Introduction to Research in Chemistry, Biochemistry & Microbiology (A) (SCIE3260)

Course overview

Students undertaking this course will have a unique opportunity to develop core research skills relevant to a wide spectrum of chemical or biological research, including written and oral communication, skills in making scientific observations, and recording and analysing data by participating in an individual or group research project associated with a discipline of interest to them.

Students must organise a supervisor, who should be an academic or affiliate staff member within the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences (SCMB), before they will be allowed to enrol in this course. ﾠStudents should directly contact a potential supervisor (via email is preferable), and ascertain if they are willing to provide supervision for your project. ﾠTo help choose a suitable supervisor, students should consult the SCMB website.

Available projects are listed in the SCMB Introduction to Research, Honours and Masters project booklet.

Once a supervisor has been organised, the student should complete theﾠProject Application Formﾠand submit it to the SCMB Administration Office, Level 3, Chemistry Building (68). Students will be notified via email when they have been given permission to enrol.

Students also need two secondary examiners who are independent of their primary supervisor. Most commonly, a student's supervisor will arrange suitable people for this role. These examiners must indicate their agreement by signing the application form. Theyﾠ must not be members of the supervisor's lab and must be independent of the supervisor; they should be of sufficient seniority and experience to make an assessment of the student, subject to the approval of the Course Coordinator and Discipline Chief Examiner.

Supervisors are required to provide a mark for laboratory performance and toﾠbe involved in the marking of poster presentations and research reports for other students in this course.ﾠﾠ

Course requirements

Assumed background

It is assumed that all students will have completed level 2 courses which provide an appropriate background to the project which they undertake. ﾠIn particular some component of level 2 laboratory work would be desirable.

Prerequisites

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

24 prior to enrolment and approval from School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences.

Incompatible

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

SCIE3044; BIOL3044

Restrictions

Students may count a maximum of #4 of project based courses to their degree (includes SCIE3012; BIOL3012;.SCIE3044 & BIOL3044).

Jointly taught details

This course is jointly-taught with:

The introductory lecture, Research Proposal Presentation and Poster Presentation are shared with SCIE3261.

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

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

Additional timetable information

Please refer to the course profile and Blackboard for timetable information on lectures and workshops.

Workplace Health & Safety:

Before commencing laboratory work, all students must attend the appropriate safety induction(s).

Students working in SCMB must attend the School WH&S induction.

Students working in other locations (IMB, AIBN etc.), please consult your supervisor about the safety inductions required for your project.

Compulsory sessions:

• Introductory (Lecture)
• Research Proposal Presentation
• How to write your research report (Workshop/Lecture)
• Poster design and presentation (Workshop/Lecture)
• Poster Presentation (Presentation)

Aims and outcomes

The aims of this course are:

• to immerse students in an authentic research environment enabling them to acquire valuable research skills.
• to challenge and inspire students through provision of opportunities to work on real scientific problems, to think creatively and to experience being involved in scientific discovery.ﾠ
• to enhance students' communication skills by presenting their research findings in several authentic scientific modes including: an oral presentation of their project proposal; a scientific laboratory notebook; a written scientific report; and a poster.

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

Research Proposal presentation

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Activity/ Performance, Oral

Category

Presentation

Weight

Pass/Fail

Due date

7/08/2024 10:00 am

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submit your Proposal Presentation 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.

Poster

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Activity/ Performance, Oral

Category

Presentation, Poster

Weight

20%

Due date

16/10/2024 10:00 am

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

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.

Research skills, performance & documentation

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Notebook/ Logbook, Practical/ Demonstration

Weight

25%

Due date

25/10/2024 2:00 pm

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

The laboratory notebook should be submitted to the research supervisor.

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.

Research Report

• Hurdle

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

55%

Due date

25/10/2024 2:00 pm

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submit through the course Turnitin submission point in Blackboard. Please note: No hardcopy is to be submitted. SCMB will distribute your Turnitin submission for marking. 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.

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:

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

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

3. Students must complete all lecture and workshop activities or they will be downgraded by one grade level.*

*Students who miss a contact session must submit supporting documentation to cover this absence to enquiries@scmb.uq.edu.au to access alternative assessment. This alternative assessment must be completed in order to meet hurdle 3 above.

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

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.

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

Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

Additional material (including the Turnitin portal) may be found on the Blackboard site for SCIE3260/3261.

ﾠ

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

ﾠ

Poster printing information is available here (UQ login required) or refer toﾠ course Lecture on Poster design and ﾠpresentation.

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.