VET SC 2530RW - Animal and Plant Biochemistry (Vet-Bio) II

Roseworthy Campus - Semester 1 - 2024

This course provides an advanced introduction to the fundamental processes of animal and plant metabolism. Topics will include protein structure and function, mechanisms and control of enzyme action, the biochemistry of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism, energy generation and ruminant specific biochemistry. Examples of the application and context of key biochemical concepts to areas of animal science and veterinary medicine will be used to highlight the importance of biochemistry to all sectors of these sciences.

Open All

Course Details

Course Code	VET SC 2530RW
Course	Animal and Plant Biochemistry (Vet-Bio) II
Coordinating Unit	School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences
Term	Semester 1
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	Roseworthy Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 6 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange
Prerequisites	(CHEM 1510 or CHEM 1511) and BIOLOGY 1510
Incompatible	(AGRIC 2500RW, AGRIC 2500WT, ANIML SC 2530RW, AGRIC 2501RW)
Restrictions	Available to BSc (Veterinary Bioscience) students only
Assessment	Final exam, practical assessments, tutorial assessments, presentation

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Hayley McGrice

Course Timetable

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

Course Learning Outcomes

1	Explain how protein structure and function is derived from the constituent amino acids, and compare the features of structural and globular proteins
2	Describe the basic principles governing the rate of enzyme catalysed reactions and the forms of inhibition of enzyme-catalysed reactions
3	Describe the major pathways of carbohydrate, lipid and amino metabolism and demonstrate how energy is stored and released through them
4	Demonstrate familiarity and competence with the practical skills and techniques used in biochemical research and analysis. This will include experimental planning, the preparation of reagents and use of basic instrumentation (spectrophotometers, centrifuges, chromatographic apparatus etc), the collection of biochemical data and its presentation, and most importantly, the analysis and interpretation of the outcomes of biochemical investigations
5	Demonstrate the ability to undertake the research, preparation and delivery of presentations of biochemical topics selected to reinforce and augment the material presented in lectures

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, 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.	4, 5
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.	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.	4, 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.	5

Learning Resources

Required Resources

There is no required textbook for this course.

Recommended Resources

The recommended text for this course is Tymoczko, Stryer and Berg (2015) Biochemistry A Short Course 3rd Edition.
Advanced treatment of topics covered during the course will be found in many of the major undergraduate biochemical textbooks. Students seeking further details and greater coverage of topics than are provided by the recommended text are encouraged to consider supplementing their study using one of these. Other good biochemistry texts include:

Nelson and Cox (2012) Lehninger’s Principles of Biochemistry 6th Edition
Berg, Tymoczko and Stryer (2006) Biochemistry 6th Edition
Mathews, Van Holde and Ahern (2000) Biochemistry.
A limited number of copies of some of these texts will be held on Reserve in the Waite library.
The publisher (WH Freeman and Company) offers a range of eBook options for access to the texts by Tymoczko et al., Berg et al. and Nelson & Cox. Some of these may be available for use by Australian students

A shorter biochemistry ebook suitable for Kindle readers or the Kindle App on iPads etc, Instant Notes in Biochemistry 2nd Edition, by David Hames, is available for purchase or short-term rental from the Kindle store. While this book does not cover topics in the depth provided by any of the major textbooks mentioned above, it nonetheless provides a useful background to all of the topics covered in the course.
A reading list of references relevant to topics covered in the course, which in many instances will provide the research context around these topics, is provided and can be accessed from MyUni. Individual articles contained on the reading list may be downloaded for private study. From time to time during the course, lecturing staff, tutors etc may suggest that you read additional scientific papers. These will be made available for online reading and download via MyUni; full details will be given as appropriate.

Online Learning

MyUni: Teaching materials and course documentation will be posted on the MyUni website (http://myuni.adelaide.edu.au/).
Course administration is accomplished using MyUni: activities will include email, announcements, lecture handouts and recordings, an online reading list and links to past examinations. Coursework assignments may be submitted through Turnitin as directed. Coursework marks will be made available through the Gradebook. Assessment in the form of online quizzes will be offered during the semester as a part of the Formative Assessment component. All materials will be released at the relevant time during the semester.
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

This course is taught with a blended active learning style, with one hour of online lecture content and 2hrs lectures involving active learning each week.

Each student will participate in a total of six 3hour workshops across the semester, incorporating short answer, applied active and case-based learning activities.

Each student will participate in 5 practicals during the semester which include a 2hr laboratory session supported by a 2hr practical skills and comprehension workshop. Practicals are also supported by interactive online recorded videos and online activities which students are expected to engage with prior to coming to the practical session.

Students will also complete a team-based discovery learning project on a topic of their choice.

