BIOL40108 - Introductory Biology

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit prepares students for university study in the environmental, biomedical or life sciences. Students will gain an introductory understanding of the main concepts in modern biology, particularly as they relate to humans. This unit covers a range of topics including cell theory, organ systems, genetics, taxonomy, ecology and environmental science.

Details

Level Non-award
Unit Level Not Applicable
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the unit.

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 No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2023

Term 1 - 2023 Profile
Online
Term 2 - 2023 Profile
Online
Term 3 - 2023 Profile
Online

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 Non-award 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. Online Quiz(zes) 40%
2. Written Assessment 40%
3. Online Test 20%

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

To view Past Exams, please login
Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2022 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 87.10% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 22.14% 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: Unit Evaluations
Feedback
1) Many students enjoyed the unit, finding the experience fun, interesting, and relevant. Often students report enjoying the unit so much that they consider a biology-related career as a result.
Recommendation
1) Continue with current delivery, maintaining currency.
Action Taken
Continued with current delivery, maintaining currency.
Source: Unit Evaluations
Feedback
2) The lectures contain a lot of content.
Recommendation
2) Split the Week 4 lecture on homeostasis and the requirements for Assessment 2 into two separate lectures, the first dealing with an understanding of homeostasis and the other on the details of the assessment. Brain breaks will continue to be used, brain based learning strategies taught, and drop-in sessions made available for follow-up. These will support student management of content.
Action Taken
The Week 4 lecture was presented as two separate lectures, with an additional recording focusing on homeostasis and negative feedback and how to apply it in real circumstances. Brain-based learning strategies were taught to help students build their learning capacity.
Source: Unit Evaluations
Feedback
3) The last question of Assessment 3 is a short essay-style opinion piece on sustainability which some students found unnecessary having written an assessment essay earlier in the unit.
Recommendation
3) Replace this opinion piece question with a continuation of summative quiz-style questions and incorporate this assessment as an online test in Moodle rather than a take-home open book test.
Action Taken
In Term 1 2022, Assessment 3 was presented as an online test, covering the whole unit's content, using some content recall and application. No essay or other extended writing was required, which allowed immediate feedback to students.
Source: Unit Evaluations
Feedback
4) Some students who have not completed the Essay Writing for University unit prior to this unit may find Assessment 2 challenging.
Recommendation
4) LNGE40049 (EWU) is recommended as a pre-requisite for this unit; however, individual support is provided for students who struggle with academic writing through drop-in sessions and online resource provision. Examples of resources include the unit's Essay Writing Handbook, and academic communication resources provided by CQUniversity's Academic Learning Centre.
Action Taken
LNGE40049 (EWU) is recommended as a pre-requisite for this unit; however, individual support is provided for students who struggle with academic writing through drop-in sessions and online resource provision. Examples of resources include the unit's Essay Writing Handbook, and academic communication resources provided by CQUniversity's Academic Learning Centre. Some students continue to struggle with the essay as they do not use available resources and have poor underlying skills in scholarship.
Source: Unit Evaluations
Feedback
5) Students have found the lectures and drop-in sessions a friendly and interactive experience that support understanding. The wide range of resources available to students has received positive feedback.
Recommendation
5) Students will continue to be encouraged to participate in the learning community and the unit.
Action Taken
Students will continue to be encouraged to participate in the learning community and the unit, with provision of supportive resources.
Source: Teaching Team
Feedback
Students have noted difficulty in concentrating on heavy lecture content for two hours.
Recommendation
Use 'brain breaks' in the middle of the lecture to reset and refresh.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: Unit Evaluations
Feedback
Teaching staff are passionate and knowledgeable about the subject; they are approachable and friendly. Quick responses to student enquiries allow them to feel supported.
Recommendation
Continue to provide prompt, engaging and supportive feedback to students.
Action Taken
Nil.
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Demonstrate an introductory level understanding of the main concepts in modern biology, particularly as they relate to humans
  2. Locate relevant research on a topic to then prepare an essay following academic writing conventions for scientific essays
  3. Write short notes to demonstrate your understanding of the meaning of key terms, concepts and processes in biology

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3
1 - Online Quiz(zes) • •
2 - Written Assessment • •
3 - Online Test • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3
1 - Self Management • • •
2 - Communication • • •
3 - Information Literacy •
4 - Information Technology Competence • •
5 - Problem Solving •
6 - Critical Thinking • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9