Virology (MICR3002)

Course overview

Viruses have been shown to infect all forms of life and this course provides the fundamental background for studying the way in which viruses interact with their hosts. Surprisingly, these interactions may be beneficial as well as deleterious. The course will cover both sides of this dynamic interplay including virus disease in humans, animals, insects, and plants as well as molecular aspects of the nature of viruses, their evolution, replication, applications in genetic engineering and gene therapy, detection and control by both vaccines and antiviral strategies. The course will familiarize students with practical skills relevant to the isolation, purification and characterization of viral genetic material and viral proteins. These include techniques for virus detection, study of viral genes and expressed proteins, and computational analysis of global changes in the expression of host genes induced by viral infections.

Viruses are important pathogens of all forms of life. This course provides the fundamental background for studying virus infections and diseases in humans, animals, insects, and plants and covers molecular aspects of the nature of viruses, their replication andﾠapplications in genetic engineeringﾠand gene therapy. The course also covers details of host responses to virus infection at the whole organism/tissue and single cell levelsﾠas well as virus detection and control by both vaccines and antiviral strategies. The subject also seeks to familiarize students with practical skills relevant to theﾠcharacterization of viruses with a very hands-on practical components. These include molecular aspects of the detection, purification and isolation of viral genetic material, and study of viral genes and expressed proteins. An additional ﾠpractical component will be dedicated to computational analysis of global changes in the expression of host genes induced by viral infections.ﾠ

Course requirements

Assumed background

It is recommended that students have some background in molecular biology and protein biochemistry (eg, BIOC2000) as well as in microbiology and immunology (eg, MICR2000). However, permission to enrol in this subject may also be made with the approval of the course coordinator.

Prerequisites

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

[MICR2000 or MICR2900] or [BIOC2000 or BIOC2900]

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

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

Additional timetable information

Please check your timetable online regularly at the start of each semester.

Aims and outcomes

The aims of the course are to:

1. Provide students with a fundamental knowledge for understanding the wide range of viruses that infect all forms of life, from the molecular aspects of their replication in cells to the responses they elicit in their hosts and the diseases they cause;
2. Expose students to a real laboratory experience out of which they will develop practical skills relevant to the virus detection, isolation and characterisation of viral genetic material and detection of viral gene products;
3. Teach students how to perform computational analysis of global changes in the expression of host genes induced by virus infections and how to interpret the results of this analysis.

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

Wet Lab Practical Report

• Hurdle

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

25%

Due date

17/04/2025 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L07, L09

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submit your practical 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 approved documentation to support your application by the due date and time, you must still submit your application by the deadline but with an attached Word document that outlines why you cannot provide the approved documentation by the deadline. You will then need to acquire and upload the approved documentation to your request 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 by the requested due date and time.

Prolonged Absence

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.

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.

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.

MCQ quizzes on material from lectures

• Hurdle

Mode

Written

Category

Quiz

Weight

10%

Due date

MCQ Quiz 1 16/04/2025 1:30 pm

MCQ Quiz 2 28/05/2025 1:30 pm

The quiz will open at 1pm on the dates listed.

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submit your completed quiz via Blackboard.

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 approved documentation to support your application by the due date and time, you must still submit your application by the deadline but with an attached Word document that outlines why you cannot provide the approved documentation by the deadline. You will then need to acquire and upload the approved documentation to your request 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 by the requested due date and time.

Prolonged Absence

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.

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.

Late submission

Exams submitted after the end of the submission time will incur a late penalty.

Computer Lab Practical Report

• Hurdle
• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

15%

Due date

9/05/2025 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L08, L09

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submit your practical 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 approved documentation to support your application by the due date and time, you must still submit your application by the deadline but with an attached Word document that outlines why you cannot provide the approved documentation by the deadline. You will then need to acquire and upload the approved documentation to your request 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 by the requested due date and time.

Prolonged Absence

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.

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.

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.

End of semester exam

• Hurdle

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

50%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

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

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

2.ﾠ You must obtain an overall mark of 40% or more on the end of semester exam; and

3.ﾠ You must obtain a minimum weighted average mark of 40% across all other non-examination course assessment items; and

4. You must complete 100% of the laboratory component of the course.

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

Absence from a Practical Session

Attendance of all aspects of 100% of the enrolled sessions is compulsory.

If you are unable to attend your timetabled practical session due to circumstances beyond your control (e.g., illness) you must submit a practical absence request immediately accompanied by acceptable supporting documentation that covers the date of the missed practical. A list of acceptable reasons and required supporting documentation is found at https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/exams-and-assessment/applying-assessment-extension?p=1#1

Requests for practical absences can be submitted via the course Blackboard site under the Assessment tab > Practical > Applying for Practical Absences. Your request must be submitted prior to or on the day of the missed practical; it is your responsibility to submit an application and provide correct documentation by the due date and time. Requests without correct supporting documentation may not be approved. If the reason for your absence is not approved, you will be considered as absent from that practical session and the laboratory attendance hurdle will apply.

Assessment Submission

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure the on time, correct and complete submission of all assessment items.

Students are responsible for retaining evidence of submission by the due date for all assessment items, in the required form (for example, screenshot, email, photo, and an unaltered copy of submitted work).

In the case of a Blackboard outage, contact the Course Coordinator as soon as possible to confirm the outage with ITS.

Assessment/Attendance

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 Course Profile (CP) for your course provide information about your course requirements, the rules associated with your courses and services offered by the University.

A note for repeating students in this course

Only learning activities and/or assessment items completed during the study period of enrolment, including any approved extensions, may contribute to your grade in this course. The whole or partial use of assessment items previously submitted for the same course, for a course at any institution, or for published material, is not permitted without written permission of the Course Coordinator.

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 should read the UQ Student Integrity and Misconduct 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

Websites

This Week in Virology podcast: https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/ ﾠ ﾠﾠ

Virus Taxonomy: The Classification and Nomenclature of Viruses - https://ictv.global/report

Blackboard

Additional supplementary material may be posted on the Blackboard site for MICR3002 at learn.uq.edu.au.

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

Details of the wet lab practicals including text, videos and quizzes for each practical session are available at UQ extend course content module

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.

You'll also need to be aware of the following policies and procedures while completing this course:

• Occupational Health and Safety in the Laboratory Guideline