BIOL11102 - Life Science Laboratory

General Information

Unit Synopsis

Understanding the evolution, anatomy and identification of plants and animals is critical in tackling the scientific study or management of organisms, ecosystems and animal or plant production. In Life Science Laboratory, you will study evolution and phylogeny, and the anatomy of the most common vertebrate and invertebrate animals, plants, algae and fungi, to support the development of your practical skills, which include specimen collection, preparation and curation; microscopic and macroscopic identification; and animal and plant dissection. This unit includes field work where you will use the knowledge and skills developed to study organisms in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. On conclusion of this unit, you will understand the important role that biology plays in research and innovation in the fields of science, environmental science and agriculture.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 1
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Anti-requisite BIOL11099 Living Systems

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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School Compulsory Residential School
View Unit Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2023

Term 1 - 2024 Profile
Mixed Mode
Rockhampton

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).

Assessment Overview

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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Written Assessment 20%
2. Practical Assessment 30%
3. Laboratory/Practical 0%
4. Online Quiz(zes) 50%

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

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2023 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 85.71% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 26.17% response rate.

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.

Source: STUE Student Comments
Feedback
Residential school was a really motivating component of this course, I really enjoyed putting theoretical learning to real world, first hand experiences.
Recommendation
The residential school to remain a core component of the unit and continue to connect theory with real world content and experiences.
Action Taken
The residential school remains a core component for student engagement and connecting theory with real world context and experience.
Source: STUE Student Comments
Feedback
Learning videos are great, can they be made slightly shorter to make it more encouraging to sit through and watch.
Recommendation
Learning videos could be sequenced into shorter sections to increase student engagement and learner attention.
Action Taken
Learning videos will be sequence into smaller concept segments.
Source: STUE Student Comments
Feedback
The residential school should be condensed into 4 days.
Recommendation
Residential school duration is suitable given the amount of material that needs to be covered.
Action Taken
The residential school will be reduced to four days in response to student feedback.
Source: SUTE UNIT COMMENTS REPORT
Feedback
I found the amount of weekly content to be an excellent balance. It helped that I really enjoy the subject matter but the lectures were easy to absorb, especially with the ability to pause, slow down and speed up. The text was a good choice as well.
Recommendation
The amount of unit content and the prescribed text will remain unchanged.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: SUTE UNIT COMMENTS REPORT
Feedback
The time provided for the final quiz was too minimal given the requirements of the questions.
Recommendation
Unit assessment and weighting will be changed for 2024 in line with a wider unit refresh and update.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: SUTE UNIT COMMENTS REPORT
Feedback
Assignments were clear and engaging.
Recommendation
Assessments to continue to have clear instructions and engaging content.
Action Taken
Nil.
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Distinguish between major taxa of plants and animals using morphological features
  2. Discuss evolution and the Hierarchy of Classification in relation to the diversity of living organisms
  3. Safely perform laboratory activities, including the use of microscopes and aseptic techniques, and the dissection of plants and animals
  4. Collect and curate plant specimens
  5. Use dichotomous keys to identify flowering plants and insects.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Written Assessment • •
2 - Practical Assessment • • •
3 - Laboratory/Practical • • •
4 - Online Quiz(zes) • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Communication • •
2 - Problem Solving • •
3 - Critical Thinking • •
4 - Information Literacy • • •
5 - Team Work •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 - Written Assessment • • • •
2 - Practical Assessment • • • •
4 - Online Quiz(zes) • • • •
3 - Laboratory/Practical • • • •