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.

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.

Late Submissions

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (OF THE TOTAL POSSIBLE MARK) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up to the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted.

 For example:

Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55 pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern. Submission of assessments after 7 days can be accepted at the discretion of the unit convenor and may be considered in determining whether you have met the learning outcomes of the unit to support passing the unit.

Special Consideration

If you are unable to complete an assessment task on or by the specified date due to circumstances that are unexpected, unavoidable, significantly disruptive and beyond your control, you may apply for special consideration. This is in accordance with the Special Consideration Policy. Applications for special consideration must be supported by appropriate evidence and submitted via ask.mq.edu.au. Other than in exceptional circumstances, only one (1) opportunity for a supplementary examination will be provided.

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

Technology Used

Active participation in the learning activities throughout the unit will generally require students to have access to a tablet, laptop or similar device. Students who do not own their own laptop computer may borrow one from the university library.

Recommended Readings

Unit readings for this unit are available via the university library website.

The recommended texts for this unit include:

1. Kandel, E., Schwartz, J., Jessell, T., Siegelbaum, S., Hudspeth, J., Principles of Neural Science (6^th Editions). McGraw-Hill Education - Europe
2. Bear, M.F., Connors, B.W., Paradiso, M.A., Neuroscience. Exploring the Brain (4th Ed). Wolters Kluwer

Please note that the book and the prescribed readings for each week are recommended to complement your understanding of the lecture content. The prescribed readings are not compulsory and will not be assessed unless covered in the lectures.

Several changes to assessments, and the weighting of assessments, have been made for S2 2025. The mid semester exam has been removed and replaced with Illustrative Report assessment (AT1 - 20% of final mark). The final exam has been increased to 50% of total marks (in prior years it was 40%) and will now be a 2 hour exam (previous years was 90 min).