ZOOL13015 - Environmental Physiology of Animals

General Information

Unit Synopsis

In Environmental Physiology of Animals, you will learn about the limits placed on organisms by their physiology in both aquatic and terrestrial habitats, how organisms respond to environmental challenges, and how organisms have evolved to and are adapted to their ecological niche. This unit will cover topics such as the central nervous system and sensory system design, metabolism, respiration and energy supply, locomotion and allometric scaling, stress and the effects of capture and release, conservation physiology and extreme habitats. There is a strong focus on experimental physiology and incorporating theory and hands-on experience into practical classes during the Residential School, where you will conduct your own experiments. A fundamental knowledge of statistical design and analyses is assumed.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 3
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

BIOL11100 or BIOL12112

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 1 - 2025

Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Mixed Mode

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

This information will not be available until 8 weeks before term.
To see assessment details from an earlier availability, please search via a previous term.

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 100.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 50% 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
The residential school was the highlight of the unit. It provided valuable experience and face to face time with other students and the unit coordinator.
Recommendation
The residential school will continue to be the focus and center piece of the unit with the emphasis on students working collectively on a shared research project.
Action Taken
The residential school remains the center piece of the unit, the emphasis is on students working collectively on an applied research project with real world context.
Source: Personal reflection
Feedback
Creating an industry relevant applied research project within the unit has been extremely effective, in particular the project has increased engagement, created a cooperative learning environment and students have developed a sense of project ownership.
Recommendation
The real-world applied research project embedded within the residential is extremely important to students and should be continued and developed.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Personal reflection
Feedback
Students require more assistance and guidance with the use and application of audio-visual recording software for research seminar assessments.
Recommendation
Provide detailed instructions and tutorial sessions on the use of audio visual technologies.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Personal reflection
Feedback
Students appear to struggle with the use and application of statistical software for data analysis.
Recommendation
Consider including sessions on the use of SPSS for data analysis with particular reference to the residential school.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUTE
Feedback
The research project during residential school has been well received.
Recommendation
The research project should continue to be a central focus of the unit, providing students with the opportunity to engage with a real world applied research project.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes
This information will not be available until 8 weeks before term.
To see Learning Outcomes from an earlier availability, please search via a previous term.