A. Assessment Release

• Lab book: specifications to be released no later than 5th August, 2026
• Case Study: details to be released by 10th August, 2026

B. Requirements to Pass this Unit

To pass this unit, you need to:

• Achieve a total mark equal to or greater than 50% across all assessments

C. Participation

We strongly encourage all students to actively participate in all learning activities. Regular engagement is crucial for your success in this unit, as these activities provide opportunities to deepen your understanding of the material, collaborate with peers, and receive valuable feedback from instructors, to assist in completing the unit assessments. Your active participation not only enhances your own learning experience but also contributes to a vibrant and dynamic learning environment for everyone.

D. 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 technical concerns. 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. For example, if the assignment is worth 8 marks (of the entire unit) and your submission is late by 19 hours (or 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds), 0.4 marks (5% of 8 marks) will be deducted. If your submission is late by 24 hours (or 47 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds), 0.8 marks (10% of 8 marks) will be deducted, and so on.

E. Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted: 

In this unit, late submissions will be accepted as follows: 

LABORATORY BOOK - Yes, standard late penalty applies (unless Special Consideration is granted). 

CASE STUDY ORAL PRESENTATION - NO, unless Special Consideration is granted. 

F. 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. If you experience circumstances or events that affect your ability to complete the assessments in this unit on time, please inform the convenor and submit a Special Consideration request through https://connect.mq.edu.au.

Week 1 Classes: As detailed in the Unit Schedule below, the two 1-hour lectures in Week 1 are pre-recorded and will be uploaded to iLearn. There are no on-campus activities in Week 1. 

Lectures: There are two lectures per week, as per the university timetable. All lectures are delivered on campus (except in week 1) and will be recorded. All lecture material will be available on iLearn.

Laboratory Sessions (Wet-lab): 3-hour laboratory sessions are scheduled according to the timetable. There are two timetabled sessions available.

Practicals 1 - 4 will be held on campus at the Science labs in 14 Sir Christopher Ondaatje Ave (E7B) 349+350 Science Lab. In total, there are FOUR lab sessions held in weeks 2, 4, 6 and 8. Participation in all four laboratory sessions is required to collect data to complete the Lab book assessment (40%). If you cannot attend, you must submit a Special Consideration request for your absence to be considered.

** Students must bring their own lab coats to enter the labs. It is also recommended that students bring their own safety glasses. However, these will be provided if students do not have their own safety glasses. Other PPE will be provided.

SGTA/Workshop Sessions (3 hrs): SGTA sessions will be held on campus, alongside the five scheduled workshop sessions (total 3 hrs: 1 hr SGTA + 2 hrs Workshops) in Weeks 3, 5, 7, 10, and 12. Workshop 1 will support the Laboratory Book assessment. Workshops 2-4 will include a non-assessable quiz to encourage engagement and provide early feedback. The case study oral presentations are to be delivered during Workshop 5.

Case study presentations: Will be held during the scheduled SGTA/Workshop session in Week 12. A short (~10-minute) presentation is to be delivered in small groups on a contemporary macromolecule. Half of the marks are for the group, and half are for your individual contribution. If you cannot attend, a Special Consideration request must be submitted for your absence to be considered.

**Students are required to bring their own laptops to on-campus workshop sessions. Please ensure your laptop is fully charged, as power points may not be available to all students. If you require a laptop loan, this can be arranged PRIOR to the workshop session by contacting the unit convenor. 

Textbooks: Reading material and required text will be provided by your lecturer. A list of suggested reading material and texts will be made available on iLearn and on the library website at https://libguides.mq.edu.au/leganto.

Methods of Communication

We will communicate with you via your university email and through announcements on iLearn. If you have queries for the unit convenor, you can: 

• Post your question on the iLearn discussion board (preferred for general queries that may benefit other students)
• Send a private message to the unit convenor via iLearn

Please check your university email and iLearn regularly to ensure you do not miss important updates.

Technology Used and Required

You are expected to access the unit iLearn site regularly to download required materials (e.g. PDF files) and stay up to date with unit announcements. Important information may also be sent to your student email account, so please check your email frequently to ensure you do not miss any updates.

Unit iLearn Page

The URL of the BMOL3202 Macromolecules iLearn site is: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au/

You will be asked for a username and a password. Your username is your student MQ ID. Your MQ ID and password have been mailed to you by the University. If you have lost them, go to the student portal: http://my.mq.edu.au.

To provide students with more time to focus on learning, understanding, and reflecting on the unit content, the assessment structure was revised in 2025. The unit now comprises three assessments: a Laboratory Book (40%), a Case Study (20%), and a Final Examination (40%).

We value student feedback and use it to continually improve the learning experience. Students are encouraged to provide constructive feedback through the University student surveys, directly to the teaching staff, or via the FSE Student Experience & Feedback link on the iLearn page.

Feedback from the 2025 offering of the unit was overwhelmingly positive. Students appreciated the clarity of the revised assessment requirements and the high level of support provided by the teaching team. One suggestion for improvement was that the assessment due dates were clustered toward the end of the semester. In response, the 2026 offering has been redesigned so that practical classes commence in Week 2, allowing the Laboratory Book assessment to be completed and submitted shortly after the mid-semester break.

Although class participation does not contribute directly to your final grade, all lectures, practicals, and SGTA sessions are designed to support your learning and provide essential knowledge and skills needed to successfully complete the assessments.