Conservation (BIOL3000)

Course overview

Integrative course concerned with ecosystems, communities & species at risk. Practical approaches to overcoming threatening processes, & underlying theory. Landscape ecology & regional ecosystems; spatial analysis; biological invasion and extinctions; in situ & ex situ methods. Interaction of science with social/legal context.

In BIOL3000 (Conservation), we will explore what can be done to repair the damage that people have done to the planet’s species, communities and natural ecosystems.ﾠConservation is all about using science to help solve real world problems.ﾠBeginning with an understanding of natural patterns in biological diversity, we will chart human impacts on the natural world through overexploitation, habitat destruction, population declines, extinctions, invasions of exotic species and climate change.ﾠWe will then look at tools to reverse these problems, including designing networks of nature reserves, economic incentives, habitat restoration and climate adaptation. Assessments are designed to stimulate application of intuition and knowledge to solve or explore conservation problems.

Course requirements

Assumed background

Students need a solid background in ecology, preferably including field courses.

Incompatible

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

CONS3001

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

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

Aims and outcomes

After taking this course you should:

• Understand what the basic sub-fields of Conservation Biology are and how they are integrated into the field as a whole
• Understand the basic ecological, evolutionary, and statistical theory and methodologies that underpin the field of Conservation Biology
• Be able to integrate key ideas in biology, policy, anthropology, economics and spatial modelling in a conservation framework.

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

Recorded radio interview on a conservation issue

Mode

Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia

Category

Creative Production/ Exhibition

Weight

20%

Due date

20/08/2024 11:00 am

Submission will be direct to Dr Richard Fuller during the prac class

Learning outcomes

L01, L03, L04

Task description

Submission guidelines

Submission will be direct to Dr Richard Fuller during the prac class, e.g. via email or memory stick

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.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the late submission guidelines relating to this assessment item.

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.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the late submission guidelines relating to this assessment item.

Prac assessment 1

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

10%

Due date

29/08/2024 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L02, L03

Task description

Submission guidelines

Assessment items for internal courses should be submitted in accordance with the submission requirements listed in Jac. ONLINE SUBMISSION BY TURNITIN ONLY by the due date. No hard copy or assignment cover sheets required.

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.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the late submission guidelines relating to this assessment item.

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.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the late submission guidelines relating to this assessment item.

Prac assessment 2

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

10%

Due date

19/09/2024 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L02, L04

Task description

Submission guidelines

Assessment items for internal courses should be submitted in accordance with the submission requirements listed in Jac. ONLINE SUBMISSION BY TURNITIN ONLY by the due date. No hard copy or assignment cover sheets required.

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.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the late submission guidelines relating to this assessment item.

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.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the late submission guidelines relating to this assessment item.

Prac assessment 3

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

10%

Due date

24/10/2024 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L02, L03, L04

Task description

Submission guidelines

Assessment items for internal courses should be submitted in accordance with the submission requirements listed in Jac. ONLINE SUBMISSION BY TURNITIN ONLY by the due date. No hard copy or assignment cover sheets required.

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.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the late submission guidelines relating to this assessment item.

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.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the late submission guidelines relating to this assessment item.

End of Semester Exam

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

50%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

2/11/2024 - 16/11/2024

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

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

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 who achieve a mark of less than 35% on the hurdle mentioned above,will achieve a grade of 2 for the course (regardless of their total percentage for all assessments in the course).

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

COURSE HURDLES

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 who achieve a mark of less than 45% on the hurdle mentioned above, will achieve a grade of 2 for the course (regardless of their total percentage for all assessments in the course).

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.

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

PLEASE NOTE:

Unlike 1st and 2nd year courses,you can only submit your assignment ONCE through Turnitin - multiple submissions cannot occur. The Turnitin site will be open on the due date.

Please make sure you submit only the final version through Turnitin

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. 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. You will be sent a receipt, retain the receipt as proof of submission.
4. If you don't receive a Turnitin 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.

GROUP ASSIGNMENTS

Students may be required to work in groups and submit an assessment item as a group.

In some cases, students are expected to work in a group to gather data or generate ideas, but may submit assessment as groups OR as individuals. If you submit as an individual, you can use the group-generated ideas or data but you cannot collaborate to produce the final written submissions. If the divisions are unclear, ask for clarification.

ALL group members MUST attach a signed coversheet to the group assignment and submit it by the due date. Late submission of a coversheet will result in a late submission penalty. If a coversheet is not attached the student will be recorded as not having submitted the item.

ﾠ

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.

Students are encouraged to read the UQ Academic Integrity and Plagiarism policy which makes a comprehensive statement about the University's approach to plagiarism, including the approved use of plagiarism detection software, the consequences of plagiarism and the principles associated with preventing 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

Library resources are available on the UQ Library 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.