Faigley L 2011 The Little Penguin Handbook (Australasian Edition) Longman, New York

Summers J and Smith B 2010 Communication Skills Handbook 3rd Ed. Wiley, Brisbane

Links to study guides and resources on referencing are provided on MyUni at https://myuni.adelaide.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp

All students must wear their student identification card to practical classes held in the Ray Last Anatomy Laboratory, where access is restricted to eligible student groups only and entry is strictly policed.

Students must also wear a laboratory coat or some other form of protective clothing, and fully enclosed shoes to practical classes in the Ray Last Anatomy Laboratory and to classes in the Braggs Wet Laboratory.  Because of Occupational Health and Safety requirements, students not complying with this policy will not be admitted to classes held in these locations  and will be recorded as being absent from the session.  NO LAB COAT = NO ENTRY - NO EXCUSES!

Note: Provision of protective clothing is the responsibility of the student. [Laboratory/dust coats are available for purchase from the major department stores and textbook suppliers.]

·   Attend at least 80% of all scheduled practical sessions (i.e. 10/12 sessions) and 80% of all tutorials (i.e. 6 /7 face-to-face tute sessions).  Failure to do so without valid documentation justifying the absence may result in preclusion from sitting the examination.  Students precluded from the examination will be deemed to have failed the course and must repeat all course components. [Note that non-attendance at scheduled practical and tutorial classes will impact on your ability to successfully complete the assessed in-class activities and class extension tasks, which contribute a combined aggregate of 20% towards the total course grade.]

· Obtain a minimum aggregate grade of at least 40% for the final examination. [The final examination is weighted at 40% of the total course grade.]

· Actively participate in the Group-based Discovery Project. [A mark for the Group-based Discovery Project, will only be awarded if you have contributed to checkpoint activities and submitted the compulsory Confidential Evaluation and Questionnaire at the completion of the project. It is unlikely that a student will achieve a pass grade without inclusion of a Group-based Discovery Project mark.

Online Summative Quizzes

All students are required to complete by the submission deadlines, 4 Online Summative Quizzes. These quizzes include a variety of question formats including short answer, multiple choice, multiple answer, ordering, true/false, matching and fill in the blank. They aim to focus students on key concepts, examine foundation knowledge, consolidate and expand knowledge related to concepts, and test comprehension and application. They also provide opportunities for feedback on progress and level of understanding, with a view to remediating misconceptions.

Extensions are not granted for online quizzes and late submission/non-submission will attract a zero score towards the course grade. Summative quizzes are not redeemable.  [Optional formative quizzes with feedback are available on MyUni to test understanding prior to the summative quiz and for revision purposes.]

In-class Assessment Activities

These assessments are part of the regular preparation and activities scheduled in tutorial and practical classes.

For each of the tutorial classes in weeks 3, 5, 8, 9 and 11 (Fluids and Transport, and Environmental Exchange modules), students will be required to submit for assessment by their tutor, a response to a tutorial question or exercise. The best 4 responses will contribute to summative course assessment.

In association with the practical classes (Infection and Immunity module) in weeks 11 and 12 of semester students will be required to complete pre-practical research questions and practical activities during the practical classes.  This assessment component is based on conduct of procedures and interpretation of data generated with the practical classes. It cannot be completed without attendance at both practical sessions, and there is no opportunity for replacement assessment.  All absences from these practical sessions, unless on medical or compassionate grounds and supported by appropriate documentation, will result in a zero mark for this assessment component.

Class Extension Tasks

Class extension tasks are based around the What is Science, and Human Ecology and Evolution modules. The tasks require an understanding of scientific process and method, and well-developed skills in observation, critical analysis and higher order thinking.

The tutorial extension task builds on the identification and analysis of hominin skull characteristics presented in Tutorial 5.

The practical extension task utilises a class data set generated in Practical 5 (weeks 5 and 6). Students are required to investigate the factors that contribute to human variability, and discuss how variability is influenced by data collection methods and protocols.

Group Discovery Project

Full details of this assessment task, including the assessment criteria and marking rubric, are available on MyUni.

Under the mentorship of an academic, students work in groups to complete a literature-based investigation of topic in biology where there are differing interpretations or viewpoints, or that is open to debate. Each group is required to undertake a search to discover how their topic has been portrayed in the popular press (e.g. newspapers, magazines, online), social media and on websites. Groups must then research the science around the controversial elements of their topic, and present a case for a particular stance, which must be appropriately referenced and supported by scientific evidence (from the peer-reviewed literature).  The stance will be presented as a wiki page in MyUni, with the key message/s also communicated more visually in an A3-sized poster.

End of Semester Examination

The end of semester examination is held in the Official University Semester 2 Examination period. The precise date of the examination is made available in late September  on the Examinations website: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/ 

The examination paper is of 2.5 hours duration, but most students should be able to complete it in 2 hours; the additional time is provided to enable planning and review of answers. Copies of previous examination papers are available on MyUni or from the Barr Smith library. Note that a range of question styles is used within the examination paper, including quiz format (multiple choice, true/false, matching etc), short answer, extended answer (essay style) and scenario-based questions. The various styles require that students provide information, apply information in defined settings, and/or integrate knowledge derived from a range of sources in the formulation of an answer.

Detailed instructions on how to submit assessment items, e.g. class extension task, group discovery project are provided in the instruction sheet for the task. In most cases, electronic lodgement via MyUni will be used, or students will complete task components in MyUni using online tools.

