Outline

Overview

Our ever-changing world requires knowledge that extends across multiple disciplines. This unit presents the opportunity to bring together the concepts and skills you have learnt in biochemistry and molecular biology and apply them to an authentic interdisciplinary project that blends biochemistry and molecular biology and a different discipline. In this unit, you will continue to understand, explore and apply disciplinary knowledge, while also meeting and collaborating with students from a different discipline in the University through project-based learning; identifying and solving problems, collecting and analysing data and communicating your findings to a diverse audience. All of these skills are highly valued by employers. This unit will foster the ability to work in interdisciplinary teams, and this is essential for both professional and research pathways in future.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Life and Environmental Sciences Academic Operations
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	(BCMB2XX1 or MEDS2003) and BCMB2XX2
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	2000 level biochemistry and molecular biology
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Matthew Clemson, matthew.clemson@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Jacqueline Matthews, jacqueline.matthews@sydney.edu.au
	Matthew Clemson, matthew.clemson@sydney.edu.au
	Ann Kwan, ann.kwan@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 2 September 2024

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Online task	Individual contribution to group project Individual Contribution	10%	Multiple weeks	200-300 words for each team meeting
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Practical & Workshop Reports LabArchives report write-up following each workshop or practical session.	30%	Multiple weeks	Variable
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Project Prospoal Powerpoint (or equivalent), oral presentation plus supporting slides.	0%	Week 05 Due date: 30 Aug 2024 at 17:00 Closing date: 30 Aug 2024	5 min talk + Preparation Time
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Final Group Project Portfolio Group project - documentation (including enriched presentation)	30%	Week 12 Due date: 25 Oct 2024 at 23:59 Closing date: 25 Oct 2024	Equivalent to a 20-30 min presentation
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Final Project Presentation Presentation of final project + Q&A	10%	Week 12 Due date: 25 Oct 2024 at 17:00 Closing date: 25 Oct 2024	15 min talk + preparation time
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Individual project report Discipline specific, individual project report.	20%	Week 13 Due date: 03 Nov 2024 at 23:59 Closing date: 03 Nov 2024	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Project Proposal Presentation – students will work in their interdisciplinary group to prepare and present a research proposal topic (for more details see Canvas).
Meeting Minutes/Team Work Evaluation – students will document their role and their peers roles in the group project progress regularly throughout semester.
Group Project – Students will work consistently throughout the semester on their project in mentored groups, and prepare an enriched presentation document for a general audience.
Project Final Presentation – students will work in their interdisciplinary group to prepare and present a presentation of their group project for a general (BCMB and MATH) audience.
Workshop Reports – students will submit their LabArchives reports of workshops/virtual laboratory sessions (most can be completed during class).
Individual Report – students will prepare a discipline specific detailed report of an aspect of the group project that they were responsible for.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2021 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	At HD level, a student demonstrates a flair for the subject as well as a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the unit material. A ‘High Distinction’ reflects exceptional achievement and is awarded to a student who demonstrates the ability to apply their subject knowledge and understanding to produce original solutions for novel or highly complex problems and/or comprehensive critical discussions of theoretical concepts.
Distinction	75 - 84	At DI level, a student demonstrates an aptitude for the subject and a well-developed understanding of the unit material. A ‘Distinction’ reflects excellent achievement and is awarded to a student who demonstrates an ability to apply their subject knowledge and understanding of the subject to produce good solutions for challenging problems and/or a reasonably well-developed critical analysis of theoretical concepts.
Credit	65 - 74	At CR level, a student demonstrates a good command and knowledge of the unit material. A ‘Credit’ reflects solid achievement and is awarded to a student who has a broad general understanding of the unit material and can solve routine problems and/or identify and superficially discuss theoretical concepts.
Pass	50 - 64	At PS level, a student demonstrates proficiency in the unit material. A ‘Pass’ reflects satisfactory achievement and is awarded to a student who has threshold knowledge.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

5% per day or part thereof up to 50%, thereafter 0 marks

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy 2023 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy 2023. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Multiple weeks	Practical Laboratory Experiments	Practical (21 hr)
Multiple weeks	Mentored Groups Project Development	Tutorial (9 hr)
Week 01	UoS Introduction	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 01	Yeast as a Model Organism	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 02	Yeast Lab	Science laboratory (3 hr)
Week 02	Teamwork and Group Contracts	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 03	Bioinformatics Workshop	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 04	Experimental Design Workshop	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 05	Project Pitch Presentations	Presentation (3 hr)
Week 12	Final Project presentations	Presentation (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Unless otherwise stated, students are expected to attend at least 80% of timetabled activities as defined in the unit of study outline. A student may fail this unit of study because of inadequate attendance.

Students with permitted clashes with other units of study will need to make special arrangements with the unit coordinator. 80% attendance at group meetings (1pm Fridays) is compulsory for all students.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Apply disciplinary knowledge to solve problems in an interdisciplinary context
LO2. Find, define and delimit authentic problems in order to address them.
LO3. Create an investigation strategy, explore solutions, discuss approaches and predict outcomes.
LO4. Analyse data using modern information technology and digital skills.
LO5. Demonstrate integrity, confidence, personal resilience and the capacity to manage challenges, both individually and in teams.
LO6. Collaborate with diverse groups and across cultural and disciplinary boundaries to develop solution(s) to the project problems.
LO7. Communicate project outcomes effectively to a broad audience.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

In response to feedback, we will have students allocated to their project groups early in semester. Academic mentors will work closely with student groups at the start of semester to help students to define the topic and scope for their group projects. Students will be given one week to complete weekly lab reports. We have re-ordered some of the workshops so that the basic project background research (bioinfomatics) can be completed early in semester.

Additional information

All activities will be face-to-face.

Details of face-to-face workshops, practicals and tutorial sessions will be provided via regular weekly updates on Canvas.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

BCMB3888: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Project

Semester 2, 2024 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect