission prior to the practical class. These "prelabs" represent 5% of the mark for these 5 lab classes and will guide you in the data analysis for the practical class.

Practical reports are due Monday week 12 midnight.

Quantitative analysis task - Principles of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences

Due: Week 7 during the time of the workshops. Weighting: 20% 

A selection of real-world problems designed to assess understanding of the lecture, practical and workshop materials.

FINAL EXAMINATION

Due: University Examination Period Weighting: 50% 

The final exam is designed to address a specific understanding of all the topics presented within the course and to show that the knowledge obtained can be applied to new problems. Details of the final exam length will be made available as part of publishing the university exam timetable.

Final Examination Details:  You are expected to present yourself for examination at the time and place designated by the University in the Examination Timetable.  This could be any day after the final week of the semester and up until the final day of the official examination period.  Macquarie University's policy is not to set early examinations for individuals or groups of students.  All students are expected to ensure that they are available until the end of the teaching semester, that is, the final day of the official examination period. The only exception to sitting an examination at the designated time is because of documented illness or unavoidable disruption. In these circumstances, you should apply for a Supplementary Exam at https://connect.mq.edu.au.

Supplementary Exams: 

If you receive a special consideration for the final exam, a supplementary exam will be scheduled in the interval between the regular exam period and the start of the next session. By requesting a special consideration for the final exam you are declaring yourself available for a re-sit during the supplementary examination period and will not be eligible for a second special consideration approval based on pre-existing commitments. Please ensure that you are familiar with the policy prior to submitting an application.

Late Assessment Submission

Late assessments are not accepted in this unit unless a Special Consideration has been submitted and approved.

Hurdle Assessments

Assessment: Practice-based task (30%)

Knowledge and skills development requires continual practice of authentic problems in a laboratory-based setting. This unit has 5 laboratory classes, and you must demonstrate your progress in developing and communicating knowledge and skills in all these classes. This is a hurdle assessment, meaning that failure to meet this requirement may result in a fail grade for the unit.

Required Textbook:

"Chemistry the Central Science- Global Edition" by Brown and Lemay

Lectures (IN PERSON)

Week 1 Classes: Lectures commence in week one, with workshops and practicals beginning in week 2. Please refer to Ilearn for a detailed guide. 

Lectures will be run in person, and students must listen to lectures. In-person attendance makes for interactive sessions that enhance learning. Lecture recordings and supplementary shorter summaries will be available through iLEARN ECHO and PowerPoint slides via iLearn.  Lectures will also include working through examples of problems to strengthen and increase understanding of the concepts. Learning is an active process, so you must engage with the material. This means downloading and reading the lecture notes and relevant sections of the textbook (and beyond) before and after attending the lectures is strongly recommended. Weekly online quizzes will also be provided, so it is strongly recommended that you listen and work through lecture examples before completing these quizzes. The quizzes are timed. The quizzes and mid-session tests allow you to learn continuously and identify what you understand and the areas you need to spend more time on, with minimal assessment penalty.

Workshops (Weekly in PERSON)

Workshops will be run to assist your understanding of the course material. Attempting the questions before the workshop to identify what you need assistance with is highly recommended. Teaching staff will often ask students to assist in answering the questions throughout the course. Anonymous teaching evaluations from past students have identified workshops as a highly valuable learning tool, and participation is thus critical for passing the unit. Workshops are interactive and are designed to consolidate the lectures. Students are advised to prepare for the workshops by ensuring all previous lectures are studied. 

Laboratory classes (On campus and are compulsory)

Practical classes are designed to develop basic laboratory skills, general safety practices and critical and analytical thought. Pre-practical questions are designed to ensure you are ready for the practical work and have grasped the necessary theory and safety practices. The pre-practical questions MUST be submitted online through iLearn 48 hours prior to the start of the practical, as in iLearn before the scheduled practical class. In-lab and post-lab work are designed to allow you to appropriately record your experimental observations and your calculations in a detailed and accurate manner and assess your understanding of the theory behind the experiments conducted, and use this understanding to solve related problems. The practicals are scaffolded such that the expectations of pre-practical, in-practical and post-practical reports increase throughout the course as an understanding of the concepts and skill in recording the data and interpreting results develops.

Methods of Communication

We will communicate with you via your university email and through announcements on iLearn. Queries to convenors can either be placed on the iLearn discussion board or sent to the unit convenor via the contact email on iLearn. Assoc. Prof. Koushik Venkatesan also has specific availability for drop-ins please use these to ensure continuous support of your learning. 

Please chek the iLearn site for the most up-to-date Unit schedule

 

To align the unit with the recently revised Macquarie University Assessment Policy, we have modified the unit assessments as follows:

• Online Quizzes (15%) hav been deleted

• Mid-Semester Test (15%) has been deleted

• Laboratory work (20%) has been changed to practical competency (30%)

• Quantitative Analysis Task (20%) based on real-world scenarios has been added

• Final Examination (50%) remains unchanged