A. Assessment Release

• Seminar Presentation: specifications provided no later than 5th August, 2026
• Laboratory performance and skills evaluation: details to be released by 25th August, 2026
• Research report: details to be released by 20th October, 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 workshops. 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: 

SEMINAR PRESENTATION WITH SELF-REFLECTION - NO, unless Special Consideration is granted.  

LABORATORY PERFORMANCE AND SKILLS EVALUATION - NO, unless Special Consideration is granted.  

RESEARCH REPORT - 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.

MOLS8903 is delivered as a research-intensive unit that provides students with first-hand experience in an active research laboratory. Unlike traditional coursework units, it has no weekly lectures. Instead, students undertake a guided research project under the supervision of academic staff and research team members, allowing them to develop practical laboratory skills, critical thinking, teamwork, and scientific communication in a genuine research environment.

The unit consists of four interactive workshops and a one-week intensive laboratory placement.

• Workshop 1 (Week 2) introduces students to the unit, research themes, project expectations, laboratory safety requirements, and research group allocations.
• Workshop 2 (week 5) focuses on experimental design and research planning, with student groups presenting and discussing their proposed research protocols to commence the laboratory work.
• Intensive Laboratory Block (week 2 of the mid-session break) provides students with a full-time (9:00 am-5:00 pm) immersive research experience. Students will work alongside researchers in the School of Natural Sciences, learning laboratory techniques, collecting and analysing experimental data, maintaining laboratory records, and participating in day-to-day research activities. Laboratory performance and professional skills are assessed through direct observation during this period.
• Workshop 3 (week 11) provides guidance on troubleshooting experimental challenges, data analysis, interpreting results, and preparing the final research report.
• Workshop 4 (week 13) provides students with the opportunity to discuss their research findings, demonstrate their understanding of their project and its broader scientific context, and seek feedback and clarification on the research report prior to submission.

Throughout the semester, students are expected to engage with the scientific literature relevant to their assigned project, maintain communication with their supervisors and research group, and undertake independent study to support the preparation of their assessments.

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.

Learning Resources

As this unit is based on authentic research practice, there is no prescribed textbook.

Learning resources will be provided through iLearn and by individual research supervisors, and may include:

• Project-specific research protocols and laboratory manuals.
• Primary scientific literature and review articles relevant to each research project.
• Workshop materials, assessment information, and submission guidelines.
• Data analysis resources and software appropriate to the assigned project.
• Laboratory equipment and instrumentation available within the School of Natural Sciences research facilities.
• Guidance and mentoring from academic staff, research supervisors, research assistants, postgraduate researchers, and other members of the research team.

Students are expected to take responsibility for identifying and critically evaluating relevant scientific literature throughout their research project, reflecting the practices of professional researchers.

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 MOLS8903 Biotechnology Research Experience 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.

Week 1: There is no on-campus learning activity in week 1.

This is the inaugural offering of MOLS8903. The unit has been newly designed to provide students with an authentic research experience through participation in active research projects within the School of Natural Sciences, supported by workshops, an intensive laboratory placement, and research-focused assessments. As this is the first offering, there are no changes from a previous iteration.

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.