Outline

Overview

This second semester unit is designed to introduce students to "cutting edge" issues in the neurosciences. This course is a combination of small lectures on current issues in cellular and developmental neuroscience and a research-based library project. Issues covered in the lecture series will include neurochemistry and psychiatric disorders, the cellular basis of learning and cognition, neurodegeneration and the development of central and peripheral nervous systems.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Department of Medical Sciences
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	ANAT2X10 or BMED2402 or BMED2403 or BMED2406 or MEDS2001 or PHSI2X05 or PHSI2X07
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	NEUR3903
Assumed knowledge ?	Students who have not successfully completed an introductory neuroscience course are advised to familiarise themselves with the content in Bear, Connors and Paradiso Exploring the Brain"."
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Catherine Leamey, catherine.leamey@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Claire Goldsbury, claire.goldsbury@sydney.edu.au
	Vladimir Balcar, vladimir.balcar@sydney.edu.au
	Atomu Sawatari, atomu.sawatari@sydney.edu.au
	Catherine Leamey, catherine.leamey@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Atomu Sawatari, atomu.sawatari@sydney.edu.au
	Daniel Johnstone, daniel.johnstone@sydney.edu.au
	Claire Goldsbury, claire.goldsbury@sydney.edu.au
	Vladimir Balcar, vladimir.balcar@sydney.edu.au
	Paul Austin, paul.austin@sydney.edu.au
	Catherine Leamey, catherine.leamey@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam (Take-home short release)	Final Exam Final exam - open book, short release (3 hours). Extended answer questions	50%	Formal exam period	3 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	quiz. Open book, extended answer questions.	10%	Week 05	50 mins
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Annotated Bibliography Choose 3 key references for your review and provide a 250 word summary.	10%	Week 06	750 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Literature review Scientific review.	30%	Week 13	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
= Type D final exam ?

Assessment summary

Final exam: You will be required to answer 4 questions in this exam. You will answer one question each from each lecture series.
Mid-semester exam: This exam will cover material presented in the series of lectures in developmental neuroscience.
Scientific review and supervisors report: The scientific review should be submitted in the style of a “mini-review” to the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience.
Annotated Bibliography: Choose 3 key references and prepare a 250 word summary of each, including how/why they are important for your review topic.

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	Mastery of topics showing extensive integration and ability to transfer knowledge to novel contexts; treatment of tasks shows an advanced synthesis of ideas; demonstration of initiative, complex understanding and analysis; work is very well presented; all criteria addressed and learning outcomes achieved to an outstanding level.
Distinction	75 - 84	Excellent achievement, consistent evidence of deep understanding and application of knowledge in medical science; treatment of tasks shows advanced understanding of topics; demonstration of initiative, complex understanding and analysis; work is well-presented; all criteria addressed and learning outcomes achieved to a superior level
Credit	65 - 74	Confident in explaining medical science processes, with evidence of solid understanding and achievement; occasional lapses indicative of unresolved issues; treatment of tasks shows a good understanding of topic; work is well-presented with a minimum of errors; all criteria addressed and learning outcomes achieved to a high level
Pass	50 - 64	Satisfactory level of engagement with and understanding of topic; some inconsistencies in understanding and knowledge of medical science; work is adequately presented, with some errors or omissions, most criteria addressed and learning outcomes achieved to an adequate level
Fail	0 - 49	Unsatisfactory achievement and engagement with the medical science discipline; inadequate understanding or fundamental misunderstanding of topics; most criteria and learning outcomes not clearly or adequately addressed or achieved; lack of effort/involvement in the unit

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:

All assignments must be submitted by the due date and quizzes and exams attended when they are scheduled. Students are expected to manage their time and to prioritise tasks to meet deadlines. Assessment items submitted after the due date without an approved extension using a special consideration or special arrangement form or request will incur penalties. Failure to meet assessment deadlines will incur mark deductions of 5% of the maximum awardable mark available for every day past the due date (for electronic submissions, days late includes Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays). These deductions will continue for 10 calendar days, until the solutions for the assignment are released, or marked assignments are returned to other students. At that point the mark awarded will be zero. For example, on an assignment given a mark of 70/100, the penalty would be 5 marks if submitted up to 24 hours late, resulting in a final mark of 65/100. If the assignment is submitted 6 days late, the penalty would be 30 marks and the final mark would be 40/100. If the assignment is more than 10 days late, submitted after the solutions for the assignment are released, or marked assignments are returned to other students, the final mark will be 0/100.

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.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to course. Neural development Lectures 1&2	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 02	Neural development lectures 3-5	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 03	Neural development Lectures 6-8	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 04	Cellular basis of cognition Lectures 1-3	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 05	Cellular basis of Cognition Lectures 4-5 and mid sem quiz	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 06	Cellular basis of cognition 6-7. Molecular Neuroscience 1	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 07	Molecular Neuroscience 2-4	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 08	Molecular neuroscience 5-7	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 09	Degeneration 1-3	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 10	Degeneration 4-6	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 11	Degeneration 7, wrap up, feedback	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 12	Advanced lectures	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 13	Advanced lectures	Lecture (3 hr)
Weekly	Discussion and preparation of supervised Literature Review	Tutorial (10 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

The University of Sydney Coursework Policy 2014 states:
55 (2) A student enrolled in a unit of study must comply with the requirements set out in the faculty resolutions, award course resolutions or unit of study outline about undertaking the unit of study, including on matters such as: (a) attendance at and participation in lectures, seminars and tutorials; and (b) participation in practical work.

The Faculty of Science resolutions states:
9(1). Students are expected to attend a minimum of 80% of timetabled activities for a unit of study, unless granted exemption by the Associate Dean.

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

Available on the Canvas site

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. Develop a mechanistic understanding of the major principles underlying the function and dysfunction of the nervous system, including aspects of its development and degeneration.
LO2. Develop an awareness of the process of performing scientific research and how this contributes to our knowledge.
LO3. Gain an in depth understanding of a subfield of neuroscientific literature
LO4. Develop your critical evaluation skills.
LO5. Demonstrate a capacity to integrate information from a variety of sources.
LO6. Gain an awareness of ethical issues which need to be considered in the conduct of scientific research.
LO7. Develop your written communication skills.
LO8. Develop your ability to perform effective searches of online Databases
LO9. Show an ability to think creatively about a research problem

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.

The assessment for the literature review has been broken down into 2 components to reduce weighting of final report and enhance feedback during semester.

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

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

NEUR3003: Cellular and Developmental Neuroscience

Semester 2, 2021 [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

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect