Students

BIOL8601 – Conservation Internship

2025 – Session 1, In person-placement, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Fleur Ponton
Credit points Credit points
20
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MConBiol and 20cp from 8000-level Biology units
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit enables the student to acquire experience in conservation practice by undertaking an internship under academic supervision, or in conjunction with a private or public organisation within the conservation sector. The possible topics for the internship are broad in scope as long as work is associated with the conservation of biodiversity. Students must organise their project and supervisor well before commencing this unit.

Learning in this unit enhances student understanding of global challenges identified by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) Life on Land

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: Demonstrate professionalism by adhering to all workplace standards, particularly with regard to ethics, occupational health and safety, and legal requirements.
  • ULO2: Plan and implement an internship project that clearly articulates the aims, methods and outcomes of work that contributes to the conservation of biodiversity. 
  • ULO3: Demonstrate effective time and project management skills by working independently to collect scientific data and by documenting these efforts using a project notebook.
  • ULO4: Communicate the conservation outcomes of the internship in written form by constructing a coherent, well structured document.
  • ULO5: Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the scientific, social, and legal dimensions of an issue of particular relevance to the conservation sector.

General Assessment Information

To pass this unit you need to achieve a total mark equal to or greater than 50% across all assessments.

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 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 assessments/presentations, please apply for 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. Written Assessments: If you experience circumstances or events that affect your ability to complete the written 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
Project proposal 10% No 17/03/2025
Poster 15% No 12/05/2025
Supervisor Report 25% No 09/06/2025
Internship Report 50% No 09/06/2025

Project proposal

Assessment Type 1: Design Task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: 17/03/2025
Weighting: 10%

 

Develop a short proposal explaining the work that you will undertake 

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Plan and implement an internship project that clearly articulates the aims, methods and outcomes of work that contributes to the conservation of biodiversity. 
  • Demonstrate effective time and project management skills by working independently to collect scientific data and by documenting these efforts using a project notebook.

Poster

Assessment Type 1: Poster
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 12/05/2025
Weighting: 15%

 

Develop a poster outlining your project and methodology.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate professionalism by adhering to all workplace standards, particularly with regard to ethics, occupational health and safety, and legal requirements.
  • Plan and implement an internship project that clearly articulates the aims, methods and outcomes of work that contributes to the conservation of biodiversity. 
  • Demonstrate effective time and project management skills by working independently to collect scientific data and by documenting these efforts using a project notebook.
  • Communicate the conservation outcomes of the internship in written form by constructing a coherent, well structured document.

Supervisor Report

Assessment Type 1: Performance
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: 09/06/2025
Weighting: 25%

 

Supervisors will provide a report on student performance, progress, abilities acquired and attendance throughout placement.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate professionalism by adhering to all workplace standards, particularly with regard to ethics, occupational health and safety, and legal requirements.
  • Plan and implement an internship project that clearly articulates the aims, methods and outcomes of work that contributes to the conservation of biodiversity. 
  • Demonstrate effective time and project management skills by working independently to collect scientific data and by documenting these efforts using a project notebook.
  • Communicate the conservation outcomes of the internship in written form by constructing a coherent, well structured document.
  • Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the scientific, social, and legal dimensions of an issue of particular relevance to the conservation sector.

Internship Report

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 45 hours
Due: 09/06/2025
Weighting: 50%

 

Describe the full internship in the form of a report or scientific paper

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Plan and implement an internship project that clearly articulates the aims, methods and outcomes of work that contributes to the conservation of biodiversity. 
  • Demonstrate effective time and project management skills by working independently to collect scientific data and by documenting these efforts using a project notebook.
  • Communicate the conservation outcomes of the internship in written form by constructing a coherent, well structured document.
  • Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the scientific, social, and legal dimensions of an issue of particular relevance to the conservation sector.

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

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.

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 connect.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/

Academic Success

Academic Success 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 the Service Connect Portal, 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

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, to the teaching staff directly, or via the FSE Student Experience & Feedback link in the iLearn page.


Unit information based on version 2025.04 of the Handbook