BMSC11005 - Foundations of Biochemistry

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit will enable students to develop their knowledge and understanding of biomolecules and cell function, including the structure and biological role of amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates and lipids. They will develop a basic understanding of how these biomolecules are synthesised, catabolised and interconverted through key biochemical pathways to meet the needs of the cell and organism, and will provide the necessary knowledge to begin to study disease and drug treatment at the cellular level. Students will also develop a theoretical understanding of methods used in biochemical analysis and develop literature searching skills in the recognition and use of primary sources of scientific information.

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

Prerequisites:

CHEM11041 Chemistry for the Life Sciences or CHEM11042 Fundamentals of Chemistry or CHEM11043 Atoms, Molecules and Matter

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 3 - 2024

Term 3 - 2024 Profile
Online
Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Online
Rockhampton
Term 2 - 2025 Profile
Bundaberg
Online
Rockhampton
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 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. Online Test 40%
2. Online Test 60%

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 2 - 2023 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 60.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 19.38% 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: SUTE
Feedback
Some students commented that the focus videos assisted with learning of complex metabolic pathways.
Recommendation
Consider increasing the use of focus videos to explain complex concepts.
Action Taken
Under consideration.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Students commented that the weekly quizzes assisted with learning.
Recommendation
Continue the use of weekly practice quizzes.
Action Taken
Weekly quizzes are an essential part of the unit, with healthy interaction when they are discussed during tutorial times.
Source: Self reflection
Feedback
The mid-term and final assessments were quizzes made up of entirely MCQs. This may not be the best assessment strategy.
Recommendation
Consider including other question types to allow students to demonstrate knowledge.
Action Taken
Short answer questions have been added to the Tests as of Term 1 2023
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Students found the two hour lecture recordings overwhelming.
Recommendation
Consider editing lectures into multiple short segments.
Action Taken
The lectures have been broken up into segments to make it easier to absorb the information.
Source: SUTE feedback
Feedback
Students appreciated teaching technique and availabitity of the lecturer.
Recommendation
Maintain teaching team and style for future offerings.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Self-reflection and SUTE feedback
Feedback
Some of the short answer questions in the online assessments need further clarification. They are slightly vague and can be somewhat ambiguous to the students.
Recommendation
Clarify the wording of the questions in the online quizzes.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Self-reflection
Feedback
Unit needs an update in COVID material - both lecture material and test questions.
Recommendation
Allow time for Unit Coordinator to make these updates.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Demonstrate knowledge of the structure, function and biological roles of the major types of macromolecules and their building blocks
  2. Explain the various methods used to separate and characterise macromolecules
  3. Describe the relationship between structure and function of the components of biological membranes
  4. Outline the basic processes involved in metabolism of carbohydares, fats and proteins and their catabolism to synthesise ATP through cellular respiration.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Online Test • • • •
2 - Online Test • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication • • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • •
4 - Information Literacy •
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 - Online Test • • •
2 - Online Test • • •