Lecturer-in-charge/tutor: Lucy Andrew
Email: lucy.andrew@adelaide.edu.au

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to

1.     Learn and understand concepts in science (physics and biology) and apply these concepts to real-world observations;    

2.     Understand the scientific process, conduct experiments and write scientific reports;
       
3.     Work with other students to construct a complex machine and explain the scientific principals involved;
       
4.     Source and interpret scientific articles;
       
5.     Discuss and critique scientific research.

Readings will be distributed in class and on MyUni as required.

Hewitt, P 2007, Conceptual Integrated Science, San Francisco, CA: Pearson.
(Available from the Barr Smith Library.)

Online Textbooks

Physics

OpenStax College, College Physics. Connexions. Oct 22, 2013
http://cnx.org/contents/031da8d3-b525-429c-80cf-6c8ed997733a@7.31

Biology

OpenStax College, Biology. Connexions. Nov 7, 2013
http://cnx.org/contents/185cbf87-c72e-48f5-b51e-f14f21b5eabd@9.17 (ed. J. Robbins & F. Dyson), London, Penguin (available in Barr Smith Library call number 501 F435ZR)

This course will use MyUni for the provision of course materials, the submission of student assignments, and the facilitation of discussions through discussion boards.

MyUni will also be used for essential communication including via email, so please check your University email regularly (at least three times a week). If you have a smartphone it is strongly recommended that you set up your email on it for easy and regular access to your University email. For guidance
on how to do this, visit:

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/its/networks/mobile/support/config/#mobile

Remember, the most useful portal for all University online activities is Unified:
https://unified.adelaide.edu.au/web/mycampus/home

This course will be comprised of interactive lectures (one hour per week) and tutorials (two hours per week).

1 x 1 hour lecture per week	12 hours
1 x 2 hour tutorial per week	24 hours
9 hour reading/private study per week (x12)	108 hours
Total	142 hours

Week	Topic
1	What is Science? Forces; Experiments
2	Forces and Simple Machines
3	Forces and Rube Goldberg machines
4	Energy
5	Electromagnetic waves; sound waves
6	Forces, energy and the Universe
	Mid-semester break
7	Introduction to Biology
8	The genetic code
9	Cells
10	Evolution
11	Vertebrates
12	Life so far...
13	Biology Test (no lecture)

For clarification on which dates correspond to which weeks, please visit:
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/dates/

To pass this course, students must attend at least 75% of tutorials; in cases of absence for medical or compassionate reasons, documentation must be provided and students must still attend at least 50% of classes. If students fail to attend the minimum required number of tutorials, they will be considered to have not completed an assignment (see below).

 

The University of Adelaide has committed to a pedagogical approach termed the “Small Group Discovery Experience”, indicating that the SHDE will be a core component in a credit-bearing course of every undergraduate program, and that it will be part of every first-year level from 2014. Since the UPP is not an award-based program, it is not strictly required to include an SGDE in the UPP.

However, since the UPP is designed to prepare students for first-year study, and the SGDE will be a core component of all first-year study, it is important for the UPP to provide some preparation in Small Group Discovery. These should be of a scaffolded, preparatory nature as befits each course within the program, and the philosophy and program objectives of the UPP. The Program has been designed to include preparation for small group work and research activity in many of its courses.

More specifically, this course aims to prepare students for their small-group discovery experience by introducing them to scientific articles and discussion of scientific concepts and arguments, and by having students build a simple machine that demonstrates key concepts in physics.

Assessment Task	Task Type	Due	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Participation in lectures and tutorials	Formative	Ongoing	10%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Video Presentation on Rube Goldberg Machine (approx. 1-2 minutes per person)	Formative	RGM Blog, week 4	Non-graded	1, 3
Experiment (1000-1500 words)	Summative	Friday, week 6	25%	1, 2, 4, 5
Physics Test	Summative	In class (tutorial), week 7	20%	1, 2, 4, 5
Biology assignment: Creature Features (1000 words)	Summative	Friday, week 12	25%	1
Biology Test	Summative	In class (tutorial), week 13	20%	1

Students must attempt all assessment tasks to pass this course. Since the University Preparatory Program is designed to prepare students for success at University, completing and submitting all assignments is central to the intended learning outcomes of the program and each course within it. Often, at least attempting and submitting assignments in the face of difficulty or adversity is enough for success at University and the UPP encourages this resilience by employing this policy in select courses. Please note that the absolute last date for the submission of assignments in Semester 1 is the end
of Swot Vac week, which is one week after the final assignment is due.

If a student fails to submit all assessment tasks and would otherwise have received a grade greater than 45, they will be given a nominal grade of 45 (Fail) for that course in that semester. This will permit them to undertake additional assessment (formerly called academic supplementary assessment) at the Course Coordinator’s discretion, as per policy at http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/supps.html 

It is not necessary to apply for additional assessment; this assessment will usually consist of the missed pieces of assessment, but the course coordinator may require more. As per policy 9.1.3.3, if the student
passes the additional assessment to the Course Coordinator’s satisfaction, the maximum grade they can get for the course is 50 (Pass). If a student’s raw grade is below 45, regardless of whether all tasks have been attempted, this score will stand unless exceptional, documented circumstances apply as per the University’s Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/mod_arrange.html 

Substantial non-engagement in this course (evidenced by repeated non-attendance at tutorials and failure to submit assessments) may result in students being withdrawn from the University Preparatory Program and being required to apply for reinstatement if they wish to continue.

