Course coordinator
For course enquiries, please email scie1000staff@uq.edu.au.
This foundation course in science introduces students to the broad range of mathematical, analytical, conceptual and computational tools employed by scientists to develop, analyse and interpret models of scientific processes. To emphasize the importance and generality of these tools, a number of key contemporary topics in science will be studied, including climate change, population dynamics, drugs and pharmacokinetics, and epidemics. The course will demonstrate how and why mathematical models underpin modern science, and students will learn how to develop and analyse such models. The course also introduces computer programming (using the language Python) as a vital tool in modern scientific modelling. Students will be introduced to some fundamental philosophical issues in science, gaining an appreciation of some of the assumptions that underlie science and the supposed scientific method, reinforcing the importance of critical thinking, creativity and quantitative scientific skills.
Science is increasingly interdisciplinary, requiring a breadth of understanding, an appreciation of some of the key challenges in different disciplines, and the ability to apply mathematical, quantitative and computing skills. SCIE1000 will help you to develop these abilities, thus giving you the general skills and knowledge you will need to study and practise science successfully.
All the material covered in SCIE1000 will be in the context of some of the big issues in science today, ranging from climate change and species diversity to epidemics and catastrophes. We will cover areas such as the philosophy of science and what scientific thinking means, how to model complex scientific phenomena, how mathematics is used as a formal language to develop models that describe such phenomena, and how to use computer programming to analyse the models.
SCIE1000 (or the advanced version, SCIE1100) is taken by most science students at UQ. It is one of the few courses (STAT1201 is the other) in which students from all branches of science will come together, letting you see some of the breadth and rich diversity of science. We believe strongly that SCIE1000 will be very useful, interesting, challenging and fun!
In the School of Mathematics and Physics we are committed to creating an inclusive and empowering learning environment for all students. We value and respect the diverse range of experiences our students bring to their education, and we believe that this diversity is essential for fostering a rich culture of knowledge sharing and meaningful exploration. We hold both students and staff accountable for actively contributing to the establishment of a respectful and supportive learning environment.
Bullying, harassment, and discrimination in any form are strictly against our principles and against UQ Policy, and will not be tolerated. We have developed a suite of resources to assist you in recognising, reporting, and addressing such behaviour. If you have any concerns about your experience in this course, we encourage you to tell a member of the course teaching team, or alternatively contact an SMP Classroom Inclusivity Champion (see Blackboard for contact details). Our Inclusivity Champions are here to listen, to understand your concerns, and to explore potential actions that can be taken to resolve them. Your well-being and a positive learning atmosphere are of utmost importance to us.
Any student accepted into any science-based course at UQ will have the necessary background to take SCIE1000. Specifically, the assumed background is:
Note that we do not assume you have completed Specialist Mathematics (previously called Maths C), Physics, Chemistry or Biology: all you need is English, Mathematical Methods (previously calledᅠMaths B), and any one science.
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
SCIE1100
This course is jointly-taught with:
SCIE1000 Internal mode
For course enquiries, please email scie1000staff@uq.edu.au.
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
In summer semester, workshops and contacts will be run on Zoom for all students. If you are enrolled in the in-person delivery mode, then practicals will be on campus (see your timetable for the specific room). Practicals will be on Zoom for students enrolled in external mode. Relevant Zoom links will be posted on Blackboard.
There will be two 2-hour interactive workshops in most weeks where we will work through the modelling, communication and philosophy components of the course.
There will be one 2-hour contact each week for the first four weeks of semester where we will cover the Python programming components of the course.
There will be two 2-hour practicals in most weeks where you will collaborate with your peers and your tutors to put into practice the concepts introduced in the workshops and contacts.
Recordings of workshops and contacts will be made available on Blackboard shortly after each class. Practicals are not recorded.
Please consult Blackboard for the scheduling of all learning activities. All activities start in Week 1 but note that there are no classes held on public holidays.
Important: if you are ill, then do not attend any classes in person. Alternative arrangements can be organised – consult Blackboard for details.
SCIE1000 aims to:
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Recognise the interdisciplinary nature of modern science, including some of the similarities and differences across a range of discipline areas.
LO2.
Explain the importance of modelling in science by demonstrating the skills required to produce and analyse such models.
LO3.
Apply fundamental mathematical techniques that are important to problems across a range of scientific discipline areas.
LO4.
