Agricultural Microbiology & Gene Technology (AGRC2013)

Course overview

Introduction to the form, function and physiology of the major microbial groups, particularly as they relate to plant and animal health and production; introduction to the basic theory and applications of gene technology.
Evidence of vaccination against tetanus is mandatory for the In Person offering of this course. Refer to UQ Student Immunisation Requirements for more information.

Welcome to AGRC2013 - Agricultural Microbiology and Gene Technology. The science of microbiology deals with microscopic living organisms such as fungi, protozoa, bacteria, archaea and viruses. Other agents like prions and viroids are also dealt with, due to their impact on animal and human health. Microbiology is one of the most fascinating and challenging biological sciences, attractingﾠscientists and researchers worldwide. With new and emerging technologies, the field of microbiology is rapidly expanding. This course will provide the underpinning basics, and use examples from across all aspects of agriculture to demonstrate the crucial role microbiology plays in everyday life.ﾠ

This course has mandatory immunisation requirements due to an increased risk of Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPD) for students working with animals or in agricultural environments. Students will be asked to provide evidence of vaccination against tetanus via my.UQ My Requests as a condition of enrolment in this course. Refer to UQ Student Immunisation Requirements for more information.

At the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, we are committed to creating an inclusive and empowering learning environment for all students. We value and respect the diverse range of experiences our students bring to their education, and we believe that this diversity is crucial for fostering a rich culture of knowledge-sharing and meaningful exploration. We hold students and staff accountable for actively contributing to establishing a respectful and supportive learning environment.

Bullying, harassment, and discrimination in any form are strictly against our principles and againstﾠUQ Policy,ﾠand will not be tolerated. If you have any concerns about your experience in this course, we encourage you to tell a member of the course teaching team. Your well-being and a positive learning atmosphere are of utmost importance to us.

Course requirements

Assumed background

First year core biology courses.

Restrictions

In Person offering restricted to students who meet mandatory immunisation requirements.

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

How to study this courseﾠ

It is important that you read the Course Profile thoroughly before you start. Carefully read the Learning Activities summary, as this outlines the areas you should be studying each week. Also, please note when each piece of assessment is due.

If you have any concerns regarding your official timetable or course allocations, or there are no suitable class times available, contact Faculty of Science Timetable science.mytimetable@uq.edu.au for advice. 

If you have any questions about missing class activities, please contact your course coordinator. 

Aims and outcomes

To provide students with knowledge and skills associated with the fundamental concepts of microbiology. Interaction between the different classes of microbes and plants, animals, and their environment will be described in relation to animal health, plant health, and the quality of agricultural products.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

Sequential Practical Quizzes 1 - 4

• Online

Mode

Activity/ Performance, Written

Category

Quiz, Role play/ Simulation

Weight

15% Each activity per quiz contributes 1% towards the Sequential Practical Quiz total of 15%

Due date

Quiz 1 6/08/2025 12:00 pm

Quiz 2 20/08/2025 12:00 pm

Quiz 3 27/08/2025 12:00 pm

Quiz 4 22/10/2025 12:00 pm

Task description

Submission guidelines

Complete all quiz activities using the learnsci program.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via my.UQ Dashboard, in accordance with the University's Assessment Procedure (located in the Policies and Procedures section of this course profile) which outlines the requirements for requesting extensions to assessment due dates. Extensions require the correct evidence/documentation to support the requested length of time of the extension.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks.

Assessment deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL). 

Laboratory Book

• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Activity/ Performance, Written

Category

Notebook/ Logbook, Practical/ Demonstration

Weight

35%

Due date

24/09/2025 4:00 pm

Submitted by the end of the practical class.

Task description

Submission guidelines

Laboratory book to be handed into the Course Coordinator at the last laboratory practical.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

Due to the format of the assessment being completed during the practical session where these activities are unable to be re-produced, extensions cannot be granted for this assessment item. Students who are unable to attend the practical for reasons beyond their control will need to complete the ‘Absence from Practical’ form. If approved, access to alternative assessment will be organised with these individual students.

Late submission

Given the format of laboratory books to remain in class, late submission of this assessment is not possible.

Final Exam

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

50%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

8/11/2025 - 22/11/2025

Other conditions

Secure.

See the conditions definitions

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

COURSE GRADING RULES AND ASSESSMENT HURDLES

• Students must obtain a pass mark in the end-of-semester exam in order to pass the course.

If a student obtains an overall percentage greater than the cut-offs set to achieve a 4 or higher for the course based on the cumulative mark of all assessments, and the student does NOT score a passing mark in the final exam, they are unable to achieve a grade higher than a 3 (failing grade) for the course.

You must address any additional assessment requirements identified in this course instance.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply. 

Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.  

If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.  

Supplementary assessment can take any form (such as a written report, oral presentation, examination or other appropriate assessment) and may test specific learning outcomes tailored to the individual student, or all learning outcomes. 

To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment. 

Additional assessment information

Course Feedback

Students are encouraged to give feedback on the course either to the course coordinator directly or through SECATs.

Please note the following when writing assignments

You must not re-use past work from previous assessments in your assignments.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

All reported work must be done by the individual student. Assignments that look and sound alike will be reported as plagiarism – a serious offence at UQ. Please note the university’s policy on academic integrity and plagiarism which can be accessed at Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy

TurnItInﾠ

Assignments that are required to be submitted through TurnItIn, must only be uploaded to the assessment specific Turnitin link on the relevant course Blackboard site. If you submit any version of your assessment item to any alternative Turnitin link, this is considered cheating and you will be held liable for this action.

Release of marks

Unless specifically indicated by the lecturer involved,ﾠevery attempt will be made to haveﾠthe results for progressive assessment tasks available within 3 weeks of submission. For items of assessment submitted in the last 2 weeks of the semester, the results will be available before the day of your end of semester examination in the course, unless otherwise indicated by the Course Coordinator. Results and feedback availability will be advised to you by email or announced via the course Blackboard site.ﾠ

Re-mark Applicationsﾠ– refer to the University's Re-mark Policy to check your eligibility

Before applying for a remark, students should consider the following:

• You have consulted the course coordinator for feedback.
• Your academic grounds for remark have been discussed and are valid.
• Wanting a higher grade is not grounds for a remark. A remark can decrease your grade.

Remark applications will not be considered without first having contacted your course Co-ordinator.ﾠ

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Other course materials

Additional learning resources information

Supplementary textbooks:

Madigan, MT, Martinko, JM & Stahl, D, & Clark D 2012, Brockﾠ Biology of Microorganisms,ﾠ13th edn, Pearson, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

QR41.B718 2012

General microbiology

Lim, DV 2003, Microbiology, 3rd ﾠedn, Kendall/Hunt, Dubuque, Iowa. QR41.2 .L55 2003.

Pelczar, MJ, Chan, ECS & Krieg, NR 1993, Microbiology: concepts and applications, McGraw-Hill, New York. ﾠQR41.P42 1993

Prescott, LM, Harley, JP & Klein, DA 2005, Microbiology,ﾠ6th edn, Wm. C. Brown Publishers, Dubuque, IA. QR41.2.P74 2005

Quinn, PJ, Markey, BK, Leonard, FC, FitzPatrick, ES, Fanning, S & Hartigan, PJ 2011, Veterinary microbiology and microbial disease, 2nd ﾠedn, Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester, West Sussex, UK. ﾠSF780.2 .V48 2011 ﾠ and online.

Tortora, GJ, Funke, BR & Case, CL 2013, Microbiology : an introduction, 11th ﾠedn, Pearson, Boston. ﾠQR41.2 .T67 2013ﾠﾠ

ﾠ

Applied microbiology

Brown, MH (ed.) 1982, Meat Microbiology, Applied Science, New York. ﾠQR117.M43 1982

Ewing, WN & Tucker, LA 2008, The living gut, 2nd ﾠedn, Nottingham University Press, Nottingham. QR171.G29 E95 2008ﾠ and online.

Hobson, PN & Stewart, CS (eds) 1997, The Rumen Microbial Ecosystem, Blackie Academic & Professional, London. QR171.R85 R86 1997

Robinson, RK (ed.) 2002, Dairy Microbiology Handbook,ﾠ3rd edn,ﾠWiley InterScience, New York. QR121.D322 2002

Woolcock, JB (ed.) 1991, Microbiology of Animals and Animal Products, Elsevier, Amsterdam. ﾠSF780.2.M53 1991

Microbial diseases

Quinn, PJ, Markey, BK, Leonard, FC, FitzPatrick, ES, Fanning, S & Hartigan, PJ 2011, Veterinary microbiology and microbial disease, 2nd ﾠedn, Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester, West Sussex, UK. ﾠSF780.2 .V48 2011ﾠ and online.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

You'll also need to be aware of the following policies and procedures while completing this course:

• Occupational Health and Safety in the Laboratory Guideline
• Vaccinations and Immunisation Procedure

Course guidelines

Student immunisation requirements

The University policy Vaccination and Immunisation (Vaccinations and Immunisation Guideline / Document / Policy and Procedure Library) provides information about immunisation and screening requirements related to programs and courses. Failure to comply with student immunisation requirements can lead to an increased risk of serious illness occurring. Therefore, non-compliance will result in the relevant course/s being dropped from your enrolment under Section 3 of the Enrolment policy (Enrolment Procedure / Document / Policy and Procedure Library).