Course coordinator
Professor Bryan Fry
Course overview
- Study period
- Summer Semester, 2024 (25/11/2024 - 08/02/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- The Environment School
Students undertaking this course will investigate a project in a research environment under supervision of an experienced scientist. This will give them a unique opportunity to develop core research skills relevant to a wide spectrum of biological research, including written and oral communication, skills in making scientific observations, and recording and analysing data.
Students taking this courseﾠwill have a unique opportunity to developﾠcore research skills relevant to a wide spectrum of biological researchﾠbyﾠundertakingﾠa short field or laboratory reserach project in an area ofﾠinterest. Typically the project will involveﾠa small data-gathering assignment which is then written up in the form of a short scientific paper (i.e. abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion and references sections).
To enrol:
Step 1: Students must organise a supervisor, who should be anﾠacademic staff member in the School of the Environment, before they can enrol in this course. The research interests and contact details of potential supervisiorsﾠcan be found on the School of the Environment website. Students should contact a potential supervisor themselves (preferably by email) to determine ifﾠthey can supervise a project. NOTE: Academic staff may already be over-committed and unable to supervise student projects.
Some tips when contacting a potential supervisor (via email):
- Keep your email short, comprehensive and exciting! We recommend two concise paragraphs: (1) introducing yourself, your competencies, and your learning and/or career goals, and (2) how you think you could work with the potential supervisor.
- Attach a CV of no more than 2 pages in length.
- Attach or provide links to any evidence of research skills that you might already have. These can include examples of your written scientific work from other courses (e.g. group project report), data visualisation or analyses, data management experience, or other evidence that showcases existing skills that you might already have.
Step 2: Once a supervisor has been organised, please submit your application here for permission to enrol in your chosen course. Your application will be assessed by your proposed supervisor, course and program coordinator. If approved, you will be given permission to enrol in the course via your mySI-net and notified via email.
Please allow approximately 2 weeks for us to process your application: we will assist you with getting approval for enrolment in this course from:
- administrative staff
- Course Coordinator
- project supervisor
- Plan Convenor (so that you may use this course to satisfy requirements for your study plan, e.g. extended major or major).
Course requirements
Assumed background
Students should have adequate background in the area of their topic as assessed by the project supervisor and course co-ordinator. Studentsﾠare recommended to have completed #4 of 3 level courses.
Restrictions
Permission of School of the Environment.
Course contact
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
To provide students with an appreciation of rigorous scientific investigation and analysis.
To develop the ability to write on a topic at a level appropriate for entry into a supervised industry, government or research environment.
To develop the students ability to critically and constructively analyse scientific problems and questions.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Design a small experiment/project to test an idea/hypothesis
LO2.
Independently collect and analyse data
LO3.
Perform appropriate statistical analysis and be able to interpret the results
LO4.
Write a scientific report in the format of a scientific paper
LO5.
Present a seminar that reports the key findings and answer questions on your research
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation |
Proposal presentation
|
15% |
20/12/2024 |
| Project |
Report
|
65% |
30/01/2025 2:00 pm |
| Presentation |
Final seminar
|
20% |
24/01/2025 9:00 am |
Assessment details
Proposal presentation
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 15%
- Due date
20/12/2024
- Learning outcomes
- L01
Task description
Proposals will be during the writing workshop on Friday 20th December 10-12PM in room 08-385. Each student will give a brief oral presentation on their research topic background and methods, and answer questions from other students and course coordinator.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
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.
Report
- Identity Verified
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Project
- Weight
- 65%
- Due date
30/01/2025 2:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Student specific.
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L03, L04
Task description
Task Description: The research project will usually be in a research laboratory (or as a field study); the student might work independently or as part of a small research group, and will be supervised by an academic staff member from the School of the Environment. As a guide, it is expected that students will do approximately 100 hours of laboratory / field and library work. This may be at any time in the semester that is mutually suitable to the student and supervisor.
Report: You should write a detailed report (< 2500 words in total, excluding title, author name, acknowledgements, references, figures, tables and their legends; however, in-text citations are included in the word count) that is formatted in the style consistent with the requirements of a selected journal. You must not exceed this word limit. Please add the word count on your first page of your report.
You should discuss with your supervisor which journal would be an appropriate outlet in which to publish the type of research that you have done, and identify the journal in your written report. It is not an expectation that you produce a manuscript or results that are publishable in a peer-reviewed professional scientific journal.
Your report will be marked by two academics but not by your supervisor.
Acknowledging the contribution of others: if you have done your project with help from other members of the laboratory you are working in, this should be acknowledged on your first page. Collaborations with others is expected in science, but it must be clear to your markers what is your own work. Contributions include: substantial help with acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data, or drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content. If you have been provided with a dataset to analyse, also make this clear in your report (it is sometimes unclear whether the student was given the data or collected it themselves).
Submission guidelines
Submission via Turnitin on Blackboard
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
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.
Final seminar
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Oral
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
24/01/2025 9:00 am
- Other conditions
- Student specific.
- Learning outcomes
- L05
Task description
All students taking SCIE3241 must attend the SCIE3241 seminar session at the end of semester and they must attend all of the presentations given by the peer group. Each student will give a maximum 10-minute oral presentation based on their project research and answer questions on the presentation afterwards. Guidelines on oral presentations will be presented at the poster/ seminar workshop/ lecture during semester, but students should also seek the advice of their supervisors, give a practice seminar to the lab group and obtain feedback from their supervisors before they present their seminar in the SCIE3241 seminar session. Academics attending the SCIE3241 seminar session will grade the presentations but supervisors will NOT grade their own students.
The venue and time are Friday 24th January 9-12PM in room 08-385.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
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.
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: The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 0% |
| 2 (Fail) |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 30% |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 45% |
| 4 (Pass) |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 50% |
| 5 (Credit) |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 65% |
| 6 (Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 75% |
| 7 (High Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 85% |
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
Applications for Extensions
Information on applying for an extension can be found here - my.UQ Applying for an extension
Extension applications must be received by the assessment due date and time.
If you are unable to provide documentation to support your application by the due date and time you must still submit your application on time and attach a Word document outlining why you cannot provide the documentation and upload the documentation to the portal within 24 hours.
Please note: While your extension request is being considered, you should work towards completing and submitting your assessment as soon as possible.
If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 4 weeks in a semester, we advise you to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses. You might need to consider applying for removal of course. We strongly recommend you seek advice from the Faculty that administers your program.
Extensions with Student Access Plans (SAP)
For extensions up to 7 days, your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, extension requests longer than 7 days (for any one assessment item) will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g., a medical certificate. A maximum of two applications may be submitted for any one assessment item, unless exceptional circumstances can be demonstrated. All extension requests must be received by the assessment due date and time.
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.”
Students can download the digital receipt in the Assignment inbox to confirm successful submission. A valid Turnitin receipt will be the only evidence accepted if assessments are missing. Without evidence, the assessment will receive 10% per day of the available marks late penalty deduction, and after seven days, will receive zero marks.
In the case of a Blackboard outage, please contact the Course Coordinator as soon as possible to confirm the outage with ITS.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE USE (AI)
The assessment tasks in this course evaluate students’ abilities, skills, and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
ﾠ
COURSE INFORMATION
All details relating to course organisation and assessment will be discussed in the first lecture.ﾠ
Students should receive feedback from their supervisors about every aspect of assessment AT LEAST ONCE. However, in order to be able to provide this, students must organise a meeting with their supervisors and hand in the preliminary work (i.e. draft of research report, draft ofﾠposter or notebook in the early stages of the project) early enough so supervisors have sufficient time to give useful feedback.
Attend Lectures:ﾠ-ﾠLectures and workshops will provide a forum for the discussion of the preparation of scientific manuscripts and postersﾠ
Laboratory Performance:ﾠ- Student performance during the laboratory/ fieldﾠwork will be assessed by the supervisor. Assessment of professionalism, experimental design, conduct of research experiments, enthusiasm, inquisitiveness, and record keeping will all contribute to this mark. The agreed record-keeping document (hard copy notebook or electronic record- format agreed with supervisor at the start of the project) will be directly submitted to the supervisor.
Seminar Presentation:ﾠ- Students will present a 10 minute seminar on their research at the SCIE3241 seminar session atﾠthe end of semester, plus 5 minute question time. During the seminar session students will present their work to an audience that consists of supervisingﾠacademics and other students taking theﾠcourse. Students are expected to attend all the presentations made by their peers during the seminar session. Presentations will be assessed by the academics attending the seminar session but supervisors will NOT mark the presentations given by theirﾠown students.
Project Report:ﾠ- Students will write a detailed report in theﾠformat of a manuscript for submission to selected journal.ﾠStudents should discuss the selection of a suitable journal with their supervisor and clearly identify this journal when they submit their research report (submitted via Turnitin). Theﾠreport will be marked by two academics from the School of The Environment. Supervisors will NOT mark the reports of their own students.
ﾠ
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
The necessary learning resources will be provided by the student's supervisor after consultation with the student about the details about the particular project being undertaken.
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 |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (25 Nov - 01 Dec) |
Lecture |
Introductory lecture and proposal presentations This first contact session will be composed of by an introductory lecture and then each student giving a brief synopsis of their research topic. This will be held on Thursday 28th November at 10am-12PM in room 08-385. |
Week 4 (16 Dec - 22 Dec) |
Workshop |
Writing workshop Writing workshop will be on Friday 20th December 10-12PM in room 08-385 Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 8 (20 Jan - 26 Jan) |
Seminar |
Final seminar presentations Project seminar presenations will be on Friday 24th January 9-12PM in room 08-385 Learning outcomes: L05 |
Additional learning activity information
There are no formal learning activities associated with this course. You will be supported by the Course Coordinator throughout the semester but most of your engagement in the course should be independently organised between you and your project supervisor. You will be expected to attended the combined seminar presentation in the final week of semester, when you will also present your work.
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.