Students
BBE 303 – Independent Research Project in Brain, Behaviour and Evolution
2013 – S2 Day
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Andrew Barron
Contact via andrew.barron@mq.edu.au
Other Staff
Sharyon O'Donnell
Contact via sharyon.odonnell@mq.edu.au
9-5
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| Credit points |
Credit points
6
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
39cp and BBE200 and (one of BIOL235 or PSY222 or STAT270 or STAT271) and a GPA of 2.5 and permission of Executive Dean of Faculty
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
In this highly selective individualised unit, students carry out one research project in the laboratory of a staff member. Students are individually supervised, as part of the research community, and are expected to put in much effort, with the unit being worth double the usual credit points. The unit provides an excellent opportunity to do hands-on research. Laboratory and/or field projects may be conducted.
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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:
- 1. Learn an advanced understanding of a chosen area of behavioural research
- 2. Critique and integrate information from primary research papers
- 3. Master practical skills for conducting behavioural research
- 4. Conduct a long-term independent scientific study
- 5. Generate hypotheses, and design new experiments to test hypotheses
- 6. Present experimental findings as a paper written in the style of a recognised scientific journal
- 7. Present a research project orally
- 8. Contribute as part of a research team
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Due | Groupwork/Individual | Short Extension | AI Approach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| research proposal | 5% | TBA | No | ||
| oral presentation | 20% | TBA | No | ||
| supervisor assessment | 15% | TBA | No | ||
| project report | 60% | TBA | No |
research proposal
Due: TBA
Weighting: 5%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach:
A one page outline of your chosen research project
On successful completion you will be able to:
- 1. Learn an advanced understanding of a chosen area of behavioural research
- 5. Generate hypotheses, and design new experiments to test hypotheses
oral presentation
Due: TBA
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach:
An oral presentation of the research project
On successful completion you will be able to:
- 7. Present a research project orally
supervisor assessment
Due: TBA
Weighting: 15%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach:
The project supervisor evaluates a student’s performance, lab participation and engagement with the research project.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- 3. Master practical skills for conducting behavioural research
- 4. Conduct a long-term independent scientific study
- 8. Contribute as part of a research team
project report
Due: TBA
Weighting: 60%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach:
A written report of the research project in the form of a scientific paper
On successful completion you will be able to:
- 1. Learn an advanced understanding of a chosen area of behavioural research
- 2. Critique and integrate information from primary research papers
- 6. Present experimental findings as a paper written in the style of a recognised scientific journal
Delivery and Resources
Unit outline, workshop notes and course notices will be distributed via Moodle
Moodle is a web-based computer mediated communication package and can be accessed by most web browsers from inside or outside the University. Moddle and email via the official Macquarie Student e-mail address will be the principle method of communication in this subject.
You must use Moodle for:
- Regularly checking subject announcements;
- Downloading course materials;
- Downloading reference materials;
- Checking your grades.
The URL for the Moodle log-in page is: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au/. You will need to log in to Moodle each time you use it. Your user name is your student number. If you are having trouble accessing your online unit due to a disability or health condition, please go to the Student Services Website at http://sss.mq.edu.au/equity/about for information on how to get assistance. If you are having problems logging on, If you cannot log in after ensuring you have entered your username and password correctly, you should contact Student IT Help.
Unit Schedule
BBE 303 differs from most undergraduate units in that there are minimal contact hours, instead students are expected to invest about 15 h per week on their research project. The schedule will depend entirely on the nature of the research undertaken and should be discussed with project supervisors. Seminars are held in Andrew Barron’s office in W19F at 10 am on Thursdays.
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Special Consideration Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/special_consideration/policy.html
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of Academic Student Support Services. Details of these services can be accessed at: http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
UniWISE provides:
- Online learning resources and academic skills workshops http://www.students.mq.edu.au/support/learning_skills/
- Personal assistance with your learning & study related questions.
- The Learning Help Desk is located in the Library foyer (level 2).
- Online and on-campus orientation events run by Mentors@Macquarie.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
Details of these services can be accessed at http://www.student.mq.edu.au/ses/.
IT Help
If you wish to receive IT help, we would be glad to assist you at http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
When using the university's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students and it outlines what can be done.
Graduate Capabilities
Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative
We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- 4. Conduct a long-term independent scientific study
- 8. Contribute as part of a research team
Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- 1. Learn an advanced understanding of a chosen area of behavioural research
- 3. Master practical skills for conducting behavioural research
- 4. Conduct a long-term independent scientific study
Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- 1. Learn an advanced understanding of a chosen area of behavioural research
- 2. Critique and integrate information from primary research papers
- 5. Generate hypotheses, and design new experiments to test hypotheses
Problem Solving and Research Capability
Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- 1. Learn an advanced understanding of a chosen area of behavioural research
- 5. Generate hypotheses, and design new experiments to test hypotheses
- 6. Present experimental findings as a paper written in the style of a recognised scientific journal
- 8. Contribute as part of a research team
Creative and Innovative
Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- 4. Conduct a long-term independent scientific study
- 5. Generate hypotheses, and design new experiments to test hypotheses
Effective Communication
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- 6. Present experimental findings as a paper written in the style of a recognised scientific journal
- 7. Present a research project orally