Graduate School of The Environment
BIOL860 Wildlife Project
About this Unit
Semester 1, 2009
Offered: D1, D2, X1, X2 - Day and External/online delivery
Convenors: Dr Andrew Allen and Dr Michelle Power
Prerequisites/corequisites: None
Credit Points: 4
This unit enables the student to undertake an independent research project. The topic of the project is flexible, but is generally aligned with the objectives of an academic staff member involved in wildlife research. Wildlife generally refers to birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish, which are the preferred taxa, but projects involving non-vertebrate taxa would also be considered.
Titles of previous projects include: Distribution of Antarctic seabirds, Tour boat interactions with bottlenose dolphins, Contraception of koalas, Survivorship of rehabilitated possums, The effectiveness of tunnels and culverts for conservation of wildlife, Distribution of Sea Eagles in Jervis Bay, Distribution of Bottlenose Dolphins in Jervis Bay, Survivorship of hand-reared ringtailed possums, Echidna reproduction.
Some possible titles for future projects include: Flush distances and disturbance of native birds; Successful bird invaders: can they be disturbed? Development of a rapid assessment unit for inshore macroinvertebrates.
Enrolling students should contact one of the course convenors at or before the beginning of the semester to help in identifying a general topic and academic supervisor.
Unit Objectives
- Acquire scientific knowledge in a particular research area by reading and critically evaluating the scientific literature
- Formulate a research question to address an issue in wildlife biology, management or conservation
- Develop an experimental approach to address this research question
- Gather, analyze, and interpret scientific data
- Communicate research findings in written scientific format
Teaching Staff
Convenors
Dr Andrew Allen
Office: Building E8C room 249
Email: aallen@bio.mq.edu.au
Phone: 9850 9251
Dr Michelle Power
Office: Building E8A room 324
Email: mpower@els.mq.edu.au
Phone: 9850 6974
Classes
Contract Proposal
The Contract Proposal (max 2 pages) must be submitted to Rob Harcourt or Adam Stow by an agreed upon date within the first month of semester.
Requirements for acceptable proposals are:
- The program must involve a minimum of 160 hours.
- The project must be able to be completed and assessment material submitted in the semester in which the unit is commenced.
- Approval by the unit convenors together with an academic staff member in the Masters area concerned, and agreement to supervise completion of this contract and undertake assessment by a supervisor deemed appropriate by the unit convenors.
Having submitted an initial proposal, it is expected that you will discuss the proposed activity with all the relevant people in order to complete the details of the contract proposal.
Unit web page
http://www.gse.mq.edu.au/units/BIOL860.php
Technology Used and Required
N/A
Learning Outcomes
On completing the course, students should be able to:
- Evaluate primary scientific literature and formulate research questions
- Have knowledge of experimental design and data interpretation.
- Manage for research outcomes within a given timeframe.
- Write in a style suitable for publishing scientific data.
Graduate Capabilities Developed
1. Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
2. Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analyzing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
3. Problem Solving and Research Capability
Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analyzing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.
4. Creative and Innovative
Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.
5. Effective Communication
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
Teaching and Learning Strategy
Projects will be developed under the supervision of a nominated academic.
Assessment Requirements
Assessments
Part A: Contract Proposal (max 2 pages)
Due first month of semester (date agreed upon with Andrew Allen or Michelle Power) and submitted to Andrew Allen or Michelle Power
Requirements for acceptable proposals are:
- The proposal must entail a minimum of 160 hours of work.
- The proposed research and accompanying assessment materials must be able to be completed by the end of semester in which the unit is commenced (5 June 2009 for Semester 1).
- All people involved in the proposed research must be contacted in order to complete the details of the contract proposal.
- The contract proposal must be approved by the unit convenor and the nominated academic staff member.
Part B: Scientific report (100%)
Due Date for Semester 1: Friday 5th June, 2009
Assessment will be based on a report to be written in the form of a scientific paper (max 5000 words) for specified scientific journal, in which the introduction has been expanded to give a comprehensive review of relevant literature.
