BIOCHEM 4030B - Honours Biochemistry Project (T/Y) Final
North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2015
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code BIOCHEM 4030B Course Honours Biochemistry Project (T/Y) Final Coordinating Unit School of Biological Sciences Term Semester 2 Level Undergraduate Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 18 Contact By supervision Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N Corequisites BIOCHEM 4010A/B Incompatible BIOCHEM 4000A/B, BIOCHEM 4005A/B Restrictions Available only to students admitted to the relevant Honours program Assessment Written thesis, oral defence, supervisor assessment Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Keith Shearwin
Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .
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Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
1 Design, conduct, analyse and interpret results of a series of experiments 2 Critically analyse and evaluate quantitative & qualitative scientific information. 3 Obtain and evaluate scientific information from a variety of sources. 4 Communicate effectively in a variety of forms, including written and oral presentations. 5 Extend knowledge and understanding of a variety of scientific concepts University Graduate Attributes
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:
University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s) Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised. 1-5 The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner. 1-5 An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems. 1,2,5 Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication. 1,4 A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies. 1,3,4 A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life. 1-5 A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community. 1,2 An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities. 1-3 -
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
The work includes participation in research seminars, and importantly, the performance of a research project under the supervision of one or more members of the Biochemistry staff or affiliates. The research project will allow the students to design, conduct, analyse and interpret results of a series of experiments, and effectively communicate these in written and oral reports.Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
A student enrolled in a course such as this, should expect to spend, on average 37.5 hours per week on the research project.Learning Activities Summary
The major component of the Biochemistry Honours year is the Research Project.
1. Aim, Significance and Approach - The 'ASA' document
The supervisor will provide the overall approach and aim of the project and suggest the first experiments to commence the research. In March, students will submit a written statement of the aim of the research project, its significance to the group's research (if appropriate) and to the field in general, and finally the approach to be followed. Electronic submission of the proposal (PDF or Word format) to the Honours coordinator is required.The supervisor will be available to help in the drafting of the ASA.
2. Research
Each Honours student is under the supervision of a member of staff on an assigned independent research topic. They are required to contribute to the experimental design, execution and analysis of outcomes for all experimental procedures. The students are also expected to identify, interpret, critically analyse and integrate relevant material from published scientific literature. Students are asked to present a formal twenty minute Research Updateduring July/August to the Biochemistry Discipline. This will not be assessed but will provide formative feedback.
3. ThesisResults of the research project are to be submitted in a thesis. The thesis will include an introduction that will contain the background to, and the significance of, the research question. The results section(s) should contain data and its interpretation. The final chapter thesis should contain a summary. Students are required to submit the electronic version of their thesis in approximately week 12 of semester 2,with the bound copies to be distributed to the thesis examiners the following week.
Students are also asked to present their thesis orally approximately one week after thesis submission. This examination will start with a short presentation (20-30 min) which is open to anyone in the School wishing to attend. The rest of the time (up to 30 minutes) involves a session open only to the Biochemistry academic staff and invited post-doctoral/research fellows, where questions from the three thesis examiners and other senior staff will be addressed.Specific Course Requirements
Students must have satisfactorily completed the required occupational health and safety training. -
Assessment
The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Summary
Assessment Task Type of assessment Percentage of total assessment for grading purposes Hurdle (Yes/No) Learning Outcome ASA Formative 0%
No 1-5 Research Update Formative 0% No 1-5 Overall mark for Thesis & Thesis Defence
Written thesis (60% of final thesis mark)
Oral defence and Q&A(40% of final thesis mark)Formative & Summative 80% No 1-5 Supervisors mark Formative & Summative 20% No 1-5 Assessment Detail
BIOCHEMISTRY RESEARCH PROJECT ASSESSMENT
The overall thesis assessment (written, oral and Q&A) will be worth 80% and the supervisor’s mark 20%.
The written thesis will be assessed by a panel of three assessors, comprised of academic staff and senior researchers. The student’s supervisor is excluded from the role of thesis examiner. The marks of the three assessors will be averaged to give the final mark.
Written thesis assessment will be based on the following:
- Demonstrated knowledge of the experimental literature that forms the foundation of the thesis project; formation of a coherent and logical hypothesis that drives the thesis work.
- Detailed documentation of the materials and methods for the thesis experiments.
- Comprehensive and logical arrangement of experimental results; figures and diagrams should support the written explanation of the experimental results. All major experimental findings should be documented with the appropriate experimental evidence. Appropriate statistical tests should be used to analyse the data.
- The discussion should examine the experimental results in the broader context of the available scientific literature; scientific conclusions should be supported by clear and logical argument.
Assessment for the oral presentation and Q&A
The oral presentation and Q&A are assessed by the three thesis readers and by all other available academic staff. The marks of all assessors will be averaged to give the final mark.
Oral presentation:
- Demonstration of understanding of the background to the thesis work and the experimental details of the current work
- Demonstrate understanding of the significance of the work.
- Success at condensing the year’s experimental details into a summary of the important aspects of the thesis work
- Presentation scholarship: appropriate referencing and attribution of data and concepts to the correct sources
Question/answer period (30 minutes):
- Demonstration of understanding, analysis and evaluation of scientific concepts and scientific relevance
- Demonstration of understanding, analysis and evaluation of primary experimental details
Supervisor’s mark (20%)
Supervisors are excluded from acting as thesis examiners for their own students. Hence the supervisors mark provides the opportunity for assessment, by the supervisor, of the performance in the Honours research project, and includes an assessment of the quality of the experimental work, intellectual engagement with the project, making suggestions for alternative approaches/experiments, initiative in problem solving/troubleshooting, and maintenance of quality laboratory records.
The supervisor’s mark must be submitted to the Honours coordinator prior to the commencement of the final thesis presentations.
Submission
Late submission of the electronic version of the thesis will incur a penalty in the form of a reduction in mark, as follows:
If an extension is not applied for, or not granted then a penalty for late submission will apply. A penalty of 10% of the value of the assignment for each calendar day that the assignment is late (i.e. weekends count as 2 days), up to a maximum of 50% of the available marks will be applied. This means that an assignment that is 5 days late or more without an approved extension can only receive a maximum of 50% of the marks available for that assignment.
Course Grading
Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:
M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme) Grade Mark Description FNS Fail No Submission F 1-49 Fail P 50-64 Pass C 65-74 Credit D 75-84 Distinction HD 85-100 High Distinction CN Continuing NFE No Formal Examination RP Result Pending Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.
Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.
Final results for this course will be made available through .
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Student Feedback
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SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
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