Advanced Zoology (BIOL2904)

Course overview

BIOL2904 explores the fantastic diversity of animals, from simple metazoans to complex vertebrates. Students will learn to apply the fundamental principles of animal structures, functions and life histories to identify animals and determine how they move, respire, feed, maintain internal physiogy and reproduce. The course uses an evolutionary and phylogenetic framework to provide context and enable deep learning of zoology.

Zoology is the scientific study of animals, including their diversity and evolution, development, structure, physiology, and behaviour. BIOL2204 examines animal life from all environments, including marine, freshwater andﾠterrestrial, and will have a focus on Australian animals.

The course will cover animal diversity and evolution, from basal metazoans to vertebrates, comparison of body form and function, and the diversity of life history strategies found across different animal groups. The great diversity of animal life will be put into an evolutionary and phylogenetic context.ﾠ

The course contentﾠis broken into modules, each dealing with a different phylogenetically related group.ﾠﾠLaboratories use enquiry based learning to discover chararteristics of and relationships between different groups of animals, and student will be required to identify and sort animals into taxonomic groups from field collected samples using these acquired skills. Workshops/tutorials will engage students in applying what they have learned to real scenarios related to managing wildlife and identifying unknown species.

Course requirements

Assumed background

It will be assumed that students are familar with all material covered in the pre-requiste course BIOL1030.

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:

BIOL2204 (non advanced)

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

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

Aims and outcomes

The course aims to introduce:

• animal diversity and evolution - from basal metazoans to vertebrates
• the comparison of body form and function
• modes of support, locomotion, feeding and reproductive strategies

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

End of semester exam

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Examination

Weight

50%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

2/11/2024 - 16/11/2024

Other conditions

Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Post lab/workshop quizzes

• Online

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Quiz

Weight

50%

Due date

Quizzes will be due within 24h after the end of each practical class. Students will have 40 min to complete each quiz.

Other conditions

Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

Students will complete the quizzes using the software platform called Inspera. Students will submit their assessment within Inspera.

Deferral or extension

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

To calculate the final grade for the course we take the best 8 marks out of 10 quizzes.

Only students who have already missed 2 quizzes will be eligible to apply for an extension on the remaining quizzes

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.

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.
​Students whoﾠachieve a mark of less than 35%ﾠon the hurdle mentioned above,ﾠwill achieve a grade of 2ﾠfor the course (regardless of their total percentage for all assessments in the course).

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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

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 BIOL2904. 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.

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SUPPLEMENTARY ASSESSMENTS

If you are awarded supplementary assessment then generally the supplementary assessment will be equivalent to the failed assessment piece. For example, If you failed the practical component, then you will be required to complete an additional practical report/exam. If you failed the exam component, then you will be required to complete an exam. If you failed both components, you will be required to complete both.

• A passing grade will be awarded only if you obtain at least 50% of the marks in all items of supplementary assessment that you undertake.
• The decision on the format of the supplementary assessment will be made by the course coordinator.
• For some assessment items, for example oral presentations, a different type of assessment may be substituted at the discretion of the course co-ordinator

Supplementary assessments will be designed to allow eligible students to demonstrate specific learning objectives of the course.

Information on supplementary assessment can be found on the MyUQ website.

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

If a hard copy assignment is required then the submission process is as follows:

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.

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: 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.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE USE (AI)

The assessment tasks in this course evaluate students’ abilities, skills, and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

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

Other learning materials will be posted on the BIOL2204 Black Board website.

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.