Advanced Molecular Biology Laboratory (BIOC7001)

Course overview

This course allows students to gain core molecular biological laboratory skills. This course focuses on techniques and protocols used in molecular biology providing an in-depth understanding of the principles behind them. Students will also gain experience in the interpretation of protocols, dealing with and interconverting units, and communicating results in a number of commonly used means. This course is designed for students who will soon be, or are currently, undertaking a lab-based research project and is one of the core courses of the Master of Molecular Biology programme.

This course builds on the concepts and experience gained in BIOC6001. The course will cover advanced aspects of working with both nucleic acids and proteins in the laboratory.

This course will provide the opportunity to apply your understanding of common molecular biology protocols in completing a project across the course of the semester. You will look to achieve a common goal of many laboratories that use molecular biology: the amplification and cloning of a protein coding region and then going on to express, purify, and characterise the expressed protein.

The learning activities and assessment will provide you with the skills to develop your own experimental plans to successfully clone, express, and purify almost any protein.

Course requirements

Assumed background

Knowledge of the mechanisms of theﾠflow of biological information from DNA to RNA to protein (central dogma of molecularﾠbiology). An understanding of the theory and practice of common molecular biology laboratory protocols (BIOC6001 and BIOC6040 or equivalent)

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

BIOC6001

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

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

Additional timetable information

Check your online timetable regularly.

Aims and outcomes

The aim of this course is to provide you with experience of a range of laboratory techniques used in modern molecular genetics, and the theory and principles that underlie them, so that you can gain these important skills. Completion of this course will enhance your skill set and your research capabilities.

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

Laboratory Participation and Analysis

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Activity/ Performance, Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Participation/ Student contribution, Practical/ Demonstration

Weight

30% Pass/Fail

Due date

In-lab assessment 30/07/2024 5:00 pm

In-lab assessment 6/08/2024 5:00 pm

In-lab assessment 13/08/2024 5:00 pm

In-lab assessment 20/08/2024 5:00 pm

In-lab assessment 27/08/2024 5:00 pm

In-lab assessment 3/09/2024 5:00 pm

In-lab assessment 10/09/2024 5:00 pm

In-lab assessment 17/09/2024 5:00 pm

In-lab assessment 1/10/2024 5:00 pm

In-lab assessment 8/10/2024 5:00 pm

Scientific paper 24/10/2024 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

The scientific paper part of this assignment must be submitted via the appropriate Turnitin submission point found on the course Blackboard site. Late penalties will apply if your submission is late. It is your responsibility to check that your submitted document is correct.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Applications for Extensions

Information on applying for an extension can be found here: my.UQ Applying for an extension.

Extension applications must be received by the assessment due date and time.

If you are unable to provide approved documentation to support your application by the due date and time, you must still submit your application by the deadline but with an attached Word document that outlines why you cannot provide the approved documentation by the deadline. You will then need to acquire and upload the approved documentation to your request within 24 hours. Please note: When an extension request has been submitted and is pending, students are expected to continue to work on the assessment item, with the aim of submitting by the requested due date and time.

Prolonged Absence

If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 14 days, we advise you to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester.

Extensions with Student Access Plans (SAP)

For extensions up to 7 days, your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, extension requests longer than 7 days (for any one assessment item) will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g. a medical certificate.

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.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item, then 10% of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item (assessment ‘marked from’ value) will be deducted as a late penalty for every day (or part day) late after the due date. For example, if you submit your assignment 1 hour late, you will be penalised 10%; if your assignment is 24.5 hours late, you will be penalised 20% (because it is late by one 24-hour period plus part of another 24-hour period). 10% will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point your submission will receive a mark of zero (0) unless an extension has been approved.

In most instances one or more hurdles will apply to your assessment item so you will need to submit it to fulfil the requirements of the course regardless of how late it is and the mark you are likely to be awarded.