Unit completion requirements
Work to be carried out to satisfy the requirements of this unit will be determined on an individual basis in discussion between the student, the unit convenor, and the academic supervisor. The unit will be graded on a HD, D, C, P & F basis.
How do I Request an Extension?
Examination Conditions
Special consideration
All requests for special consideration should be submitted through the Student Enquiry Service, Registrar and Vice-Principal's Office. You must also provide your Lecturer with a copy of the documentation lodged at the Student Enquiry Service when submitting assignments. We strongly recommend that you see your Lecturer or Tutor on all such occasions to discuss the matter with her/him.
Important information, including Undergraduate Student Forms and deadlines for submission, is available at: http://www.student.mq.edu.au/
Required and Recommended Texts/Materials
Recommended on a case-by-case basis.
Plagiarism
The University defines plagiarism in its rules: "Plagiarism involves using the work of another person and presenting it as one's own." Plagiarism is a serious breach of the University's rules and carries significant penalties. You must read the University's practices and procedures on plagiarism. These can be found in the Handbook of Postgraduate Studies or on the web at: http://www.student.mq.edu.au/plagiarism/
The policies and procedures explain what plagiarism is, how to avoid it, the procedures that will be taken in cases of suspected plagiarism, and the penalties if you are found guilty. Penalties may include a deduction of marks, failure in the unit, and / or referral to the University Discipline Committee.
The GSE recommends that students familiarise themselves with the information contained on the Georgetown University Honor Council website which discusses plagiarism in an easy to understand and comprehensive manner.
All assignments will be screened with Turnitin anti-plagiarism software
University Policy on Grading
Academic Senate has a set of guidelines on the distribution of grades across the range from Fail to High Distinction. Your final result will include one of these grades plus a standardised numerical grade (SNG).
On occasion your raw mark for a unit (i.e., the total of your marks for each assessment item) may not be the same as the SNG which you receive. Under the Senate guidelines, results may be scaled to ensure that there is a degree of comparability across the university, so that units with the same past performances of their students should achieve similar results.
It is important that you realise that the policy does not require that a minimum number of students are to be failed in any unit. In fact it does something like the opposite, in requiring examiners to explain their actions if more than 20% of students fail in a unit.
The process of scaling does not change the order of marks among students. A student who receives a higher raw mark than another will also receive a higher final scaled mark.
For an explanation of the policy see:
http://senate.mq.edu.au/rules/Guidelines2003.doc or
http://senate.mq.edu.au/rules/detailedguidelines.doc
Special Consideration Policy
The University is committed to equity and fairness in all aspects of its learning and teaching. In stating this commitment, the University recognises that there may be circumstances where a student is prevented by unavoidable disruption from performing in accordance with their ability.
The Special Consideration Policy is instituted to support students who experience serious and unavoidable disruption such that they do not reach their usual demonstrated performance level.
Student Support Services
Macquarie University provides a range of Academic Student Support Services. Details of these services can be accessed at http://www.student.mq.edu.au.
Advice for Students with Disabilities/Health Conditions
The Equity Support Unit (ESU) provides support and assistance to students with a disability / health condition in aiming to ensure that they do not experience disadvantage in reaching their academic potential. Service provision is determined on a case-by-case basis following an assessment of a student's needs and the provision of supporting documentation. Service provision is also dependent on the availability of resources.
To register with ESU, download an Advice of Disability / Health Condition form from http://www.reg.mq.edu.au/academic-index.html. This form must be completed annually, irrespective of whether a disability / health condition is temporary, long-term or permanent. Students wishing to request support services from the ESU should make an appointment to see a Disability Advisor immediately after enrolling at Macquarie University.
Phone: (02) 9850 6494/7497
Fax: (02) 9850 6063
TTY: (02) 9850 6493
Email: equity@mq.edu.au
In person: Level 2, Lincoln Building (C8A), Macquarie University
Website: http://www.sss.mq.edu.au/equity
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