It is anticipated that marked assessment tasks and feedback will be returned to students within 4 weeks of the submission due date. Feedback will be provided via one or more of the following methods:

·        The marking rubric

·        Limited written comments on the task and/or on the rubric

·        An oral summary of the class strengths and weaknesses (voice recording on MyUni or face-to-face in classes)

·        A written class summary sheet made available to students via MyUni

·        Automated feedback in MyUni, generated according to the student response submitted.

Position on the Granting of Extensions for Non-Examination Assessment Tasks

All students have a right to request an extension in situations where, due to compassionate or medical reasons, or extenuating circumstances, they are unable to complete a piece of work by the prescribed deadline and consequently would be unreasonably disadvantaged. Compassionate reasons that may be considered include the death of a close relative or friend, incidents of violence or abuse, indications of significant psychological difficulties or conditions, or major changes in personal circumstances largely beyond the direct control of the student. Extenuating circumstances relate to a timing conflict between an obligation and the assessment requirements of the course, and are limited to a small number of situations including formal legal commitments, religious obligations, military service, or service with a recognized emergency management agency. [Other acceptable situations are listed in the Extenuating Circumstances Information Sheet.]

Prior to applying for an extension, students are advised to read the appropriate Information Sheet, available from the Examinations website at http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/supps.html All applications for an extension must use the appropriate Application Form and be accompanied by a Professional Report (medical and compassionate applications) or appropriate supporting documentation (applications on extenuating circumstances).

Where a student requests an extension for reasons other than those listed above, a written application outlining circumstances must be forwarded to the course coordinator. In these cases or in situations where the student does not have supporting evidence, the decision to grant an extension is discretionary and rests with the course coordinator after consultation with the School of Medical Sciences Assessment Committee. In such cases, the duration of any extension, if one is granted, will normally be overnight. Note that extensions will NOT be approved on the grounds of poor prioritising of time as timelines for all assessment tasks are provided to students at the commencement of the course and effort is made to stagger deadlines between common courses wherever possible.

Procedure for Applying for an Extension:

1.   Download and complete the appropriate application form, or present a written case for consideration.

2.   Lodge with the Course Coordinator.  Applications for an extension should be lodged not later than the last working day before the submission date of the assessment task concerned. Failure to apply for an extension within the allowable timeframe may result in the application being rejected, and penalties for late submission will apply.

3.   The length of any extension granted will take into account the period and severity of any incapacity or impact on the student. Extensions of more than 1 week will not be granted except in exceptional circumstances.

4.   The outcome of an application and where successful, the confirmation of the new submission deadline will be communicated via an email from the course coordinator.

5.   Students who do not formally apply for an extension or who have not discussed their options for completion of the task with the course coordinators will not automatically be granted an extension, irrespective of the reasons for late submission, and penalties will apply.

Please note that all information and supporting documentation provided by students in applications for an extension of time for an assessment task or assignment will be treated in the strictest confidence and stored appropriately.

Penalties for Late Submission of Assessment Tasks

Assessment tasks must be submitted by the stated deadlines (as notified in the Course Handbook and on MyUni) or a penalty for late submission will apply. All submitted work, including that handed in late will be marked “without prejudice” (i.e. on its merits) but in the case of late submission penalties will then be applied, and marks will be deducted from the original mark awarded. Penalties will be applied at the rate of 5 percentage points of the total mark possible for the task per day or part thereof (i.e. 5% per day). An examiner may elect not to mark any assessment task that is more than 7 days late.  Tasks more than 2 weeks late or that are received after feedback has been provided to the rest of the class will attract a mark of zero. In such situations, a student may still be eligible to pass Human Biology IB provided that the submission is of an acceptable standard and the student has attained an aggregate mark of >50% for other assessment components in the course.

An assessment task that is not lodged as per instructions in the instruction sheet for the task will incur marking penalties if not received by the submission deadline. It is each student’s responsibility to ensure that tasks are correctly lodged. Furthermore, we cannot guarantee that assessment tasks submitted after the due date will be graded in time to be returned on the listed return date.  Hence, you may miss out on valuable feedback for subsequent assessment tasks.

Replacement/Additional Assessment (R/AA) Exams

Formerly known as supplementary exams, R/AA are examinations that provide an additional opportunity to students whose academic performance was impaired by circumstances outside of their control in the primary examination, or whose performance marginally failed to meet minimum course requirements.

Students are able to apply for replacement (R) examination on medical or compassionate grounds, or due to extenuating circumstances. The results of replacement assessment offered on medical and/or compassionate grounds are classified using the normal grading system. However, if you completed the primary exam, and then have a replacement examination, your existing mark for the primary exam will be replaced by the mark from the R/AA, regardless of whether the latter is higher or lower.

Additional Assessment (AA) examination may be offered to a student if their final result is in the range of 45-49, or if they have an aggregate result of >50 but have not achieved the minimum acceptable mark for the primary examination and have a realistic chance of meeting the minimum achievement level required in the examination.  The results of the R/AA on academic grounds will not be graded above the level of 50 Pass. Where a R/AA on academic grounds produces an overall result that differs from the primary result, the better of the two results will apply.

Information Sheets and Application Forms for Replacement Examination are available from the Examination’s website at http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/supps.html

Please note that the granting of R/AA is discretionary. In some cases R/AA may be of a different format to the primary examination, e.g. viva voce examination rather than a written paper.