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Unit outline_

NEUR3006: Neural Information Processing

Semester 1, 2022 [Normal day] - Remote

This unit provides an introduction the mechanisms that drive neurons and neural circuits throughout the brain and body. The lectures explore how signal intensity is translated into nerve impulse codes and how this information is again translated through synapses to convey and interpret information about the external world, to control the body and to record information for future use (learning and memory). We also consider how sensory and motor information is integrated through neural circuits in the brain and spinal cord. Practical classes introduce some of the different ways in which the workings of the brain are studied. Each student chooses a journal club that focuses on a specific topic in neuroscience. In the weekly sessions, group members read, present and interpret original research papers, developing a deep understanding of the emerging scientific evidence in the topic area. This senior year unit of study will develop skills in critical analysis, interpretation and communication of new evidence.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Department of Medical Sciences
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
72cp 1000 to 3000 level units
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
NEUR3001 or NEUR3901 or NEUR3002 or NEUR3902 or NEUR3906
Assumed knowledge
? 

(PHSI2X05 or PHSI2X07 or MEDS2001) or BMED2402

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Dario Protti, dario.protti@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Presentation Paper presentation grade
Oral presentation. Tutor will organise your presentation date
10% - 30 minutes presentation + questions
Outcomes assessed: LO8 LO10 LO9
Final exam (Live+ supervised) Type A final exam Final exam
MCQs and written elements
40% Formal exam period 2 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO13 LO14
Presentation group assignment Neurons in action poster presentation
Group Poster presentation followed by questions
6% Week 05 5min presentation + questions
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO13
Online task In-semester quiz
MCQs
10% Week 07
Due date: 08 Apr 2022 at 09:00
50min
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment group assignment Vision Prac quiz
MCQs
4% Week 10
Due date: 02 May 2021 at 17:00
10
Outcomes assessed: LO5
Assignment Scholarly essay
Essay/Report based upon research paper sessions
20% Week 13
Due date: 04 Jun 2021 at 23:00
1500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO12
Participation Paper session participation grade
Attendance
10% Weekly n/a
Outcomes assessed: LO8 LO11
group assignment = group assignment ?
Type A final exam = Type A final exam ?

Assessment summary

  • Paper session participation grade: The paper sessions consist of scientific “journal club” style presentations with discussion of an original research paper related to the topic. The tutor will keep track of the attendance and engagement of all group members according to the paper session guidelines.
  • Paper presentation grade: Your 30min presentation will be assessed by your group leader/tutor. See Paper session Guidelines on Canvas for details and assessment criteria.
  • Neurons in action poster presentation: This is a formal scientific poster presentation based upon the hypothesis you tested in session 2 of the neurons in action practical classes. The poster (one Powerpoint slide) will support a well-rehearsed presentation followed by questions that will be answered by the whole group in attendance.
  • Vision Prac quiz: A quiz at the end of the practical class will test your learning during this prac and your knowledge of the visual system
  • Mid-semester quiz: The mid semester quiz will consist of a quiz containing single best answer questions/MCQs based upon lecture content presented from weeks 1-8.
  • Scholarly essay: This essay will be written in formal scientific style with supporting evidence cited using the Harvard style. See Paper session guidelines on Canvas and discuss expected style, approach and content with your paper session leader/tutor during the sessions.
  • Final exam: This will contain both modified essay questions and single best answer/MCQ questions and will test your understanding of the content of the lectures and practical classes from throughout the semester (weeks 1-13). The final exam will not test practical class or paper session content.
  • Be an active learner: Each lecturer is asked to include a sample of short answer exam questions. Attempting sample SAQs can give students an idea of whether they are understanding the material at the depth expected. Where you don’t understand something ask your lecturer during or at the end of the lecture.
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 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 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.

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.

