Insect Science (BIOL2205)

Course overview

The course introduces students to the unique aspects of insect biology that have produced the tremendous biodiversity of insects on the planet. Students will become familiar with the major groups of insects, their biology & life histories. The reason for the success of insects as a group of animals is explained in terms of their external & internal anatomy, physiology, behaviour, metamorphosis & ecology. The course will be based around 5 thematic modules: (1) Taking to Land & Air, (2) Sexual Adventures, (3) Communities, (4) Global Impact & (5) Identity & Diversity. Please note that this is a self-directed learning course. There are no face-to-face lectures or practicals.

This course will familiarise students with the orders/suborders of insects, the life history of insects and knowledge about their biology and importance to man.

Course requirements

Assumed background

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Prerequisites

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

BIOL1030

Recommended prerequisites

We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:

BIOL1020 + BIOL1040

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

ENTM2011

Course contact

Timetable

Additional timetable information

BIOL2205 is an online course so there is no associated timetable. Students are expected to self-pace through the course content. A suggested progression rate is given to all students.

Optional campus walks to collect insects will be held on Fridays in the semester. The campus walks are an opportunity to learn about insect-collecting techniques and to add to your own collections. Tutors of the course will be available to provide their expertise.ﾠPinning tutorials have been provided in form of a video and can be found on blackboard under assessment 2. 

Aims and outcomes

To enable students to recognise the major groups of insects and appreciate the role these insects play in the ecosystem.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Insect behaviour and adaptations-Document

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project

Weight

15%

Due date

23/08/2024 4:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L02, L04, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

Submission of the text through Turnitin on Blackboard.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

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

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 available marks (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

Scanning electron microscopy report

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project

Weight

15%

Due date

27/09/2024 4:00 pm

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L02, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

Submission of the text through Turnitin on Blackboard. Post on padlet.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

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

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 available marks (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

Insect collection

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Creative Production/ Exhibition, Practical/ Demonstration, Presentation, Project

Weight

30%

Due date

25/10/2024 4:00 pm

Other conditions

Student specific, Longitudinal.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L02, L03

Task description

Submission guidelines

The Assessment submission procedure is as follows:
1. You will be sent the cover sheet for your assignment by e-mail approximately 2 weeks before it is due.
2. You must submit your assignment, with the coversheet attached to the front, through the assignment slot at the SIB Help Desk (Room 229, Goddard Building) by 4.00pm on the above date/dates.
3. You will then receive a receipt. Please retain this receipt as proof of submission. If assessment submission is disputed, you MUST produce this receipt.
4. Please ensure that you keep an electronic copy of every piece of assessment you submit.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

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

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 available marks (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

End of semester exam

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

40%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

2/11/2024 - 16/11/2024

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Task description

Exam details

Submission guidelines

You will need to download the question paper included within the Blackboard Test. Once you have completed the exam, upload the completed exam answers file to the Turnitin assignment submission link.

You are required to type your response and submit a word document.

If you believe there is missing or incorrect information impacting your ability to answer any particular question, please state this when answering that question.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Late submission

You will receive a mark of 0 if this assessment is submitted late.

If you submit your online exam after the end of your specified planning time, duration, and 15 minutes submission time, the following penalties will be applied to the total mark available for the assessment:

• Less than 5 minutes – 5% penalty
• From 5 minutes to less than 15 minutes – 20% penalty
• More than 15 minutes – 100% penalty

These penalties will be applied to all online exams unless there is sufficient evidence of problems with the system and/or process that were beyond your control.

Undertaking this online exam deems your commitment to UQ’s academic integrity pledge as summarised in the following declaration:

Course grading

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

Additional course grading information

Students are required to get a grade of at least 50% in the final exam, and a grade of at least 50% overall to pass the course.
If a student achieves 35% on their final exam they can only achieve a Grade 2 regardless of their overall percentage for the course.

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Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Courses graded 1-7

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

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 documentation to support your application by the due date and time you must still submit your application on time and attach a Word document outlining why you cannot provide the documentation and upload the documentation to the portal within 24 hours.

Please note: While your extension request is being considered, you should work towards completing and submitting your assessment as soon as possible.

If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 4 weeks in a semester, we advise you to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses. You might need to consider applying for removal of course. We strongly recommend you seek advice from the Faculty that administers your program.

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. A maximum of two applications may be submitted for any one assessment item, unless exceptional circumstances can be demonstrated. All extension requests must be received by the assessment due date and time.

UQ is presently rolling out a new assessment tool, Inspera Assessment.

Inspera Assessment provides additional functionality to complement the existing suite of digital learning tools at UQ with a greater range of question types, accessibility provisions, and non-English languages.

Inspera Assessment will be used in BIOL1020. The assessment item(s) could include non-invigilated/invigilated on-campus assessment/exam/quiz and students will complete these using their own device. Further details, including an introduction to Inspera functionality, practice opportunities, and where to go for support, will be provided in the Blackboard site for this course in Week 1 of the semester.

If you don't have a suitable device for your assessment, please go to the Library site for information on Short-Term Laptop loans.

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COURSE HURDLE

Students are required to get a grade of at least 50% in the final exam, and a grade of at least 50% overall to pass the course.

If a student achieves <35% on their final exam they can only achieve a Grade 2 regardless of their overall percentage for the course..

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APPLYING FOR A DEFERRAL OF AN EXAM

If you are unable to sit an exam you need to apply online through my-SiNet. Please read the information on theﾠMyUQ websiteﾠon how to apply for a deferral of your exam.

SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENTS

All appropriate assignments must be submitted through Turnitin. Submissions by email are not accepted.

The course coordinator may also request a hard copy submission of the assignment.

