Model Organism Genetics (BIOL3222)

Course overview

The course will investigate the full breadth of experimental paradigms for genetic analysis in four multicellular model genetic organisms (Arabidopsis, Drosophila, C. elegans and mouse) through a structured series of lectures with a focus on the primary research literature. A series of research paper discussions will be integrated with the lectures. In the latter portion of the course, students will select an academic mentor who will assign a research problem to them. The academic mentor will then guide students in the development of a research proposal designed to address the assigned problem.

The course will consist of 4 modules to be developed around 4 very distinct research paradigms each of which reflects the unique characteristics of a genetic research organism - ﾠDrosophila, Arabidopsis, mouse, C. elegans. The course will also require a final written paper that outlines a proposed genetics research project to address a specific research scenario.

Course layout

Four modules in the following order:

1) Drosophila (weeks 1-2)

2) ﾠArabidoisls (weeks 3-4)

3) ﾠMammals (weeks 5-6)

4) C. elegans (weeks 7-8)

Lecture and discussion

Each module will run for 2 weeks, with 3 lectures in the first week and two lectures in the second week. There will also be a 2 hour discussion in the second week of each module.

Exams

There will be a one hour exam covering modules 1&2. There will be a second one hour exam covering modules 3&4.

There will be no final exam for the course during the exam period.

Projects

There will also be a one hour tutorial during the normal lecture period on the Friday of ﾠweek 8 ﾠat which time the research proposal project will be discuss. Based on your preferences, you will then be assigned an academic mentor and project topic. There will be mandatory sessions with your mentor. See the scheduled course activities for the approximate timing of these sessions, but be aware that the venue and actual time may be modified somewhat from the scheduled time. These sessions are to assist you with writing your research proposal project. Some of these sessions require you to submit items by Email or to present your ideas to the group, so be sure that you come prepared.

Course requirements

Assumed background

You should have completed second level genetics.

Prerequisites

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

BIOL2202 or BIOL2902

Restrictions

School approval required for enrolment in the external mode.

Course staff

Timetable

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

Additional timetable information

There are only 5 lectures per module, but be prepared to come to all 6 lecture time slots as exams and other activities will be scheduled in the "empty" time slot.

Aims and outcomes

This course will introduce you to the genetics research literature. You will learn a wide range of approaches and experimental organisms that are used for genetic discovery. We will address: - Establishing an hypothesis - setting specific research question - framing a research approach - selecting appropriate techniques - interpreting data - presenting data. You will then use what you have learned to design a research project that will address an assigned research problem. This course will provide excellent preparation for Honours research. If you terminate your education without ever doing independent research, this course will provide you with insight into the scientific discovery process. It will also provide you with experience interpreting and presenting novel information. With the advent of high-throughput genome sequencing, genetics will begin to have a huge impact on society. Your experience in this course will assist you in understanding the information that will result and will help you to interpret that information for others who lack a strong genetic background.

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

Examination #1

• Hurdle
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

30%

Due date

30/08/2024 12:00 pm

The exam will be held at the normal lecture time from 12-1pm. The venue may change to a larger room to meet exam requirements. You will be notified of a venue change.

Other conditions

Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Papers will be collected at the end of the exam.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Examination #2

• Hurdle
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

30%

Due date

1/10/2024 10:00 am

The exam will be held at the normal lecture time from 10-11am. The venue may change to a larger room to meet exam requirements. You will be notified of a venue change.

Other conditions

Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Papers will be collected at the end of the exam.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Research proposal

• In-person
• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

30%

Due date

23/10/2024 2:00 pm

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.

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L02, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

The Assessment submission procedure is as follows: Students are required to submit through Turnitin which can be found on the course Blackboard site.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

You can apply to the Science Faculty for an extension based on hardship according to University rules.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for notes relating to the extension availability for 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.

Tutorial sessions

• In-person

Mode

Oral

Category

Presentation

Weight

10% 4 sessions (2.5% each)

Due date

Email to the lecturer for the module: a single powerpoint slide and an outline or transcript of your talk. Use the subject line "BIOL3222 tutorial 12:00pm" or "BIOL3222 tutorial 2:00pm". 29/07/2024 2:00 pm

20/08/2024 2:00 pm

27/08/2024 2:00 pm

10/09/2024 2:00 pm

The tutorial sessions will be held in the second week of each module. (However, due to a scheduling problem, the tutorials scheduled for week 4 of the semester will have to be shifted to week 5.)

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L02, L03

Task description

Submission guidelines

Students must submit, by 2pm on the Monday prior to your tutorial, a single powerpoint slide with a plain background to support your presentation as well as an outline or transcript of the talk that you will present at the tutorial/discussion.

This information should be sent to the lecturer in charge of the module. Please use the subject line "BIOL3222 tutorial Tuesday 12 pm" or "BIOL3222 tutorial Tuesday 2 pm"

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

If you are ill on the day, please discuss your situation with the lecturer in charge of the module as soon as you can. If you cannot resolve the problem immediately, e.g. by attending the alternative session, you may have to apply to the Faculty for a deferral based on the University hardship criteria.

Late submission

There is no formal late submission penalty, but won't it be embarrassing to have stand in front of the class without any visual prompts as you try to explain the graphs that you are discussing. Also, won't it be unfortunate if the lecturer is trying to recall what you said before finalising your mark later that day without the benefit of your outline/transcript

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 combined exam components, and a grade of at least 49.5% overall to pass the course.

Students whoﾠ achieve a mark of less than 35%ﾠ on the exam hurdle mentioned above,ﾠ will achieve a grade of 2ﾠ 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% on the sum of the two exams, and a grade of at least 49.5% 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).

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 assessment is available

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.

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 the ﾠMyUQ website ﾠon how to apply for a deferral of your exam.

SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENTS

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 written assignments must be submitted through Turnitin. Submission by email is not accepted.

No hard copy is required.

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 receipt, your assessment wasn't submitted.

Failure to submit through Turnitin on time will result in the late penalty (10% of maximum marks per day) being applied.

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. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to explore ideas is encouraged, but be aware that AI can make mistakes. Students are responsible for verifying the truthfulness of any assertions made by AI. Statements made in the research proposal project must be clearly verified with literature citations. Students are advised that submitted text must be their own. Submitting text generated by AI technology 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.

Additional learning resources information

Lecturers will provide papers from the research literature to support the content of their module.

Additional costs

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

Confirm all dates, times and venues for your academic mentoring sessions as these may vary somewhat from the proposed schedule.

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.