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.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Neural excitability in motor control (5 lectures beginning in week 1) Lecture (5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Introduction to research paper sessions (2 x 2hr in weeks 1 and 2) Lecture (4 hr) LO8 LO9
Week 02 Neurons in action session 1 Practical (4 hr) LO13
Week 03 Research paper sessions: 2h/week beginning in week 3 (for approximately 8 weeks, depending upon student group size) Seminar (16 hr) LO8 LO9 LO10 LO11 LO12
Sensory transduction (4 lectures beginning in week 3) Lecture (4 hr) LO4
Week 04 Neurons in action session 2: your experiment (follow up prac) Practical (4 hr) LO13
Week 06 Hearing (3 lectures beginning in week 6) Lecture (3 hr) LO6
Johnstone lectures (pre-exam) Q&A session Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 08 Protti lectures (pre-exam) Q&A session Lecture (1 hr) LO4
Week 09 Visual information processing in the brain (3 lectures beginning in week 9) Lecture (3 hr) LO5
Week 10 Sensory-motor integration (5 lectures beginning in week 10) Lecture (5 hr) LO7
Visual Processing in the Retina Prac Practical (4 hr) LO5 LO13
Week 12 Eye movements prac Lecture (3 hr) LO14
Week 13 Sawatari (pre-exam) Q&A session Lecture (1 hr) LO7

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: All students are expected to attend all lectures, practical classes, tutorials, and case studies. A variety of notes, handouts, data sheets, and information provided throughout the Unit of Study are intended to supplement the lectures not to substitute for them. Absences from all scheduled practical sessions, tutorials and case studies must be explained and supported by appropriate documentation. Even if special consideration has been granted, it is the student’s responsibility to know and understand the material covered in the missed session. Please note that the Faculty of Science has a minimum 80% attendance requirement for a student to pass any unit of study (Faculty of Science Resolutions at http://sydney.edu.au/handbooks/science/rules/faculty_resolutions.shtml).

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

Atomu’s Lecture Primer notes: Written pdf lecture primers are provided for most of Atomu’s lectures. When there is a primer for the lecture this will be indicated at the start of the relevant lecture Powerpoint. Both the Powerpoint and the primer notes pdfs can be downloaded from Canvas a few days before the lecture. Please read the primer notes before you attend or view the lecture. The primer notes should make the Powerpoint slides and the lecture easier to follow and learn. The contents of my Primer notes, together with the lecture content are both examinable.

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. explain the function of excitatory and inhibitory synapses and their influence upon the action potential firing patterns of a somatic motor neuron
  • LO2. discuss neuronal circuits associated with the stretch reflex and the gamma motor neurons that help regulate the movement of a limb around a joint
  • LO3. explain ways in which understanding of neuromuscular control circuits help us understand human strength and mobility in health and disease
  • LO4. describe multiple modes of sensory transduction and the neural encoding associated with these diverse forms
  • LO5. discuss the processing of visual information in the brain and how this processing may help to extract meaning from the visual world
  • LO6. discuss the processes of auditory perception that underlie interpretation of the auditory world
  • LO7. discuss mechanisms of sensori-motor integration in the brain and spinal cord
  • LO8. read a journal research article, prepare a written summary outlining its experimental methods and results then critically assess the extent to which the evidence supports the conclusions
  • LO9. prepare and present a 30 minute 'journal club' style scientific presentation that clearly explains a published research study (the background, the underlying scientific hypothesis, the key evidence presented and how and in what ways it supports the authors' conclusions) and respond to scientific questions in a field in which you have begun to develop some expertise
  • LO10. provide an example of how a commonly used scientific method (or methods) can be applied to test a specific scientific hypothesis and explain the logic
  • LO11. listen to your colleagues and take notes during a scientific/technical presentation, ask relevant questions that help engage others in the discussion and thereby deepen and reinforce your understanding of the topic
  • LO12. integrate what you have learnt from reading, summarizing and discussing several original research papers to create a 1,500 word scholarly scientific report that addresses an explicitly defined hypothesis or task
  • LO13. have developed a practical understanding of the influences of ion channel gating, chemical and electrical driving forces in nerve excitability and be able to investigate factors that influence this complex, non-linear phenomenon and the implications for how information is processed in the brain
  • LO14. explain some methods by which visual, auditory and sensorimotor function can be studied in humans.

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
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

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

The main changes we made in 2022 based on your feedback are related to the organisation of the course website on canvas. We streamlined the organisation by posting the lectures notes and videos in chronological order rather than under subheadings by topics. Students will also be given the opportunity to test their knowledge by doing practice exam questions.

Work, health and safety

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.