Explain key introductory concepts in computer science, design and write simple computer programs in the language Python, and interpret the output of these programs.
LO5.
Describe and discuss some philosophical accounts of scientific reasoning.
LO6.
Communicate responses to quantitative and science-based problems in a correct, logical and scientifically appropriate style.
LO7.
Describe and discuss some of the current key issues in science, including relevant social and ethical issues.
Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
---|---|---|---|
Participation/ Student contribution | Practical Exercises | 10% |
Each week at the time of your practical. For those students with special permission to complete practicals independently, submissions are due at 1pm on the following Monday (at which time solutions will be released). |
Essay/ Critique | Philosophy Assignment | 15% |
3/01/2025 1:00 pm |
Computer Code, Presentation | Python and Communication Assignment (PCA) | 15% |
24/01/2025 1:00 pm |
Examination | End-of-semester Exam | 60% |
End of Semester Exam Period 1/02/2025 - 8/02/2025 |
Each week at the time of your practical.
For those students with special permission to complete practicals independently, submissions are due at 1pm on the following Monday (at which time solutions will be released).
You should attend your practical either in-person (in-person enrolled students) or on Zoom (external students). For each practical you will be provided with a task sheet containing relevant tasks similar in style to SCIE1000 assessments. If you are unwell then DO NOT attend your in-person practical - see extension information below.
Each practical will be marked out of 1. To earn 1 point for the practical you must participate fully in the practical by:
Your score for the practical component will be the sum of your marks from the 12 graded practicals, or 10, whichever is smaller. This means your maximum practical score is 10 and you may achieve this by earning 10, 11 or 12 marks in the 12 graded practicals.
Practical scores will be uploaded to Blackboard the week after the practical runs. It is your responsibility to check these marks and contact the practical supervisor via the procedure outlined on Blackboard if you have any concerns or think that a mark has been missed.
Solutions are graded by tutors during the practical session.
For those students with special permission to complete practicals independently, solutions are submitted through Blackboard.
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
Practical activities are conducted in class and hence extensions are not possible.
If you are too unwell to attend a practical, then note that you can miss up to two assessed practicals without penalty. If you are unable to attend more than two assessed practicals please email the course coordinator on scie1000staff@uq.edu.au to explain your circumstances and request a re-weighting of your remaining practicals. Students unable to complete sufficient practicals during the semester should consider withdrawing and re-enrolling in a forthcoming semester.
If you have an unavoidable special circumstance that prevents you from attending the scheduled practicals throughout the semester, then please email the course coordinator on scie1000staff@uq.edu.au to request permission to submit your practicals independently. Include relevant documentation to justify your absence. Note that many students find that working through the practical material alone can take significantly longer than attending a scheduled class. Feedback on your work will also be limited and extensions beyond the agreed submission time will not be possible as solutions are released shortly after all students complete these learning activities.
Late submission is not possible as practicals are completed in class (and solutions are released at the due time for those with special permission to complete practicals independently).
3/01/2025 1:00 pm
This assignment will assess the degree to which students have reached the learning outcomes in the philosophy component of SCIE1000 by requiring them to write an essay discussing aspects of the scientific method.
The essay must be submitted electronically through Blackboard by the due date and time. The plagiarism detection software TurnItIn will be used to check submissions.
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the extension and deferred examination information relating to this assessment item.
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.
24/01/2025 1:00 pm
Students will develop and demonstrate their skills in writing a Python program, as well as demonstrating their ability to communicate science in a way that is appropriate for a prescribed target audience. Along with the Python program, students will prepare and submit a short screen capture video explaining their work. The assignment will be given within a specific scientific context, and students will use scientific information and mathematical models within their Python program. The assignment will assess the degree to which students have reached the learning outcomes in the programming and scientific communication components of SCIE1000.
Your computer program must be submitted electronically in .py format along with your screen capture video through Blackboard by the due date and time (please check the task sheet for guidance in preparing your submission). Plagiarism detection software will be used to check the originality of your code.
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the extension and deferred examination information relating to this assessment item.
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.
End of Semester Exam Period
1/02/2025 - 8/02/2025
The examination will be invigilated on-campus for students enrolled in in-person mode and invigilated over Zoom for students in external mode. You must attend the format allocated for your type of enrolment (in-person/external) unless given prior permission to attend the other format. Further details for each format will be provided to students before the examination period.
You will be allowed to bring a UQ approved calculator to the exam. For more information and UQ policy click here. The final examination is closed-book. However, you may bring in a single, double-sided sheet of A4 paper containing any information you may find useful for the exam. This information can be hand-written or computer generated (or a mixture of both).
Planning time | 10 minutes |
---|---|
Duration | 120 minutes |
Calculator options | (Online) Casio FX82 series only or UQ approved calculator |
Open/closed book | Closed Book examination - specified written materials permitted |
Materials | A single, double-sided sheet of A4 paper containing any information you may find useful for the exam. |
Exam platform | Other |
Invigilation | Invigilated by Zoom |
You may be able to defer this exam.
See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the extension and deferred examination information relating to this assessment item.
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: Students will receive this grade if their final mark is less than 20%. |
2 (Fail) |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Students will receive this grade if their final mark is at least 20% and less than 45%. |
3 (Marginal Fail) |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: Students will receive this grade if EITHER of the following occurs: (a) their final mark is at least 45% and less than 50% OR (b) their final mark is at least 50% BUT they do not receive at least 40% of the marks on the End-of-semester exam. |
4 (Pass) |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Students will receive this grade if their final mark is at least 50% and less than 65% AND they receive at least 40% of the marks on the End-of-semester exam. |
5 (Credit) |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Students will receive this grade if their final mark is at least 65% and less than 75% AND they receive at least 40% of the marks on the End-of-semester exam. |
6 (Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Students will receive this grade if their final mark is at least 75% and less than 85% AND they receive at least 40% of the marks on the End-of-semester exam. |
7 (High Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Students will receive this grade if their final mark is at least 85% AND they receive at least 40% of the marks on the End-of-semester exam. |
Hurdle:
Note the hurdle requirement listed in the course grade descriptions above.
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 in this course will be a 2-hour examination similar in style to the end-of-semester examination. To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment.
Pay careful attention to the general university guidelines on plagiarism in Section 6. You are encouraged to work in small groups while studying and in practicals. However, unless otherwise indicated, assessments must be completed individually, so everything you submit must be your own work. We take copying, collaboration or any other form of academic misconduct very seriously; all cases will be actioned.
Requesting re-grading:ᅠ
If you have a query about a practical grade, please speak to your tutor in the first instance.
If you have a query about a grade you received on any other assessment item, you must first seek further feedback from the lecturing staff, and then you may complete an online request:ᅠ (https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/academic-progress-and-final-results/querying-result).ᅠ Instructions for how to seek further feedback on the assessment items will be provided on Blackboard at the time of grade release for that item.ᅠ Note that a re-grade involves the entire assessment item being re-marked by an independent grader, and the new overall score overrides the old score.
Artificial Intelligence
Assessment tasks evaluate 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.
Applications for Extensions to Assessment Due Dates
Extension requests are submitted online via my.UQ – applying for an extension. Extension requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with extension requests, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons, may be found at my.UQ.
Please note:
Applications to defer an exam
In certain circumstances you can apply to take a deferred examination for in-semester and end-of-semester exams. You'll need to demonstrate through supporting documentation how unavoidable circumstances prevented you from sitting your exam. If you can’t, you can apply for a one-off discretionary deferred exam.
Deferred Exam requests are submitted online via mySi-net. Requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with deferred examinations, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons may be found at my.UQ.
Please note:
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.
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
The key learning resource is the SCIE1000 Course Workbook, which covers the course material (there is no textbook for the course). Each workshop, we will work through the notes in the workbook, discussing questions and issues raised and then writing down solutions and comments. There are two ways to obtain a copy of the notes. A bound black-and-white version is on sale at the POD centre (Print On Demand). Alternatively, a full set of notes is available in electronic form on the course website.
There are a variety of additional resources to assist learning in this course:
At times we will direct you to additional material which will be available in the library or on the internet. If you are interested in finding out extra information about any of the topics we cover, there are plenty of resources available on the internet (but remember that not everything you find there is true).
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 7 |
Workshop |
Weekly workshops Two interactive workshops per scheduled week, each of two-hours duration, which will be spent working through the course workbook, answering questions and discussing content. |
Practical |
Weekly practicals Two interactive practicals per scheduled week, each of two-hours duration, which will focus on applying skills developed in the workshops and contacts. |
|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 4 |
Workshop |
Weekly contacts One two-hour session each scheduled week covering Python programming. |
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:
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.