Professor Elizabeth Aitken
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Agriculture and Food Sustainability School
This course offers practical experience in a research environment of your choice. Students undertaking this course will be working on a short laboratory or field project associated with their research topic of interest.
This course offers practical experience in a research environment. Students undertaking this course will likely be working on a short laboratory or field project associated with the topic.ﾠTypically the project involves a small data-gathering assignment which is written up in the form of a short scientific paper, i.e. abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion and literature cited sections.
It is the student'sﾠresponsibility to find a suitable supervisorﾠwho should be an academic staff member or an academic associated with the school who is prepared to supervise the student in the course. It is best to find a supervise whose research area reflects the student's study area.
Students should directly contact a potential supervisor (initially,ﾠemail is best), and ascertain if the academic isﾠwilling to supervise for a SCIE3270 project.ﾠTo choose a suitable supervisor, studentsﾠcan consult theﾠSAFS website atﾠﾠﾠhttps://agriculture.uq.edu.au/
Before the student can enrol in this course, the student and supervise should discuss the intended project and agree to an outline noting each of the assessment details and dates of submission. Confirmation via email from your supervisor toﾠsafs_admin@uq.edu.auﾠis required before enrollment in the course.ﾠﾠ
ﾠ
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 the Head of School
Course staff
Timetable
Additional timetable information
Students need to arrange a project plan with their supervisor's within the first week of semester and undertake all the necessary inductions.
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 presents the findings in a different reporting style
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practical/ Demonstration |
Record keeping
|
10% |
25/10/2024 2:00 pm |
| Performance | Research performance | 15% |
21/10/2024 - 25/10/2024 |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project |
Report
|
60% |
25/10/2024 5:00 pm |
| Presentation |
Final seminar
|
15% |
21/10/2024 - 25/10/2024
Date / Time to be confirmed via blackboard. |
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
Record keeping
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Practical/ Demonstration
- Weight
- 10%
- Due date
25/10/2024 2:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Student specific, Work integrated learning.
Task description
Students will keep a notebook according to common guidelines in their discipline. Accurate record keeping is most important. Research must be documented in a way that anyone trained in the art would be able to understand and reproduce the work.
Projects involving lab or field work: The lab or field notebook is an important document to record experimental design and data in a manner that can be easily understood by another person from this area of research. It should contain enough detail to enable another person to replicate the experiments. In some cases data maybe monitored and stored on electronic devices.
Projects involving theoretical work: Students must submit a weekly summary of research work undertaken. The exact format of the summary will be determined by the supervisor and may be electronic. Each summary should answer a collection of questions set by the supervisor, such as:
1. Describe the work you did this week.
2. What aspects of this week's work did you find most challenging?
3. What aspects of this week's work did you find most interesting?
You are also encouraged to use the UQ Research Data Manager (RDM). Details are available at https://research.uq.edu.au/rmbt/uqrdm
Record keeping will be directly assessed by the supervisor at intervals through the semester with the complete final record submitted at the end of semester to your supervisor by the due date.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Submission guidelines
To be handed in to your supervisor on or before the date it is due.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via https://portal.my.uq.edu.au/#/dashboard before the due date of the assessment item.
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 deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL). See 6.1 Assessment Related Policies & Guidelines for links to the University Guidelines and Applications for Extensions.
Research performance
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Performance
- Weight
- 15%
- Due date
21/10/2024 - 25/10/2024
Task description
The mark for this section will be based on the supervisor's observations during the course of the project. Depending on the project, the assessment criteria will be as follows.
Projects involving laboratory work: Students will participate in generating data. Students will prepare and perform the full experiment with care and clean up afterwards as required.
Projects involving field work: Students will participate in generating data through collection of samples or observation in the field. They will work under the supervisor’s guidance and follow relevant scientific collection procedures.
Projects involving theoretical work: Students will be marked on how well they demonstrate the following research skills:
1. Gathering relevant scientific information through the use of databases such as MathSciNet, Scopus and Web of Science and the general use of the library and internet.
2. Extracting pertinent information from scientific papers.
3. Participating in discussions with supervisor and/or research group.
4. Coping with the different sets of notation that are used in their research field.
Students will keep a notebook according to common guidelines in their discipline. Accurate record keeping is most important. Research must be documented in a way that anyone trained in the art would be able to understand and reproduce the work.
Projects involving lab or field work: The lab or field notebook is an important document to record experimental design and data in a manner that can be easily understood by another person from this area of research. It should contain enough detail to enable another person to replicate the experiments. In some cases data maybe monitored and stored on electronic devices.
Projects involving theoretical work: Students must submit a weekly summary of research work undertaken. The exact format of the summary will be determined by the supervisor and may be electronic. Each summary should answer a collection of questions set by the supervisor, such as:
1. Describe the work you did this week.
2. What aspects of this week's work did you find most challenging?
3. What aspects of this week's work did you find most interesting?
You are also encouraged to use the UQ Research Data Manager (RDM). Details are available at https://research.uq.edu.au/rmbt/uqrdm
Record keeping will be directly assessed by the supervisor at intervals through the semester with the complete final record submitted at the end of semester to your supervisor by the due date.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Submission guidelines
A report will be provided by the project supervisor.
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
Report
- Hurdle
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project
- Weight
- 60%
- Due date
25/10/2024 5:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Student specific.
Task description
Students should discuss details of the project topic before the start of semester and have details of the work plan established before the end of week 2.
The assessment will consist of a final report on the research project (in a paper-style format) which must be submitted via Blackboard.
The mark for this section will be based on the supervisor's observations during the course of the project. Depending on the project, the assessment criteria will be as follows.
Projects involving laboratory work: Students will participate in generating data. Students will prepare and perform the full experiment with care and clean up afterwards as required.
Projects involving field work: Students will participate in generating data through collection of samples or observation in the field. They will work under the supervisor’s guidance and follow relevant scientific collection procedures.
Projects involving theoretical work: Students will be marked on how well they demonstrate the following research skills:
1. Gathering relevant scientific information through the use of databases such as MathSciNet, Scopus and Web of Science and the general use of the library and internet.
2. Extracting pertinent information from scientific papers.
3. Participating in discussions with supervisor and/or research group.
4. Coping with the different sets of notation that are used in their research field.
Students will keep a notebook according to common guidelines in their discipline. Accurate record keeping is most important. Research must be documented in a way that anyone trained in the art would be able to understand and reproduce the work.
Projects involving lab or field work: The lab or field notebook is an important document to record experimental design and data in a manner that can be easily understood by another person from this area of research. It should contain enough detail to enable another person to replicate the experiments. In some cases data maybe monitored and stored on electronic devices.
Projects involving theoretical work: Students must submit a weekly summary of research work undertaken. The exact format of the summary will be determined by the supervisor and may be electronic. Each summary should answer a collection of questions set by the supervisor, such as:
1. Describe the work you did this week.
2. What aspects of this week's work did you find most challenging?
3. What aspects of this week's work did you find most interesting?
You are also encouraged to use the UQ Research Data Manager (RDM). Details are available at https://research.uq.edu.au/rmbt/uqrdm
Record keeping will be directly assessed by the supervisor at intervals through the semester with the complete final record submitted at the end of semester to your supervisor by the due date.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Hurdle requirements
Refer to Course Grading and Assessment Hurdles in Additional course grading information.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 (https://policies.uq.edu.au/document/view-current.php?id=149) and understand its implications.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via https://portal.my.uq.edu.au/#/dashboard before the due date of the assessment item.
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 deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL). See 6.1 Assessment Related Policies & Guidelines for links to the University Guidelines and Applications for Extensions.
Final seminar
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance, Oral
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 15%
- Due date
21/10/2024 - 25/10/2024
Date / Time to be confirmed via blackboard.
Task description
An oral presentation should be given by each student at the end of their project.
The presentation should ideally contain ppt slides with graphs, photographs or drawings and minimal text and be 15 minutes long.
Ideally the presentations will be given as a cohort in the last week of semester at a time to be scheduled.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Submission guidelines
Seminar will be arranged with cohort of project students.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via https://portal.my.uq.edu.au/#/dashboard before the due date of the assessment item.
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: 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% |
| 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 grade of 4 or higher for this course.
Students must obtain a 50% passing grade in the Report to pass this course.
If a student obtains an overall percentage greater than the cut-offs set to achieve a 4 or higher for the course based on marks from a combination of progressive assessment and the final exam and the student does NOT score a passing mark for the Report, they are unable to achieve a grade higher than a 3 (failing grade) for the course.
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.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools
Students are not permitted to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT or text-to-speech (voice over) generators to produce any assessment material, including graphs, unless instructed to do so by the Course Coordinator. ﾠAll submitted written assessment must be your own work and all oral assessment (including presentations or narration) must use your own voice unless an alternative has been arranged as part of a Student Access Plan (SAP).
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
Where there is no end-of-semester exam:
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. ﾠFor items of assessment submitted in the last 2 weeks of the semester, the results will not be available until grades release day. ﾠResults 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.
Before applying for a remark, students should consider the following:
- You have consulted the course coordinator for feedback.
- Your academic grounds for remark have been discussed and are valid.
- Wanting a higher grade is not grounds for a remark. A remark can decrease your grade.
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 (including Deferred Examinations)
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
Not scheduled |
Seminar |
seminar |
Multiple weeks |
Practical |
Research project Design a short research question, gather data, analyse and write-up data in form of a scientific report. |
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.