BIOMED 2510 - Biomedical Science IIA

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2023

Biomedical Science IIA provides students with an overview of modern biomedical research, highlighting conceptual ideas and current methods used in the detection, characterisation and treatment of a range of infectious and non-infectious diseases and disorders. The key focus of this course is to develop a working understanding of experimental design, which is a fundamental skill required for undertaking biomedical research. This will be achieved by specific training and assessment tasks delivered in the workshops, and supported by real life examples provided in the lecture program.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code BIOMED 2510
    Course Biomedical Science IIA
    Coordinating Unit School of Biological Sciences
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 6 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Prerequisites BIOLOGY 1001 or BIOLOGY 1101 or BIOLOGY 1401, & BIOLOGY 1201
    Assumed Knowledge At least 6 units of Level I Chemistry
    Restrictions Available to BSc(BiomedSc) students only
    Assessment Written assignments, tutorial assessments
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr James Botten

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    The anticipated knowledge, skills and attitudes to be developed by the students are:

    1. Demonstrate awareness of a wide variety of cutting edge biomedical and molecular biology research.
    2. Understand standard molecular biology techniques and their application to investigating biomedical problems. 
    3. Critically evaluate scientific literature.
    4. Understand and apply the principles of experimental design to address specific research hypotheses.
    5. Analyse genomic sequence data using computational tools.


    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.

    1, 2, 3, 5

    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.

    4, 5

    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.

    1, 5

    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.

    4
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources

    Students will be supplied with required & suggested readings, available from the Barr Smith Library or from online sources.

    Access to MyUni and University email is absolutely required; communication with students will primarily be via these mechanisms, and students are encouraged to regularly (i.e. every 1-2 days) check these sources for any new information.

    Online Learning

    MyUni: Teaching materials and course documentation will be posted on the MyUni website (http://myuni.adelaide.edu.au/).

  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes

    The tutorials provide a mechanism for students to review and build on their understanding of the lecture material. Workshop sessions and related assessments will use examples from the lectures to develop skills in assessing the relative value of published work and the process by which biomedical experimentation is undertaken, along with an introduction to computational biology.

    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    Students are expected to attend all planned teaching activities to maximise their chances of success. In addition students are expected to spend 2 hours per lecture and 1 hour per tutorial in revision and preparation respectively. Finally, students will need to spend a total of 45 hours in preparation for the various course assessments.

    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, preparing assessments etc).

    Learning Activities Summary
    Please Note:
    • Tutorials begin in week 2 and are held approximately fortnightly (with some variation to account for other course activities).  Some teaching activities will be held in week 13.
    • Lecture topics are subject to change based on staff availability.
    • The workshops and continuing assessment tasks will build on the experimental design elements of the lecture content
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment task Type of assessment Percentage of Semester total  Hurdle (Yes/No) Outcomes being assessed
    Experimental design (Part A)  Summative 15% No 1,2,4
    Data Analysis Exercise Summative 25% No 3,5
    Experimental design (Part B) Summative 35% No 2,3,4
    Tutorial Assessments Formative/Summative 5 x 5% No 1,2,3
    Assessment Related Requirements

    Attendance at all teaching activities is required to obtain instruction for assessments.

    Please note some assessements will be held during either workshops and/or tutorials, hence attendance at all of these activities is mandatory.

    Non-attendance at these sessions without adequate reason (in association with appropriate documentation) will result in a zero mark for the relevant assessment.

    Assessment Detail

    All assessment tasks will be supported by extensive guidelines and detailed assessment rubrics.
    Specific criteria along with a template document will be provided to assist the students in completing each assessment task.

    Experimental design assessments:
    These assessments will build student understanding of the concepts of experimental design, and by incorporating examples and ideas derived from the lecture content, they will design a series of experiments that could feasibly answer a set of supplied hypotheses.

    Data Analysis Exercise:
    Students will be supplied with biological data (e.g. DNA sequences) which they will need to analyse in order to draw appropriate conclusions about the nature of the data. This exercise is computationally based and will require the use of various programs and online tools to complete the analysis.

    Tutorial Assessments:
    Students will prepare short answers to questions based on the lecture content and tutorial discussions.

    Submission

    All work (except the tutorial tests) will be submitted online via the relevant assessment link on MyUni. Coversheets & Templates will be supplied as required. Any work submitted without the relevant coversheet will NOT be assessed. Tests papers will be collected at the end of each test period, with feedback provided in a following teaching session.

    Late submission of assessments
    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.

  • 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.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    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.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.