ENV BIOL 3535 - Research Methods in Evolutionary Biology III
North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2023
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code ENV BIOL 3535 Course Research Methods in Evolutionary Biology III Coordinating Unit School of Biological Sciences Term Semester 1 Level Undergraduate Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 7 hours per week Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y Incompatible ENV BIOL 3530 Assumed Knowledge 6 units of Level II Environmental Biology courses ENV BIOL 2501 & STATS 1000 or STATS 1004 or equivalent Assessment Quizzes (in practicals), assignments and final exam Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Jeremy Austin
Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.
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Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this course students should be able to:
1 Demonstrate experimental skills in evolutionary biology 2 Define logical observations, models and hypotheses to shape research questions in evolutionary biology, both orally and written 3 Demonstrate an understanding of different types of analytical techniques to real evolutionary data and interpret the outcomes correctly 4 Develop phylogenetic analysis protocols and apply them to real-world evolutionary problems Demonstrate appropriate conventions in technical writing and graphical methods for presenting data in evolutionary biology University Graduate Attributes
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:
University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s) Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth
Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.
2-4 Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving
Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.
1,3,4 Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills
Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.
2-4 Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness
Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.
2 Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency
Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.
3-4 Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.
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Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
Lectures are supported by online material. Some lecture material will seek to ‘flip the classroom’ where the lecture room is the forum for exploring ideas and creativity to problem solving, recognising alternate cultures have different perspectives of the generation of knowledge and the ethics of scientific discovery and quantitative analysis. The practicals and workshops will build student knowledge and experience in action-based leaning to develop the application of theoretical knowledge to practical problems that face evolutionary researchers. Tutorials support the lectures and workshops.Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
A student enrolled in a 3-unit course, such as this, should expect to spend, on average 12 hours per week on the studies required. This includes both the formal contact time required to the course (e.g., lectures and practicals), as well as non-contact time (e.g., reading and revision).Learning Activities Summary
This course will be delivered by the following means:
Teaching is through a combination of lectures (1 x 2 hours per week during semester), practicals (1 x 3 hours per week [8 weeks]), workshops (1 x 4 hours per week [4 weeks]) and tutorials (1 x 1 hour per week [8 weeks])
The course content may include the following:
Lectures will cover fundamentals of logic, experimental design and variation in evolutionary data; hypothesis testing; phylogenetic analyses and multivariate statistics as appropriate to morphological and molecular data, including parsimony, likelihood and Bayesian statistics, as well as tree-evaluation methods.
The practicals and workshops will support the lecture topics. Tutorials will support the lectures and workshops.Specific Course Requirements
The recommended texts assigned to this course are:
Wiley, EO, Seigel-Causey, D, Brooks, DR, Funk, VA (1991) The compleat cladist: a primer of phylogenetic procedures. (The University of Kansas Museum of Natural History: Lawrence, Kansas).
Other more advanced reading for the course will be provided as needed during the semester for various modules
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Assessment
The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Summary
Assessment Task Task Type Due Weighting Hurdle
Yes/No
Learning Outcome Quizzes Formative & Summative Weeks 3, 5, 7, 9 30% No 1,4 Assignments Formative & Summative Weeks 5 & 10 40% No 1-5 Final Exam Summative Exam Period 30% No 1, 3-5 Assessment Detail
1. Lab Quizzes (30%)
There will be four lab quizzes in practical sessions that will be worth 5% (x2) and 10% (x2) each. Quizzes will be short-answer written quizzes of 20 minutes in duration. Written feedback will be provided in the following practical.
2. Assignments (40%)
There will be two assignments worth 15% and 25% respectively. Each assignment will consist of several problem-based questions that will require some computing work for data analysis and short answer type responses (half to one page).
3. Final Exam (30%)
A 2-hour exam in the end of semester exam period that will draw on material from both lectures and practicals. It may require simple calculations, but it will not involve computing.
Submission
If an extension is not applied for, or not granted then a penalty for late submission will apply. A penalty of 10% of the value of the assignment for each calendar day that the assignment is late (i.e. weekends count as 2 days), up to a maximum of 50% of the available marks will be applied. This means that an assignment that is 5 days late or more without an approved extension can only receive a maximum of 50% of the marks available for that assignment.Course Grading
Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:
M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme) Grade Mark Description FNS Fail No Submission F 1-49 Fail P 50-64 Pass C 65-74 Credit D 75-84 Distinction HD 85-100 High Distinction CN Continuing NFE No Formal Examination RP Result Pending Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.
Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.
Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.
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Student Feedback
The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.
SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
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Student Support
- Academic Integrity for Students
- Academic Support with Maths
- Academic Support with writing and study skills
- Careers Services
- International Student Support
- Library Services for Students
- LinkedIn Learning
- Student Life Counselling Support - Personal counselling for issues affecting study
- Students with a Disability - Alternative academic arrangements
- YouX Student Care - Advocacy, confidential counselling, welfare support and advice
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Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
- Academic Credit Arrangements Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progress by Coursework Students Policy
- Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy
- Copyright Compliance Policy
- Coursework Academic Programs Policy
- Elder Conservatorium of Music Noise Management Plan
- Intellectual Property Policy
- IT Acceptable Use and Security Policy
- Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy
- Reasonable Adjustments to Learning, Teaching & Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy
- Student Experience of Learning and Teaching Policy
- Student Grievance Resolution Process
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Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.
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