Test Requirements

Tests for Physics and Biology will be conducted during tutorials.

A replacement test will be available to students on medical or compassionate grounds. Students seeking a replacement test need to apply through the correct MACA process and provide appropriate supporting documentation. If students do not attend the test and do not provide a documented reason (as soon as possible and no later than 5 days following the test date), they will receive a mark of zero for the test.

Information on Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment (MACA) can be found at:

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/mod_arrange.html

An application form for Assessment Task Extension or Replacement Examination due to Medical or Compassionate Circumstances can be found at:

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/Medical_Compassionate_Application_Form_-_12_June_2013.pdf

 

Participation

Your lecturer/tutor will mark you on your participation in group and class discussions during tutorials as well as answering lecture questions. This mark is not based on correct answers but a willingness to participate. Remember that being vocal in class is not the only way to demonstrate participation: asking questions after class or via email/MyUni, doing pre-readings, active listening and note-taking, and actively discussing with other students are all ways of showing that you are participating in the class.

Video Presentation on Rube Goldberg Machine

Groups of 3-5 students will make a Rube Goldberg machine. You need to make part of your machine go UP! Each person will create a short video (1-2 minutes) explaining one aspect of the machine and upload this to the Rube Goldberg Machine Blog by the end of Week 4. You may upload a narrated powerpoint or simply video yourself talking or drawing diagrams on a piece of paper. All students who upload a satisfactory video will receive a non-graded pass

Physics Test

A series of short answer questions will assess material covered during the course. There will be opportunities to practice test questions during tutorials. The test is designed to take one hour but students will have up to two hours to complete the test paper and hand it in at the end of the tutorial.

Experiment

Conduct and write up one of the following experiments. You will need to write a hypothesis and identify independent and dependent variables. More information about this assignment will be given during the tutorials. See marking rubric 5.7.

The report must contain the following. The weightings for each section are shown as a %:

• Introduction (20%)
Explain the background science to your experiment. State your aim and hypothesis.

• Materials and Method (20%)
List the equipment, describe the procedure, identify variables and controls.

• Results (30%)
State your findings, calculate means and standard deviations and apply appropriate equations. Data should be presented in tables and/or graphs. No duplication of data.

• Discussion / Conclusion (20%)
Refer to scientific concepts (i.e. Newton’s Laws) to explain ‘why’ you obtained your results. Use appropriate reference sources. State your conclusion and either reject or accept your hypothesis.

• Referencing and Writing (10%)
Your assignment must include in-text referencing, at least two references and a reference list in a recognised style i.e. Harvard referencing style. The paper should be written in clear, concise, grammatically correct English and presented in a clear and logical sequence.

Some Ideas for Experiments

Biology Test

A series of short answer questions will assess material covered during the course. There will be opportunities to practice test questions during tutorials. The test is designed to take one hour but students will have up to two hours to complete the test paper and hand it in at the end of the tutorial.


Biology Assignment: Creature Features

Choose an animal or plant that interests you. Briefly describe the animal/plant and its environment. Select one feature of the animal/plant and explain the feature in detail. How does this feature help the animal/plant to survive in its environment?

Include diagrams in your assignment. Diagrams are used to help explain a concept and are different to pictures. More information on how to create and use diagrams will be given during tutorials.

Please take care with choosing appropriate sources of information. A good reference should have an author and date. Online or printed textbooks are suitable references as well as university, government and scientific organisation websites (e.g. CSIRO, NASA). Your assignment must include in-text referencing, at least two references and a reference list in a recognised style i.e. Harvard referencing style: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre/referencing_guides/harvardStyleGuide.pdf

All assignments will be electronically submitted via MyUni, except for tests and in-class assessments.

Students may be granted extensions to assignments on medical or compassionate grounds; documentation to support these ground will be required. Requests for extension must be made before the due date; requests for extension submitted after the due date will not be considered. All extension requests must be submitted to the Course Coordinator (Chad Habel: chad.habel@adelaide.edu.au);
any extensions granted by the lecturer or tutor will not be considered valid.

All extension requests will be administered according to the Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/3303/

For a concise information sheet on this policy, please visit
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/pdfs/maca_medical_compassionate_info.pdf
 
Penalties for Late Submission

Unless the Course Profile states otherwise when an assessment is submitted after the due date, and without an extension, 5% of the total mark possible will be deducted for every 24 hours or part thereof that it is late, including each day on a weekend. For example, an essay that is submitted after the due date and time but within the first 24 hour period, and that has been graded at 63%, will have 5% deducted, for a final grade of 58%. An essay that is more than 24 hours late will lose 10%, etc. Hard copy submissions made after 5.00pm on a Friday will be assumed to have been submitted on the next business day and will be penalised 5% per day for every day including weekend days and public holidays.  This penalty may be increased where the assignment is to be completed in a period of less than a week.

This course aims to return assessed work within 2 weeks of its submission, although this cannot be guaranteed. The resubmission of assignments is not possible for this course, except in exceptional circumstances as approved by the Course Coordinator.