BIOL860 Wildlife Project
About this Unit
Semester 1, 2008
Offered: D1, D2, X1, X2 - Day and External/online delivery; First Half-Year and Second Half-Year
Convenor: Dr Adam Stow
Prerequisites/corequisites: None
Credit Points: 4
This unit entails the student undertaking an independent research project. The subject of the research project is flexible, but in general will be relevant to the objectives of the research groups of staff involved in wildlife research. Wildlife refers in general to birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish, and these are the preferred phyla, but projects on other taxa will be given consideration.
Examples 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 topics: Flush distances and disturbance of native birds; Successful bird invaders: can they be disturbed? Development of a rapid assessment unit for inshore macroinvertebrates, Diet of feral foxes in Kuringai Chase National Park, Diet of the Pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps),
Enrolling students should contact the course convenor/s at or before the beginning of the semester. Project outlines have to be established with the project supervisor (Rob Harcourt or Adam Stow).
Teaching Staff
Convenors
Associate Professor Rob Harcourt (Marine topics)
Dr. Adam Stow (Terrestrial topics)
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
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.
Teaching and Learning Strategy
Projects will be developed under the supervision of a nominated academic.
Relationship between Assessment and Learning Outcomes
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.
Assessment will be based on a report to be written in the form of a scientific paper (max 5000 words), in which the introduction has been expanded to give a comprehensive review of all relevant literature. The report is due on the last day of the teaching period in each semester. For semester 2, 2008 this date is Friday 14 November, 2008.
The unit will be graded on a HD, D, C, P & F basis.
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.
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
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