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 - 2025

Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Online
Term 2 - 2025 Profile
Online
Term 3 - 2025 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) 20%
2. Portfolio 40%
3. Portfolio 40%

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 - 2024 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 82.61% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 20.72% 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: Teaching Team
Feedback
Need to consider impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on assessment.
Recommendation
Review assessment requirements and design in light of the impact of recent developments in Artificial Intelligence and make changes as necessary.
Action Taken
Assessment revisions are currently underway in light of ongoing developments within the School and the University.
Source: Unit Evaluations
Feedback
Assessment 2 is challenging for some students who have not completed LNGE40049 Essay Writing for University prior to this unit.
Recommendation
Continue to recommend LNGE40049 Essay Writing for University as a pre-requisite for this unit and provide individual academic writing support to students.
Action Taken
Continued to recommend LNGE40049 Essay Writing for University and provided individual academic writing support to students.
Source: Unit Evaluations
Feedback
Students have found the lectures and drop-in sessions a friendly and interactive experience that support understanding.
Recommendation
Continue to encourage students to participate in online activities such as lectures and drop-in sessions.
Action Taken
Continued to encourage students to participate in online activities such as lectures and drop-in sessions.
Source: Unit Coordinators
Feedback
Include biological demonstrations relevant to weekly topics to increase engagement.
Recommendation
Source biological equipment/materials to enable demonstrations.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Unit Coordinators
Feedback
Need to increase technology-enhanced learning resources in support of listening and speaking skills.
Recommendation
Use audio tools and H5P software to create additional study tools for students.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Identify the fundamental principles of cell biology and their relevance to broader concepts related to human biology
  2. Describe how biological systems interact with their environments
  3. Apply foundational scientific process skills to explore and interpret biological concepts.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3
1 - Online Quiz(zes) •
2 - Portfolio • • •
3 - Portfolio • • •
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 • • •
8 - Ethical Practice •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9