Hard copy:

1. You will be sent the cover sheet for your assignment by e-mail approximately 1 week before it is due.
2. You must submit your assignment, with the SIGNED coversheet attached to the front, through the assignment slot at the Help Desk (Room 229, Goddard Building) by 4.00pm on the above date/dates.
3. You will be emailed a receipt. Please retain this receipt as proof of submission. If assessment submission is disputed, you MUST produce this receipt.
4. Please ensure that you keep an electronic copy of every piece of assessment you submit.

Turnitin submission

1. Access the Assessment folder on the course Blackboard site
2. Upload an electronic version through the Turnitin site for the assignment
3. Assignments can be uploaded multiple times before the due date/time. The last upload before the due time will be the final version.
4. You will be sent a receipt, retain the receipt as proof of submission.
5. If you don't receive a receipt, your assessment wasn't submitted.

Failure to submit both a electronic and hard copy (if required) on time will result in the late penalty (10% of maximum marks per day) being applied - you need to ensure that both the HARD copy and ELECTRONIC versions are submitted by the due date.

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PLAGIARISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED: You should be aware that the University employs purpose built software to detect plagiarism. It is very important that you understand clearly the practical meaning of plagiarism.

DEFINITION OF PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting as one's own original work the ideas, interpretations, words or creative works of another. 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.

EXAMPLES OF PLAGIARISM:

1. Direct copying of paragraphs, sentences, a single sentence or significant parts of a sentence;

2. Direct copying of paragraphs, sentences, a single sentence or significant parts of a sentence with an end reference but without quotation marks around the copied text;

3. Copying ideas, concepts, research results, computer codes, statistical tables, designs, images, sounds or text or any combination of these;

4. Paraphrasing, summarising or simply rearranging another person's words, ideas, etc without changing the basic structure and/or meaning of the text;

5. Offering an idea or interpretation that is not one's own without identifying whose idea or interpretation it is;

6. A 'cut and paste' of statements from multiple sources;

7. Presenting as independent, work done in collaboration with others;

8. Copying or adapting another student's original work into a submitted assessment item.

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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.

Additional learning resources information

Course material isﾠprovided via a password-protected website. Students are given access details in the first week of semester. An ebook version of the online resources is made available vie the Blackboard site.

Textbook page references are provided for each topic.

Questions that address the objectives of each topic are provided.

General:
Davies, R. G. (1988) Outlines of Entomology. 7th edn. Chapman and Hall, London. Call No. QL463.I59 1988
Chapman, R. F. (1998) The Insects: Structure and Function. 3rd edn. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Call No. QL463. C48 1982A
Hinton, H.E. (1981) Biology of Insect Eggs, Volumes 1 &2. Pergamon Press, Oxford. Call No. QL495.5 .H5 1981
Richards, O. W. & Davies, R. G. (1977) Imms' General Textbook of Entomology. Vols 1 & 2. 10th edn. Chapman & Hall, London. Call No. QL463.I57 1977

Insect Taxonomy/Systematics
CSIRO (ed.) The Insects of Australia. A Textbook for Students and Research Workers. Volumes 1 & 2. 2nd edn. Carlton: Melbourne University Press, Melbourne. Call No. QL487.I5 1991
Williams, W. D. (1980) Australian Freshwater Life: The Invertebrates of Australian Inland Waters. 2nd edn. Macmillan Education Australia. Melbourne. Call No. QL367.7 .W5 1980

Insect Biodiversity/Conservation
New, T. R. (1984) Insect Conservation: An Australian Perspective. Dr W. Junk, Dordrecht, The Netherlands. Call No. QL487 .N48 1984

Insect Morphology:
Snodgrass, R. E. (1935) Principles of Insect Morphology. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. Call No. QL494 .S65 1935
Du Porte, E. M. (1959) Manual of Insect Morphology. Reinhold Publishing, New York. Call No. QL494 .D8 1959

Urban Entomology:
Robinson, W. H. (1996) Urban Entomology: Insect and Mite Pests in the Human Environment. Chapman & Hall, London. Call No. QL463 .R63 1996

Insect Physiology:
Wigglesworth, V. B. (1984) Insect Physiology. 8th edn. Chapman and Hall, London. Call No. QL495.W5 1984
Bursell, E. (1970) An Introduction to Insect Physiology. Academic Press, London. Call No. QL495 .B86 1970
Mordue, W.; Goldsworthy, G. J.; Brady, J. & Blaney, W. M. (1980) Insect Physiology. Blackwell Scientific, Oxford. Call No. QL495 .I53 1980

Agricultural Entomology:
Pruthi, H. S. (1969) Textbook on Agricultural Entomology. Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. Call No. QL463 .P77 1969
Hadlington, P. (1996) Australian Termites, and Other Common Timber Pests. 2nd edn. New South Wales University Press, Sydney. Call No. QL529.27.A8 H34 1996

Insect Behaviour:
Atkins, M. D. (1980) Introduction to Insect Behavior. Macmillan Publishing, New York. Call No. QL496 .A89 1980
Jacobson, M. (1972) Insect Sex Pheromones. Academic Press, New York. Call No. QL495 .J33 1972

Medical and Veterinary Entomology:
Kettle, D. S. (1995) Medical and Veterinary Entomology. 2nd edn. CAB International, Wallingford, Oxon, UK. Call No. QL463 .K48 1995
Lehane, M. J. (1991) Biology of Blood-Sucking Insects. Harper Collins Academic, London. Call No. QL494 .L34 1991

Insect Ecology:
Matthews, E. G. & Kitching R. L. (1984) Insect Ecology. 2nd edn. University of Queensland Press, Brisbane. Call No. QL487 .M38 1984
Brian, M. V. (1983) Social Insects: Ecology and Behavioural Biology. Chapman & Hall, London. Call No. QL496 .B83 1983

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 - Students Policy and Procedure

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