Primer Design & In Silico Cloning

• Hurdle

Mode

Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written

Category

Product/ Design, Project

Weight

10%

Due date

9/09/2024 2:00 pm

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L05

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

The written portions of this assignment must be submitted via the appropriate Turnitin submission point found on the course Blackboard site. Late penalties will apply if your submission is late. It is your responsibility to check that your submitted document is correct. The plasmid construct data file you create must also be submitted by the due date as a SnapGene (.dna) or GenBank (.gb) file to the Blackboard assessment portal. Your submission is considered completed once both items are submitted. Late submission of just one component may mean that late penalties are applied to the whole assessment.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Applications for Extensions

Information on applying for an extension can be found here: my.UQ Applying for an extension.

Extension applications must be received by the assessment due date and time.

If you are unable to provide approved documentation to support your application by the due date and time, you must still submit your application by the deadline but with an attached Word document that outlines why you cannot provide the approved documentation by the deadline. You will then need to acquire and upload the approved documentation to your request within 24 hours. Please note: When an extension request has been submitted and is pending, students are expected to continue to work on the assessment item, with the aim of submitting by the requested due date and time.

Prolonged Absence

If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 14 days, we advise you to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester.

Extensions with Student Access Plans (SAP)

For extensions up to 7 days, your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, extension requests longer than 7 days (for any one assessment item) will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g. a medical certificate.

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.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item, then 10% of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item (assessment ‘marked from’ value) will be deducted as a late penalty for every day (or part day) late after the due date. For example, if you submit your assignment 1 hour late, you will be penalised 10%; if your assignment is 24.5 hours late, you will be penalised 20% (because it is late by one 24-hour period plus part of another 24-hour period). 10% will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point your submission will receive a mark of zero (0) unless an extension has been approved.

In most instances one or more hurdles will apply to your assessment item so you will need to submit it to fulfil the requirements of the course regardless of how late it is and the mark you are likely to be awarded.

Cloning & Purification Strategy

• Hurdle

Mode

Written

Category

Project

Weight

20%

Due date

30/09/2024 2:00 pm

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L05

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

The written portions of this assignment must be submitted via the appropriate Turnitin submission point found on the course Blackboard site. Late penalties will apply if your submission is late. It is your responsibility to check that your submitted document is correct.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Applications for Extensions

Information on applying for an extension can be found here: my.UQ Applying for an extension.

Extension applications must be received by the assessment due date and time.

If you are unable to provide approved documentation to support your application by the due date and time, you must still submit your application by the deadline but with an attached Word document that outlines why you cannot provide the approved documentation by the deadline. You will then need to acquire and upload the approved documentation to your request within 24 hours. Please note: When an extension request has been submitted and is pending, students are expected to continue to work on the assessment item, with the aim of submitting by the requested due date and time.

Prolonged Absence

If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 14 days, we advise you to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester.

Extensions with Student Access Plans (SAP)

For extensions up to 7 days, your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, extension requests longer than 7 days (for any one assessment item) will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g. a medical certificate.

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.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item, then 10% of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item (assessment ‘marked from’ value) will be deducted as a late penalty for every day (or part day) late after the due date. For example, if you submit your assignment 1 hour late, you will be penalised 10%; if your assignment is 24.5 hours late, you will be penalised 20% (because it is late by one 24-hour period plus part of another 24-hour period). 10% will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point your submission will receive a mark of zero (0) unless an extension has been approved.

In most instances one or more hurdles will apply to your assessment item so you will need to submit it to fulfil the requirements of the course regardless of how late it is and the mark you are likely to be awarded.

End-of-semester written exam

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

40%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

2/11/2024 - 16/11/2024

Other conditions

Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L03, L04, L05

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

Assessment Hurdles

In order to pass this course, you must meet ALL of the following requirements (if you do not meet these requirements, the maximum grade you will receive will be a 3):

1. You must obtain an overall course mark of 50% or more; and

2. You must obtain an overall mark of 40% or more on the end of semester exam; and

3. You must obtain a mark of 40% or more on the non-examination component of the course; and

4. Complete ALL learning tasks and submit ALL course assessment items; and

5. Attend ALL practical sessions and complete ALL related assessment.

To receive a course grade greater than 4, students must:

1. Gain more than 50% of the marks available for the "Laboratory Participation and Analysis" assessment item.

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

Assessment Submission

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure the on time, correct and complete submission of all assessment items.

