Outline

Overview

Biology is an immensely diverse science. Biologists study life at all levels, from the fundamental building blocks (genes, proteins) to whole ecosystems in which myriads of species interact. Evolution is the unifying concept that runs through the life sciences, from the origin and diversification of life to understanding behaviour, to dealing with disease. Evolution through natural selection is the framework in biology in which specific details make sense. This unit explores how new species continue to arise while others go extinct and discusses the role of mutations as the raw material on which selection acts. It explains how information is transferred between generations through DNA, RNA and proteins, transformations which affect all aspects of biological form and function. Science builds and organises knowledge of life and evolution in the form of testable hypotheses. You will participate in inquiry-led practical classes investigating single-celled organisms and the diversity of form and function in plants and animals. Life and Evolution (Advanced) has the same overall structure as BIOL1006 but material is discussed in greater detail and at a more advanced level. Students enrolled in BIOL1906 participate in an authentic urban biodiversity management research project with a focus on developing skills in critical evaluation, experimental design, data analysis and communication.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Life and Environmental Sciences Academic Operations
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	BIOL1001 or BIOL1911 or BIOL1991 or BIOL1006 or BIOL1996
Assumed knowledge ?	85 or above in HSC Biology or equivalent
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Fran Van Den Berg, francesca.vandenberg@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Matthew Pye, matthew.pye@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Fran Van Den Berg, francesca.vandenberg@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Supervised exam ?	Final Exam An exam examining concepts and skills taught in lectures and practicals	30%	Formal exam period	1.5 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Lab notebook Mark is based on completeness of Lab notes, data and designated tasks.	20%	Multiple weeks	Marked in weeks 7 and 13
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Lecture-based Quiz 2 x online Quizzes (weeks 4 and 11) based on lecture content (2.5% each).	5%	Multiple weeks	unlimited attempts over a week
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Writing task - Indigenous land management Written assignment - receive feedback on your writing and use of citations.	15%	Week 05 Due date: 20 Mar 2023 at 23:59	A short piece of writing
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Sydney Park project report Scientific report based on your own Sydney Park Project. Details on Canvas.	25%	Week 09 Due date: 24 Apr 2023 at 23:59	approx 4-5 pages
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Pre-Lab quiz Multiple choice quizzes relating to that week's Practical class.	5%	Weekly	10 minutes
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Pre-work quiz: These quizzes will consist of 5 multiple choice questions. These questions will test your understanding of material covered in that week's practical class. You need to read the lab manual and any associated material before attempting these quizzes.
Lecture-based Quizzes: These two online quizzes (2.5% each, weeks 4 and 11) will examine your knowledge on the lecture content of the course.
Lab notebook: Your lab notebook will be marked in weeks 7 (10%) and 13 (10%). You should keep all lab records and your own notes from practical classes in this book. Your Lab Notebook will be stored on Lab Archives.
Sydney Park project report: Your mark will be based on the quality of your report and adherence to the instructions.. You will receive feedback on your report. More information will be released on Canvas.
Writing task: You will submit a short piece of writing paraphrasing sources of information around Indigenous land management. You will be assessed on writing style and content.
Exam: The exam will cover all material in the unit from both lectures and practical classes. If a second replacement exam is required, this exam may be delivered via an alternative assessment method, such as a viva voce (oral exam). The alternative assessment will meet the same learning outcomes as the original exam. The format of the alternative assessment will be determined by the unit coordinator.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (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 an aptitude for the subject and a well-developed understanding of the unit material. A ‘High Distinction’ reflects exceptional achievement and is awarded to students who demonstrate 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 units 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 units 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 material. A ‘Pass’ reflects satisfactory adequately referencing the original source of the work.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

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.

