Course coordinator
Associate Professor Sangeeta Prakash
Consultation is by appointment. To make an appointment, please email.
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Agriculture and Food Sustainability School
This course provides students the opportunity to explore interesting and relevant areas of food science and technology independently and in depth.
This course provides students the opportunity to explore interesting and relevant areas of food science and technology independently and in depth.
Course requirements
Assumed background
Some background food science knowledge is highly recommended.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Associate Professor Sangeeta Prakash
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
This course does not have a timetable as it is a self-directed course.ﾠ There will be a contact session in the first week of semester with the class to discuss the course and assessment requirements. The day and time will be communicated at early in week 1.ﾠ Students can arrange meetings with the course coordinator to seek assistance or communicate through email during the semester.
Aims and outcomes
To provide students the opportunity to examine specific topics in food science and technology not covered in other courses in depth.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Develop independent research skills to compile in-depth information on novel food science/technology topics.
LO2.
Apply analytical thinking to evaluate recent developments in food science/technology and report on associated challenges.
LO3.
Enhance communication and presentation skills by delivering oral presentations on advanced food science/technology subjects.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation |
Assessment 1 - Report 1
|
35% |
28/03/2025 5:00 pm |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation |
Assessment 2 - Report 2
|
35% |
2/05/2025 5:00 pm |
| Presentation |
Oral presentation
|
30% |
19/05/2025 - 23/05/2025
Talks to be held in week 12. Schedules will be finalised closer to the due date. |
Assessment details
Assessment 1 - Report 1
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 35%
- Due date
28/03/2025 5:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Student specific.
Task description
Word limit is 2500-3000 words (excluding references). Include the word count on the cover page.
Topics: Assignment topics will be determined through consultation with the Course Coordinator.
General information
In the assignments, students are expected to present a good coverage of the information available on their topic. This includes information from various sources, including textbooks, reference books, encyclopaedias, and journal articles and reviews. Presentation of recent information on the selected topics will be looked at particularly favourably. In many cases, recent journal articles will contain useful references to consult. Websites can also be valuable sources if used cautiously (avoid Wiki websites as they are not peer-reviewed). Academic staff may provide guidelines for assignment content.
A major tool for searching for information are the databases. Many of these are available in electronic form through the university library website; it is essential that you know how to use these to search for the information you require. FSTA, CAB and Web of Science are major databases relevant to food science, but several others may be useful (Google Scholar). Contact library staff if you are uncertain how to use the databases or which to use. Also, remember that a lot of very good information was generated before the electronic databases appeared (~1970), and hard copy abstracts such as Food Science and Technology Abstracts (FSTA) are the easiest way of accessing this information.
The assignment must be prepared in your own words. Do not copy directly from your sources. Evidence of this will attract a severe penalty.
Format and Organization of Assignment
The Assignment should
- be typed using size 12 font and single line spacing.
- contain the number of words specified by the course coordinator (exclusive of cover sheet, figures, tables and references. Marks may be deducted for assignments that are unacceptably short or excessively long).
- consist of:
- Title page: including course name and code, assignment title, due date, word count, student name and ID number.
- Contents page: including table of contents, list of tables, and a list of figures as appropriate.
- Introduction to the topic.
- Main body with suitable subheadings to separate sections and main points. All the headings and subheadings should be numbered, e.g. 1.0, 1.1, 1.1.1.
- Summary/conclusion.
Bibliography/List of References should
- be in a clear, easy-to-follow style and language and be free of spelling and grammatical mistakes.
- be logically set out with appropriate flow charts, tables, diagrams, figures, appendices etc. Tables, charts and diagrams should be appropriately titled and numbered. Titles should be under figures but above tables. If figures and tables are not your work, their source must be acknowledged underneath and referenced in the bibliography.
Form of assignment
The assignments are expected to be submitted electronically.
References
Use APA 7 referencing format in the text and the bibliography. If you doubt how references are cited and listed, consult the course coordinator and look up journal articles.
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
You must submit your Assessment task, in Blackboard, via the Turnitin link by the submission deadline. You should also retain an electronic copy of every piece of assessment you submit.
Legal Declaration By submitting your work via this website, you formally declare that (1) it is your own original work, and no part of the work has been copied from any other source or person except where due acknowledgement is made; (2) no part of the work has been previously submitted for assessment in this or any other institution; and (3) you have read the UQ Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Policy (http://ppl.app.uq.edu.au/content/3.60.04-student-integrity-and-misconduct) and understand its implications.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
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.
Assessment 2 - Report 2
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 35%
- Due date
2/05/2025 5:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Student specific.
Task description
Word limit is 2500-3000 words (excluding references). Include the word count on the cover page.
Topics: Assignment topics will be determined through consultation with the Course Coordinator.
General information
In the assignments, students are expected to present a good coverage of the information available on their topic. This includes information from various sources, including textbooks, reference books, encyclopaedias, and journal articles and reviews. Presentation of recent information on the selected topics will be looked at particularly favourably. In many cases, recent journal articles will contain useful references to consult. Websites can also be valuable sources if used cautiously (avoid Wiki websites as they are not peer-reviewed). Academic staff may provide guidelines for assignment content.
A major tool for searching for information are the databases. Many of these are available in electronic form through the university library website; it is essential that you know how to use these to search for the information you require. FSTA, CAB and Web of Science are major databases relevant to food science, but several others may be useful (Google Scholar). Contact library staff if you are uncertain how to use the databases or which to use. Also, remember that a lot of very good information was generated before the electronic databases appeared (~1970), and hard copy abstracts such as Food Science and Technology Abstracts (FSTA) are the easiest way of accessing this information.
The assignment must be prepared in your own words. Do not copy directly from your sources. Evidence of this will attract a severe penalty.
Format and Organization of Assignment
The Assignment should
- be typed using size 12 font and single line spacing.
- contain the number of words specified by the course coordinator (exclusive of cover sheet, figures, tables and references. Marks may be deducted for assignments that are unacceptably short or excessively long).
- consist of:
- Title page: including course name and code, assignment title, due date, word count, student name and ID number.
- Contents page: including table of contents, list of tables, and a list of figures as appropriate.
- Introduction to the topic.
- Main body with suitable subheadings to separate sections and main points. All the headings and subheadings should be numbered, e.g. 1.0, 1.1, 1.1.1.
- Summary/conclusion.
Bibliography/List of References should
- be in a clear, easy-to-follow style and language and be free of spelling and grammatical mistakes.
- be logically set out with appropriate flow charts, tables, diagrams, figures, appendices etc. Tables, charts and diagrams should be appropriately titled and numbered. Titles should be under figures but above tables. If figures and tables are not your work, their source must be acknowledged underneath and referenced in the bibliography.
Form of assignment
The assignments are expected to be submitted electronically.
References
Use APA 7 referencing format in the text and the bibliography. If you doubt how references are cited and listed, consult the course coordinator and look up journal articles.
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
You must submit your Assessment task, in Blackboard, via the Turnitin link by the submission deadline. You should also retain an electronic copy of every piece of assessment you submit.
Legal Declaration By submitting your work via this website, you formally declare that (1) it is your own original work, and no part of the work has been copied from any other source or person except where due acknowledgement is made; (2) no part of the work has been previously submitted for assessment in this or any other institution; and (3) you have read the UQ Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Policy (http://ppl.app.uq.edu.au/content/3.60.04-student-integrity-and-misconduct) and understand its implications.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
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.
Oral presentation
- Identity Verified
- Online
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance, Oral
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
19/05/2025 - 23/05/2025
Talks to be held in week 12. Schedules will be finalised closer to the due date.
Task description
The seminar will be assessed by the course coordinator and will cover one topic in food science and technology. An example slide presentation will be provided. Students will need to talk through the basics of the topic and not get too complicated (as it is only a 10 min talk). You should introduce the topic well, and then possibly get into a more specifics later on in the talk (e.g. refer to some research on the topic and present a graph or figure, for example).
The presentation time will be 10 minutes + 5 minutes of questions. The presentation will have about 10-12 ppt slides. Include a slide at the end with the reference list on it.
The seminar will be presented via Zoom and recorded.
This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 0 - 34% |
| 2 (Fail) |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 35 - 46% |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: 47% - 49% OR failure to meet course assessment requirements. |
| 4 (Pass) |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 50% - 64% |
| 5 (Credit) |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 65% - 74% |
| 6 (Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 75% - 84% |
| 7 (High Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 85% - 100% |
Additional course grading information
Course Grading Rules and Assessment Hurdles
All Assessment is Compulsory
All required assessment items MUST be completed in order to obtain a passing grade for this course.
Students must address any additional assessment requirements identified in this eCP.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
Assignment writing
You must not re-use past work from previous assessments in your assignments. You are encouraged to:
- read the instructions for assignments carefully and ensure that you address all the requirements,
- refer to references both in the readings and beyond, and cite references in the appropriate manner,
- reflect on your own experience and provide insight and critical thinking,
- write clearly and concisely.
Turnitin Assignments
Assignments that are required to be submitted through TurnItIn, must only be uploaded to the assessment specific Turnitin link on the relevant course Blackboard site. ﾠIf you submit any version of your assessment item to any other Turnitin link, this is considered cheating, and you will be held liable for this action.
Release of marks
Unless specifically indicated by the course coordinator, every attempt will be made to have the results for progressive assessment available within 3 weeks of submission. For items of assessment submitted in the last 2 weeks of the semester, the results will not be available until grades release day. Results and feedback availability will be advised to you by email or announced via the course Blackboard site.
Re-mark Applications – refer to the University's Re-mark Policy to check your eligibility.
Remark applications will not be considered without first having contacted your Course Co-ordinator.
Information for students can be found at: https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/exams-and-assessment/querying-result
Deferred and Supplementary assessment
Deferred and Supplementary information can be located on the my.UQ website
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.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks |
Not Timetabled |
Literature reviews Students will source a wide range of information to prepare the three assessments on three topics chosen from a list provided by the course coordinator. The coordinator will meet with the class in the first week via Zoom to discuss the course and requirements. The day/time will depend upon the timetable for that semester. |
Workshop |
Discussion of topics with course coordinator The course lecturer will discuss the areas/topics that encompass food science/technology via Zoom. In week 1 there will be a 1 hour session held over Zoom to discuss the course requirements, assessment and provide guidance. The class will be emailed at the start of week 1 with the day/time this session will be held. The session will be recorded and put on Blackboard afterwards. |
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.