Please ensure you receive and save the submission confirmation for all submitted items, you may be asked to produce this as evidence of your submission.

Turnitin

By submitting work through Turnitin you are deemed to have accepted the following declaration “I certify that this assignment is my own work and has not been submitted, either previously or concurrently, in whole or in part, to this University or any other educational institution, for marking or assessment”.

All students must ensure they receive their Turnitin receipt on submission of any assessments. A valid Turnitin receipt will be the only evidence accepted if one or more of your submissions are missing. Without evidence, the assessment will receive the standard late penalty, or after seven days, will receive zero. In the case of a Blackboard outage, please contact the Course Coordinator as soon as possible to confirm the outage with ITS.

Assessment/Attendance

Please notify your Course Coordinator as soon as you become aware of any issue that may affect your ability to meet the assessment/attendance requirements of the course. The my.UQ website and the Electronic Course Profile (ECP) for your course also provide information about your course requirements, the rules associated with your courses and services offered by the University.

Practical Sessions

Students are expected to attend all practical sessions. Where practical sessions clash with timetabled activities in other courses the student should contact the course coordinator as soon as possible.

A note for repeating students in this course

Any student who enrols in a course must not be given exemption or partial credit from their previous attempt(s) for any individual piece of assessment. Instead, the student must successfully complete all of the learning activities and assessment items within the study period of enrolment (PPL Assessment - Procedures Section: Assessment integrity).

If the same assessment item is set from one year to the next, repeating students are allowed to submit the same work they submitted in previous attempts at the course. Where possible SCMB recommends that you use the feedback you received in your last attempt to improve parts of the item where you lost marks. Resubmission of an altered or unaltered assessment item by a repeating student (where the same assessment has been set) will not be considered as self-plagiarism.

Important Note

Turnitin is to be used for assignments/laboratory reports to check for plagiarism. Penalties can be severe for plagiarism.

The University has adopted the following definition of plagiarism: Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting as one's own original work the ideas, interpretations, words or creative works of another either intentionally or unintentionally. These include published and unpublished documents, designs, music, sounds, images, photographs, computer codes and ideas gained through working in a group. These ideas, interpretations, words or works may be found in print and/or electronic media.

Students are encouraged to read the UQ Academic Integrity and Plagiarism policy.

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

Blackboard

Any information required to complete this course will be posted to the BIOC7001 Blackboard site learn.uq.edu.au

Please check the Announcements section of the Blackboard site regularly for information updates.

Digital Essentials and CLIPS

These are two collections of resources you may find useful in your studies.

• The Digitial Essentials site is hosted by UQ Library and contains self-directed learning modules about a range of things including: navigating UQ online systems; finding and using media; and working with data.
• The CLIPS website has been developed by academics within the Faculty of Science and provides resources and information about communicating as a scientist. It includes guides on presentations, posters, and presenting data.

Software

As a student in BIOC7001 it is essential that you source the following software packagese and install them on your laptop:

• Graphpad Prism – this is a specialist graphing software that is very useful to plot and fit data. You can obtain a copy of this as a UQ student via the "Free student software for personal use" webpage on the UQ website.
• SnapGene – this is a software package that allows you to visualise, interrogate, and manipulate nucleic acid sequence data. You will be provided with details on how to install fully licenced version of this for free. You will need this software to complete the "Primer Design & In-Silico Cloning" assessment item.

Learning activities

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

Additional learning activity information

A detailed schedule of lecture and workshop topics will be available on the BIOC7001 Blackboard site in the Learning Resources area.

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 - 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:

• Laboratory Occupational Health and Safety