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.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

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.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	1. Introduction to BIOL1906; 2. Tree of Life/Classifying Life	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 01	Introduction to the Pracs and the Sydney Park project	Practical (3 hr)
Week 02	1. Biodiversity 2. Darwinian evolution	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Sydney Park Project : iNaturalist, mud maps and introduction to sites. (on site at Sydney Park)	Practical (3 hr)
Week 03	1. Writing task (Indigenous land management) assessment; 2. Biogeography and major transitions	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	bulu: a green guide to campus	Practical (3 hr)
Week 04	1. Species and speciation; 2. Phylogenetics and systematics.	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	Sydney Park Project pitch	Practical (3 hr)
Week 05	1. Molecular basis of inheritance; 2 Mendelian genetics I (1 gene).	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Sydney Park: set traps and collect samples. (on site at Sydney Park)	Practical (3 hr)
Week 06	1. Scientific report writing; 2. Mendelian genetics II (2 genes).	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	Sydney Park project: ID samples (in Lab)	Practical (3 hr)
Week 07	1. Mapping genes; 2. NO LECTURE	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 07	Data analyses and Report writing	Practical (3 hr)
Week 08	1. Genomes and proteomes; 2. Population genetics	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Micro-diversity: magnifying the hidden world.	Practical (3 hr)
Week 09	1. Mechanisms of evolution; 2. Evidence for evolution and comparative anatomy.	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 09	Taronga Zoo experience	Practical (3 hr)
Week 10	1. Sex and the single chromosome; 2. What it means to be a single cell.	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	Shape shifters: comparative anatomy of animal systems	Practical (3 hr)
Week 11	1. What it means to be multicellular. 2. The forgotten Kingdoms.	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Environmental effects on transpiration in plants	Practical (3 hr)
Week 12	1. How to build a plant; 2 How to build an animal.	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	Embrace the Green: Plant diversity and evolution field trip	Field trip (3 hr)
Week 13	1. Moving onto land; 2. Adapting to a changing world.	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 13	Revision Lab: Exam Preparation	Practical (3 hr)

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.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed on the Library eReserve link available in the Canvas site for this unit.

A suggested (not compulsory) textbook is:

Knox, B., Ladiges, P., Evans, B. & Saint, R. (2014) Biology: An Australian Focus 5th Edition.
McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd, Sydney.

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.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

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

LO1. explain the process of evolution as the unifying theory in biology
LO2. describe genes as the functional units of information and explain how genes transfer biological information from one generation to the next
LO3. explain how biological information is expressed (from DNA to RNA and then to protein) and how this, in turn, affects biological form and function
LO4. describe different types of mutations, how they regulate inheritance and are selected
LO5. describe and explain Mendelian inheritance and apply this to solve genetics problems
LO6. articulate an understanding of the temporal and spatial scale of the evolutionary process
LO7. integrate ideas about the commonality of life systems and their complexity
LO8. propose and test hypotheses to explain biological phenomena
LO9. analyse quantitative data to evaluate explanations for biological patterns
LO10. create explanations through written and verbal means to communicate to a range of audiences
LO11. work independently and collaboratively
LO12. appreciate the diversity of life on earth.

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.

Based on student feedback, for CC students we have returned to 100% in-person practical sessions and provided opportunities to attend live, in-person lectures rather than recorded lectures. Due to the popularity for outdoor experiences, and more inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge and ways of Knowing, we have created a new on-campus practical. We have removed the participation marks (5%) but will continue to provide formative feedback on LabArchives uploads periodically throughout semester.

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

Read all relevant risk assessments for each Practical.

Work, health and safety

Completion of the Canvas module “Zoonosis Awareness” is compulsory.

We are governed by the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 and Codes of Practice. Penalties for non-compliance have increased. Everyone has a responsibility for health and safety at work. The University’s Work Health and Safety policy explains the responsibilities and expectations of workers and others, and the procedures for managing WHS risks associated with University activities.

General Laboratory Safety Rules

No eating or drinking is allowed in any laboratory under any circumstances
A laboratory coat and closed-toe shoes are mandatory
Follow safety instructions in your manual and posted in laboratories
In case of fire, follow instructions posted outside the laboratory door
First aid kits, eye wash and fire extinguishers are located in or immediately outside each laboratory
As a precautionary measure, it is recommended that you have a current tetanus immunisation. This can be obtained from University Health Service: unihealth.usyd.edu.au/

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

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

BIOL1906: Life and Evolution (Advanced)

Semester 1, 2023 [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

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect