Advanced Research Project & Seminar (BIOX7026)

Course overview

A 16 unit Individual workplace- laboratory- or computer-based project & analysis of a specific topic in bioinformatics, biotechnology, or molecular biology. Projects can be undertaken within university laboratories or in an industry setting with co-supervision by an academic staff member. The project results will be presented via oral presentation and an appropriate report format.

Students completing research only commencing in semester 1 enrol in BIOX7021, students commencing in semester 2 and completing in summer semester enrol in BIOX7022, students commencing in summer semester and completing in semester 1 the following year enrol in BIOX7023, students commencing in semester 2 and completing in semester 1 the following year enrol in BIOX7024, and students completing research and coursework enrol in BIOX7026. Part time students enrol in BIOX7025.

Practitioners in the disciplines of Biotechnology, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics formulate their work around hypotheses, methods, experimentation and data gathering; while in some cases technologies and approaches require development, outcomes require evaluation and data are interpreted. It is difficult to interpret biological data unless one has had first hand experience of gaining reliable data. Of necessity therefore, a professional scientist must acquire experience in the development and application of techniques and experimental procedures, which may include computational techniques and literature research work. This course gives you hands-on experience in planning and executing experiments, tests, and interpreting research results.

The course may be taken in an academic setting or as an industry internship/placement under the direct supervision of an industry-based supervisor in an company, government department or other suitable organisation.

Course requirements

Assumed background

In general students will be assumed to have completed at least one semester of a postgraduate coursework program in Biotechnology, Molecular Biology or Bioinformatics.

Prerequisites

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

With permission of the program director.

Recommended prerequisites

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

8 units of approved study.

Incompatible

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

BIOC7022, BIOC7023, BIOC7024, BIOC7025, BIOT7024, BIOT7025, BIOT7026, BIOT7027.

Course contact

Timetable

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

Additional timetable information

The Program Director's permission is required to enrol in this course. Please complete and submit the SCMB Postgraduate Coursework Supervisor Approval Formﾠvia the submission link provided in the SCMB Postgraduate Coursework Community Blackboard site.

Important Enrolment Information

Please note that you will also be required to enrol in Part B ofﾠthis course in your second semester (Semester 1, 2025) and Part C of this course in your third semester (Semester 2, 2025). You will be notified via Blackboard when you have been permission listed to this course for Semester 1, 2025 and Semester 2, 2025 and can enrol.

This course is delivered by directed study under academic supervision and there is no generic timetable. Student and supervisor will arrange to meet at regular intervals to monitor progress.

Students must meet with their supervisor and agree upon a topic BEFORE the end of week 2 of semester.

In week 1, students must meet with their supervisor to agree on a timetable for attendance in the laboratory. This is a three semester project (4 units (first semester), 4 units (second semester), 8 units (third semester), For a 4 unit semester laboratory attendance should be a minimum of 20 hours per week and an 8 unit semester laboratory attendance should be a minimum of 40 hours per week. Students must also provide their supervisor with a hard copy of the Electronic Course Profile (ECP) at this meeting.

Students should contact their individual supervisors directly for matters relating to their research project lab work and research report.

It is the student's responsibility to make contact and arrange meetings with their supervisor to discuss the progress of their work.

It is the supervisor's responsibility to supervise the research project and provide a mark for each of the following assessment items - project plan,ﾠresearch seminar presentation, and laboratory performance. The research report will be marked by two independent examiners.

The supervisor will be asked to mark the research report of a student they do not supervise.

The supervisor should nominate two examiners for the research report and inform the Course Coordinator of theﾠexaminers'ﾠcontact details.

Any questions on the assessment requirements should be directed to enquiries@scmb.uq.edu.au

Absences

It is the student’s responsibility to notify their supervisor if they will be absent from the lab for one day or more. Absences longer than three days must be supported by documentation e.g. a medical certificate.

It is the supervisor’s responsibility to notify the School if a student is absent for more than five days.

Project Progression

Refer to Assessment > Additional Information for important information on how to manage disruptions during your project.

Aims and outcomes

Practictioners in the disciplines of Biotechnology,ﾠMolecular Biology andﾠBioinformatics formulate their work aroundﾠhypotheses, methods,ﾠexperimentation and data gathering; while in some cases technologies and approaches require development,ﾠoutcomes require evaluation and data are interpreted.ﾠIt is difficult to interpret biological data unless one has had first hand experience of gaining reliable data. Of necessity therefore, a professional scientist must acquire experience in the development and application of techniques and experimental procedures, which may include computational techniques.ﾠ This course gives you extended, in-depth, hands-on experienceﾠin planning and executing experiments, and interpreting research results.

The course may be taken in an academic laboratory or as an industry internship/placement under the direct supervision of an industry-based supervisor in an company, government department or other suitable organisation.

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

First semester week 3 Checkpoint meeting

• Hurdle

Mode

Oral

Category

Participation/ Student contribution

Weight

Pass/Fail

Due date

12/08/2024 2:00 pm

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submit through the online portal in Blackboard. Before submitting your assessment item please name your file in the following way. FAMILY NAME_GivenName_StudentID_CourseCode_AssignmentName For example: Bob Smith (ID: 54329876) would name his ABCD1234 essay 1 in the following way. SMITH_Bob_54329876_ABCD1234_Essay1

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 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: 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 the assessment item by the requested due date and time.

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. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty. 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.

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.

First semester week 8 Checkpoint meeting

• Hurdle

Mode

Oral

Category

Participation/ Student contribution

Weight

Pass/Fail

Due date

16/09/2024 2:00 pm

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submit through the online portal in Blackboard. Before submitting your assessment item please name your file in the following way. FAMILY NAME_GivenName_StudentID_CourseCode_AssignmentName For example: Bob Smith (ID: 54329876) would name his ABCD1234 essay 1 in the following way. SMITH_Bob_54329876_ABCD1234_Essay1

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 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: 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 the assessment item by the requested due date and time.

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. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty. 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.

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.

Second semester week 6 checkpoint meeting

• Hurdle

Mode

Oral

Category

Participation/ Student contribution

Weight

Pass/Fail

Due date

7/04/2025 2:00 pm

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submit through the online portal in Blackboard. Before submitting your assessment item please name your file in the following way. FAMILY NAME_GivenName_StudentID_CourseCode_AssignmentName For example: Bob Smith (ID: 54329876) would name his ABCD1234 essay 1 in the following way. SMITH_Bob_54329876_ABCD1234_Essay1

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 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: 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 the assessment item by the requested due date and time.

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. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty. 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.

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.

Project Plan

• Hurdle

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project

Weight

Pass/Fail

Due date

7/05/2025 2:00 pm

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submit your plan through the course submission point in Blackboard. Before submitting your assessment item please name your file in the following way. FAMILY NAME_GivenName_StudentID_CourseCode_AssignmentName For example: Bob Smith (ID: 54329876) would name his ABCD1234 essay 1 in the following way. SMITH_Bob_54329876_ABCD1234_Essay1

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 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: 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 the assessment item by the requested due date and time.

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. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty. 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.

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.

Third semester week 6 checkpoint meeting

• Hurdle

Mode

Oral

Category

Participation/ Student contribution

Weight

Pass/Fail

Due date

8/09/2024 2:00 pm

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submit through the online portal in Blackboard. Before submitting your assessment item please name your file in the following way. FAMILY NAME_GivenName_StudentID_CourseCode_AssignmentName For example: Bob Smith (ID: 54329876) would name his ABCD1234 essay 1 in the following way. SMITH_Bob_54329876_ABCD1234_Essay1

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 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: 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 the assessment item by the requested due date and time.

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. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty. 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.

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.

Research seminar presentation

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Presentation

Weight

10%

Due date

Completion of presentation 3/11/2025 - 7/11/2025

Submission of slides 2pm 10/11/2025

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submit your PowerPoint slides as PPTX through the online portal in Blackboard. Before submitting your assessment item please name your file in the following way. FAMILY NAME_GivenName_StudentID_CourseCode_AssignmentName For example: Bob Smith (ID: 54329876) would name his ABCD1234 essay 1 in the following way. SMITH_Bob_54329876_ABCD1234_Essay1

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 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: 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 the assessment item by the requested due date and time.

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. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty. 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.

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.

Notebook and assessment of research performance

• Hurdle

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Notebook/ Logbook, Practical/ Demonstration

Weight

20%

Due date

10/11/2025 2:00 pm

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submit your laboratory notebook (or a record of your work) directly to your project supervisor by the due date and time.

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 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: 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 the assessment item by the requested due date and time.

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. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty. 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.

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.

Report assessment

• Hurdle

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project

Weight

70%

Due date

10/11/2025 2:00 pm

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submit your report through the course Turnitin submission point in Blackboard. Before submitting your assessment item to Turnitin please name your file in the following way. FAMILY NAME_GivenName_StudentID_CourseCode_AssignmentName For example: Bob Smith (ID: 54329876) would name his ABCD1234 essay 1 in the following way. SMITH_Bob_54329876_ABCD1234_Essay1

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 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: 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 the assessment item by the requested due date and time.

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. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty. 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.

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.

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

2. Students must complete and submit ALL course assessment items and learning tasks.

Additional course requirement:

1. To receive a grade above 4 you must submit all Pass/Fail assessment by the due date and time.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

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.

Important Note - Project Progression

Please note that extensions are only rarely granted. Extensions will typically only be granted if you suffer from a significant illness, if a close family member develops a serious illness, or for family bereavement. Extensions will not routinely be granted at many weeks or months after an illness or other event, on the basis that such interruptions are part of life.

Research projects are not about completing a set body of work within an indefinite timeframe. Rather, you are given a period of time to learn about a topic, gain experience in practical research skills, analyse data, develop your own independent thoughts and conclusions based on this analysis, and write a report that communicates all of this to your examiners.

We expect that you will develop skills that allow you to adjust your plans “on the run” – everyone will experience things that do not go according to plan at some point, and it is a necessary skill in scientific research to be able to respond to change, whether it is an experiment that did not work because someone switched the incubator off over the weekend, or an event that prevented your attendance at the University or impacted your priorities.

What is important is that you adjust your plans appropriately, and in close consultation with your supervisor, so that you have sufficient time to analyse and write up what data you have obtained into a report that best demonstrates your knowledge and development as a scientist.

Note: If your application for extension is due to significant unforeseen circumstances in your laboratory a detailed written statement outlining the circumstances is required from your supervisor. This can be included in your application. Applications due to unforeseen circumstances will not be accepted without a supervisor's statement.

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.

Additional learning resources information

Blackboard

Further information regarding this course can be found on the course Blackboard site at learn.uq.edu.au. Additional supplementary material may also be posted on the site.

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

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.