The lecture content is reinforced and supported by the workshops and practical content.

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, revision and online learning activities)

Learning Activities Summary

Standard lectures - themes:

Protein structure and function
Enzymes and Enzyme Kinetics
Lipid biochemistry and metabolism
Carbohydrate biochemistry and metabolism
Amino acid metabolism
Ruminant biochemistry

Practicals:

Analysis of nitrite
The effects of pH on enzyme activity
Plant carbohydrates extraction and quantification (2 practicals)
Glycogen hydrolysis and quanitifcation

Workshop topics:

Biochemical calculations;
Protein structure and function
Enzyme inhibition (NSAIDs and Antivirals)
Integration of carbohydrate and lipid metabolic pathways
Hormonal control of metabolism

Specific Course Requirements

PRACTICAL SESSION CODE OF CONDUCT All students must follow these rules in practical exercises:

• No eating, drinking, application of makeup, etc in laboratories; no water bottles or items of food or drink may be visible in laboratories; mobile phone calls to be taken and made outside the laboratory only.
• Closed shoes must be worn at all times in all practical exercises, wherever they are held.
• Lab coats and other personal protective equipment must be worn at all times in laboratories or other areas whenever students are instructed to wear them; these should be removed when leaving the laboratory.
• Bags, coats, etc. that are brought into a lab must be placed under the bench to avoid causing obstructions.
• All containers used during a practical session must be labelled, including water and other common non-toxic substances.
• Report all accidents, personal or involving experimental materials, to the person in charge.
• Playing around in a laboratory and many other work areas is dangerous; participants in improper behaviour will be asked to leave.
• Students must dispose of materials as directed.
• Students must wash their hands upon departing the labs and other work areas.
• Students must clean and tidy their bench and/or work area before departure; benches and/or work areas will be inspected at the end of each practical session.
• Students not complying with the rules will not receive credit for the practical session in which the breach occurred.

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

No elements of the course have a formal exemption from the requirements of the Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy.

Further information is available in the course handbook.

Assessment Task	Task Type	Weighting	Hurdle? Yes or No	Learning Outcome	Due
Revision Quizzes	Summative & Formative	10%	No	1, 2, 3	Throughout the semester
Practical Quizzes	Summative & Formative	5%	No	1, 2, 4	Throughout the semester
Biochemical calculations and practical theory quiz	Summative & Formative	10%	No	4	Week 4
Practical Report	Summative & Formative	10%	No	4, 5	Week 9
Group Discovery Learning Assignment	Summative & Formative	15%	No	1, 3, 5	Week 10 (approx)
Final Exam	Summative	50%	Yes	1, 2, 3	End of Semester

Assessment Related Requirements

Assessment Item with hurdle	% needed or requirement to meet hurdle	Is additional assessment available if student does not meet hurdle requirement? Yes or No	Details of additional assessment, if available
Final Assessment	40%	Yes	Additional Assessment

Assessment Detail

Revision Quizzes (10%)
Students will have 3-4 individual and team based revision quizzes that will test their knowledge of the course content, all mulitple choice questions. The individual and team quiz scores will be combine to account for 10% of the final course grade.

Practical Quizzes (5%)
There will be five practical classes conducted per student over the course of the semester. The first two of these will be assessed via online quizzes in MyUni. The quizzes will be released at the completion of the practical and each student has two attempts at the quiz. The average mark for the three quizzes will form 5% of the student’s final grade.

Biochemical calculations and practical theory quiz (10%)
An online invigilated test will be held in week 4. The test will comprise questions covering the biochemical calculations and basic practical skills encountered in weeks 1-3.

Group Discovery Learning Assignment (15%)
In groups of 5-7, students select a topic of interest to them and undertake an discovery learning exercise. Students must prepare a video and a written executive summary that explains the biochemical basis of their chosen topic. Students will assess other groups written work and provide feedback as well as provide confidential assessment of the contributions of their team mates using a tool called FeedBack Fruits in MyUni. The results from the peer assessment are used to moderate the team grade to generate individual scores that reflect effort and contribution of each individual to the group assignment.

Practical Report (10%)
The plant carbohydrates and glycogen hydrolysis practicals (final 3 practical sessions) will be assessed via a formal written practical report requiring students to combine and analyse the results from both practicals.

Summative (examination-based) Assessment - details:
Final Exam (50%)
The final examination in the Semester 1 exam period will consist of a 3-hour paper, containing applied questions derived from lectures and workshops delivered in weeks 1-12. This will be a semi-open book invigilated examination, students are permitted to bring 12 pages of self generated notes into the examination (restrictions apply on what can be included in these notes). All questions must be answered.

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. Assignments submitted more than 7 days late without prior approval, will not be marked.

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
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
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.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator