Overview
In this unit, your study will focus on the role of the genome in adaptive change in living organisms, particularly animals. This will help you bring together recent advances in our understanding of the genome and the impact of these on the traditional areas of zoology, particularly those involving evolutionary processes. This unit will provide you with a link between molecular biology and other areas of biology including genetics, evolution, taxonomy, embryology and behaviour. In the latter part of the unit, you will focus on various aspects of human evolution.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisites Any one of the following: BIOH11005 Introductory Anatomy and Physiology BIOL11102 Life Science Laboratory BMSC11002 Human Body Systems 2 BMSC11008 Medical Anatomy and Physiology 2 BMSC11011 Human Anatomy and Physiology 2
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
| Assessment Task | Part Weighting (% of assessment) |
Assessment Security Level | Gen AI Guidance Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. ASSESSMENT 1 (30% of unit · 1 part ) | |||
| Part 1 – Assessment 1 - Student Presentation (Presentation) | 100% of 30% | Low | AI Integration (Authentic Professional Use) |
| 2. Assessment 2 - Online discussion forum (20% of unit · 1 part ) | |||
| Part 2 – Assessment 2 - Online discussion forum (Online discussion forum) | 100% of 20% | Low | No Gen AI Use |
| 3. Assessment 3 - Oral Examination (50% of unit · 1 part ) | |||
| Part 3 – Oral Examination (Oral Examination) | 100% of 50% | High | No Gen AI Use |
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Academic Progression Policy and Procedure
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Evaluations
Students would like to have the assessment videos and marking rubric available at the start of the term to clarify expectations.
I agree with the comment. Since this was the first year of oral presentations and exams, the rubric and video were not available at the very start of the semester. However, the process of booking the oral assessments, optimising time requirements, and teasing out the details of the marking process required several versions of the document and feedback from other lecturers and students. The entire process was described in detail in the Welcome video, and separate, more detailed videos and rubrics were posted promptly.
Feedback from Evaluations
Students commend the lecture videos but requested summaries for note-taking.
PowerPoint files are being reviewed; however, studying only PowerPoint slides is not enough for units at this level of complexity. Note-taking of the complex material may require watching the video multiple times or pausing to rethink the note structure.
Feedback from Evaluations
Students would like to explore the option of an on-campus written exam.
Unfortunately, that option is not available. It is understandable that students feel more comfortable taking a written assessment rather than an oral one. However, in a workplace as a scientist, written communication is limited to emails and reports, and the main means of communication remains in oral presentations, discussions, and on-the-spot troubleshooting. Oral assessments target the development of those highly neglected skills.
- Use correct terminology to describe genetics, genomes and evolution
- Discuss the concepts of heritability, mutation, development, Mendelian genetics, extranuclear and multi-allelic inheritance, the Hardy-Weinberg Law and related topics in quantitative genetics
- Explain the mechanisms of change in the genome including the concepts of genetic disorders adaptation and speciation
- Discuss behavioral and population genetics, socio-biology and ethics.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
|
1.
Assessment 1
(30% of unit)
Part 1 -
Presentation
|
||||
|
2.
Assessment 2
(20% of unit)
Part 1 -
Online discussion forum
|
||||
|
3.
Assessment 3
(50% of unit)
Part 1 -
Oral Examination
|
||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||
| 10 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
Additional Textbook Information
There is no specific book required for this unit; however, some lectures follow the material from William Klug's Concepts of Genetics, 12th edition, published by Pearson.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
